An Ideal Education (Excerpt from "Philosophy of an Ideal Education" by Yours truly, Gabriel Gethin)

Children begin elementary school at age 4 or 5 and end elementary school with 6th grade. When they graduate elementary school, they are equipped with the most basic tools education can offer, how to read and write, how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, how to show up on time to school, how to raise your hand to answer a question, and so on. Once in high school, 7th grade, the student begins a rigorous liberal arts training in subjects including mathematics, rhetoric, history, government and politics, philosophy, literature, psychology, sciences, and world language. Upon graduating high school after completing 10th grade, the 16 year old is equipped with knowledge of how to learn, interdisciplinary knowledge across a broad range of subjects and, more importantly, has developed enough self-knowledge to know what his/her own talents and interests are. After graduation, the individual decides what path is best for him or herself. The choices are nearly endless. The individual can study marine biology with actual marine biologists at vocational school while gaining real life experience at the same time. The individual can go to junior college to continue with the liberal arts. The individual can go onto college and choose a major he/she knows will both earn him/her a job and will be interesting and pleasing to learn. No matter what path the individual takes, the outcome is an educated human being who has amassed an abundance of knowledge and wisdom and is valuable to society in some way—economically, politically, scientifically, militarily.

Disintegration

Well, the school year is coming to an end. Teachers are now either cramming everything in at the last minute, or out of things to teach. Whether you are stressed or bored out of your mind, one thing remains true. Summer's inevitable arrival is edging ever closer. Personally, I'm looking forward to the summer. Sure, I won't be hanging out with friends, partying until the sun goes down, or anything glamorous like that. But there is something mysterious about the summer. In essence, it's not that different from any other time of the year. Adults still work, teens work during would-be school hours, and they have summer reading and summer work to keep their minds "fresh." So what makes summer so special? Is it not just another daily routine to fall into? Ah, the pessimistic thinker can make heaven seem like a dreary place (generally by calling it impossible or nonexistent). Anyways, here are some ways I plan to spend my summer to make it special. I will write a book, hopefully for publication one day, but for now, just for fun. I will play piano until my ears bleed, then I will get a band-aid and play some more. Finally, every one's favorite summer fantasy, summer loving. Summer romance is always fun. You get to sit at home all day stranded wishing you were with the other person but you can't get there because of the fact that your parents aren't home. Sounds fun right? Anyways, I'm sure there must be some reason why summer is "every one's" favorite season. Laying down on the beach all day getting skin cancer, I mean, getting tan is fun right? Skin cancer, I mean, being tan is really attractive right? I hate the sun. I'm totally allergic to it. Plus, the brightness hurts my eyes. That is why I have covers over my windows, it helps keep my house dark even during the day.

Anyways, enough rambling. I was just bored because there's no work to be done, plenty of fun to be had. What's more fun than long rambles?

Nocturnally yours,
Gabriel Gethin

The Day I Left the Womb

First things first, yes, I like to use song titles as my post titles. The Day I Left the Womb is an Escape the Fate song. Naturally the song's meaning has nothing to do with the post's topic, but I like to be random at such an hour as this.

So, lately I've been reading this awesome book called Sophie's World. It's about the history of philosophy. Consequently, I've fallen in love with wisdom. (fun fact: philosophy means "love of wisdom")

One question in particular has really been haunting my lately. Do you believe in fate? The two obvious responses are yes and no, but what do these answers imply.

If you answer yes, I believe in fate! What does that mean exactly? Does belief in fate mean that you believe your entire future is written in "stone" somewhere? Is your life a series of inevitable causes and effects, actions and reactions, decisions and consequences? I don't like this idea... I have control over my life! right??? I can decide to be nice to people I meet rather than lie and deceive them, doesn't that mean I have control over my future? Or does "Fate" already know how I will act because my conscience is like a computer program, programed to discern between right and wrong in a certain way. I can't believe that either, people learn right and wrong, they aren't born with that knowledge. We are, however, born with the ability to reason. It's what separates us from other animals... (or so believed Aristotle)

So I guess I don't believe in fate... But, what does that mean? I can control my life with the decisions I make, right? This isn't true, and I know it. Things happen. You're own actions aren't the only influences on the course of your life. Things out of our control--nature, the economy, life and death-- can change the course of our life drastically. So what dictates the things out of our control? other people? (perhaps in the economy instance) but what about nature? life and death? those are clearly out of our complete control. So is it fate that governs all? once again, I say no...

What do you say???

p.s. I could go on to what I think "governs all" but, that's another discussion for another time...

Which To Bury, Us or the Hatchet

In the link below, you will find an article about an interview in which Stephen King says Stephanie Meyer "Can't write worth a darn." The reason I'm posting this is because Stephen King and I agree completely on this matter. Just go read the article (it's really short, if you love books, this will seem like nothing). It's actually quite amusing.

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/stephen-king-on-twilight-author-stephenie-meyer-can-t-write-worth-a-darn/18406?nc

Lifeless Entertainment

The title of this blog is an example of a paradox. A paradox is a statement that, at first glance, appears false or contradictory, but when further investigated may prove true. Lifeless implies something dull, boring, and mundane. While entertainment implies excitement, frivolity, and merriness. So how can entertainment be lifeless! Well, let's look into it more. Is television entertainment? I should hope so! They don't call TVs and gaming systems home entertainment systems for nothing! Now, is television sometimes lifeless? Personally, I think so. When nothing is on, it gets rather dull. When you're playing a video game that you've beaten once, twice, maybe even three times. It gets really boring! So clearly, entertainment can be lifeless. Which brings me to the following request. I want you to think of as many paradoxes as you can. When you think of a good one, tell me it. Comment this post. I want to see what kind of crazy, illogical things you can think up (as well as enlightening philosophic ideas. They're fun too.) If I like some of them, perhaps I will write a post elaborating on them (in one form or another).