Got this list the other day in an email.  Thought I'd share.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their 
journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God 
never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties.  Get busy living, or get 
busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

  19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood but, the second 
one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no 
for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. 
Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, 
will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends 
will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you 
did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, 
we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Kierkegaard is usually considered to be the founding father of existentialism. Considering that most existentialists are atheists, it is kind of ironic to think that the founding father of existentialism was a theist. Not only was he a theist, but he was also an extremely religious Christian--so much so that he even broke off his engagement with his fiance because he felt that if they were married he couldn't really pursue his ministry.

I haven't read any of Kierkegaard's works, mainly because his theism bothers me. But, I suppose this is the atheist in me. Regardless, though, this shouldn't keep me from reading his works and learning from him. I definitely need to work on this...

Don't get me wrong, from watching Solomon lecture about Kierkegaard, I can honestly say that he does make some points that I fully agree with. Kierkegaard went after the Christianity at his time. Anticipating Nietzsche, he claimed that most Christians were simply followers in a "herd." He also thought that Christianity wasn't about doctrines or rituals. Christianity is supposed to be about commitment. He accused Christians of hypocrisy and, as Solomon puts it, "empty belief conjoined with banal social membership." Even more radically, Kierkegaard believed that one is a Christian all by oneself. The fact that other Christians exist is irrelevant. Even as an atheist, I can agree with all of this.

I do have some issues with Kierkegaard, and perhaps those of you who are familiar with him can help me understand him better. The first issue I want to touch on is his notion of truth. Kierkegaard thought there were two types of truth: objective and subjective truth. Objective truth is considered to be truth derived from science. Subjective truth is, well, subjective. Kierkegaard praised subjective truth over objective truth. This does not mean that Kierkegaard disliked science; on the contrary, he was fine with science as long as it didn't interfere with the subjective.

For Kierkegaard, subjectivity is inwardness and passion. According to Solomon, "subjectivity is the realm where we find that very special sense of existence." For this reason, Kierkegaard thought that objectivity should not be allowed to invade the realm of personal meaning and significance, which is the realm of religion. Solomon didn't talk about this, but I get the vibe that Kierkegaard wouldn't want an individual's subjective truth to become objective truth for others, because objective truth isn't as meaningful as subjective truth. So if Christianity is supposed to be subjective, then organized Christianity shouldn't even exist. Organized religion is meaningless.

I understand what Kierkegaard is saying, and to some extent I agree with him. But, I think science has done a lot to help us create more meaningful meaning. Some subjective truths, like those derived from religion, cause us to live in a fantasy world and in denial of the absurd. With science, we learn more and more. Objective truth directly influences what we find to be meaningful. 

And aren't some subjective truths better than other subjective truths? I'm inclined to say "Yes."Nietzsche thought that truth depended upon one's perspective; however, some perspectives are better than others. I agree with Nietzsche, but I don't know how you can determine if one perspective is better than another. Who gets to make that choice? I'm guessing the individual.

I recently purchased a course from the Teaching Company over existentialism. I have really enjoyed the Nietzsche lessons that I purchased earlier on in the summer (still haven't finished them...) taught by Professor Robert Solomon, so I was excited to learn that the existentialism course was also taught by him.

Lesson one is an introduction to existentialism. Solomon begins by saying that there are differences amongst existentialists, with the biggest dealing with the belief in God. There are atheistic and theistic existentialists, which are represented by Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, respectively. Despite this fundamental difference, however, existentialists are able to agree on many things. Perhaps this is why I'm so interested in existentialism: it is a philosophy that brings atheists and theists together. I'm so tired of the atheist vs theist war. It gets fucking annoying after a while. All these parties do is argue and insult each other. What good ever comes out of these debates?

Although atheists and theists are different, they are both fundamentally human. I think we forget this fundamental truth all too often. We become too attached to labels.

The title of this lesson is "No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life." The "no excuses" bit really appeals to me. This idea basically says that we do have control over our own lives, despite what most religious people might say. Like the title, existentialism puts a lot of emphasis on the individual and choice. We are responsible for the choices we make and the consequences that flow from them. We cannot blame anyone but our own selves when our choices lead to negative outcomes.

Another major theme of existentialism is the importance of the passions. To really exist is to be passionate about one's way of life. Consequentially, to really live is to live passionately. The passions are what make one's life meaningful; they are how we create meaning. What are you passionate about? I'm quite passionate about my family, my friends, cooking and baking, learning, reading, etc. An individual's passions is what gives the individual purpose, his or her own meaning of life.

The concept of freedom also plays a major part in existentialism. This isn't political or metaphysical freedom. Instead, this freedom, according to Solomon, "has very much to do with how we think of ourselves, how we behave, how we think about our behavior...The idea is that freedom has to do with making choices. It has to do with deciding how you are going to live your life. Freedom also has to do with taking consequences. Once you have made your choice, you can't say, 'I didn't anticipate that. I don't take responsibility for that.' Having chosen, you are then responsible for what follows as well." Of course, our choices can be influenced by external factors, nevertheless, the individual is makes the choice.

The most important theme of existentialism is that of existence. Most existentialists make a distinction between really living and so-called existence. You simply existence if you go with the flow of things: just getting by, going along with the crowd, doing what you are supposed to do, etc. To truly exist, to truly live, one must really take hold of one's life. This, according to Solomon, means "realizing what your particular talents and virtues are, falling in love with yourself in a very important way, and understanding what your life is about manifesting those virtues, manifesting those talents, passionately throwing yourself into the work you do, and, as he put it (borrowing from the ancient Greeks), 'Becoming the person that you really are.'"

We are in charge of our existence. Do you exist?

Found the link from Kalimantan's blog. Cool toy!

Ku De Ta

Negeri Di Awan

Half Life

2 comments

Mozaiq-fied by Karlos

I have great appetite today! W00t!

Nasi Goreng Maleo

What's the closest thing you have to a time machine?
Submitted by Verisimilitude.

Mostly are pictures and songs, of course. And few other things. Here are two of them:

This is my elementary school uniform. My classmates signed all over it on the graduation day :) It's actually a two-pieces, but I am too lazy to find the inside top.

Seragam SD

And this is my babyhood milk bottle. It's given by my grampa (Mom's father) and he bought it in Italy. I still keep it and I'd keep it forever. I might give it to my baby girl someday in the future :)

Botol Susu