I ended my last post with a few questions, one of which included: What percent of the federal budget do you think is spent on foreign aid? As you can see in the graph above, the mean percentage response is 31, while the median is 25. Although the data in the graph above is from… Continue reading On Myths of Foreign Aid Spending in the U.S.
Learn How To Meditate W2D6
Today, while my some of my thoughts were coming and going, a sudden epiphany hit me: I miss journaling. It’s something I used to do a great deal of, and it was most definitely a way that I was able to clear a lot of the thoughts out of my head. Granted, blogging for Philosophy… Continue reading Learn How To Meditate W2D6
On Existentialism
Salutations, sufferers/benefactors of the human condition. On this day, we are gathered here to mourn the loss of a great friend of ourselves: ourselves. How did we succumb to this fate? Meaninglessness. Fear not. Keep calm, and read on. “Existentialism offers an array of interpretations because it is spread across so many different cultures. Its… Continue reading On Existentialism
Learn How To Meditate: W2D5
During today’s meditation I had the pleasant surprise of two unexpected noises! The first was a Facebook message and the second a text message notification. This allowed me to realize how fast I do move to interpret a noise, as I immediately thought about who the message might be from. It was a great change… Continue reading Learn How To Meditate: W2D5
Learn How To Meditate: W2D4
This week’s meditation is supposed to focus on Naked Sound – meaning that the goal is to listen to sounds without judging. Part of the challenge has been that there just isn’t much sound to hear! Living in an historic apartment building, I was expecting lots of noise, from creaking boards to noisy neighbors, but… Continue reading Learn How To Meditate: W2D4
Philosophy Book Club: One World
I recently read Peter Singer’s while working on lesson plans for a Governor’s School course proposal. Although some of the information in here is a bit outdated, the overal premise is still relevant and extremely important to think about as the trend toward globalization continues to increase. The most basic way to state the problem… Continue reading Philosophy Book Club: One World
Learn How To Meditate: W2D3
Today I realized that I tend to really hold my stress in my jaws while I’m meditating. I clench them, and that tension throws off my meditation. As I mentioned in the introduction view, the mouth is a very common place to hold this tension, and it’s important part of a good posture to make… Continue reading Learn How To Meditate: W2D3
Engaged Thinking: The Philosophy of the Successful Student
Those most successful in their college career are set apart from their peers by the attitude they possess going in and the thought they put into their college preparations. Many students transition into college without having a clear goal for their future, and so their mindset and actions are unfocused. This leads often to wasted… Continue reading Engaged Thinking: The Philosophy of the Successful Student
Rational Thoughts on Gun Control
From an ethical perspective, I think most people – and most ethical theories – would tend to agree that fewer mass shootings and fewer gun murders would be a good thing. The problem, of course, arises when we discuss how to achieve that goal. I’ve written before about how rhetoric-filled memes work against that goal,… Continue reading Rational Thoughts on Gun Control
The Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Merry MLK Day! Many readers will probably be reading this post from the context of a leisurely holiday from work or school due to the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Perhaps some will have honored Dr. King by engaging in some sort of service activity during the day. Regardless, I hope everyone will take… Continue reading The Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.