Wondering...

            For this assignment I have chosen a Mario toy and the possibilities I could imagine is it flying through the air as I throw it, bringing pleasure to a little kid with boredom. Other possibilities that could be imagined is being able to sell it for a lot of money to collectors or giving it to a cousin for a birthday present. Wonder is the ability to think outside the box and to expand our way of thinking whether it being to wonder what’s really out their beyond our universe or even as simple as wondering what is going to be for dinner. In our experiences we wonder about a lot of things, for example when I was younger, about 6 years old, I wondered what it would be like to have superpowers to fly anywhere or run as fast as lightening. I wondered about using superhero abilities in sports and how great it would br. In my experiences I expanded my mind and way of thinking when I was wondering about stuff. Also I would approach this assignment as a younger me as imagining the toy to be able to talk or fly like a toy airplane. As a 6 year old I probably would imagine possibilities of my toy being able to have a laser beam or make gold coins because it was Mario. We are less capable of imagination and wonder as we get older because we tend to mature and as we mature our minds start to see things in reality and not as a little kid thinking candy comes from the sky. Our mindset sees things and ideas more logically and less creatively, in the sense of wondering or imagination.  I think St. Gregory of Nyssa once said "Concepts create idols, only wonder knows." means that through expanding our minds we create our idols, but only through wondering can we do that because our way of thinking and our way widening our perception on things. I find this to be true in my experiences because through wondering about things I came with conclusions and able to find facts and ideas of what I like and don’t like such as food, sports and peoples personalities. In the end  we wonder about a lot of things in our lives and that wondering leads to curiosity and being able to widen your thinking.

David Wallace's Speech

          David Foster Wallace idea that life consist of fundamental choices that lie entirely within the human person and allow them to engage the world differently is true because we are all unique. Everyone sees the world differently through their eyes and have choices they need to make on their own.  The choices we make as a human person effect the way we will perceive or see something. Just like he said about the Christian and the atheists, the atheist tried to believe in God even when he was stranded in the cold snow weather. He even says he got on his knees praying to God saying if he would guide him out of the storm and live he would believe in God, but when the Christian is stumbled because the atheists is still alive the atheist said there were Eskimos walking by that helped him.  The atheist didn’t see the Eskimos as a sign from God but as a coincidence while the Christian is shocked because he sees that as a sign or a miracle. We all are our own person where we see and do things in our own way through choices we make within ourselves.

            This idea of thinking is defiantly creditable because again we are all different from one another and the way you and I see something is going to be different. The choices we make within ourselves will ultimately define who we are and what we believe in. The way we see the world is how we make our choices because one person may think our world is corrupt and ruined the other may be thinking our world is fine and dandy, but it is all based on our fundamental choices is the way we see the world. Wallace even says that we automatically think about ourselves, our surrounding and what we choose to do and how to think. We figure out what we want to see because we decide what we want to worship, he also says that there is no such thing as an atheist because we all want to believe in something and worship someone. The thing is we are the ones who get to choose that and when we think for ourselves we choose what we want for us.

            I engage in our default-setting of choice as something we all do every day. We all make decisions for ourselves unconsciously in our default- setting and it happens to me just as Wallace talked about how in every experience we see ourselves as the center and that our needs are real, immediate and urgent. We all  can be taught something, but the way we learn and see it will still be different from someone else. Wallace talks about us thinking for ourselves and it is true everyone always think of what they want first and not consider everyone else and what kind of life they live or struggles they may go through. Choice is how we make decisions and how we get first impressions of someone without even meeting them. Choice is something we can’t be taught, but can be influenced. Meaning, when Wallace talked about going to the grocery store at a time where there’s a lot of others he says that they are all their with the same mind set to get a little shopping done after work like you (student) are when you come back from a long day at work. People can make similar choices to others as well as have influenced ideas such as getting some shopping after work because you see, like others, that it’s a convenient time.

            The question “how would I like to engage this choice” is something difficult to answer because my default-setting unconsciously makes decision that I like and make me the center. If I could go against it or train myself I would like to not only think of myself as the center but for others who are in need of help. No matter what we are all hardwired to a default-setting as a way we think and automatically see our needs first. Even if we are trying to help someone we still choose to think of our self first and how making a choice to help someone will affect us I a good or bad way. Wallace whole idea, in my opinion, is that he is trying to say that we should all train our default-setting of thinking of ourselves as the center of our experiences and that in the end true freedom involves attention, awareness, effort and discipline to truly care about others and be able to sacrifice for them over and over even though our alternative is unconsciousness and default-setting of thinking.

            While Wallace was talking there were people who laughed, chuckled and clapped at his speech at time where he was being ironic, or even challenging the way they engage the world. The people clapped when he  pretty much is insulting them because he used experience that they all could relate to and had a shared experience with. Wallace was insulting the bad and irritating experiences such as grocery shopping and even traffic. The people saw what he said relatable to what they have done before or have heard about. In his speech Wallace was using relatable experiences to get people to understand what he was trying to convey or see in his speech. He wanted everyone listening to be able to see and say “oh yea that’s happened to me” or “oh I really didn’t think I did that when I’m in traffic but I guess I do”. Wallace was just trying to share with everyone how they engage the world and what they may do unconsciously with their default-setting way of thinking. In the end his speech was great and made a lot of sense especially using experiences that everyone could relate to and thinks about from the way he presented it.

Caligla Answers!

1.     Camus demonstrates Caligulas heart through making him want the impossible and go beyond our limits. Camus makes Caligulas desire something that he or no one else can never have or receive and this is the moon. At first when your reading you think Caligulas is gone because of the death of his sister because the First Partricans talk about Caligulas being in love Drusilla maybe even more than brotherly  and that he may be feeling affects from it like the First Partrican did when his wife died. As you read further, later you find out that when Helicon is talking to Caligulas that the reason he was gone was because he says “Yes, I wanted the Moon.” (Caligula, 7). Caligulas desired happiness by trying to get the moon which in the end is impossible and he pushed his limits by not sleeping which is also impossible

 

2.     The Patricians viewed Caligulas as someone who is young and blinded from responsibility to be where he needs to be as well as thinking that women distract him. An example is when Helicon says “ so you think that there’s a girl behind it?” and First Patrician responds by saying “What else should there be?” (Caligula, 4) implying yes it was because of a woman. They see him as a misfit and that he needs to be taught or reasoned with. The Patricians view his heart as someone with no  expectation of happiness because of the death of Drusilla as well as someone who doesn’t make themselves because they see him as young, misfit and ignorant. Helicon views Caligulas as a tired and determined guy and views his heart as someone with unlimited desires such as wanting the moon and someone expects happiness as well. Caligulas says “That’s why I want the moon, or happiness, or external life- something,” (Caligula, 8) which shows how helicon views Caligulas happiness and limits. I agree with the Helicons view of Caligulas and his heart because he actually talked to him and the others didn’t get to know him or the real reason for why he was gone.

The 10 uses of a pen?

A pen has many factors to it and it has many shapes to it such as being a click pen, a pen with a cap, a pen where you twist and can use. Pens come in different shapes and sizes such as portable small pens or oversized gift pens. Whatever the kind of pen you have it does many things that we use everyday:

1. we write letters with a pen, whether its a good letter or a bad we use a pen

2. we use it to bite on when we are nervous on a test or because we are hungry

3. we use a pen to scratch our heads in class

4. we use a pen to make a friend or talk to a pretty girl by offering it

5. we use our pen to sign contracts for business as well as to write history

6. we use a pen to poke or throw at people for their attention

7. we use a pen to sign in to work or even get paid because of the signature

8. we use a pen play word puzzles on a plane

9. we use a pen to express who we are by using different colors

10. one more way we use a pen is to annoy people with when we are bored whether its clicking, tapping or drumming with them

What my happiness consist of?

My blog name is JR360 and I would like to share things I do that make me happy. I love to be active in sports and to work out at the gym because it is the greatest feeling when you are pushing yourself the limits to excel in getting stronger and fit as well as succeeding in your sport. This makes me happy because I love to push myself. I love the feeling after I work out at the gym or after I finish practicing a sport as a sense of accomplishment that I gave it my all and am later rewarded with aches and soreness as a job well done. The sports that I play are Lacrosse, Swimming, and Diving, these sports all make me happy because they are all something that I like to do. Swimming makes me happy because it’s a sport that is not only solo and the only thing you have to beat is time or as a team member in the relays. Swimming is also a calm sport where when you are stressed or need time to think you can swim some laps. The next sport that makes me happy is diving because it is a mental and physical sport where you have to push your limits and fears in order to progress in your tricks and the sport. It makes me happy when I have beat my fear of the what if on the board and be able to do a new trick or even perfect a trick that I have already mastered. Most of all diving makes me happy because of the support and wisdom from my coach and to overcome fear. The last sport that makes me happy is lacrosse because it is every sport combined into one and it’s so much fun. This sport is such an adrenaline rush as soon as the whistle blows that the energy and excitement you feel makes you push harder and play longer. Lacrosse is such a great sport where you can have fun as well as let a little frustration out if you feel stressed. Sports make me happy because they calm you and they help release anger until you are happy again and in doing sports it makes me happy. Other things I do to make me happy are hanging out with friends and having a good time with them whether it’s going out or just chilling at someone’s house. My friends make me happy because they are people I trust and can be myself around. My family also makes me happy because I know that they have my best interest in mind all the time. I can tell them anything and they would know how to help me. My family loves me unconditionally and I know they will always be there for me. The last thing that makes me happy is traveling; I love to travel and experience new places, seeing things that I have never seen before. Traveling makes me happy because I love to be active and see new things, traveling relaxes me and makes me feel a part of the world as well as an adventure.