"Your Life on Earth" Personal Philosophy Project:
My Project (Song Lyrics):
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Video Performance:
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Artist Statement:
The song I wrote, Rosy Tint, embodies pieces of my continuing philosophy. The intertextual references within my lyrics reflect on people and discourses that have shaped me and my ideologies. The overarching theme that brings my life the most meaning is moments where I feel transcended. The first verse reflects on a time I had with friends where I could quite literally feel the serotonin releasing and I felt purely transcended. When going into the chorus I wanted to emphasize that this is an example of a moment of transcendence and meaning. I incorporated two illusions in the first line of the chorus that allude to quotes from Walt Whitman and Hafiz. The line “but I’ll keep the rosy tint in my glasses on my nose” is an illusion to the rosy tinted glasses that my dad always wore. Not only did my dad absolutely influence my philosophy, but also the idea of rose tinted glasses has led me to believe that your outlook on the world is your choice. You can choose what glasses to look through and he chose to put rose lenses in his.
Another element of my song is that I used almost every major 7 chord which adds a metaphorical layer. Major 7 chords are known for their dissonance but they are also my favorite sounding chords. To me, this felt like a metaphor for the way I view life itself. Writing a song was a very authentic way for me to express my philosophy and felt natural to put my ideas into lyrics. Overall, this song could be extended forever, but as of now it feels just right in showing my current philosophy on the meaning of life.
Reflection:
1. Describe the project itself and the direction you personally took it. Which essential question(s) was your project seeking to answer? What was the inspiration behind the direction you took and the perspective you developed?
This project centered around the huge question, “what is the meaning of life?”. As we moved through philosophical texts we were challenged to dig deep in ourselves and articulate some of our philosophies. Our main text was Into the Wild by John Krakauer. This book among other pieces of literature guided our studies. We all kept a philosophy journal where we answered prompts relating to our life experiences and thought processes. For my final project I wrote a song. My song lyrics mainly focused on the main questions: “What does it mean to live a meaningful life? AND What gives your life meaning?”, “How do you characterize your relationship with Earth and your place on it?”. As we went through different philosophical ideas and mindsets, I found inspiration around the idea of transcendence. With some research and self exploration I realized how important the feeling of transcendence is to me and how much purpose those moments where I feel transcended are. In terms of my final project, I decided on a song because it is a way that I have used before to express my feelings and thoughts. It felt very authentic to me and I had ideas about making it intertextual. With the perspective I developed around transcendence and meaning, I have been able to feel more clarified on where I stand in life. But, I have also come to feel comfort in the fact that I will never be fully done learning about my meaning and discovering new things.
2. Please explain what new insights you developed over the course of this project either about yourself, life, the human place in the world/universe? How has your thinking been influenced by our study of philosophy and “meaning”? (Feel free to mine your journal and personal philosophy statement for material!)
This project has been full of incredibly insightful moments for me. I have found clarity with my individual philosophies and discovered inspiring and influential texts. The main realization I’ve had is “The feeling of transcendence makes me feel the most alive”. Since coming to this thought I have found more moments of transcendence in my everyday life. Before this project I saw myself as an existentialist, but that was quick to change. After actually researching where existentialist beliefs come from I realized I don’t truly resonate with that. This was one of the bigger enlightenments I had. Through texts from Walt Whitman and other important influencers I have been able to find where my ideologies fit.
3. Where do your intellectual quandaries go from here? What do you wonder about now that you may not have before? What questions do you still need to answer for yourself. If you like, include a list of roughly 4-6 questions this project sparked for you about yourself, life, or the human place in the world/universe.
I have gotten very postmodern with my thoughts through the studies in this project. So, the questions that come up for me are hard to even articulate let alone answer. I have definitely found that I am very interested in philosophy and intertextuality. But, I learned that I can study this every second of every day. One question that continues to come up for me when I get into the spiral of thoughts about meaning is, “Do we exist based on witnesses and contextualization or do we exist based on our own acknowledgment of self?” One of the most influential texts that I have consumed in this project is A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. This book discusses life as a whole, but a big theme is time. My relationship with time has also shifted while working through this project. As I discover my place in time I can continue to process experiences in my life. I did a lot of processing in this project which felt productive and I learned a lot from it. I have become very content with the relationship between life and death that I have experienced, and this has added a multitude of layers to the meaning of my life. The intellectual work I have left is never ending, but for me it starts with continuing to consume influential discourse and living life to the fullest.
1. Describe the project itself and the direction you personally took it. Which essential question(s) was your project seeking to answer? What was the inspiration behind the direction you took and the perspective you developed?
This project centered around the huge question, “what is the meaning of life?”. As we moved through philosophical texts we were challenged to dig deep in ourselves and articulate some of our philosophies. Our main text was Into the Wild by John Krakauer. This book among other pieces of literature guided our studies. We all kept a philosophy journal where we answered prompts relating to our life experiences and thought processes. For my final project I wrote a song. My song lyrics mainly focused on the main questions: “What does it mean to live a meaningful life? AND What gives your life meaning?”, “How do you characterize your relationship with Earth and your place on it?”. As we went through different philosophical ideas and mindsets, I found inspiration around the idea of transcendence. With some research and self exploration I realized how important the feeling of transcendence is to me and how much purpose those moments where I feel transcended are. In terms of my final project, I decided on a song because it is a way that I have used before to express my feelings and thoughts. It felt very authentic to me and I had ideas about making it intertextual. With the perspective I developed around transcendence and meaning, I have been able to feel more clarified on where I stand in life. But, I have also come to feel comfort in the fact that I will never be fully done learning about my meaning and discovering new things.
2. Please explain what new insights you developed over the course of this project either about yourself, life, the human place in the world/universe? How has your thinking been influenced by our study of philosophy and “meaning”? (Feel free to mine your journal and personal philosophy statement for material!)
This project has been full of incredibly insightful moments for me. I have found clarity with my individual philosophies and discovered inspiring and influential texts. The main realization I’ve had is “The feeling of transcendence makes me feel the most alive”. Since coming to this thought I have found more moments of transcendence in my everyday life. Before this project I saw myself as an existentialist, but that was quick to change. After actually researching where existentialist beliefs come from I realized I don’t truly resonate with that. This was one of the bigger enlightenments I had. Through texts from Walt Whitman and other important influencers I have been able to find where my ideologies fit.
3. Where do your intellectual quandaries go from here? What do you wonder about now that you may not have before? What questions do you still need to answer for yourself. If you like, include a list of roughly 4-6 questions this project sparked for you about yourself, life, or the human place in the world/universe.
I have gotten very postmodern with my thoughts through the studies in this project. So, the questions that come up for me are hard to even articulate let alone answer. I have definitely found that I am very interested in philosophy and intertextuality. But, I learned that I can study this every second of every day. One question that continues to come up for me when I get into the spiral of thoughts about meaning is, “Do we exist based on witnesses and contextualization or do we exist based on our own acknowledgment of self?” One of the most influential texts that I have consumed in this project is A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. This book discusses life as a whole, but a big theme is time. My relationship with time has also shifted while working through this project. As I discover my place in time I can continue to process experiences in my life. I did a lot of processing in this project which felt productive and I learned a lot from it. I have become very content with the relationship between life and death that I have experienced, and this has added a multitude of layers to the meaning of my life. The intellectual work I have left is never ending, but for me it starts with continuing to consume influential discourse and living life to the fullest.
A Tale for the Time Being Book Seminar Synthesis and Reflection:
REFLECTION:
Through our engaged conversation, I was reassured that this book feels incredibly influential right now in the construction of my ideologies and I will most likely read it again and again. When hearing and reflecting on others’ thoughts about it I was able to become more clear on my own. The main theme that our conversation centered around was time. I had a lot of ideas on this; the difference between cyclical and linear time and how that changes our relationship with death. The idea I presented was that linear time is an obstacle for us to get over. But, another student kind of disagreed with me and said, “linear time allows for goals to be set and made and cyclical ideas about time can lead to laziness”. Although there is definitely some truth to this argument I realized that I was thinking about it on a much larger scale. I was thinking more about the meaning that time brings to life and how restricted my personal relationship with life can be because of time. So, in having a discussion where there was a counterpoint brought up I was able to solidify my thoughts more. This discussion of time brought us to the topic of death and how accepting Nao is of death in the story. One person said, “death is a proof of life”, which really stood out to me. This comment made me think about how life and death are so separate in our mind, mostly because of the permanence and impermanence of both. But, pieces of Nao's story show us that it doesn’t have to be impermanent, and death can only happen if life is there just as life can only happen if death exists. This book may not be saying that exact thing to everyone who reads it, but that is part of the beauty, you see what you want to see. Overall, there was not much in our conversation that I particularly disagreed with, but I gained a lot of insight on what this book means for me. |
SYNTHESIS:
Ruth Ozekis, A Tale for the Time Being, holds up a mirror for the reader and allows for the questioning of their perception of life and death, time, and impermanence. Most specifically, the theme of time comes through the title and almost every character in the book. Thinking of yourself as a time being allows for more movement within time and in turn more movement with life and death.
Perhaps the influence of Jiko on Noa shows us that with less pressure on the dynamic between the past and present and more emphasis on the fleetingness of the “now” we can find more liberty to create meaning. When Nao begins to talk about the idea of “now”, she says, “No matter how fast you write, you’re always stuck in the then and you can never catch up what’s happening now, which means that now is pretty much doomed to extinction.” (Pg. 98). While this idea is true, it isn’t always. If we are time beings then we are “now” and “now” is never lost. Cyclicality brings more connection between spirits, which is what we see in the relationship of Nao and Ruth. There is less room for barriers to life or death. Although cyclical time is hard to define it is truly about embodying yourself as a “time being”. In the book, Nao speaks about Jiko teaching her zazen and Jiko says, “to do zazen is to enter time completely.” This idea is impossible if you view the past as untouchable and the future as untouchable. But, with less barriers you can come to see time as a feeling or as life itself.
In the way most people experience it, time is a barrier in life and we are constantly in a race with it. But, through the reflection that Ruth Ozeki holds up for the reader, you can find that through letting go of the linearity of time will in turn give space for more acceptance of impermanence and that can lead to more meaningfulness. Oliver, Ruth's husband gives her advice about letting go and says, “I’m just thinking that if everything you’re looking for disappears, maybe you should stop looking. Maybe you should focus on what’s tangible in the here and now.” (Pg.232). When one stops racing time and longing for what they don’t have there is more space for the present moment and more fluidity with accepting death. Ozeki continues to emphasize the important of “now” throughout the whole book, but as the reader, you will only gain that insight if you want it. It depends what you choose to see in the mirror.
Ruth Ozekis, A Tale for the Time Being, holds up a mirror for the reader and allows for the questioning of their perception of life and death, time, and impermanence. Most specifically, the theme of time comes through the title and almost every character in the book. Thinking of yourself as a time being allows for more movement within time and in turn more movement with life and death.
Perhaps the influence of Jiko on Noa shows us that with less pressure on the dynamic between the past and present and more emphasis on the fleetingness of the “now” we can find more liberty to create meaning. When Nao begins to talk about the idea of “now”, she says, “No matter how fast you write, you’re always stuck in the then and you can never catch up what’s happening now, which means that now is pretty much doomed to extinction.” (Pg. 98). While this idea is true, it isn’t always. If we are time beings then we are “now” and “now” is never lost. Cyclicality brings more connection between spirits, which is what we see in the relationship of Nao and Ruth. There is less room for barriers to life or death. Although cyclical time is hard to define it is truly about embodying yourself as a “time being”. In the book, Nao speaks about Jiko teaching her zazen and Jiko says, “to do zazen is to enter time completely.” This idea is impossible if you view the past as untouchable and the future as untouchable. But, with less barriers you can come to see time as a feeling or as life itself.
In the way most people experience it, time is a barrier in life and we are constantly in a race with it. But, through the reflection that Ruth Ozeki holds up for the reader, you can find that through letting go of the linearity of time will in turn give space for more acceptance of impermanence and that can lead to more meaningfulness. Oliver, Ruth's husband gives her advice about letting go and says, “I’m just thinking that if everything you’re looking for disappears, maybe you should stop looking. Maybe you should focus on what’s tangible in the here and now.” (Pg.232). When one stops racing time and longing for what they don’t have there is more space for the present moment and more fluidity with accepting death. Ozeki continues to emphasize the important of “now” throughout the whole book, but as the reader, you will only gain that insight if you want it. It depends what you choose to see in the mirror.
Rhetorical Discourse Project:
My Op-Ed:
My Reflection:
Describe the project that you did and the way you shared it with an audience.
Through my rhetoric project, I took my knowledge of rhetoric and created my own rogerian rhetoric styled opinion piece on race in America. The goal of this project was to understand how to use rhetoric in a way to bring two sides together and create a piece of discourse. I conducted an interview over Zoom where I asked Travis Price, a renowned architect, questions about his position on race. His opinions were drastically different than mine and this interview helped me get a better idea of the opposing side on this subject. I spent a lot of time researching the controversy surrounding race today as well as the history of race. Through this I tried my best to discover places where both sides agreed. This was difficult. My intended audience was the American people and some of my thoughts that emerged in my writing were specifically directed towards white people.
Now that you have looked at the political spectrum more deeply, how and why has your perspective shifted?
Leading into the final product, as a class, we looked at the political spectrum
and learned the specific varying values and how they lead to certain beliefs. Before researching this content I did not realize how much political beliefs relate to stories from our childhoods and the beginning of our socialization. To me this is incredibly important for us to understand. Acknowledging this can lead to much more empathy between people who disagree. I also began to understand that my ideologies have come from who and how I was raised. This idea that politics are connected to us so deeply makes me more willing to listen to people who disagree with me as well as question my own opinions. During class we interviewed a panel of conservatives and a panel of liberals. When going into the panel of conservatives I was expecting myself to be very impatient and not willing to hear them. But, as I listened I realized that the origins of their ideologies were completely understandable and relatable. The knowledge that we all share common human beliefs greatly increases our success with working together.
What have you learned about rhetoric, ideology, and the “democratic experiment”?
I have learned that rhetoric can take many forms and has a large impact on people's actions. It can come across more forward like someone spewing an opinion. Or, it can take the shape of someone trying to blindly persuade you to do or believe something. The three Aristotelian appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos, have quite a lot to do with rhetoric and how much it affects certain audiences. Rhetoric is extremely powerful and needs to be used carefully in today's world because of our lack of factual knowledge. The kind of rhetorical discourse that affects your thinking relates right back to your ideologies. The base ideas and values and dictate the way you behave in the political and everyday world influence the type of rhetoric that will be effective on you. You could also say that someone's rhetoric is based on their ideologies. Learning about the “democratic experiment” has taught me that democracy makes people interested and tentative to their experiences in life. It also finds value in different individual ideologies. We have come to a place where we have a label for ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ and with that we have found that both ways of thinking are extremely useful in society. Overall, the experiment of democracy is an ongoing and ever changing one. In order to understand the basis of it you need to become clear on where ideologies stem from.
What role could Rogerian rhetoric and/or a “willingness to be disturbed” play in a democratic society?
With the ability to listen to a completely different viewpoint from your own you gain a greater scope of knowledge and understanding. This can then lead to more confirmation in your own thoughts or a questioning of yourself. Both of these things are important and useful. With effective rogerian rhetoric people will be more likely to come together and genuinely listen to one another. This is important within a democracy because it leads to further development of ideas and confidence within people. Also, being able to create rogerian rhetoric is a great skill that is needed within a democracy so that the barriers between sides become more fluid.
Describe the project that you did and the way you shared it with an audience.
Through my rhetoric project, I took my knowledge of rhetoric and created my own rogerian rhetoric styled opinion piece on race in America. The goal of this project was to understand how to use rhetoric in a way to bring two sides together and create a piece of discourse. I conducted an interview over Zoom where I asked Travis Price, a renowned architect, questions about his position on race. His opinions were drastically different than mine and this interview helped me get a better idea of the opposing side on this subject. I spent a lot of time researching the controversy surrounding race today as well as the history of race. Through this I tried my best to discover places where both sides agreed. This was difficult. My intended audience was the American people and some of my thoughts that emerged in my writing were specifically directed towards white people.
Now that you have looked at the political spectrum more deeply, how and why has your perspective shifted?
Leading into the final product, as a class, we looked at the political spectrum
and learned the specific varying values and how they lead to certain beliefs. Before researching this content I did not realize how much political beliefs relate to stories from our childhoods and the beginning of our socialization. To me this is incredibly important for us to understand. Acknowledging this can lead to much more empathy between people who disagree. I also began to understand that my ideologies have come from who and how I was raised. This idea that politics are connected to us so deeply makes me more willing to listen to people who disagree with me as well as question my own opinions. During class we interviewed a panel of conservatives and a panel of liberals. When going into the panel of conservatives I was expecting myself to be very impatient and not willing to hear them. But, as I listened I realized that the origins of their ideologies were completely understandable and relatable. The knowledge that we all share common human beliefs greatly increases our success with working together.
What have you learned about rhetoric, ideology, and the “democratic experiment”?
I have learned that rhetoric can take many forms and has a large impact on people's actions. It can come across more forward like someone spewing an opinion. Or, it can take the shape of someone trying to blindly persuade you to do or believe something. The three Aristotelian appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos, have quite a lot to do with rhetoric and how much it affects certain audiences. Rhetoric is extremely powerful and needs to be used carefully in today's world because of our lack of factual knowledge. The kind of rhetorical discourse that affects your thinking relates right back to your ideologies. The base ideas and values and dictate the way you behave in the political and everyday world influence the type of rhetoric that will be effective on you. You could also say that someone's rhetoric is based on their ideologies. Learning about the “democratic experiment” has taught me that democracy makes people interested and tentative to their experiences in life. It also finds value in different individual ideologies. We have come to a place where we have a label for ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ and with that we have found that both ways of thinking are extremely useful in society. Overall, the experiment of democracy is an ongoing and ever changing one. In order to understand the basis of it you need to become clear on where ideologies stem from.
What role could Rogerian rhetoric and/or a “willingness to be disturbed” play in a democratic society?
With the ability to listen to a completely different viewpoint from your own you gain a greater scope of knowledge and understanding. This can then lead to more confirmation in your own thoughts or a questioning of yourself. Both of these things are important and useful. With effective rogerian rhetoric people will be more likely to come together and genuinely listen to one another. This is important within a democracy because it leads to further development of ideas and confidence within people. Also, being able to create rogerian rhetoric is a great skill that is needed within a democracy so that the barriers between sides become more fluid.
My Rhetorical Poem: