Education

"Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity."
Aristotle


In the best of times, in the worst of times, knowledge shines brighter than it's environment.


The most beautiful gift to a human-being is educational independence; someone who will take the effort to cure his curiosity through a book, a teacher, or a friend; it is an endless gift that will forever leave us eager for more.  In our compassionate world we live in, we continuously surge to provide a basic education to all eager eyes to the darkest corners in the world, just so we can give a people the opportunity to become independent in their existence, to strive to answer their common questions.  Because our brains have the uncanny ability to store an unlimited network of information, individuals have the natural urge to learn more, however if the opportunity is not available, they will find other means to stimulate their minds.  That is why it is our duty to globalize information, primarily because we have the technology to transport books and supplements, to share our opinions among other eager in order to generate masses of opinion and in the midst of all the questions, an answer, an undisputed truth.

But if we as a people want to optimize the search for a truth, whether may be in forms of rhetoric or science,  we must globalize education.  We must present the opportunity for underprivileged children to see the expanse of knowledge and the power it contains.  For those with a monetary or situational advantage, take the advantage and nurture it, but because it is humanity's duty to globalize education, be the guide towards this humanitarian goal; if sacrifice is needed, a hero will be discovered, but it is not necessary to do so. 


(Part 1)

Fear

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Amazing how a combination of simple words can inspire a grief stricken nation.

Leaders have the charisma to reshape, repackage their words into beautiful works of art.  Call it romantic, call it inspiring, but it taps into the human soul (a discussion that will be saved for a future post).

Why do humans develop fears?  Speaking in a psychological sense, perhaps they had a traumatizing event in their childhood, if they logically assess their fears as credible threats, or whatever they fear may not stimulate them in any way -- but I will spare you the scientific talk and give you a philosophical spin on it (that's the point of this blog isn't?).  Fear may provide both positive and negative depending on how they rationalize their fears.  Then naturally, someone will ask whether fear defines our humanity, creates individualism, variation amongst us.  Do we need our fears to rationalize our reality?  What if our fears disappeared?  Would we be no better than machines who methodically, mindlessly accomplish our goals?  Fear is a unique emotional mechanism individuals utilize to adapt to uncertain environments -- rationalizing the situation the individual is involved.  A unique form of resisting stresses on our environment; however a safe haven must be established to separate our fears and desires.  If one is subject to fear for extended periods of time, the mind will be rusted, the mind will deteriorate, fear will be forever burnt into the neurons and synapses of the brain.  One cannot function anymore because fear will consume his identity. 

So what is the right balance?  How much can we handle this stress, handle the changes in life?  Should we constantly compete against our fears or should we reevaluate our issues and approach them logically? 

Questions that I need to meditate on and answers I will find.

'Til next time,

Dan

Infinite Universe

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
~Albert Einstein  

So...is that a good thing?

If the Universe is truly infinite, then imagine how far the human race can progress.  If we have the given ability to adapt to our surroundings, to understand and utilize what is given to us, imagine what we can achieve.  I'm pretty sure Einstein meant to be ironic, but I'll turn around his meaning of his statement.  If human stupidity is infinite, then human knowledge is infinite.  Since we have the capacity to be infinitely unreasonable, our capacity to be reasonable is comparable.  Why?  In the midst of confusion, of every stupid action, a truth will rise from the rubble.  Whether it may be a truth to our existence, a truth about a lie, a truth to our stupidity, we will learn from out mistakes.  Thus, we will infinitely learn from our mistakes because of humanity's nature to adapt.

Merry Christmas,

Dan

Tick Tock Tick Tock

“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”
Napoleon Bonaparte

What a bad ass...

A great quote from a French Emperor that had it all and then lost it.  This reminds me of my father who always said, "do it now."  That phrase has been pounded in to my skull, yet I never listened to his advice.  Now I have Napoleon saying the same thing to me.   There will be a time to stop and smell the roses, but what good is there by sitting and pondering on a rock?  Our actions speak volumes while our thoughts stay within its bounds.  Ladies and gentlemen, the age of individualism is passing and the age of integration is rising.  We all can't look after our own self interests for the majority of the time, we have to establish our identity and move onwards to help our community.  Preservation of the human race depends on the preservation of our communities, our societies, not ourselves.  Yes, it is vital to find your identity, and it should be your first priority, but the greater goal for one's life is the life of others.

And so clock continues to tick, the gears continue to click, and the chimes will infinitely ring until time itself will destroy the keeper of time.  What can we keep from time?  Our struggle for existence.  If time will certainly mean the doom of humanity, then resisting the, perhaps, futile test of time is reason enough to live.  There is no nobility in ending your life because there is nothing else to struggle for, but there is greatness in the fight to defy death.  Live to prevail.

Another stream of conscious,

Dan Huh

Perspective is Relative to Passion

"Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy."  Ludwig van Beethoven
A bold statement by a revolutionary man.

It is important to observe that all statements by any individual should not be taken by its surface value, but rather to meditate upon.  However, those who take Beethoven's word with a grain of salt will not understand the full extent of his imagination.  Then how should we, are we even able to, interpret this quotation?

Beethoven had an incredible passion for music and opened himself up to the world.  He used his music to translate his emotions and ideas to society's uncensored ear.  The melodies scripted by his imagination tell stories beyond anyone's hopes and dreams.  Because his experiences are strictly unique -- particularly his musical and life experiences -- we may never understand his motives, his subconscious, yet we people accept his works as great.  Why do we?  Because Beethoven mastered the art of communication through carefully coordinated sounds.  He did what many of us could not, share his sentiments, his perspective through the art of music.

What mode of art do you use to express yourself?  If you don't, pick one up!

Regards,

Dan Huh

Existentialism and Humanism

Many apologies for my late blog entry. Last week has been very busy for me.

"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads." Albert Camus

I remember the first time I stumbled upon the word existentialism and its definition.  I took the surface of the meaning without taking in applications of the philosophy behind it. 

Here's my original definition: to live your life to the fullest regardless of the time you have left in your life.

I do not object to this definition I procured four years ago, but I believe there is more depth to discover.  Existentialism is about the life between point A and point B, birth and death.  There is no measurable value to your life, there is no correct way to live your life; however there are particular "guidelines" given to us through human nature.  Thanks to human diversity and variation in human interaction, there are unlimited possibilities to live which disregards societal pressures to conform, with reservation -- there are basic human interactions which influences other individuals to commune.  Now the question rises, if there are unlimited possibilities to live, how do we distinguish between moral and immoral actions?  This is where humanism intertwines with existentialism.  Humanism require individuals to create an environment suitable for human progress, to work towards the betterment of the humanity.  This disregards what we call criminal acts, murder, theft, racial profiling, etc.  We now have filtered through the ifs and buts of the purpose of life.  Excuse my cursory explanation of existentialism and humanism, but for the sake of blogging, this will do.

My original definition fits in beautifully with the provided definition above, however, there are particular applications that may contradict the purpose of existentialism and humanism.  The element of time poses a threat to the meaning of life.  Because the length of an individual's life is unknown, one may choose to merely "budget" their life.  In other words, a form of indifference arises in the midst of life, giving him the liberty to make conscious decisions to live life to the fullest at any given time.  This labels the individuals who live life through a telescope, who live through strict daily routines, stone schedules, agendas that serve to constrict one's life to their anticipated destinies.  I do not mean to live life without a calendar or a watch, but to release your dependence on time.  Indifference is a vice in humanity and it is influenced by time.  We are not a machine set to code, we are human beings with the liberty to express ourselves at any given moment. 

Now to my revised definition of existentialism.  I believe that we must live freely without the hindering thought of death and only encounter death once our eyes meet.  However, we must not depend on time to designate our actions.  We must see through a humanist lens to continuously strive for the betterment of humanity and not wait for right moment.  There are right moments in every breathe we take and the beauty of diversity gives way to unlimited possibilities for humanity. 

This is only one of many revisions.  Many which I will strongly disagree and others that I will plaster a smile on my face, but in the meantime, I've got some life to be livin'. 

Sincerely,

Dan Huh

Stop and Smell the Heliconias

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." ~Abraham Lincoln

Quality over quantity, huh? I sincerely believed that my goal in college was to graduate, to finish my classes with high marks, to add some HGH to my resume, to meet extraordinary and ordinary people. But what then? If I accomplish these menial goals, these short-term successes, how will these endeavors define me? I'll be the person who always tried to meet the expectation, the guy who lived life through a telescope. I want to be more than the expectation.

Yesterday, I stopped to smell a Heliconia flower -- this plant looks like a bird!



See?! To be honest, it did not smell great, but rather ok. I pass this flower every day, but I never take the time to stop in my tracks and stare at this bird flower. But when I did, this is what I said: 'It's beautiful.' Nothing more. If can say those two words, then I can assure myself that I am human. What is human? Being able to tell difference between a photograph and a painting, a speech and a song, searching and wandering. I do not want to strive for my goals merely for the satisfaction of others, let alone for my influenced psyche. I want to achieve happiness through my actions and later translate my happiness to an ever so curious world.

Where logical reasoning and the human psyche find common ground I am still unsure. How do they intricately weave between each other? There are a number of questions swelling my mind leaving me scrapping for answers wherever I can find them, but I'm sure I will find the answer during my time here at USD -- a good excuse for more blog entries -- the people I've met here thus far are more than I could have ever wished.

Until next time,

Dan Huh