Adam Cossin
Sometimes I wonder if I really am doing something, or
merely reacting to a general something that I had no hand in
creating or stimulating. I spent six years in the service, and
now attend college full time, nearing my Associate Degree, and
plan to continue. I work as a bartender....basically a nowhere
job, but it's flexible, exciting (at times) and can be lucrative:
it pays the rent...So I have this dream, this vision....I do have
a plan, though I haven't sorted out the details....I expect that
I'll find myself at a crossroads soon enough, with a chance to
tender an opportunity to set my sights anew, step off of this
reliable stepping stone I presently occupy...Oh, the chance...the
change! Beginning anything is the hardest part surely. The
action of man to commence an intended act for the first time is
surely the toughest, for any subsequent actions are rather
reactions to the result of the engineer's first action. Taking
this into consideration, I contemplate possible change: man-made
change...as for the weather, I certainly just react to her. Man
has been quite responsible for an awful lot...alot of harm and a
lot of good. Whether some of man's creations will result in a
positive way or not is worth considering, but only time will
tell. Everything man-made is measured against either an ideal,
as in Plato's Forms, and others against what man himself has
judged to be great. So who's to judge anyone or anything? Who's
to be great and who's to be mediocre? When anyone calls anyone
else great or mediocre, it is a judgement based on a reference
point of what has been construed as such...though no one will
ever paint a perfect anything, the ideal is there...I have seen
paintings of such beauty and seeming perfection, a picture that
has ever detail, harnessing the moment, yet still it is missing
the life, the energy of the moment in real time. So, are these
forms, are these reference points set in stone? Is Heaven merely
a reference point for the good, the honest, the pious? Is there
actually a place? Perhaps a state of mind, then. But, do we
then transcend life upon death? Do we actually continue on,
conscious of "life" after death? Do we become an electron
revolving haphazardly about the nucleus of an atom? Do we have a
new function at all?...Everything around us has life in it.
Everywhere around us is energy...
Okay, so, when do we, individually, allow change? Can we
cause change at all? If so, when do we initiate it? What is it
about the concept of change that we often fear so much? What's
the phobia for fear of change? At any rate, the purpose of life,
as best I can surmise, is simply to live life and to reproduce,
in order that the species survives. We can understand that, but
it remains an instinct, no less than our ability to perform all
the functions necessary to life, without so much as thinking
about it. When you really consider it, every life form is
beautiful: just packed full of millions of cells all busy running
the show and fighting off foreign bodies harmful to the
machine...Well, simply living was always so easy. Fortunately,
perhaps, for humans, life is rather simple to live. Well, at
least when one is born in America! What other place is there?
Exactly, sometimes we Americans forget this place has
boundries...
Getting back on track, if that is possible know that I've
probably made you dumber, the purpose of life being to live it,
the question of how to live it appears. I think we have agreed,
for the most part, on a fairly humane standard for living: i.e.,
moral codes and ethics. We have reference point ideals for what
happens to bad people, and what lay in store for the good. What
happens when these ideals become replaced, or, more likely, razed
entirely? I'm being a bit ethnocentric, I admit, but what I hope
to establish with an American perspective. Our society truly is
a jambalaya of every culture. We've got the European meat, a
dash of this, a pinch of that...I don't mean to make light of
anything, but the point is, Americans have the unique privalege
of learning about every culture past and present right here in
our homeland. We can afford to travel abroad and witness the
world for ourselves, and with television at our easy access, we
can tune into broadcasts from every corner of the earth, and even
outer space. We've got quite an advantage over those members of
a few generations ago. Consider what kind of world our grandkids
and great-grandchildren might perceive. SOme cultures have odd,
eccentric customs, traditions and mores, but who's to admit that
they are of a finer quality than any other? Who's god is the
real one? Who has dibs on what? My philosophy teacher used to
say, "the best argument wins". I'll buy that, of course man gets
violent now and again. What turns man against himself must
either be fear, intimidation or manifest greed, or a combination
of both. The most contented people always seem to be the people
being taken advantage of, overcoming that treatment, and adapting
to the result. And what about doing what is construed as
"right"? Oftentimes, there doesn't appear to be a pay-off.
Well, perhaps lack of worry is good enough. I get a kind of
pleasure out of being good, despite the truth in good guys
finishing last...I like to say I'm not a loser, because I haven't
quit yet, but maybe that just helps justify my situation. It's
about facing challenges. I've been told that challenges help
make the man, that he who has courage in the face of adversity
and stands his ground, regardless of the consequences, was a true
man. Man surely creates, or at least, he takes existing
resources and fashions them to be something useful, and also
pleasant, as with music. Sure, all the sounds we've ever made
exist in some form or another, but we take soundbites and make
music. We've created languages, in order that we can communicate
with one another. We've come a long way from cave dwelling and
the quest for fire.
So we have morals and we have ethics. Having learned and
comprehending these morals and ethics, man can at least avoid
wrong doing, to a certain extent: man can know his limitations.
Let's just say we agree with the meat of them. He won't be a
threat, or of any harm to another. So, what does he do, then?
Does he do as his environment suggests, or as his father before
him did? Or does he go with his gut, his heart, and do what he
thinks will offer him the most satisfactory life? There are an
awful lot of factors to consider, and most often, nearly as many
compromises, if compromising is tolerated. It'd be tough never
to compromise. So, under individually unique circumstances, what
seperates the "great" from the "unknown"? The action, I guess.
Some men take a chance, and others do not. It is not a matter
of what choice was better, but rather how the resulting life was
lived. Aren't we all much better at what we're doing when we're
competing against another, hence, challenged? That is natural.
That is nature. Nature is competitive. Lest we forget, we are a
species of animal life on this planet. We have excelled above
and beyond our peers. That is all. It is a contest. The winner
either conquers his adversary or finds a way to live among it,
tolerate it. But how much tolerance is too much, however
seemingly honorable an act of tolerance is? When have we, as the
kings of the food chain tolerated too much from our peers and
fellow species?
Wars over points of view have been waged, and hate
lingers concerning the acts of some men. Would a world wide
community of cultures be a chance worth taking, when you consider
your life, or would that be asking too much? When one considers
how cultures seem to coagulate even after being taken out of
their natural habitat, and how well humans are capable of
adapting to new environments, or changes in their present
environments, you'd suspect that humans will always survive, that
life will go on. For obvious reasons, a world wide community is
still a concept, but it is conceivable. America is a fair
representation of a world wide community, and based on it,
perhaps cultures should keep to themselves, keep their defenses
up and safeguard their own unique species among the whole
species. Are we humans territorial? Are we really social
animals, as Aristotle suggested? Who could ever lead our motley
bunch? Who would want to? Why anyone wants to spend their lives
mending others is beyond me, except when I consider that it is
those people who either help us or hurt us the most: I can't
decide...People interested in the survival of our species and
protection of our environment can rule, they'd be the most
logical for the job...I look forward to a philosopher ruler, one
who is committed to not only survival of the species and the
environment, but also seeks life beyond our planet in order to
find out WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!
What's to do? How do I want to live my life? I treat
others around me with respect. I trust many of them. I call
some of them friends and am genuinely concerned for their well
being. Though seemingly a practioner of Stoicism, I have
considerable emotions. I'm not always picking daisy's in the
splendorous green grass on the bright, sunny side of the road. I
like to think I'm on the right track, though. The opportunity to
take a chance offers both fear and excitement. Plans are man
made chances for change. Plans are well thought out (let's
hope!) and seek pleasure. We all make pleasure plans, they're
good. It's good to get out, feel alive, leave your inhibitions
at the door...We like to explore our surrounding and our selves.
We're a curious animal. Do what it is you feel you've got to
do, else you'll be sure to regret not having done it. I read a
poem called "The Fiddler" when I was young. At the end, the
author, dying, proclaimed that he regretted nothing. That has
stayed with me. I don't believe in spirits, I believe in energy.
Energy is life.
Taking the main themes, then, does man create history, or
does history make the man? It's about choices and chances, which
work for change. One uy decides to pursue his interests and is
discovered and loved by millions, his creation immortalizing him,
while another is known but to a few, and gound quite mediocre and
unnecessary. What's it mean, then, to be worthless? How can a
man be ridiculed in his own day by his own peers, and found
fascinating, a sage, deep and brilliant by a later generation?
Man has developed all these reference points to measure
greatness. Are these reference points too absolute? Did people
just consider whatever pleasured them ro seemed beautiful to them
as great? Sure, there is aesthetic value in a creation, or an
outstanding achievement in an act or series of acts, and there is
also the character of the person. The character of the person
oftentimes weighs heaviest with me. I might recognize an
achievement by another as great, or better than I could ever do,
but if I don't care for the character of the person, I
little care for them. So, then, how does one come to developing
a fine character, an honorable, modest character? Perhaps values
help, balues based on age old wisdom, values that have stook the
test of time. Granted, man can be ignorant about something once,
but surely not twice. When man discovers that a particular
culture has some worthy qualities of discipline, why does he not
recognize that more profoundly? We've gotten stubborn. We've
gotten greedy. Folks, we need to loosen up. Open doors for
ladies, say excuse me when we're pushing our way through a crowd.
Let's not be in such a hurry to get somewhere sooner than is
reasonable. We need to incorporate an introduction to critical
thinking for kids before they graduate from high school, it
couldn't hurt. Knowledge is power, and anyone who can learn to
learn for themselves has a better chance of living a fuller life.
Of course, there is truth is the words of Ecclesiastes, who
suggested that, "in much wisdom there is much sorrow, and he who
increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow". What will destroy our
species is not using our brains. Mankind discovered his own
thoughts, established mathematics to better understand and
explain phenomena. Mankind founded society when he could afford
to have people that just sat around and thought about life and
its nature, its behaviour. He was able to predict action, to a
certain extent, based on his observations of the natural world.
As societies grew, man's creations made life easier to endure.
We've grown quite accustomed to a fairly leisurely life. We've
got an awful lot of devices. We can do so much more with our time
than those living a hundred years ago could. Heck, we live like
kings!! Better than kings, with all our devices...Are we at the
apex of our reign? Isn't man capable of more? What we need to
be is a world dedicated to finding out WHAT THE HELL IS GOING
ON!!
You know what, we'll be betting on if there is god or
not. We're a motley bunch, but there is life to be lived and I
think most of us recognize that...I want to be one of those guys
that finds something seemingly insignificant that helps to
explain what's going on. A dear friend of mine has a habit of
saying that one should do something, even if it's wrong. Well,
perhaps not just anything, I reply, but he's right. Do
something, take a chance. If nothing else, it will still shape
your life, give it some fabric, and you won't regret that you did
nothing. Have something to do. Seeing as you've got to do
something, then, make it something you enjoy, not something you
simply tolerate. Work to live, especially when that work you do
is a reflection of your life and a reason for your life. Strive
to discover fresh, new ideas. Search for natures subtle secrets.
Be a role model for yourself, someone you'd emulate. What seems
to be important is what people wnat to know. We each are critics
of ourselves and of our environments, and well we should be.
Observe what's going on, think before you act or speak.
Regardless of whether you take chances or not, regardless of
whether your efforts are perceived by your peers as great or not,
it is the character which will be inevitalbly measured and
judged. Judgement day comes, and on that day, one is exposed
before their peers. Be able to defend yourself, your actions.
Be able to applaud yourself.
I don't know, I'm just trying to find out for
myself. The more I live, the more I learn, the more I learn, the
more I seem to think that it is the nature of the life lived that
is the most important aspect of life. I don't need to live in
the past or in the future, I simply want to enjoy the present for
what it is worth. I am Adam Cossin.
