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Sensing the Life of the World

Samerron

New Member
I guess this topic goes in the general chat because it is a bit philosophical and personal experience ;) .

Have you ever finished a book and after reading the last sentence, closing the book and pausing a while thinking about it and the author and about the whole world we are living in and realizing what a weird world we are living in? A set of words and sentences wrote by some author and printed, and here we are reading it. Probably we don’t know who’s the author, don’t know his personality, his face, his family, his history, even his name might be strange to us, but the idea, thoughts and meanings he gives in his book is what we know and is what actually survives years and years. This is how it goes and these are books which are the building block of knowledge and education. This is one thing of how things go around and this is how the world goes on... what a weird world we are living in.

Does anyone has this feeling, a mixture feeling of bewilderment and petite in this huge universe? A feeling that comes when you’re alone pondering in your own thoughts after a long day? An indescribable feeling that cannot be understood unless you pass through the same experience?
 
Samerron said:
Does anyone has this feeling, a mixture feeling of bewilderment and petite in this huge universe? A feeling that comes when you’re alone pondering in your own thoughts after a long day? An indescribable feeling that cannot be understood unless you pass through the same experience?

This reminds me of a short (about a minute) film that has been shown on tv a few times.

I think it starts with some one sitting at a table. The camera then pulls back, away from the table across the room and out through the window. You see the house, the street, the town, the country, the earth, the moon, our solar system, our universe, other universes and the cosmos. Earth getting smaller and smaller and smaller until it is gone.

All 6,600,000,000 + of us on one tiny planet. That makes me feel alone.
 
I haven't had this feeling while reading, but sometimes when on an eight-hour roadtrip or somesuch, when I have a lot of time to allow my thoughts to wander, I get to thinking about who I am and how I came to be. I start to think, wow, I am Monika XXXX, one creature out of the trillions on this Earth. I am not my neighbor, Mrs. XXXX. I am not my best friend Sara XXXX. I am me. I begin to wonder what it would be like to see life through the eyes of someone else, to step into someone else's shoes for one day. Everyone is an individual, living, breathing, thinking. The feeling is difficult to describe. It just amazes me, what a massive world we are living in. The thought that there are 6.5 billion people on this planet who may be thinking and pondering the same things I am just leaves me in awe. We are all connected. We all touch each other in some way. There is no way to describe it. Sara XXXX told me once that I ought to be a philosophy major. :rolleyes:
 
veggiedog said:
I begin to wonder what it would be like to see life through the eyes of someone else, to step into someone else's shoes for one day. Everyone is an individual, living, breathing, thinking.
The same thing with me! Plus you see how every individual has his own character and personality and how s/he looks at the world with different eyes.

veggiedog said:
The feeling is difficult to describe. It just amazes me, what a massive world we are living in. The thought that there are 6.5 billion people on this planet who may be thinking and pondering the same things I am just leaves me in awe.
Tell me about it, it's a weird feeling about this world around us...yes I understand you XXXX (I mean by that your real name ;) ) it seems that everyone is a part of all this.

Coldplay sings in his song Politik:
"Look at earth from outerspace ... everyone must find a place!"
Can't agree more with him..:)

veggiedog said:
There is no way to describe it. Sara XXXX told me once that I ought to be a philosophy major. :rolleyes:
Philosophy major, huh? The same thing happens with me. My friends tell me that I talk like there philosophy teacher.:rolleyes:

I'm actually learning more about philosophy and plan to take a minor in philosophy. I'll be taking my first course now in the summer, which is an introduction to philosophy. I'll be posting some threads about philosophy soon. Make sure you check them out ;) ...
 
I'll look forward to your philosophy threads.
My mom warns me that if I become a philosophy major, she will disown me because I will make no money and will be unable to support her. She says I should be a doctor. Another friend says I should be a psychologist because I give good advice. My English teacher says I should go into philosophy since I have a very broad, philosophical way of analyzing books. :p :rolleyes: to them all.

Has anybody out there ever just watched people in a mall or a park--complete strangers--and wondered who they were and what they had been through? I'll look at a woman and think What is her name? Is she married, and does she love her husband? Are those scars on her face makes of an abusive childhood? Even though it isn't really my right to think about these things, but I just wonder sometimes about how other people live their lives.
 
veggiedog said:
I'll look forward to your philosophy threads.
My mom warns me that if I become a philosophy major, she will disown me because I will make no money and will be unable to support her. She says I should be a doctor.
Glad to hear that. Just give me some time and I'll start philosophizing around ;) but I'm currently dragged to the Dark Tower (Stephen King).

Another thing I was surprized to hear what you said about philosophy major won't bring you money. Surprized on the fact that you think in this way. I guess you're from the States or England; a first world country, but I live in a third world country and it's really important for us to get into a major that brings us money, otherwise we would have a really tough life. I though that in your countries, you just go for whatever you like and the US is the land of opportunities, so you'll have a job in the field you like and life goes on well...

Well, for us, if we study what we like, we might not find jobs at all and have to move to other countries that are developed and find good opportunities there.
 
Samerron said:
Another thing I was surprized to hear what you said about philosophy major won't bring you money. Surprized on the fact that you think in this way. I guess you're from the States or England; a first world country, but I live in a third world country and it's really important for us to get into a major that brings us money, otherwise we would have a really tough life. I though that in your countries, you just go for whatever you like and the US is the land of opportunities, so you'll have a job in the field you like and life goes on well...

Well, for us, if we study what we like, we might not find jobs at all and have to move to other countries that are developed and find good opportunities there.

You are correct in that I am living in the United States. Usually kids in America tend to study whatever they like, but they aren't always guaranteed jobs. I have cousin that majored in law. One of her friends went into theatre, another into music theory. My cousin is the only one of them that has a job. I suppose it doesn't matter as much to Americans because they want to pursue their dreams, and they know their family will be there to back them up if they are in a lack for funds.

For many careers, to actually get a decent job you have to be at the top of your field. There are many professions (acting, music, art, etc.) in which it is very difficult to be successful unless you are 'discovered' or develop an underground fan base or something. There must be hundreds of thousands of aspiring actors and musicians who are barely able to pay the rent on a hovel, while those who have the image and the talent to make it in show biz are raking in millions a year.
 
I was flipping through The Essential Clive Barker again lately and found a passage where he writes about how authors seek to portray the world we live in, but somehow end up creating their own self portrait. It's an interesting idea.
 
Gem said:
You can get a job in music theory? Why didn't anyone tell me this?

The best job you could get is probably a music teacher or something. My brother is thinking about going into music and music theory. He wants to be a composer. My mom is going ballistic. Neither of us want to follow in the traditionally Indian footsteps of medicine. :rolleyes:
 
Fantasy Moon said:
I was flipping through The Essential Clive Barker again lately and found a passage where he writes about how authors seek to portray the world we live in, but somehow end up creating their own self portrait. It's an interesting idea.

That is interesting. It would be a very...chaotic place to be if the rest of the world was like me. :D
 
Well, what I wanted to really study in university is Astrophysics, but word field is definitely not in my country or anywhere nearby, but only in first world country were I would be a foreigner, so I forgot about it. What I really enjoy is pure science, I started studying biochemistry but then left it, why? Almost due to the same reason, I want a promising future and not to live away from my country and people. Now I'm studying Electrical Engineering, but I'm enjoying it.
 
Samerron said:
Well, what I wanted to really study in university is Astrophysics, but word field is definitely not in my country or anywhere nearby, but only in first world country were I would be a foreigner, so I forgot about it. What I really enjoy is pure science, I started studying biochemistry but then left it, why? Almost due to the same reason, I want a promising future and not to live away from my country and people. Now I'm studying Electrical Engineering, but I'm enjoying it.

Okay, I see what you mean now. You can get a job here pretty much anywhere with a degree in a science, or math, for that matter. Biochemistry is absolutely booming here. But for degrees in liberal arts, it is more difficult. Many Americans have forgotten the value of art and of artists, and what they give to our society.
 
Not everything's about money.

If you have an curious mind then you should do a liberal degree. There is nothing better than Philosophy :)

Although your probably go insane :p . Especially since the only thing likely to exist is Solipsism. But then this gets rejected.

Philosophical wandrings :D love it :D

Nerdy philosophy joke -
A solipsist gets on stage and he asks the audience if any of them are solipsists and a girl at the back puts her hand up.

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Regarding mony alot of companies employ philosophers for their logical understanding. Also law firms employ and fast track philosophy students for thei ability to pick holes in arguments.
 
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