Introspections of a Thoughtful Mind

Concept of Mind

2010-05-18T14:51:00.001-07:00

This is a paper I wrote based on a book called "Concept of Mind" by Gilbert Ryle:

The common conception of how minds work is engrained in every facet of western society and culture. For centuries philosophers have been operating on various assumptions that without putting them to the test. This belief is that all humans, except possibly infants and idiots, have both a body and a mind. Human bodies are in space where human minds work outside of space. Being outside of space minds are not observable and therefore the possessors of these minds have privileged access to them.[1] In The Concept of Mind Gilbert Ryle decides to challenge these assumptions at their very core, suggesting that they are broken backed from the start.[2] Ryle’s main thesis is illustrated in Chapter IX where he discusses the intellect. In that chapter he is able to reference and make use of the previous arguments made throughout the book. In the end it is shown that Ryle’s theory withstands objections and is indeed preferable to the more common occultist theory of dualism.

According to Ryle, a person’s intellect is not something private that only he has access to, it is something that can be demonstrated. A way that we know about someone’s mind is to see that they are prone to do certain things.[3] This is speaking of it as a disposition; this means a person may not be thinking particular thoughts now but that she tends to do so in certain situations.[4] This makes it so that the mind and the actions are no longer separated. That which the person writes down, says and does shows what kind of person he is. If he tends to do the same sorts of things then we can know that he is disposed to a certain type of action. We see certain people as vain only because they do and say vain things. The only way for him to know that he is vain is by the same process. We on a great many occasions claim that someone is vain and does not know it.[5]

One of the main ways that a man can demonstrate his intellect is through his speech. We judge a person based on how he speaks when he is guarded and careful with what he says, such as when he is theorizing. It would be a mistake to believe that the difference between this way of speaking and that of regular chat is only by degree for they are in different categories; chat is not just low level theorizing.[6] This is due to theorizing being didactic which is intended for learning which is work where chatting is idle.[7] Many intellectual tasks are those of which only the schooled can perform. These tasks are brought about by didactic discourse which is itself a skill learned through study. The conversational tone in didactic discourse is fake and is a higher order ability.[8] A higher order ability is one that is complex and builds upon less complex lower acts,[9] in this case not only does one know how to speak in didactic conversation but one knows how to cover it with a more casual tone.[10] Didactic talk is not to be responded to but to be kept in mind. This means that it is supposed to be used for the receiver to improve and strengthen his powers of thought by being remembered and employed later. It is more like other sorts of learning than other sorts of talking. Learning lessons is becoming competent, not just able to parrot back sayings. These lessons can be taught to another or self taught through thinking things out.

A thought that comes with a word or phrase is not a secret happening but the same thought coming to oneself prior to it being spoken. If that thought needed a corresponding thought then it would be the same utterance and its necessity would go ad infinitum. To say something with significance and to be aware of it is doing one thing, not two. It is to say something with a specific frame of mind.[11]

Another way that we decide if another person is a good intellect based on how she makes intellectual advances. Many of these are good inferential thinking but not all of them are, some are just by paying attention to what one is doing and making sure it is done well.[12] Thinking can be progressive since a conclusion can become a premise but some have the instructive effect of teaching us how to do something.[13] One may know something but finds it difficult to observe and has to instruct himself or remind himself to mind what he knows is right.[14] This is because learning that can be imparted and learned relatively quickly where learning how is to improve an ability which takes a gradual process.[15]

When talking about someone’s intellect it is important to note a division between the work that he puts into the thinking and the results from the work, this distinction is the same as being “searching” words for the former and being “got it” words for the latter. “Got it” words are achievement words and can only be used when something is done. “Searching” words are only to be used in finding out or doing.[16] Many people will make the category mistake of using “got it” verbs such as deduce, abstract, judge and so on in their gerund form making them seem to be “searching” verbs where they are not.[17] This is also seen with the distinction between having a theory and building a theory. Having a theory is a “got it” phrase where building a theory is a “searching” phrase. This is because having a theory is to know it, and be able to use it when necessary and make a didactic exploitation of it, being able to teach it or being willing to act on its precepts, but it does not imply that they theory is currently being used. Though one must do certain mental acts after being schooled, it does not imply that the person has to review all previous schooling to apply concepts that build on them. This is because you have those teachings and do not have to repossess it. Having certain knowledge is being disposed to know the answers to the problems presented or presenting the theory in its strongest light.[18] Building a theory is preparing oneself to get to the point of having a theory; this can be done through researching, or investigating either formally or informally. Having a theory is to manipulate and use it with ease, for the work is already done where building a theory is the hard work to prepare for having the theory.[19]

At times we use abstractions, judgments and inferences all of which have meanings but none of which are occurrences. By not being occurrences in the world they are therefore not in need of a causal explanation, instead they are words used to indicate that an occurrence is over.[20] To have a theory and for it to have meanings, abstractions, reasoning, inferences and judgment is to have one thing, not many. These belong to having a theory because they are what one uses when the theory is built. Judgments belong to having a theory because they are what one has at the end of building. Inferences belong to having a theory because they are the passing to the conclusion, what one does when the theory is done and can do over and over again. These things come about gradually until they are completed. The actual possessing of an inference is not gradual or instant but is a “got it” term, when you infer something it is the end, not a process.[21] If a possessor of a theory is expounding it with care, she is also doing one thing, not two. If we readily see its implications that is due to the work was already done and the person having “got it.” Abstractions are things that are more general than the syntax would suggest. In order to use an abstract term one must use it significantly and know its significance. Having an abstract term is being able to use it.[22]

In employing arguments or jokes a person is showing that she has it but in receiving them the audience is searching and doing to work to have them as well. We first see an argument and draw an implication, the conclusion is already there and the theory is already “got.” The one giving the argument is the executive and the receiver is contemplative. You “see” implications of done theories and you solve those that you are building. To think is not to be shown something but to work something out, not be told a theory but to build one.[23] Being able to argue is not having a theory but having a skill. Drawing a conclusion is a mental act but it does not need to be done to oneself, one may do it vocally or on paper.

The occultist would say that there is no possible way to know someone else’s mind. To them it would just be a guess based on many of the things that Ryle suggests are ways of knowing what is in other people’s minds. They would say that though a person may be able to perform a certain intellectual act that it makes their thoughts known the act may be just luck or knowing only the syntax of the argument but not the semantics. Though a person may be prone to certain things, he may just be deceiving all onlookers. Possibly that person is prone to do the opposite when alone but in front of people the person resorts to what would be socially acceptable. Guarded speech would be the last place to look for how the person’s mind works because it is the least genuine. To have the best guess one must catch the person off guard and challenge his thoughts and beliefs. Though a person may be able to show what he knows through didactic discourse it would be impossible to know what he actually believes about the subjects. The ease with which the person is able to perform the higher order act of didactic speaking in a casual tone is just another layer to the ruse. We are not even able to know if the person finds the subject challenging or not. One may never know if the recipient of the didactic talks is actually just parroting back phrases or is actually able to understand the material. With this only I can know the contents of my own thoughts and abilities. I would have not only the best access to know if I am deceitful but the only access. I can know what I am prone to do because I can see my will. The main objection is that even though we might be able to test what a person may syntactically know, we never can know what he knows semantically or believes about the subject. This means we cannot distinguish this person from the workings of a machine.

Ryle’s position withstands these objections with a few simple answers. The truth is that on though there are situations where a person may know their intents and thoughts better than I do; there are situations where I can know their dispositions and workings of mind better than they do. The problem is with bias, the person can be too proud to admit to their dispositions or beliefs even if it is most obvious to everyone else. He may be lying to me but they could just as easily be deceiving himself. There are also certain things I can do to recognize his lies. He could be caught in a lie which would show to me that he is disposed to lying. He could offer contradictory positions at different times suggesting that he does not know the subject as well as he may claim. The only way for him to know that he understands and argument is by being able to work with it and show its premises and conclusion, its benefits and shortfalls as well as where it may be attacked. By discussing the argument with him I would be able to know how well he understands the arguments. If he suggests that he really does know it but just can’t say or write it then barring other circumstances he is most likely deceiving himself. Guarded speech is the best way to find out what a person knows. He is able to carefully present a theory or problem that he has previously worked out, this gives him the best possibility to show that he knows what he is talking about. In order to know if he believes it you can ask him and, if he is disposed to be reasonable, if the argument is valid for why he holds such a position. The fact that he is able to casually discuss complicated topics does not say much about his ability to deceive but it says a great deal as to his skill in understanding the topic and having “got it.” He is talking with ease because he had already done the work, though the didactic talk is work the delivering of an already understood and adopted theory is not. We are able to know if he understands the semantics of it by asking him questions about the theory such as in what different situations can it be applied as well as the implications of the theory. In short the person is just as capable of being deceived as he is to deceiving, his dispositions are not hidden but can be evident through experiment and examination, to know what he knows is simply by having him explain different components of a theory.

The occultist would believe that there are too many vagaries to make a real distinction between “got it” and “searching” words. There are too many degrees and that one quite possibly will never fully “have” a concept in the mind. Deducing, judging, and abstracting are in fact occurrences. A person can judge whether something is the case even when he is in the process. While a person is using abstract terms he is able to abstract and while he is reasoning he can be deducing. A theory can never be fully built because it can always have more premises as well as the conclusion can become a premise in a different argument. All theories are then in the building phase and are never truly built. A person is able to teach or explain parts of theory when he does not fully understand the whole thing. She can at do a wide range of things with parts of a theory without fully understanding its implications. Even the founder of a theory may not fully understand everything that the theory entails. A person may forget vital parts of the theory and have to be re-schooled in them; this means that she may have it less than previously thought. On top of that it is impossible to know if another person “has” a theory. They may go over implications but still might not be aware of the biggest ones or they may not understand how it all fits together.

The defense of Ryle’s position is yet again simple. It is easy to concede that there are degrees without conceding that there is no possibility of “getting it.” Ryle would not claim that to “have” a theory is to be able to have command of every aspect of it. In fact, that would be absurd since it would lead to needing infinite knowledge. Instead Ryle would claim that in order to “have” a theory is to be able to recognize and utilize new aspects as they come up. If a person understands the theory so well that he is able to manipulate it and use it then he would know it well enough to hold a discussion with any implication that he might come across and see exactly where his theory fits in. The theory may in fact have more premises but he has at least produced one where the conclusion follows from the premises by necessity. That the conclusion can be adopted as a sub-conclusion of a bigger argument means that he may have not yet “gotten” the big argument, he still “has” the smaller one, which is the only thing that he implied. If the person forgets pieces of the theory then he no longer has the theory and that is acceptable as well, he just needs to “have” the theory at the time it is suggested that he “has” it. To know if another person “has” a theory then he must be able to show an understanding of it and where it fits in to any seen or unforeseen questions or implications.

Ryle’s theory is able to withstand the major objections and is therefore preferable to the position offered by the occultist theory. Though it is not as engrained as the opposition in western society and culture it is in fact a better explanation for how we conduct our daily affairs. It is able to bring back together mind and action. In order to function when relating to people one must operate with at least a few assumptions about the minds of those with whom he speaks. If a person is able to put forth a theory, what is better evidence for how the person thinks than to see how the theory works? We see people as vain because of what they do and say but that same person may not believe it because of his bias. We operate with these believes about one another every day. There is no such thing as privileged access because we can at times understand others better than they understand themselves. We believe that we know people and act on those assumptions all of the time, it is more fruitful to have a concept of minds that reflects that knowledge and sears together our “mental lives” and our “physical lives.”[24]

[1] Ryle, pg 11

[2] Ryle, pg 20

[3] Ryle, pg 61

[4] Ryle, pg 116

[5] Ryle, pgs 85-86

[6] Ryle, pg 283

[7] Ryle, pg 185

[8] Ryle, pgs 284-285

[9] Ryle, pg 263

[10] Ryle, pgs 284-285

[11] Ryle, pgs 295-297

[12] Ryle, pgs 210-213

[13] Ryle, pgs 310-314

[14] Ryle, pgs 316

[15] Ryle, pg 59

[16] Ryle, pg 149-151

[17] Ryle, pg 285

[18] Ryle, pgs 315-316

[19] Ryle, pgs286-289

[20] Ryle, pgs 292-295

[21] Ryle, pgs 298-302

[22] Ryle, pgs 304-305

[23] Ryle, pgs 305-306

[24] Ryle, pgs 11-12

Creepy Laundry

2010-01-30T15:59:00.005-07:00

Remember that post I did where some nice person folded my laundry and put it neatly on the table because I was rudely taking up a dryer for an entire day? If so, your name is probably Alex. Anyway, all of the dryers were taken up today while I was doing laundry so I decided to be a nice neighbor and pay it forward. I just remembered how great I felt about the world after the gesture and I hoped to help someone else feel the same way. So I took a person's laundry out and put it on the table and loaded my laundry into the dryer. Then I started to fold the other person's laundry, it just consisted of some pants and shirts and stuff but no underwear or anything that might make it awkward. I only had a couple of more shirts to fold when a couple came in to take their laundry out of the dryers. To tell you the truth I'm not sure if the laundry I was folding was there's but they didn't say anything to me about it. I finished up folding as soon as possible and then got out of there without making too much eye contact. It was awkward because even if it wasn't their laundry I just abandoned the clothes I was folding on the table so I'm sure they became really confused. Can you imagine if it was their laundry? That would be really creepy. It seems like a nice gesture when someone folds my laundry while I am not around just to get it out of the way and to be kind but it seems really awkward to catch the person in the middle of folding my laundry. That seems to be a social situation that I haven't prepared for. Either way, I felt really uncomfortable when the couple came in and caught me folding laundry. Why does everything I do need just a little bit of awkwardness mixed in? This is why I don't often do nice things for people.

Also, I saw this sign at the laundromat . Of course it didn't work, it was Christmas day! I was going to try to see if I could get the dryer to work now that it is a month after Christmas. What kind of jerk makes a machine work on Christmas day? In all seriousness though, I feel really bad for whoever didn't have anything better to do on Christmas than laundry. At least that means the person probably had a day off from work.

Well, I need to be off to check my laundry, it's probably been done for a half hour now. Hopefully I don't run into someone who is folding my laundry. That would be awkward.

Hopefully Gerald Sherratt has a sense of humor

2010-01-07T16:03:00.004-07:00

I love how sometimes there are things that just end up working out as hilarious as possible. I made these fliers last night and they were proof-read by a whole bunch of people prior to being printed. Then I spent some time today distributing the fliers. While I was in class I noticed a typo that was (and still is) embarrassing. Read over it and see if you can find the typo then tell me whether or not you can think of a word that I could have misspelled that would have come off funnier. I'm glad that I at least got to chuckle while I went out to go retrieve the fliers. This sums up my modus operandi: Always make sure that things end up as awkward as possible but still come off as likable. Now I am going to stop wasting time and actually go replace these fliers. Hopefully the fixed ones are a little more ridiculous than those with typos, I replaced his picture with one of a giraffe. I think I am just testing my boss to see how weird I can make things and still get to come in the next day.

'Tis the Season

2009-12-26T01:14:00.005-07:00

'Tis the season for ice climbing and hanging out with the family. And shopping I guess, I sure do seem to be doing that a lot lately. That and my computer is glitching, is that the computer or the blog's autosave? We'll say it's the autosave. I was thinking about writing a narrative of the ice climbing trip but I'm not really in the mood right now. Suffice it to say that it was a blast as usual and that the mountains are unreal gorgeous in the sunrise. This morning Santa came and gave us presents that were random items from the house that were all wrapped up. I got a pillow from our upstairs couch, my sister got a cup o' noodles, my dad got a cassette tape with the top gun soundtrack on it, my brother got a candle and my mother received a portrait that she had painted of my sister. Good times! I love Santa Claus. Why does Santa have both the name St. Nick and Kris Kringle? Both of those sound like first names. We had a Christmas that was busy of the things Christmas was meant to be busy with: Beatles Rock Band, Board Games, Card Games, Presents, Reading the biblical versions (or just the one in Luke) of the birth of Jesus. I got some super-sweet books, a Frisbee, some swords, an iTunes card, and my dad pulled out the guitar that I received on one of my first Christmas'. I have been carrying the guitar around all day playing it, even though we can't get it to tune right (and I don't know how to play the guitar). I bet that is pretty similar to the first time I received it for Christmas. We also watched a movie called "Freedom Writers" which was a lovely story about a teacher who inspired inner-city kids to live happy lives and expand themselves beyond the ghetto. I loved the movie except it ended happily ever after. Movies like that don't usually end well. Thanks everyone for Christmas whether or not you gave me presents! I probably should have said something about the true meaning of Christmas in this blog. Remember to not be scrooges, to love your families, there is more to life than gang violence, that the Saviour of mankind was born and that the British spellings of words are better than the American; that is the true meaning of Christmas.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T22:03:00.005-07:00

I'm thankful to have this time of year. I need a day set apart to think about the people important to me and the things for which I am grateful. Thanksgiving gives me that time of reflection for introspection and to see if I need to shift focus. I don't consider myself to be a very thankful person, sometimes it is just hard to feel gratitude. Part of my problem is that I am fairly anti-materialistic so the things I have aren't too important to me. Really what I am thankful for this year, even though it is difficult for me to express, are the people in my life. In the next week or so [because I missed some (a lot) of people today] I am going to make a greater effort to express my thanks to those around me. I lose track of and don't keep in touch with a lot of people that I consider to be my friends. I'm sorry about that, it's really something I need to work on. Maybe I'll use this time to get back in touch. Thanks for being there for me, I hope I can repay you in kind (that's right, get ready for goods, commodities or services rather than money. You should expect a cow.). Also, I hope your thanksgiving has been a wonderful one. Thank you.

Bridges

2009-11-19T22:59:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I walked to school and crossed a bridge and while I thinking back in fond memories of that moment I passed a bridge that goes into the second floor of the administration building SUU. That was in fact two occurrences with a bridge in one day. The word Bridge has 26 definitions. As you know it can be used as both a noun and a verb. Many people use the verb version as a way to describe a joining of two sides or a way to span a chasm. With people in our lives we may say that we are building bridges to connect with them. The question I have in mind is if we are bridging a divide what is the perspective of the person in the canyon? If the span seems less far from the top after a bridge is erected does the person under it feel like both sides are closing in? The obvious answer, and the one I will agree with, is no. Isn't it weird that the possibilities that are granted for the person at the top mean nothing for the person under the bridge? What I love about bridges is the security they provide to me, I feel safe under them. On top of the bridge I feel like any range of possibilities could bring me crashing down to the earth but under the bridge I feel like I am protected from the weather or any other object falling from the sky. A bridge is a lot like a roof except roofs usually have walls on each of their sides. Under a roof I feel trapped because to get out I usually have to exit through a door, window or some other opening. Bridges usually have only two sides blocked which leaves just as many sides open (we are going to operate in the typical four side situation). I feel like if I need to get out from under the bridge it would be much easier than if I were inside a building but I still have the additional benefit of having protection from above. That and being under a bridge is much breezier than inside of a house. Isn't it odd that the possibilities that a bridge grants to the person under it aren't even considered by the people going over it? I sure like being under bridges, maybe I should become a troll.

Lucky Laundry

2009-11-14T22:16:00.004-07:00

Today was a lucky laundry day. It was particularly lucky because a good person encountered my clothes in the dryer and decided to fold them up and put them in my basket. In fact, he or she did a better job than I would have. Of course my part in the story is that I rudely left my laundry in the dryer for a good 3 or 4 hours more than necessary. I am thankful for the good people that I live by for not stealing my clothes, dumping them on the floor, throwing them outside or doing any of the nasty things that would be expected in this day and age.

Though the laundry story had the most impact on my view of my neighbors today it isn't the only nice thing that they did for me. Last night Alex and I ate dinner and stayed up talking and listening to music pretty late into the night. I almost never hear my neighbor make even the slightest sound so I usually don't worry about him hearing me. I guess I should change that policy because near the end of our evening we started hearing some knocking on the wall every time I would say something (I guess I talk loud). We decided that we were keeping my neighbor up so we turned the music off and finished our conversation in whispers. This morning (it was about noon but for some of us it was still morning) my neighbor came over to give me a note, which I never received because I answered the door and we just spoke face to face. What he said to me was that he was sorry that he was knocking on the wall but it is just a reflex when something wakes him up. He pretty much apologized to me and any time I told him that I was sorry and will try not to do it again he just would become more conciliatory. I really like my neighbor, he seems like a good fellow. I am really glad to have finally met him and that he is such a nice man. I am grateful for the awesome people in my apartment complex and hope that they are having a great night tonight.

I find it odd that sometimes I don't come out as a very likable character in my stories, especially next to the other people. It's kind of like the T.V. show "The Wonder Years" where Kevin (the protagonist) is sometimes a jerk but you like him anyway. What I love about that show is that everyone is that way in real life, we are all jerks sometimes but we just press forward, learn and try better next time. Just like Kevin, I am a flawed hero in the epic which is my life.

Music

2009-11-12T20:14:00.002-07:00

I love music which may surprise people because I spent a large portion of my childhood abhorring it. I really didn't like how it could change my feelings and emotions. Now I enjoy how it can augment my feelings and inspire me if I control the music I decide to listen to. I saw a PBS broadcast a while back that said that not only listening to good music (typically classical) is good for the brain but that interacting with it, especially by playing the instrument, "lights up" your brain more than any other activity. I have wanted to get back into playing an instrument for quite some time now but I think I have found the motivation to do so. There is a certain youtube channel that not only has amazing music but the videos are stimulating and the musicians seem to be having the time of their lives. I suggest that you look at more of those videos than just the one that I put a link to. There seems to be magic in the process of creation. I want that in my life. I want to make music. It's time that I sacrifice a little to do so. Maybe this will be my opportunity to help myself live earnestly. Wish me luck!

Who am I?

2009-09-30T08:31:00.003-07:00

So, I am in waste time mode because I am tired. Now I have this hooked up to my facebook so if you are reading this from that website then it won't make sense and you need to visit my blog at www.alexintrospections.blogspot.com. Really I just wanted to post something because it has been months. I can't let October sneak up on me without posting a blog. SO, after that long intro this is my point: I will bake cookies for the first person that can guess who is represented as my profile picture (yet again, on facebook that doesn't count because it is a picture of me). Hint: I am related to him. Good Luck!

Independence Day

2009-07-04T22:37:00.002-07:00

July 4th 1776 really was not the USA's first day of being Independent or as some would classify it "America's birthday." The United States of America was not officially Independent until September 3rd 1783, with a lot of steps that led up to that point. I believe we celebrate our Independence on the 4th because it was our first major step into becoming an independent and free nation. Really this was the day that a handful of aristocratic intellectuals decided to come down from their positions of prestige and power and plunge into the unknown world of rebellion and treason. They decided to put their lives on the line for philosophical beliefs. This was the moment that they decided that their ideas were too great to remain in their minds but it was time to bring them into being. These men sacrificed their security for their values. This is why on this day we do not celebrate the fact that we are not British; we celebrate the sacrifice of those before us who decided that they would rather be tortured and die than be under unlawful subjugation. This is the day that we should all ask ourselves, "Am I willing to sacrifice everything for what is true and what is right?" "Am I willing to do everything necessary for the betterment of society as a whole rather than sit upon my throne of meaningless monetary accumulation?" This is why we celebrate those who fight for our country on the fourth of July. But these men and women have not fought for our independence and freedom in many years, they are now fighting for the liberty and future sovereignty of the oppressed and enslaved of other nations. On this day it is not our only obligation to be grateful to those who have provided us our liberties and independence but we should turn to those who are currently fighting for their own.

Even though there are many people in this world giving their lives for the freedom of their friends and family there is one country in particular I want to draw attention to. The current political situation in Iran is not much different than ours in 1776. In fact the biggest difference is the fact that their need for freedom and a voice is greater than ours was. It is undeniable that their recent election was fraudulent and that their government no longer listens to the voice of the people. There have been people who have already given their lives for the hope of future independence from tyranny. People are being shot in the streets, terrorized in their homes and abducted by night. The ability for the citizens to communicate with each other and the world is being systematically shut down. Though the protests are slowing down there are still cries from the rooftops, "Allāhu Akbar." This is their pivotal moment in history when they can secure their independence. This is their time to sacrifice everything for the betterment of society and to have a voice in their country. This is when they must choose to die for their future liberties and freedom. Let us not be selfish in our thoughts of independence but use this day to celebrate the lives of all of those people throughout the world who are giving their lives for freedom. I hope that we can share our thoughts and prayers with those who are now fighting the same battle for their people that our forefathers began for ours on July 4th 1776.

Social life

2009-06-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a tiring day. I only worked for five hours yesterday but they were long. I was planning on going to Zion National Park yesterday but my uncle did not call me back to tell me when and where we were meeting so I never went. He actually has still not called me back, which is weird because he was supposed to go home sometime tonight so the hiking trip is probably already over. My mom and brother have been out of town for a month and are coming home tomorrow. My father spent the night last night at a hotel for a dental convention so he was out of town. So here is the summary of last night: I was tired from work, I was waiting for a phone call from my Uncle and my whole immediate family was out of town. This led me to decide to just go out to eat and celebrate last night. I decided to drive on main streets all of the way back from work to see what sounded good. Of course I decided to go to a Wingers in Lehi, which doesn't make a lot of sense because I don't particularly like Wingers and it was in fact the second Wingers that I had passed on my journey. I walked into the restaurant with a bit of a limp (because I am a gangsta') and the hostess lady (much better than Little Debbie) asked me if I was waiting for a group. I of course said that I was alone and I was directed to a table. I ate my food and read a bit of Walden from Henry David Thoreau. I as I ate my mini chicken strip saucy sliders I realized that something was out of place. My waiter would give me weird looks, the couple next to me almost didn't say a word to each other for the whole outing, and I was sitting there by myself eating at a restaurant. So it turns out that restaurants are supposed to be social places. People don't go to sit down restaurants alone very often, if ever. While I was sitting there contemplating this social situation I realized, it was Friday. Friday is considered to be the most social day of the week. It is the most common of date nights, especially in Utah. In fact I believe that is Barack Obama's date night. I sat there in a social location, on the most social day of the week, surrounded by groups of people yet all alone. I didn't really care, I just thought it was odd and I believe that most people around me thought the same thing. I gave my waiter a 50% tip. He wasn't particularly good; I just hope that he realized how much he is loved. I also wrote him a note and left it on the table. I have been thinking about going on a trip for a while now, one in which I am completely alone. I thought about the possibility of going off for a couple of months and exist in a city without friends or social connections and without joining or participating in any organization that would produce such relationships. Then, just document what life is like.

What is life like?

I know you

2009-06-26T23:43:00.003-07:00

I know a man like you
so hard and calloused
broken with years of harsh labour
shedding tears but never revealing their meaning

I know a woman like you full of laughter
always happy
sometimes worried
looking into a glass sphere and seeing me inside

I know people like you
a common lot
nothing special
always surrounding me

You can be categorized and labeled
I will know you now
I have known you forever
there are people like you everywhere

But where am I?
Who am I?
I am unknowable
uncategorizable

I am free

Short!

2009-06-05T20:00:00.004-07:00

So I used to get this question at least weekly, "Hey, did you know that you are short?" The last time this question was posed to me wasn't that long ago either or from someone who is mentally infirm or too young to know better. I have been short for my whole life, actually believe it or not but I am much taller in comparison to my peers than I could have ever dreamed. I don't actually care though because it's not a very important topic of conversation to me. In fact, I let people tell me how tall I am all of the time. I get asked how tall I am and after I respond that I am about 5'4" and three quarters an argument follows about how tall I really am because obviously I am mistaken. The fact is I haven't measured myself of my own choice in a very long time and I don't remember the results others have gathered from experimentation. So you might be asking yourself, "If he really doesn't put a lot of thought into his height, why is he chatting about it? When will he stop? And that guy is most definitely a liar and a thief." I just ran into this link on a math website (this link is provided for you later in the blog) and I thought it would be ridiculous. I was not disappointed with what I found. Read as much as you want, it has its high and low comedic moments. I like the first two sections. I also recommend reading some of the testimonials. By the way, the only reason that I would grow taller is to please idiots so I think the name fits. Also if you know me really well you probably aren't surprised that I was on a math website but you might be surprised at what level I was trying to learn math. Yep, long division, adding and subtracting large numbers and doing percentages in my head. I have been doing simple math on a calculator for so long that now I don't know how to do it in my head. Actually come to think about it I can at least do about as good at math as the other people my height. Hurrah for my fellow first graders. Before today I could do calculus better than simple 2nd grade math. At this time you may now applaud.

Pointless

2009-05-29T08:13:00.002-07:00

Sometimes I think that life is absurd. Thanks Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Don't worry though, that hasn't cause me to want to off myself even though I remain unconvinced by their arguments that I shouldn't. Just to show how pointless things can be sometimes I have found a video illustrating it. Does it ever feel to you like when you are trying to get something done the system is just working against you? Or the Universe is working against you? Or that your job is not to accomplish anything but just to work hard for no reason and then it's over? Well if so, then I disagree with you. You are a little too pessimistic. At worst the Universe is indifferent and at best it is actually working for you. That is why you are created so that it is ingrained in you to further your species. Hurrah for genes. Now, go further your species people. See ya!

One Blog in Three Days>>?! Now that's more like it

2009-05-28T22:17:00.003-07:00

Hello! While I was driving to work today (it's a long drive, like 30-40 minutes) (well, not long but you know, longer than many commutes but I know there are people who have much longer. It's not like I said it's the longest drive, stop harassing me). So anyway, I will now continue. Today I feel. That is what my drive taught me. It felt like the perfect time of day with the sun shining down on me and my windows down and a cool breeze. The sky was blue and the earth was coated with gold. It felt like sunset even though it was only 8 in the morning and I felt like the world was just beginning. After I got back from work I went on a bike ride with my dad. I didn't want to go but I decided to do it anyway. As we road it felt like a spring morning with the mountains dancing in the background and the lazy river calling me home. Today didn't feel real, it felt special. I don't know why though because nothing too surprising happened. I just felt like it was a dream, the world was too beautiful and my feelings were too enhanced. I laughed until I cried today, I cried because I was sad, my hands and toes tingled for hours on end. Every song I heard today became my new favorite and connected with my soul. Now I feel more tired than I have in ages. I feel like tiredness began when the first trees were just sproutlings. Why do I feel so much? I don't usually feel very much at all. Maybe that's why I really like movies others would consider sad, I want to feel. The problem with today though is I felt so much that it became disassociated with me. It's also kind of scary, it makes me wonder why. What's wrong with me? I am too tired to solve this mystery. If there is a future, while you are there will you solve my mysteries? If there is no future, then all I have left is now. All I have is me, sitting in the dark in my room, remembering a past that no longer exists. Goodnight

Three Blogs, Now that's just Ridiculous!

2009-05-23T22:48:00.002-07:00

So I have been thinking about pain and suffering a lot in the last couple of days. Maybe I will share those thoughts with you tomorrow when I am not trying to get to bed. Why do you have to keep interrupting my sleep!! I was going to bed and then I came upon a discovery. I hit my elbow really hard just five minutes ago on the banister and it was my "funny bone" so you know how serious of an injury it really was. Anyway, it hurt a lot and wanted to swear [it would be my first swear word so you know how much it hurt (I really couldn't have come up with one if I wanted to though, no swear words in specific I was just hurting)] and then a thought about pain that I have been going over in theory crossed my mind. It was that maybe pain isn't what it's all cracked up to be and quite possibly it isn't bad. I have been thinking about just embracing pain instead of fighting against it and rejoicing in the pain that I am frequently afflicted with (the afflictions of a nerd). I decided to rejoice in my pain and feel happy that it became a part of me and you know what. It didn't go away, my elbow still hurt but the pain inside me (not the arm but the rest of me) did leave me and it turns out that the elbow wasn't the part that was hurting the most. I was hurting, not my elbow. When I let go of my pain, the elbow pain wasn't that bad. Weird huh? So even if I have pain from external forces, I can choose whether or not to make it part of me and by rejecting it as a part of me I reject the greatest amount of pain. Try it some time and tell me if it works for you or if I am just crazy. If it turns out that I am crazy then that is good for me and bad for you. You don't want to have to become crazy to avoid pain but at least it is a perk that I am willing to exploit in myself. Craziness really can be happiness I guess.

Two blogs, one day?

2009-05-23T22:22:00.003-07:00

So I don't know why I haven't blogged in a while and then I decided to do two in one day. You're Welcome! It is just one benefit you receive from being my friend (if you aren't my friend and you are reading my blog, WOW WELCOME I AM SURPRISED!!! You are probably the first not yet friend to touch this blog!). So, I found this band a couple of days called Owl City. I think they are cool and you should check them out! Things are going very well for me. I am getting some work, I am getting lazier and I am taking a break. I can feel that the stress is leaving so I am recovering from a year at school. I have been crazy busy still though. Well, I guess until today when I decided to slow things down. Most people don't know this about me because I spend so much time at the library or in various apartments but I LOVE THE OUTDOORS!!!!! In fact, I am going to go run around outside screaming. I'll be right back!!!! ... ... ... !!! Wow that felt good!!! It probably wasn't a good idea though since I live in a retirement community and I got yelled at by old people. Welcome life! Let's have a ball!!!!! Maybe I will try to surprise all yall sometime. Not on the blog though, in your closets! Watch out!! I'll be there. So, really also I will post some of my papers soon and I would like feedback. They are long and not well revised but I hope they are insightful. Please comment on those even if you don't have anything else to say but that you've read them and they were terribly boring. Hopefully our future together will be amazing! Let's make it so.

Grace is Gone

2009-05-23T10:46:00.004-07:00

I just watched the movie, "Grace is Gone." As many have noted before, I like sad movies. If you aren't in a mood to watch a sad movie it probably isn't the right time to be watching this one. This is a good one to watch for Memorial Day weekend though. I didn't pay much attention to Memorial Day until I was an adult because I was never close to where my relatives were buried and my family didn't put much emphasis on thinking about it. The movie is about a man who finds out that his wife died in Iraq and he has to find a way to break it to his children. What I like about movies like this is they don't depress me but in fact help me think about how beautiful life is. This world and living in it is marvelous and it is too easy to forget that. It is easy for me to worry about how poorly things are going or how boring and lame my existence is. Maybe life is absurd, but it is still glorious. Death is scary but so is life at times, maybe I should embrace both. I let myself get in a routine or pattern where life is monotonous and dull. Is that living? Even if I need to do the same things every day does my life need to become pointless? I think not, I hope not. It seems very difficult to sit down and change my attitude and look at life differently but if I can wouldn't it make my life substantially better? I love life when I am living it and it becomes painful when I let it slip by. Living is hard but the rewards are great. Maybe I should re-examine my life and cut out the things that are wasting it. Did you know that the average American watches 5 hours of TV a day? People my age spend a ton of time just playing on the computer doing nothing. I spend a ton of time mindlessly playing minesweeper and always feeling the need to justify it. This Memorial Day I have a challenge for both of us (me and you): Step one, Think about those that have passed on that made a difference and lived life to the fullest. Step Two, Think about how you can make your life more meaningful and what you can cut out of it that is holding you back. Step Three, Go out and make a difference in the world. Step Four, evaluate progress by writing it down and report back to those who have died and promise them that you will remember them and use their lives to change the world partially on their behalf. Good Luck! May this be the the first day of your life.

Summer Blogging, Like Summer lovin'?

2009-05-10T21:33:00.003-07:00

The answer to the title of my blog is, probably not. So I decided to revamp my blog and to add to it more frequently. A problem I have is no one really wants to read it and no one really comments or cares. The good thing about that is, I don't care either anymore. I am just going to write and see what comes out. I am going to start posting different papers that I have written and discuss things that I have learned in the past year. There is a lot on my mind that I just need to get out and work over so I can come to better conclusions. If you want to join me in this quest, you are very much welcome. If not then you can just go find something else to do. So I have a couple of thoughts regarding the blog: 1st- Does anyone know how I can reach a bigger audience? 2nd- I found some blog drafts that I never posted and I don't know why and so I am going to post them soon even if they are probably out of context and related to times of last year that don't mean much anymore. 3rd- I am going to post my papers and various thoughts on each thing that I have read over the last year which will be quite the monumental task. Are we ready for it? You know we are. Hold on tight ladies and gentlemen, we are going back to the basics in the blogoshere. Wish me luck!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T00:08:00.002-07:00

This will be a traditional New Years message, if you aren't acquainted with New Years tradition (like I am) then this may be new for you. 2008 was a long year for me. I had a lot of fun and accomplished a lot (relative only to previous years for me, it's not like I created hover cars and a high capacity battery) but it still feels like an eternity. In fact, it feels like the only real year that I have ever had. It is odd how memory does that to you. I hear that most people make new years resolutions; I have never been much into that but maybe this year will be different. I want this year to be more adventurous, to not waste time but to love life and live it to the fullest. I want to not be afraid. I want to truly accomplish something important. I want to learn as much as possible and to read everything that is assigned to me in my classes and then some. I want to spend more time meditating. I want to spend all of my time to the fullest. I want to see everything that there is to see and feel everything there is to feel. I want to experience a lot of joy and that the amount of sorrow that I feel as well will be deep enough to make the introspective impact needed to build proper character. I know all of this is vague but that seems to be how I operate. If I create enough vagaries then the end game becomes clear and I bring out enough passion to produce that end game. Maybe what I will do is spend a couple of minutes every morning thinking about what I want to accomplish and and the day with evaluating, of course writing every bit down. Maybe I will even report on this blog at the end of the day. It is time stop wasting it and start living it. Good night!

Talking to Cops

2008-12-30T23:12:00.003-07:00

Hello!

So I was watching this video which is about talking to cops. Pretty much the gist of it (since it is almost 50 minutes long) is DON'T TALK TO COPS. What happens is even if you are innocent and say only true things, they can and will use what you say against you. I guess that might apply to getting pulled over. I think that might be the exception though and this is why. Ok, here is the scenario,
You get pulled over and the cop walks up to your window.
"Do you have any idea how fast you were going?"
(if you answer yes or no you will get in trouble)
(if you say no then the cop will tell you how fast you were going and then it won't even be your say against hers because you already admitted to not knowing)
[if you say yes and then sincerely state that you were going 35 in a 35 (and possibly you were) then you are in trouble for lying since obviously you were caught speeding since that is why you were pulled over and that will be used against you (whether or not you were speeding)]
(if you say yes and say you were going 38 in a 35 then guess what... you just admitted to speeding and they got you)
(if you don't say anything then you won't be able to get out of a ticked because the cop will just write you one because you weren't being cooperative)
Well the question is, what do you do? How do you get out of the ticket? Do you have to consign yourself to a fate of getting one? How do so many people end up not getting one? Well this is my response,
"Mighty fine officer, how are you doing today?"
The officer slightly confused states, "You were going quite fast."
(I just hand him the license and registration)
Officer Nelson, "Well thank you and have a nice day!"
(As he writes and hands me the ticket)
"It's been mighty fine exchanging pleasentries with you officer."
"Take care of the wife and kids my friend."
(and then I just drive off) (how did he know I have a wife and kids... I didn't even know that)
I got a ticket but at least we were friendly and isn't the world just a bit better that way?
What are some of your thoughts on what to do?

Dr. Wolffe is posting EVERY DAY!

2008-12-27T22:35:00.002-07:00

So it seems like I am going to post every day again. I went snow shoeing with my friends Chelsea and Sarah (I met Sarah today so I guess we aren't really good friends yet) and I took some really cool pictures. I would post them if I knew how to transfer them from my phone to the computer. Does anyone have any suggestions? I guess I have been thinking about my life lately and what is important. Thus I guess I have turned to my religion since that is the end game for me. I have seen too much and done too much to deny what I know about God. I guess I am feeling it is time for me to try harder to do what I know is good. Maybe that means that I will treat all yall better or at least think more about others than I think about myself. My brother Nick is getting the priesthood tomorrow and I have been thinking a lot about that. I have been thinking about the things that I wish I had known at his age and what I wish I would have been able to do with that knowledge. I think that means I am going to have to shape up myself and treat my brother like he should be and have more patience with him and try to treat him like he is as important as he is to me and how much potential he really has in life. My mom and I (and even my brother when he was paying attention) were having a long conversation about life and how to prepare for the future. How easy it is to change and leave the past for the future. We of course talked about relationships and how to treat people well. I think my parents have taught me a lot about how to deal with people and how to treat them. Theories are so much easier to formulate than it is to act on them. Looks like I am going to start now or have to wait until I come to this conclusion again which might take months. Lets see how it goes.

Wingsuits and Basejumping

2008-12-26T22:43:00.006-07:00

http://www.wimp.com/basejumpers/

Do you ever have a dream that you are flying? I don't really but I would like to. As many of you may know I am not afraid of heights at all but this video looks scary to me. I want to do it though. I just can't help but think what an amazing and free feeling it must be to fly through the air and how fun it would be to get that close to the cliffs and streets and people as you fly by. It doesn't seem very expensive either, all you need is a wingsuit. Gosh I want to go to Europe... I am ready to go do something amazing. Does anyone want to come with me?

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T23:15:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas to EVERYONE!
So I will be surprised if anyone actually reads this anywhere near the time of this posting because I haven’t posted anything in a while. Today though is a day of miracles because I have enough material from the thoughts I have gathered today for quite a few postings… all of which will be posted in the next couple of days (I hope). SO, on to the good stuff. I have two postings today, of which I will separate for the lazy readers that only want to read one at a time, or to make you feel like you are accomplishing a lot by reading two in one day. One posting will be true to the spirit of Christmas and be about Jesus Christ and the other will be about presents and such. This one is the latter and will be followed by the former (I like doing that for some reason so I will not fix that to improve my organization) (Also I am talking about order on my page and not chronological order which will be the opposite). Ok, so I woke up this morning to Hershey our dog jumping up on my bed and licking my face. Usually I just push the dog off the bed and try to keep it from jumping back up so I can go back to sleep but since it is Christmas I decided to wake up. I tried to hold on to Hershey and pet her but all she did was sneeze twice in my face and then she ran up the stairs. So for Christmas I got some pots and pans, a toaster oven, a burger cooker and some music and stuff. I also got this long tube wrapped in gold. When I opened it I found out that it was a paper towel roll without the paper towels on it. I tried to look inside it but I couldn’t see anything so I lifted it up and peered into it from under the opening. Something started to slide out so I quickly got out of the way and three knives fell out, barely missing my face, and stuck into the present that I had on my lap. Thank goodness for quick reflexes and a toaster oven on my lap or I would have either had a good reason to be called scarface or been castrated. Neither of those sounded like a good Christmas present. So after unwrapping all of these presents my parents observed that these all sounded like wedding presents. They were feeling pretty good about not having to get me all of that stuff when I get married sometime in the next decade (hopefully). So as we were all joking about this odd compilation of gifts I opened my last present, which turned out to be two tickets for the Phantom of the Opera in Las Vegas… for Valen’s tine day. At this discovery I burst into laughter because that topped the cake on presents regarding my personal relationships. So now I need to find someone to take to the Phantom… I am not making invitations yet since it is on February 14th I have a bit of time. Today we also watched a movie called “Cassandra’s Dream” which was probably the most depressing movie that I have watched in a long time. It was pretty much a mix between “Crime and Punishment” and “The Godfather.” If you have watched this movie we should talk about it, I would find a discussion really interesting. Speaking about movies, I just added a movie to the top of my list; “ELF” with Will Ferrell is now one of my favorites. I have seen it about 5 times before but after watching it again and it still being hilarious, I have decided to make it my only comedy on the top 10. Speaking about last night (which is when we saw elf) my father and I were listening to NPR and they were talking about contradictions in the Bible regarding the birth of Jesus so like usual in my house we decided to read both on Christmas Eve and debate it. I really can’t find anything that is contrary, let alone contradictory. The argument was mainly based on Herod the Great which lasted for quite some time. I love my family always conducting things in a way that would appall most of our neighbors if they were to come and discuss things such as religion or politics or philosophy at my house. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thoughts on Christmas while walking

2008-12-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I went for a walk today and this is the first of many breakthroughs that I believe I found (jeepers I like to go for walks). Ok, also sorry for the religious content… this is my blog and so you are going to have to suffer through anything that I believe is important whether you think so or not. Nevertheless please read this. Ok, so I was going through some of the regular feelings that I have the first week or so of spending time at my parents house… loneliness, feelings of inadequacy, frustration, a lack of independence, being trapped and that I don’t have anyone that truly understands me (you know, the standard stuff). I am going to talk about the last one. Sometimes it hits me really hard that the people that I would hope understand me the most, in fact seem to not understand what I am doing or thinking at all. I have some friends that I feel embody parts of me, which is why I feel a lot of people are attracted to those that they choose to befriend. You must be able to have something that you share with someone that is a part of you to feel that energetic connection. That being said, even though we have similar traits or characteristic or personality traits, etc… we are all different people so we differ on many other points and have completely different lives, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes outside of each other’s influence. So I was thinking about not having anyone that I feel completely understands me and I decided to ask myself why I have this need and by having this person that understands me, what part of me would that fulfill? I came to the conclusion that I have this need for five reasons.

The belief (however inaccurate) that no one can truly love that which they don’t fully understand.
The want to be loved
However bad this sounds, (and I believe most people have this want whether they admit it or not) the desire for justification for the things I do.
Forgiveness for all of the errors I commit and stupid things I do to my friends, loved ones, acquaintances and probably even people I don’t know.
I want someone I can play off of, to help me expand myself, to fully flesh out my crazy ideas, to help me grow, and that together we can build energy and excitement for life.

Ok so due to these five things I came to another conclusion. I think that is too hefty of a criterion to be embodied by one person. In fact, some of it may be done by one person but not all of it, especially since they involve getting into my consciousness. So what I realized is that I am looking for a perfect person for me to spend time with. I guess that means that I am subconsciously trying to replace Jesus Christ in my life. Jesus is the embodiment of all five criterions. Jesus Christ didn’t just die for me but he transcended space and time to feel all things, experience all things and suffer all things. He is the only one that personally knows me and knows exactly what I go through and who I truly am. Even better so than I do. I cannot replace Him for he is the only one that can fulfill all criterions. I believe that my feelings are natural and that maybe God has given us these feelings so that we will turn to him. Of course you could give the counterexample of saying that this is part of the reason that man created the concept of a Messiah but on this Christmas season I will state that I know that Jesus Christ does live and that He is in fact the only one that will ever truly understand any of us and for that He is the embodiment of love. Merry Christmas! (I don’t feel like editing this tonight but I will later, please comment and we will have a conversation about this if you are up for it) Good night!

Web - 2.0 What does it really mean?

2008-12-06T17:24:00.002-07:00

So, I guess it takes a class assignment to make me write another blog, please watch this video!

Wasn't that GREAT? Now we all know more about the interwebs. Now we aren't just being fed junk by professionals, we are fed junk by other people who don't know what they are doing. I really like this though, it lets me participate. All of our social groups can become interent groups as well and we can connect with so many different people and understand so many different points of view. This is what interests me the most. No longer are we needing to be controlled by our own culture. We can go out and find the truth and find out what others have already figured out. Lets go out my freinds and change the world, one internet site at a time!

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T22:43:00.003-07:00

Veterans Day.

I am sitting here on my computer without a worry in the world. Many men and women have fought for my rights and for my way of life. What have I done for them? I am not quite sure but they have given everything up for me, even their lives when necessary. How many people have died? How many families have been broken up? How many wives weep? How many children grow up to have known nothing about their father but that he was a hero? How many men wait anxiously for their wives to come back only to find out that they never will? When is it my turn to fulfill my duty to them? When will I pay them back? What am I doing now? These brave soldiers that fight and die for us not only deserve our respect but also a strong commitment to our country. We just had an election, who voted? Were there people today in a commemoration ceremony who don't care enough about their country to do the simplest of tasks? That is why I spend so much time involved in politics. I am not brave, I am not strong, I am not skilled but I love this country and I care a great deal about the direction in which it goes. I put forth the only thing that I know how, that is my time and energy to put this country on the path that I feel is best for it. That is why I spend so much time thinking about the issues, that is why even though the election is over I will still care and continue to watch C-Span and see where we are going. I encourage all people to do the same. Do what you can to serve and put forth as much as you can to benefit those around you in society. We are together as a nation, lets go forth in unity and propose those things that do not just benefit us individually but benefit us as a whole. We are together, if some will die for us as a whole, we should act as one. I am not saying that we all must agree, just that we should all care and be balanced in how we think and conduct ourselves, always thinking about the interests of all people.

World War One was, "The War to End All Wars." The casualties of that war were upwards of 40 million people. Many of those, especially those of the United States were sent into that conflict to create peace once and for all. Since then we have had many bloody and long battles that have cost our country and the world millions of the best of our citizens. May we work every day to make sure their sacrifices were not in vain.

Even if you have already, please take this moment to contemplate both the value of peace and of those soldiers, both fallen and returned to us. May God bless this country. May God bless this world. Let's go to work and do our part to change the lives of all people, for the better.

Update concerning your 'mate

2008-10-28T21:45:00.003-07:00

Ok, so this is pretty much just an update on what's up and I might mention some thing that I am thinking but I will probably save most of that for tomorrow since I am planning on sleeping sometime tonight. Ok, today I debated and that is pretty much all I did because the rest of the day was preparing for the debate. Yesterday... was a blur. I in fact don't even remember what happened. Oh yeah, one of my friends might have a tumor, we find out tomorrow. She is Dory's (my roommate) girlfriend who I am quite fond of and I hope everything goes well. I met her parents because they came down and they were fun to meet. Yeah, so I spent much of the evening with them and trying to entertain everyone, I think we also played Mario Cart. Sunday was cool. Saturday I went to Mesquite and campaigned again for Barack Obama. The guy that I was paired up with was an old guy that had been working for Barack for months now, almost every day. He wanted to just drive and let me do the knocking and talking. One guy said, "I WILL NEVER VOTE FOR A COMMUNIST." I don't see what is wrong with communists but eh whatever. Especially since Barack isn't a communist. I did talk with my friend Amber about communism and pretty much won the argument that she didn't participate in much. I got Paper Towns which is John Greens book and was pretty much awesome. That is pretty much it. I have been busy and the rest hasn't been very interesting (I know that wasn't either but you must suffer to be a friend of mine). Ok, I will talk about Iraq now. So at the Debate I stated and defended Barack Obama's views on foreign affairs. First was the war on terror. If another person tells me that we went to Iraq to combat terrorism I will do serious injury to that person which will most likely involve Q-tips. The only good explanation that I can find for going into Iraq is this. 1) We wanted to gain more influence in the Middle East. 2) We want to spread democracy throughout the world by any means necessary (see Neo-cons). 3)We don't like ourselves and want to create as much chaos and pain as possible for ourselves. 4)George Bush has a banana stuck so far up his nose that it is affecting his brain capacity. 5) Trees gain energy by converting sunlight into sugars through chlorophyl. 6) Walt Disney is cryogenically frozen (true). 7) Saddam Hussein lost Iraq in a Texas hold'em tournament between him and Dick Cheney, 8)Iraq seemed like easy pickings and we had a fool proof plan to go in, do a regime change and go out without any forseeable complications. 9)We as Americans are arrogant and utterly misunderstand other cultures, especially the Middle East 10) Calvin, Hobbes and Garfield had an all out battle and Hobbes obviously won by a wide margin but then turned his back on Calvin and was kicked in the head. Well does anyone have a better answer for me on why we entered Iraq? I think I had some real answers in there somewhere (Hint: if you say it was for WMD's, you are an idiot) (Hint: If you say it was for oil you are by far oversimplifying it because that definitely wasn't the main reason) (Hint: If you have read the Peloponnesian War you would know that by extending your influence into regions that are far away and hard to control you will stretch your resources and be taken over by other powers in the world) (Hint: It would take a whole lot of oil to make the billions of dollars we have spent there worth it) (Hint: Osama Bin Ladin had a hit list with Saddams name on it and Iran hated him and hates Osama, wouldn't it be much easier if we let the Iranians do our dirty work?) (Hint: If you say Iran is a major threat to the United States, you are are so dumb that you probably would look up and drown when it rains.) (Hint: If you say that Saddam posed any threat whatsoever to the United States or Israel you probably are the type of person that eats cow manure for breakfast) I had some others but I am too tired to remember them. Any questions or comments? Please put them in. I know I have left some important info out.

Tonight I must sleep

2008-10-23T22:42:00.002-07:00

So, I think I am currently proving that I am dedicated to this blog because I am currently writing it even though I really need to get to bed and I have better things to do. I guess this is a priority. I slept in today, which means I woke up at like 8:00a.m. I need to wake up tomorrow at about 6:00a.m. like I usually do though. I was going to walk to school but I didn't because I was running late. The internet distracted me because the news is always really interesting. I was looking at the gaffes that both presidential tickets have been making and it turns out that Time is either biased or Barack Obama hasn't had very many gaffes. They had a lot for Joe Biden and Sara Palin and even some for John McCain but Obama came out virtually unscathed. I have to agree though, he hasn't had too many gaffes this fall. I guess he learned his lesson from the primary season. So, the event for today was that I went to the play gaslight which was incredibly creepy. It is a mystery that doesn't follow most mystery patterns and so I enjoyed it a lot. That and because it was about people being driven mad which I feel as though I understand completely. I am getting nervous for a debate that I have on tuesday where I will debate the republicans at SUU on foreign policy. I know foreign policy inside and out but I just don't like going in on something where I don't know how well the others will do. I am mostly afraid that I will be coming out of it looking like the fool that I believe that I am not. Maybe I am wrong. Then again, most people don't seem to think that they are fools. Does anyone have any suggestions for the debate (so far I only have like 2 and soon to be at least three subscribers to this blog so I am talking directly to you if you are reading this). So what do you think that is needed to know something? If you think that it is justified true belief... you are wrong. Sorry, thanks for playing. By the way, if you answer this question you will quite possibly become immortalized in the annals of Epistemology. And boy would you feel special. Just imagine the rainbows and ponies that would appear to celebrate the grand occasion. Maybe I will answer that question.... once I figure it out. A friend of mine named Mandy (most of my readers know this lady, for she is your roommate) joined up with ChaCha today. I might do that too because I think I would do a good job at it and would find it interesting. I would hope that by answering questions all day that I would be able to learn a lot of random information and I would be allowed to be creative at my responses. So I was asked the question today which goes like this, "If you saw me being escorted into a police car what crime would you think that I committed?" I now ask you to answer this question about me and then write the answer in the comments. I will then argue against your point and belittle your ideas about my criminal ways. So, I think I am going to bed now.... until tomorrow. Adieu!

Taking a short break to do something that I have wanted to do for some time

2008-10-22T20:24:00.002-07:00

Wow! That was a really long title. I would say I will work on stuff like that but I will most likely do it again and I refuse to change the title as it is now. So, I was up until 3:00a.m. last night doing a paper on G.E. Moore's proofs and arguments against Cartesian Skepticism. I know! You are thinking about how much you want to leave this blog at this very moment and check out these great arguments (or to escape the insanity of philosophical discussions). Pretty much this is the low down on G.E. Moore [because you are so interested (but seriously, it is really interesting to me)], Descartes wanted to prove to us that nothing is certain because you can doubt the existence of everything, including the external world. Part of his main argument for this is the belief that it is logically possible that an evil deceiver is out there and makes us confused as to what is true and the second part is that your whole life could just be a dream, or at least your current situation. Moore tried to prove that this is ridiculous by showing that you have hands by pointing to one and saying here is a hand, then while pointing to the other saying here is a hand and then your conclusion is that there are two hands. HA hands exist so external objects exist. If you want to know more you should look up Moore. Sorry about that... that wasn't even a sufficient explanation so I am not sure it did any good to mention it. Also, events of today. I went to New Castle to give some Obama signs to a man out there and while I was waiting for him in the only gas station parking lot in town a man came up to me and said, "You can't put any signs up here." The weird part was that all of my signs were still in my car, I don't believe that I looked like I was about to put signs up. I have come to the conclusion that my decision to become a Democrat in Southern Utah is pretty much putting my life on the line for my principles. The main point of this blog for today was my belief in political activism but I think I will save that for tomorrow since this is already very long and I am already very tired. By the way, three hours of sleep does not result in a sufficient nights rest. Also I didn't eat for most of the day which was a bad idea. Good Night!

Dr. Wolffe