Weekly Blog: Week 6

Last week we discussed briefly the contrasts of fate and destiny verses free will. It posed a question that has lingered in my mind about how much fate plays into our lives and whether or not destiny decides what happens to us. I have always lived by "whatever happens is meant to be," but I also don't believe that the choices we make have no effect on our lives due to this idea and therefore that our destinies are predetermined. The thought has resonated with me and I can't seem to figure it out; to what extent is my 'motto' true, if true at all? I hope to focus on this question more as we continue reading and learning this year.

Weekly Blog: Week 5

Rudyard Kipling created an inspiring work of literature called "If," which was this week's poem of the week. The poem tells how to be the best person one can be, and the advice given has always in my life been proven true. Some of the greatest qualities in a person shine when he or she is faced with an unpleasant situation. To be truthful when others are lying, to be loving when others have hatred, and to be calm amongst chaos are accomplishments deserving of great respect. We often forget these guidelines when dealing with hardships, or we even choose to ignore them because of their difficulty in performing; but Kipling believes that if we can do such tasks, we can be the best versions of ourselves.
I want to be able to follow Kipling's words in my next big decision, or even my next small one, since these are often the most important.

Weekly Blog: Week 4

"The voice you hear when you read silently" by Thomas Lux was interesting to me this week; by the end of each week I find myself liking the poems especially. I like this poem because of the truth in that any one thing can evoke different emotions in a person, which is exactly what my essay is about. It is something we don't often think about, but our inner voice is always with us, and it's always making connections in the world that aren't being made in the minds of others.
Friday we discussed briefly the four philosophical problems, which hopefully we continue to look at. While the four things may seem harmless or even beneficial, there are deeper effects of each one; knowledge sometimes is better kept to oneself, like in the case of Pandora's box. These problems also stem from within ourselves, relating back to this week's poem. It is important to keep in mind our mind, meaning we should listen to it and acknowledge what it's thinking about even the simplest of things.

Weekly Blog: Week 3

"Lot's Wife" by Anna Akhmatova was this week's poem, and was interpreted in many different ways; I thought of it as a story of a common housewife, who went much deeper than people gave her credit for. While her decision to look back at the town may have cost her her life, she chooses to do so anyway. This is done often, I think, in life; the "unhappy wife" knowingly decides to gain one last look at the town in which her and her family made so many memories and perished in return. To her, the closure she receives from that last glance outweighs the consequences (which because of Macroeconomics, I concluded in a cost-benefit analysis). We sometimes do things despite the consequences, even if it may seem to others as if the benefit is too small compared to the cost. But what others can't see in times of decision making are one's feelings; this is why we must not ignore our own thoughts when making decisions simply because we are listening to others. Lot's wife sacrifices her life to cherish that last moment of it, and while the narrator implies that she is not of significant loss to the others and even that her choice was out of stupidity, her passion is apparent in her final choice to look back once more.