The Daily Transcendental

Eighteen-Eighty-Three

2009-11-05T00:27:00.000-08:00

Eighteen-Eighty-Three

Ben Winter

Bellowing;

Shouting and wailing,

A reckless carriage driver on Fifth Avenue.

Glancing;

Noticing and pointing,

A boy tugging his father’s shirtsleeves.

Approaching;

Fumbling and slipping,

He pummels through Sidewalk Slush.

Dodging;

Overcoming and surviving,

He bounces the drunk man’s deathnote.

Singing;

Creating and expressing.

A drunk man full of Christmas Cheer.

Bowing;

Respecting and acknowledging,

A father strokes his child’s outerwear.

Returning;

Stepping and praying,

Ruined—my best Sunday Suit

Disposing;

Throwing and grinning,

Pungent—my breath in fresh, wintry air.

the problem of being finite

2008-11-23T18:41:00.001-08:00

you want it now.

you've always got to have something

that's one of the things i hate

about being finite

insatiable desires

needs.

discomforts.destruction.

death/decay

hideous refusals

ooze

reeking out of brains

posh posh posh it is incomprehensible

ACT IV

The answer is staring you in the face.

2008-11-23T02:12:00.000-08:00

I have picked the stickers off of all my lighters. They are no more. They exist only in the offal depository. They are garbage to me. They have been discarded. They are no longer useful. They are obsolete to me. I am alien to them. They do not see me and I no longer am aware of their presence. They annoyed me. I didn’t like them.

Supernatural experience. I call it a memory of what we once had. I call it a look into a perfect world. It is like the garden of eden regurgitated through the cruelty of the modern world. But oh how the memories take hold of my soul, reminding me of the days when euphoria washed over me like a thousand sand-dollars suspended beneath the surreal shining of the sun on the ocean’s pure crystalline waters. An Argonaut would indeed find it difficult to discover the location of this pure and elating sort of happiness. Bliss, mirth, whatever you call it, this act of living in unity with the forces of life, integrating yourself into the music, bowing to the will of something greater than yourself, tipping your hat to the creator, endowing yourself with a bird’s eye view of the world we live in, this act is the very fabric of relational existence.

Maybe the pain is something we all need to embrace,

Maybe we need to be accountable for all the actions we decide to take!

Untitled

2008-11-23T02:09:00.000-08:00

At the end of the day, I take up the bag which contains my filth and bury it, like a casket, in what remains of my sour body. I adorn myself with grief and wallow in the portrait of my self-despondence. Lashing into oblivion like a snake coiling around her prey I tightly yank the stubborn cords of my inadequacies and they BREAK into exploding phantagasmical lightbulbs of fervor fury fortitude fangledness and falling falling falling falling!!!!

[18 November 2008 4pm]

2008-11-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

My body is suspending in a horrific equilibrium between two waving palm trees. “Hardigan! Hardigan! Can’t you see I’m Hardigan??” I scream as my captors prod me with flaming pig skulls that they obviously retrieved from the wallowing pigsty of the Midwest.

Let’s back up a bit, right now, in this moment where I am suspended between life and death, and allow me to explain the circumstances which brought me into my present predicament.

[18 November 2008 3:00pm]

2008-11-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

I should probably indulge in some food-stuffs before I tackle those cigarette-stuffs.

Hm Hm indeed jolly old oliver. What a fine piece of jargon you have right there with ye. Why don’t you go throw yourself on your arse?

Hehe I say old chap good lordy by the laws of quantum physics I call foul play upon thy foul piddled ass.

Incompetence indeed would dictate that the laws which bind these two to conversation should in their time be replaced by the laws which shall proceed for the betterment of both engaged. Needless to say Mark and Mr. Jenson did not follow the code of this so called “Illuminate” policy program and decided that they, two obviously red and green personalities (according to proclamation #85762) would interact in a conversation totally alien to all the mandatory codes of Yaylyessh.

The Theory of Moderation [29 September 2008]

2008-11-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Theory of Moderation

In the shower today I was thinking about the virtues of moderation as a religion. Moderation as a window through which you view all of life, a directing metaphysical principle, a trustworthy guide in any situation. It started when I thought about how, growing up, I felt separated from the rest of my peers since my parents held and enforced views that were so entirely different than those of my classmates. Therefore, a divide was created between my friends and I, and I felt like I was “abnormal.” Even if my parent’s view were, in essence, right, it might have been better (according to my Theory of Moderation) that they take a more lenient position which recognized more than one viewpoint and would have been more permissive. The main idea here is that taking the middle-ground is the key to living a healthy life. We see it evidenced in food intake, in fun, in pleasure, and even in relationships, where both excess and abnegation lead to problems. But if you can find a balance, that is where you a truly happy. I believe the universe in itself shows us the need for a balance, because it is completely balanced in and of itself. As humans, we are fallen and do not realize this balance that exists everywhere around us, yet some find it in some areas. The goal of life is to find balance and moderation in all areas. Like Paul the Apostle said, everything is permissible. It is up to us to find out the direct actions we should take to achieve balance. What should be our guide? It is my theory that society naturally organizes itself into polar opposites. For example, conservative and liberal, and all the other ideologies that pervade America and the world. In essence, human nature has never changed over the course of history. We are not getting “more evil” nor are we becoming “more good,” we are in a constant state of flux. That flux, however, can sometimes cause extremes to emerge. These extremes, I believe, contain grains of truth. The amount of truth contained is relative to how extreme the viewpoint is, approaching zero amount of truth on the farthest end of the spectrum. Basically I view life like a large bell curve. The key is to try and find the middle of the curve.

I am starting to realize that I might not be totally right in my passionate views of libertarianism. Although most of my concepts make sense, the way they are actually applied in real life might be different. I am starting to see that in politics, extremes are bad. The only way for a system to work is for it to take different parts of different viewpoints and balance them. It is not wrong to advocate a system that leans more towards one radical viewpoint. However, it is wrong to believe that a system would be “perfect” if it existed under the terms of that viewpoint. Nothing will ever be perfect. The closest we can humanly come to perfect is through moderation.

What worldview can best lead me to my goal of moderation? Could it be Buddhism, or one of the eastern trains of thought? Or could it be traditional Christianity from Jesus’ perspective? Jesus was certainly a man who taught moderation.

The virtue of moderation, in my opinion, is unquestionable. In my theory, I am not saying that everything is relative. It is perfectly fine to explain and defend your view. I just think the explanation for the view of moderation is much better than the explanations of any two opposing viewpoints respectively.

Am I being radical in this claim? Do I practice radical moderation? No. It is important to distinguish between radical moderation and moderate moderation. I try to practice a moderation that pervades my life, yet I recognize the aptitude for failure that exists in all humans and I understand that moderation must sometimes be interpreted and viewed in terms of one’s society or one’s religion. However, my point is, if all of these things did not exist (society, organized religion, etc.) MODERATION would still be a driving, tangible principle by which one could live life. Therefore, I consider it to be a foundational principle and an important one to consider.

Self Determination: Fraud? [Oct. 08, 2008]

2008-10-08T08:56:00.001-07:00

Self-Determination: Fraud?

Life consists of a string of choices that lead to a goal. For example, say I am making the choice to walk home from Philosophy class. Every step that I take is, in its own right, a choice. However, the reason I am making those choices is none other than to achieve my goal—arriving at my dormitory. A determined life, therefore, depends upon the time frame that connects your choices to your goals. If it were possible to live totally in the moment, the choice would be synonymous with the goal. However, due to practical concerns, most in modern society allow visions of themselves in the future to overshadow the moment. In my example, I was making unconscious choices, not even thinking about the fact that I existed. I was choosing to put one foot in front of the other, not even thinking about that very act because my mind was so distracted by my goal. On a larger scale, the same thing could be said about life. One cannot let the goal overwhelm the present reality, especially since one can never be sure of the future. The only thing one can be absolutely sure of is the empirical ability to make choices in the present. If one could somehow convince oneself that the simple act of making choices is and end in and of itself, neither the past nor the future would be important.

The reason why people project themselves into the future is twofold. First, it has to do with selfishness. I want myself to be something important—I (notice the capitalization of the personal pronoun) have a goal that I want for myself. Second, it has to do with a desire for continuity in life, a desire for intrinsic meaning, a desire for purpose. If my future is not important, then I am determining myself in the moment for no reason. Or so the logic goes. Once again, this logic is connected to man’s infatuation with knowledge and certainty. Therefore, the second reason people worry about the future also has its core in selfishness, in the desire to know “why?” Should we, then, give up on the pursuit of anything and simply resign ourselves to the sublime manifestation of God that is every single ineffable moment, instead of letting these moments pass us by unnoticed?

That, my friends, is the question.

I guess it all comes down to a value choice: do you view your goals as worthy of your time, focus, and energy; do you believe that they are valuable parts of your self, that they are worthwhile pursuits? Or do you view “goals” as distraction, and ultimately, fraud?

Television's Subliminal Impact [Sep. 27, 2008]

2008-09-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

Television’s Subliminal Impact

How much do you really know about the factors that influence the way you live life? Our perception is controlled by a constantly changing line separating ego from environment, the fluidity of which is determined by a variety of external stimuli. Our lives revolve around sensory perceptions of reality. Specifically, the things we see and hear determine the emotions we feel and the choices we make—who we are. Just think what life would be like if you could not see or hear anything? To you, the earth would be a totally different place. One can never downplay the influence of other people and the world on his or her life. Without living in solitary confinement, no one can fully escape the constant messages that other people are beaming out, trying to get a response back from you. These messages are sent through many mediums. The 20th century witnessed the invention of the most powerful instrument of mind-control known to man. This creation soon rose to permeate modern society under the seemingly harmless guise known as “the family television set.” Television is unprecedented in its ability to deliver information through digital and analog channels directly into the susceptible, totally absorbed minds of an audience. The simple act of “watching” TV allows these messages to enter the brain. TV affects the life of the average American in many ways. Some of them are obvious, and others require deep analysis and sometimes even intense introspection to uncover the truth. More than we know, television is shaping societal norms, personal morality, and ultimately choice.

One of the major and most obvious problems with television as an entertainment medium is its self-imposed portrayal of events and characters as real. America has seen a tremendous influx of “reality” television shows over the last ten years. Public appeal for this specific genre exists for one reason: escapism. When a viewer actively disengages his mind to watch television, he forgets about the here and now and transcends into a world where characters and situations are thrust upon him as being real and true. The problem is not the transcendence in and of itself, rather, it is the startling fact that most viewers do not realize that what they are seeing is not reality. TV executives and those that control programming doubtless have researched and analyzed the market for reality television and are producing shows that will appeal to the largest amount of people. Most network television shows base their content not on creativity or art, but rather on “ratings” and “popularity.” When the bottom line is money, why bother giving the public something thought-provoking or different when it is easier to conform to stereotypes and produce redundant garbage that is readily absorbed by countless viewers without a second thought? This is the difference between television and art—one stimulates the mind, the other dulls it. Unfortunately, Americans have been institutionalized to believe that television is harmless. Entire families gather around the idiot box to dull their brains and lapse into a world where “real families” live their lives in sitcoms and “real people” face absurd and ridiculous situations in dramas and reality-TV shows. Whether they know it or not, each person who is watching is influenced by the show’s depiction of reality, causing direct changes to their thoughts and actions. For example, my girlfriend is a fairly avid television watcher. She went for a single day without TV and came to the following conclusion: “Television masked reality, keeping me from recognizing that precious moments spent alone yield feelings of happiness and serenity” (Crowell). We are certainly living in a tragic time where entertainment becomes mixed and muddled with reality.

Any form of entertainment is always sending a message. Television is no exception. Totally ignoring the content of programming, one must still account for the influence of advertisement on the minds of viewers. Advertising is so pervasive on TV that one cannot even watch an hour without being exposed to almost 15 minutes of proselytizing madness. When you are constantly being asked to buy things, constantly being exposed to 30-second video-bytes about why you “need” a product, there will certainly be a change in personality. I know of many items when I never desired to own an item before I saw it in a television commercial. To make matters worse, product-placement implants these products and ideas into the very fabric of television shows, subliminally influencing people to buy, buy, buy. If “real” people are using a product on a show, why shouldn’t I? If the “ideal American family” uses Tide® to wash their laundry, what reason do I have not to purchase this brand over all others? Questions like these need to be addressed by anyone who watches television, yet very few people think about the advertisements that are washing over their semi-conscious minds. A recent study by the American Psychological Association shows that young children “tend to interpret commercial claims and appeals as accurate and truthful information” (Willenz). While older adults can filter out the many diverse methods advertisers use to hook their prey, children are without the mechanism to distinguish truth from fiction. Therefore, they are more likely to desire a product for the wrong reasons. If you look at the ads that are geared towards children, what are they for? Sugary cereals and action figures are two categories that stand out from my experience. What is this doing to the children of our nation? Once again, it only serves to encourage needless consumption and foster unhealthy habits.

Even advertising’s effect, however, pales in comparison to the influence actual programming has on the social behavior of individuals who watch television. TV is spreading like a sickness throughout the fabric of our society. It only takes one person to become engaged in a show and soon he will convert countless others through his constant babbling about “what will happen next week” in the lives of people that do not even exist. What a wasteful, pointless distraction from important issues. Furthermore, the way people interact socially on television certainly becomes a model for the viewer’s social interaction. This is extremely disturbing. If a character on TV exhibits a certain behavior, and that behavior is shown in a positive light, it is only natural for the viewer to exhibit the same behavior. What is troubling about this is the fact that the “behaviors” of “people” on TV are controlled by writers, programmers, and network executives. And yet, viewers still believe most if not all behavior exhibited by characters on television is “normal” and “natural.” In extreme cases, right and wrong can be determined by what a person sees on television.

Television watching is also a habit-forming behavior. Subjects often feel “addicted” to a certain show because they are so curious what will happen next that they cannot stop watching. My girlfriend in particular said that she cannot stop watching a show because she “want[s] the next episode to be better” (Crowell). Even though she dislikes the show, she continues to watch in the hopes that it will someday get better. This love-hate relationship with the television is certainly not healthy, and has all the signs of addiction. Television watching in and of itself is not inherently evil. However, the poor quality of most programs and the extreme potential for addiction and excess to occur makes it undesirable compared to other activities. Any other form of media that actively engages the viewer through choice is superior to sitting in front a screen and letting messages and advertisements wash over you. When you allow yourself to be numbed by television, other bad habits such as eating a bowl of chips or a bag of popcorn while watching are allowed to foster without mental checks. Television is not real life, but it is pretty close. So why would you want to engage and participate in your community when you can have a nice, comfortable reality fed to you on a screen every night? Think about what America would be like if no one watched television. Perhaps people would begin to appreciate natural stimulation like walking through the park and would become more involved in their communities.

Television unrealistically portrays life. Instead of being a creative outlet, it only enforces stereotypes and makes people more opinionated and less rational by making judgments for them. The amount of advertising present on almost all TV shows only leads to excess materialism and poor habits in children. Even though television is one of the most effective means of information transfer that our society knows, the level of education and discernment towards this form of media is pitiful. The only solution to the nationwide TV epidemic is abstinence and radical negation. Turn off your TV for one week, or even one day. See the effects on your life. More than you know, television is shaping the way you view society, your own morality, and ultimately your choices. If you must engage with this monster, treat it with a careful disdain, being constantly aware of the fact that it is trying to influence your thoughts and actions.

Works Cited

Crowell, Liz. “An Adverse Media Outlet.” 14 Sep. 2008.

Willenz, Pam. "Televisions Advertising Leads to Unhealthy Habits in Children." APA.

23 Feb. 2004. American Psychological Association. 27 Sept. 2008

Academic Frustrations [Sep. 24, 2008]

2008-09-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Academic Frustrations

I don’t like the way these introductory 101 courses simply throw a bunch of terms at you and expect you to know them on a basic level and refuse to go deeper. That really upsets me, because I like to read very slowly and think about tons of different ways that a term could affect my life and the lives of others. It’s really frustrating whizzing through information and over-simplifying so that everyone can understand. It applies to all aspects of academia, from Spanish to Political Science to Philosophy.

Metaphysical Musings and Marketing Madness [Aug. 31, 2008]

2008-09-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Metaphysical Musings and Marketing Madness

Our lives are governed, more than we know, by random strings of numbers. Combinations, codes, algorithms, formulas—we have no idea how much these things play crucial roles in modern existence. For example, there are entire jobs, such as actuaries, economists, and statisticians, which constantly use formulas to predict how the population of American, or “us,” will behave and react. This is kind of scary. Furthermore, I daily and constantly find myself repeating random strings of numbers in my head even though they have no explicit relevance to my life at that moment. For example, I will “hear” the code to the public restroom on my floor over and over again while I’m outside reading a book, or riding my bike. Speaking of bikes, I know the code to unlock my bike by heart, and I think about it not only when I unlock the bike, but at other times of the day as well. Does anyone else know their PIN number by heart? I know I do. It takes a lot of maintenance to keep these numbers locked up in your brain. And I haven’t even MENTIONED “passwords” yet, I have quite a few of them for the different websites I visit daily, not to mention the main password for my computer. I’ve figured it out, and I am forced to remember some sort of “code” “password” or “combination” over FIFTY TIMES every single day. When you realize this fact, you have to step back and look at your life and think about how much of each and every day you actually spend on “autopilot,” totally ignoring your surroundings and closing your mind to new insights. It is codes and combinations (which never change) that are a central mode of control to keep us in our daily, mundane “groove” that we sometimes call life. Think about it—when does anyone truly break out of the box and do something totally against social norms? Never. And maybe that’s not a bad thing, but at the same time, maybe the reason that never happens is because we are being conditioned to submit wholly and totally to the will of those who want us not to question. And maybe no one knows this but a certain, small group of people, since the mode of control is so effective that most do not even realize that they are in fact being controlled. It is certainly a question to consider.

On questions, is it possible for there to be a “question” without an answer? Your first reaction might be to immediately say “yes,” for there are many questions that we do not know the answer to. However, I did not say “is it possible for there to be a question that we do not know the answer to” I said “is it possible for there to be a question WITHOUT an answer?” The one that comes to mind right away is the “beginning” of the universe, or how we all got here, or any type of big picture “question” like that. I know there are many theories proposing the answers to these questions, and systems of thought are built around theories which answer these questions. I would like to propose that since no one can ever truly know the answer until we leave this realm of time that we are in (who can comprehend infinity?), we should not consider statements like “how did the universe come into being” ‘questions.’ It is my theory that when something cannot be answered in a complete and satisfactory manner (for example, the answer to “what color is my wallet?” is “brown”) it loses something that other “questions” have and therefore it should no longer be considered a question. It’s almost like corollary thinking: if something has a quality, it must have an opposite. If a there is a question, there must be an answer. So what I’m saying is, THERE IS NO QUESTION so there must not necessarily be an answer, and the reason I am saying that is because no one can know the “answer” to some questions and we should not, in our ignorance, still treat them as we treat all other questions, but we should respect, cherish, and think about them as they are the very foundational elements that cause us to build systems for living. We must respect that we are not infinite and that we cannot know everything. Maybe there is an answer somewhere to the “question” of how we got here. I certainly don’t know it and neither does science or anyone else. No, the only person who truly knows is not really a person at all, but a personal God that is outside of our finite universe and can fully comprehend the paradoxes that riddle our existence. There is no definitive answer within life to the questions that define life. We have to look outside ourselves, outside those small little pieces of dust floating around in a massive universe, to truly find “answers,” but not answers in a traditional sense of the word, but “answers” as in satisfaction, meaning, and purpose.

The Future [Aug. 30, 2008]

2008-09-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Future

“I’ll be out back, having an orgy, if you need anything.” Famous last words. My father was a driven man, he made his money often and thoroughly through ventriloquist sex ventures sponsored solely by the “Gay and Lesbian Avenue” street clubs. A strange man for strange times. A shifting spoon ladled pizza into my parfait of choice: crackers. “How bout another jolly?” asked my spiffster. “No thanks,” I courteously replied, “I’ve been on the dolly for upwards of twelve gawks now.” It was a hard life, traveling with the touring sex rodeo. But one had to make a living somehow. Nightly news, daily dribble—it’s all the same nowadays. The only real entertainment left is in the whirling woozle circuses.