Character from Point Counter Point

I chose to talk about John Bidlake. John is Walter Bidlake's father and is married. At one point he as involved with Lady Edward. We will find out later that he has cancer. He is extremely self centered, and is definitely a menonist. A part of story that represents Johns attitude is when he is talking about how he saw the woman he was painting as beautiful and amazing when she was younger, but when he runs into her later in life, he thinks she is disgusting and not fun to be around. He thinks this just because she would no longer be beautiful to paint. Johns attitude/philosophy would be similar to a hedonist. He always does things just for himself, often just for pleasure. This represents a hedonist.

existence precedes essence

As of now, I believe the turning point for Mersault was when he he said "I had knocked on the door of unhappiness". At this point I felt he realized that his actions have consequences and/or benefits. The old Mersault would have just gone with whatever happened next, never recognizing the consequences his actions had, however the new mersault sees that he has free will and the ability to shape his future. By seeing this, I believe Mersault will want to take matters more to heart, and provide essence to his existence by doing so.

reflection

I have played sports ever since my memory began. As soon as I was capable (at around 3), my dad put me onto competitive athletic teams. I began with soccer and baseball, and evolved into a five-sport athlete, playing soccer, baseball, basketball, golf, and tennis. I played all five sports, all at the same time, all year round. To this day, team commitments consume my entire life. I have never known a day without a practice, a game, both, or even sometimes two of each. When I was younger it seemed to make sense because school was easier and playing sports was a fun, healthy way to spend my free time.

I fell in love with every sport I played, but I admit my love didn’t always come directly from the game itself. Often my desire to compete and do well came from the connection it gave me with my dad. This bond became increasingly important when my parents divorced three years ago. Every second with my Dad became even more meaningful than it was before, and sports provided a way to make each one of those seconds even more special for me. But as I grew older and school became more demanding, so did each sport. I had to narrow it down from five to four, and then to three, then two, and two Club and Varsity sports are where I am today. As I am asked to invest more time than the season before for each sport, I have begun to question some of my choices.

Being an athlete has caused me to make many sacrifices, not only in terms of my free time, but also academically. On the rare occasion where I get to flake out on the couch, I love to watch the History Channel. History is one of my favorite subjects and has always interested me, but during high school I have been forced to take my history classes over the summer in order to fit athletics into my schedule. Those small glimpses I get of a day off or life without a continuous roar of coaches in my ear tempt me. So why do I keep up this lifestyle? The truth is I’m getting to a point where I’m not entirely sure. As I look to the future, I know I want to grow and explore new things in ways I haven’t been able to up to now. I want to read more, study history at a leisurely pace, and find new experiences in the real world. When I look forward and envision my college life, I get excited--excited for the freedom to be able to make open academic decisions. Economics, another class I was forced to take over the summer, was really fascinating to me. That short introductory class has given me an interest in business, and made me eager to pursue my intellectual interests on my own terms.

            I know the bond that I have created with my father will never fade, because I know I will continue to include sports in my everyday life no matter what stage of life I am entering. While our time together will no longer be spent with me on the field, I know it will still revolve around sports, as it always has and always will. I have no regrets, but I freely admit that I’m looking forward to next year when so many more decisions will wholly be mine. Sports have influenced every minute and nearly every relationship and friendship in my life.  I’m eager to explore a world that isn’t so dominated by one activity.  I’m looking forward to new opportunities and possibilities, and the way to open these new doors may be to change the biggest part of my life.

Blog Post 3

The topic from todays discussion that stuck with me the most was the debate whether empathy was innate or learned. I personally believe that empathy is something learned and uncovered from a hidden area of your subconcious, but not in the sense someone teaches you what empathy is and how to feel it. I think it is self taught through experiences. When I feel pain I now realize that is uncomfortable. The more I understand pain, the more I learn about that area of empathy. This continues to a point where you realize what causes others pain, and having experienced pain and disliked it I know feel empathetic towards the person feeling pain, as I know that it sucks, and no one likes it. When I see someone in pain it reminds myself of pain and I dont want that, and seeing them in the situation I have come to dislike makes me think they feel the same, and therefore I feel bad. However, this then means that the idea, but solely the rooting idea, of empathy is therefore innate, but not knowing how to feel it or portray it. However it isn't fully innate we have to learn other things to unlock that feeling of empathy. I think empathy stems from something selfish. We see someone in a situation and say I would hate that, that would be unappealing, and therefore we infer other people feel the same as us. We feel bad for them, just because we don't want that happening to ourself.

Blog Post 2

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not a truth." (Marcus Aurelius, Roman leader, philosopher, Stoic).

I believe in this quote Marcus Aurelius is saying that everyone sees everything different. In this case there is no universality because not one person sees something the same as the next. If everything everyone sees is different there is no truth, and with no truth there is no basis for fact. Therefore, what one person says is just their thought, their view, their opinion. to you it is nothing but that, because what you perceive is completely different. What each individual sees is their own world, their unique perspective and therefore, nothing is truly as we see it. The cliche example of this is colors. My blue may be your black and so on. This concept is extremely hard to understand on a larger scale, because it rips apart reality. I believe parts of that. I believe there is a basis of truth. A main group of "real things" that everyone perceives the same, but after that everything for everyone is different.  

Personal Satement

I believe that every person has the ability to create their own purpose in their life. For me I feel like I have been mislead in a way, and have created my entire life, and therefore purpose around sports.  I feel this way because every second I spend outside of school is spent on a sports field, be it soccer or baseball.  I’ve come to realize that I’m being “falsely represented” in a way due to the need to please my parents, especially my father. My dad and I have always bonded over sports, and therefore it has played a major role in me life.  Sports are who I am currently today and will always be, as I fell in love with every game I’ve ever been lucky enough to play. However, the reason I feel misrepresented in a way is because the sports have never truly been for me. My sports are a more accurate representation of my dad’s wants than mine.

I feel every person should be doing things for themselves rather than anyone else (which I have not been). This doesn’t mean be selfish and never do anything to help another, but in the end you are the only one that is truly stuck with yourself. Therefore, why not do what makes you happy. I look forward to college because I see it as a way to express myself in ways I want, rather than what my parents want. I see it as an opportunity to really find my “purpose” and what really defines me as me. Coming form where we do, many of us are shielded for true self-exploration, because our parents push us into what is “normal”. I feel many kids our age, especially from areas such as Manhattan Beach, have a lot to find out about themselves. Including discovering ones own purpose.

Unlike many people I believe we are here for no particular reason, with no certainty or known ending. I believe once you die, you just cease to exist, the only thing left is your legacy, hence the purpose you created for yourself. I encourage everyone to look at their life and see if they are actually following their own purpose, or if they are following a path set by someone else, which has blinded them from what they truly are.