"A bachelor's life is a fine breakfast, a flat lunch, and a miserable dinner."
- Francis Bacon
Too true Mr. Bacon, too true.
I, Dan Huh, have decided to take the time to produce, create, curate, become God over...make a blog. Poetry on Facebook could only appease half of my conscious -- the other half would wander off towards the Sun. Now, today, October 29th, 2009, 11:32pm, a sweet 60 degree night, minutes from Halloween-eve, I've decided to take the liberty to express myself over a the world-wide-web, which is more than likely to be viewed by more than my 487 Facebook friends -- a creepy thought indeed -- who some of them will more or less smile at my sarcastic remarks, frown at my depressing moments, or just stare blankly at a virtual screen, all emotions which I welcome with open arms.
Now on to business. There is no obvious reason for me to give birth to a blog, let alone post personal information on the WWW invented by the infamous Al Gore. Do I have anything to gain from typing virtual letters on a virtual screen? Yup. Here is my thesis for my blog: By developing a personal blog, primarily for the stranger's viewing pleasure, I have created an expressive outlet for me to freely paint my abstract soul through the most intimate and creative words given to me in the English language.
So why the quote? Francis Bacon has written some amazing literature during his lifetime, my favorite being The Great Instauration. The new excites the naive, sparking new interests in a bright, Sunny world, instilling confidence in a worried filled society. A shot of adrenaline and euphoria seems to be the cure for all of our problems. Once we become acquainted with our lives, following a content lifestyle, we begin to lose our zest, that once tingly taste at the tip of your tongue; we become use to the happiness we experience during our livelihood. And we die miserably alone? True -- with reservations of course -- I'm not a pessimist. Do we want to be sent to the old people's home or walk with an annoying limp? Nope. There are two mindsets to consider in this interpretation: it is imminent to obtain the effects of aging or to find happiness in the unfortunate circumstances in life. The choice is yours to make, live with your given fate or live free.
There will be updates every two days so stay tune for future posts!
Warm regards,
Dan Huh
Dan,
ReplyDeleteHI! And now to business, I was always of the opinion of this particular quote by Bacon was in fact referring to the specific case of the Bachelor's life where in the spring or in this case breakfast of his youth, the fare is delectable, he is tied to no one and spends his life as a carefree gentleman of leisure. Toward the middle or Lunch this appetite is lost as correctly illustrated by you in that through acquaintance comes familiarity and then monotony. The dinner or end of life is marked by the specific fact that he is a BACHELOR! Thus having frivolously spent his youth he is alone. And dining alone is never fun and I should imagine neither is dying.
However your read as the different stages of ones life is interesting, and gives me pause. If all life ends the same way, in death, and all men live, then the only thing that separates them is the manner or attitude in which they go about it.
This is all well and good, however you give two options live with your given fate or live free. Now living free of your given fate is of course impossible because death is immutable, is your meaning to live without the fact of your imminent rush towards mortality controlling your life.
I would certainly like to think it is and would somewhat agree, and use the illustration found in Swift as proof of the folly of immortality, specifically when men are obviously meant to be mortal.
Again what then is living free? Please elaborate upon this point
Sincerely
Paris
PS
In the portrait of Dorian Grey the protagonast, if you will is immortal and his immortality only offers him chance to further corrupt himself, he has cheated death and time and is content with neither. Also that one short story about the people who never died and so they committed suicide, I dont remember what it was called. Dissatisfaction is inherent in life and thus the only mistake is consciousness.
PPS
actually thats rather depressing
ignore it.
Paris! Good to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteNow to the point. I actually wrote an essay about this topic: fate v. freedom. It is a very difficult subject to write. I used the book Fatelessness to actually qualify the significance, or existence, of fate and freedom. I believe the only difference between fate and freedom is lifestyle. Whether one may want to believe in a set destiny or not, there is a choice available for everyone. In my opinion, there is a preferred lifestyle that the majority of modern-day humanity chooses: freedom. We have the ability to make this choice because our senses are tuned-in for a three-dimensional reality -- given that the majority of humanity does not think in four dimensions, that would just be insane. The preferred lifestyle of freedom provides an optimistic outlook for the majority and for those who are effected by it. Those who believe in fate set their faith in a higher power, which varies in a numerous of circles, thus deeming themselves powerless to control their actions -- sounds like an AA meeting huh?
I won't divulge which lifestyle I prefer, but it is ultimately the optimists v. the pessimists.
Good to hear from you!
Dan
Dan,
ReplyDeleteIts good to be talking about philosophy again...
Anyway this is actually a lot like Slaughterhouse V due to the sort of predestined timeline the tralfamadorians believe in and they are unable to do anything as time unfolds and they always do the same constantly in each different instant of time.
However as much as you might liken the faith in a higher power to a statue shooting blood on people and this faith in fate absolving them in their mind of action, is not faith a conscious investment? If time is linearly controlling then all that is, is that which always will have been. Ipso Facto the individual doesnt matter nor does its opinions.
The way I see it the only thing is to choose to be responsible for your actions or to let your actions control you, this was the satire in that particular episode of South Park, that being labeled an Alky Randy became an alky and shed the responsibility he held for his actions. the reason the MIRACLE worked was as stan pointed out his faith in that same miracle. So then it comes back to I suppose Optimists as you would put it V pessimists.
Oh and you did divulge which you prefer
may I reference Sentence 17 ish of your original blog post. If you arent one, and you certainly havent given reference to any third party then you must be the other.
Paris
psWhen is your spring break, Im comin out and chillin
pps I still need to give you a book.
I like the reference to Slaughterhouse-Five -- probably will read it again in the near future -- and funny SP episode too.
ReplyDeleteI did not claim a lifestyle in my last post. Living free is the preferred lifestyle in modern-day society, not necessarily mine.
No man What I'm sayin is you specifically said in your first post that you aren't a pessimist.!!!
ReplyDelete