Philosophy In Life

products of my imagination to make your life easier and happier

[philinlife]

[philinlife]

[philinlife]

[philinlife]

A-pollo Acres Chicken Coop Move-In Inauguration

My girlfriend and I decided to get four (4) hens (Americana's) to provide us with eggs. Rather than buy a coop at a store, we built this, and today the lucky...

I made this!

[philinlife]

A Puzzle of Fear

I refuse to reduce my language,

As if you don’t feel the anguish –

As if the pain that underlies all that we do,

And the all that we say,

Is mute.

It is the reason we work,

The reason we distract ourselves,

For it is the thing that we fear most.

Even if we are unaware it –

Especially if we are unaware of it.

This nagging, invisible pain

That prods our consciousness

With our own futility.

This insistence of doubt

That we will never

Be good enough,

Strong enough,

Smart enough,

Or have done enough –

To be remembered.

The fear that our lives

Will die in the grave,

And lay there for eternity.

Forgotten.

Decaying…like everything else.

 Our minds can’t handle this fear.

In fact,

We have crafted a world of technology so that we don’t have to.

We hide in our man-made refuge,

Safe from the man or woman inside our heads,

Because it is easier to distract fear than confront it.

 I mean

Where do we even start to fight this fear?

How do we make our one name significant in a world of 7,000,000,000?

It seems impossible –

We are lost in our own existence.

 But our minds tell us that we are unique

And our parents give us trophies.

What is it that separates us from the other 7,000,000,000 people on this planet?

What can make the world remember us?

Do we even want to be remembered?

 Who cares?  

Just be yourself,

Whether you wait tables in a restaurant

Or save lives in the ER,

Just be you.

Doing what everyone expects,

Or putting ourselves where we best fit in the puzzle

Is too reactive.  

We need to be creative.

Life is the puzzle that we create,

That we solve,

And why would we want pieces from someone else’s?

Sure, sometimes the pieces don’t fit,

And we have to spin them around,

But if we go and get a second-hand puzzle

There will always be a piece missing.

Always.

 So when we stand up from the table,

And look down at the puzzle

We’ve been working on literally our whole lives,

Remember that no two puzzles are the same,

And while a friend can help you put in some pieces,

The ones you create are the only ones that truly fit.

Stop trying to jam the others into place.  

 Fear not,

For our puzzles will be solved.

But whether or not people will remember we created them

Depends upon the pieces we make,

Not the pieces we borrow.

[philinlife]

Cheers to Sundays: The Day We Do Whatever the Hell We Want

At their best, Sunday mornings bring the smell of coffee, the crunch of crispy bacon, and the way you used to pull your legs and knees up onto your chair as a kid at the dining room table.  Sundays are designated for comfort, for couches, for football, for trying to forget that tomorrow brings Armageddon -   also known as Mondays.

For some, Sundays represent the last vestige of freedom from forced conversations in elevators, endless e-mail chains, and a prison cell disguised as a cubicle.

For others, Sunday brunch represents the final battle; a coliseum crammed with crepes, cappuccinos, and muffin crumbs that adorn the floor beneath the wooden thrones of children like forgotten soldiers on a battlefield. Between the sips and of mimosas and bloody mary’s from the lips of clueless chaperones or parents, a whirlwind of tickets flies in the window of hell in the kitchen under the command of some poor, desperate soul.  Salvation lies beyond 3 p.m., and victory will be celebrated when the last eggs benedict drops and the first shot of Jameson is lifted.

For others, the only thing that is lifted is their souls towards their salvation…hopefully.  On Sunday mornings organs sing their song as vocal chords ring, shake, and vibrate in sync to the word of God.  Restless children whine about the mundanity and futility of it all, scraping the dirt from the bottom of their uncomfortable dress shoes, representing a neat and easy analogy as their parents try to rid their sins from their souls.

Regardless of where we find ourselves on Sundays; from the pew to the dishpit, to the bottom of the bowl of nachos, salvation is never too far. Whether it takes form in an Irish pub, place of worship, or in your living room is entirely up to you.

For me it is in the bottom of a coffee cup, the binding of a journal, and beneath a blue sky and a bright, shining sun.  

Cheers to Sundays, the day that makes us arbiters of our salvation, the day of the week that makes all of our lives just a little bit easier. 

[philinlife]

Filling the Shoes of a God

Footprints in a wintry forest

Fabricate a cold story of the past.

But every new step

Sounds a new crunch 

Under an old sole,

Or is it a new one? 

I don’t know God,

But the god in me cries for empathy.

For understanding the soles in other shoes

And the souls that fill them.

Ahead lies an infinity of

Well-trodden paths,

Untouched snow-covered pines,

Small, still, silent tracks,

Almost going unnoticed.

Where are yours going?

I don’t know God,

But the god in me cries for empathy.

For understanding the soles in other shoes

And the souls that fill them.

Belief in God 

Binds most 

To a singular path,

Packing the snow into an obvious trail.

Knowing God 

Raises a path out of arms reach.

I don’t know God,

But the god in me cries for empathy.

For understanding the soles in other shoes

And the souls that fill them.

Belief in oneself

Leaves one wandering through the forest,

Crossing 

Different Paths 

At 

Different Points.

Knowing thyself

Blazes a trail of thy own.

But knowing thy god within

Sets a course of certain uncertainty.

Walking 

Without worry,

Talking 

Without trepidation.

Free from frivolity,

You create your life,

and fill your shoes from 

Sole to Soul.

I don’t know God,

But the god in me cries for empathy.

For understanding the soles in other shoes

And the souls that fill them.

[philinlife]

In case you were wondering, yes, they do have rocks painted like pigs in Colorado. #colorado #coloradolife #oink #coloradoinstagram # happiness #stmarysglacier (at St Marys Glacier)

[philinlife]

Be Courageous; Act.   Don’t Facebook and Fear.

Social media is to our generation what consumerism was to the 1960′s.

We voice our opinions on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, imgur, reddit, tumblr, wordpress), expressing ourselves to the point of rebellious vindication.

They bought Che Guevara t-shirts.

The energy we have pent up inside that formerly gave us the courage to fight for what we believe in is expelled in cathartic rants like this one.  

Nothing is risked, nothing is gained.

The ironic thing is that spreading the message feeds the system we have created today; putting clicks, website traffic, and eventual money into the pockets of corporations we abhor  (See: Shepard Fairey of ‘Obey’ fame).

That was the genius of the marketing of the 1960′s - making rebellion, cool, fashionable, and most importantly, consumable.  Rebellion was coopted by the status quo.

Fast forward fifty years and increasingly widespread economic precarity and insert the accessibility, safety, and cathartic nature of social media and what do you get?  

A rebellion whose roots run down to into the pockets of corporations rather than to the lint at the bottom of ours.

Do not denigrate those protesting Trump’s election, even when they seem disorganized or under-informed.  They are standing for something they believe in, and that is more than most of us can say as we release our indignation through our fingers and onto our flickering screens.

To paraphrase Frederick Douglass:  the oppressed must fight for what they believe in, enduring mental and physical pain and suffering, for the oppressor will not concede that which they do not have to. 

If it is one thing that Trump’s election has taught me is to learn what I need to stand and fight for. Writing things like these is not enough, just like wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt was not enough.

I have to be willing to risk what I have for the sake of an idea or belief that is bigger than myself.

Courage is contagious, but there is nothing courageous about bashing protestors or Trump and his supporters from behind your phone or desk.  

Courage is when everybody sits down and you are the only one standing up; silent and sure that what you believe in is worth fighting for, because fear is fragile in your eyes, exposing it as nothing more than the mental manifestation of inaction.  

Courage, then, is action manifested.

Be courageous; act.  Don’t Facebook and fear.

[philinlife]

Monday Night Snoozeball #flagdown #toomanysnoozersonthecouch #repeatfirstdream (at I-70 Corridor, Arvada, Colorado)

[philinlife]

Minute hands are always moving, what are you doing? Full link in bio. #movefasterthantime #colorado #coloradolife #writersofinstagram #writer #coloradoinstagram #blog (at I-70 Corridor, Arvada, Colorado)

[philinlife]

Own Your Time

"Some people never become anything,” a friend’s father told me years ago.  

I’ve recently come to know this is true - and that doesn’t have to be bad a thing.  

The more I live, the more people I meet and talk to, the more I learn about myself: what makes me different or akin to them, what makes me smile, what irks me, essentially what I can learn from them, no matter what their station is in life.  By engaging with others I gain perspective on the stagnation or progress of my own life, and whether I “will become anything.”

In fear of sounding too hyperbolic or esoteric by talking about a coming-of-age story (a la the hero’s journey), instead I look towards the passage of time (oh yeah, much less esoteric...) and what we choose to do with our daily ticks-and-tocks.  

Everyday we work, go out drinking, spend time with those close to us, and occupy our time with things we may or may not want to do.  And just like the cliche, it is very easy for time to pass without us really noticing (cue Ferris Bueller).

When you start to break it down, the average eight-hour-workday coupled with the average eight-hour amount of recommended sleep leaves us with eight hours everyday to do whatever we want (yeah...right...slips off the tongues of those married or in long-term relationships).  Once you factor in commute time meal times, errands, and grocery shopping we really only have 6-7 hours everyday (less than 1/3 of the day) to do what we want. 

When all said and done, lets be honest, “Netflix and chill” is about all we are interested in following our workdays, knowing that we have to get up the next morning and do this all over again.  It is no coincidence that sports, film, music, and other sources of entertainment are such big industries; post-work we don’t have much energy to do other active activities (rather than passive), including researching the current political candidates. 

And just like that, life can pass us by.  

In between the episodes of Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, and sporting events exists this time that is always passing, consuming our minutes, days, and years, and we almost passively accept it without realizing it.  Like some tipsy uncle or aunt told us at a family picnic we were forced to go to when we were still getting grass stains on our knees, “one day you’ll wake up and wonder where the time went.”

The truth is we get caught up in the inertia of normalcy: the commonplace conventions of society that dictate the pace of our lives whether or not we are aware of it.  For many people, this is enough, this is life, and we should be grateful for the comfortable lives that we lead (as others are not as lucky).  And I am not here to disrupt the happiness of those people.

But for those who seek more from life, those who do not want to look back in regret and wind up frustrated with what could have been, remember that you own your time.  You can always blame others for the life you lead, but it always, always comes down to you, and the decisions that you make and have made.  Where and what you choose to spend your time doing, and who you choose to spend it with is completely up to you.  

When we were born, the time started ticking, and it won’t stop until we die (as far as we know). 

Until that day,  own your time and make life tick on your watch.  

[philinlife]

Life is hard. Remembering that beauty is commonplace helps. Sharing it helps too. #toddlersaredrunks #colorado #writer #writersofinstagram #poetry #poetryofinstagram #poetrycommunity #denver #life

[philinlife]

- Untitled -

The intoxicated infant tumbles through ankle-high grass; 

autumn leaves falling all around,

some floating,

and others waiting to crackle and crunch 

beneath bare feet.

A blue ceiling hangs above - 

the painter’s hand must’ve slipped once or twice 

while holding a white-tipped brush.

The ten tiny toes stumble over themselves 

towards a tiny, prickly sun,

resting atop 

a taut, green string.

Bending down,

the dawdling drunk reaches to pluck it,

but fails, and falls backwards.

Rising up,

a second attempt finds success.

A stranger sidling by

approaches the imbiber,

and with the sun in hand,

the wobbly one reaches out, and says,

“Here, isn’t this beautiful?  I want you to have it.”

[philinlife]

Breakfast so good it'll make you turn to Jesus. #greeneggsandgod #moxieeatery #breakfast #denvereats #denver #colorado #coloradolife (at Moxie Eatery)

[philinlife]

Live as other Life Lives

Life is really just a series of choices, and you’re only as good or as happy as your last one.

That’s why we can “turn things around” so easily, and change our circumstances.  Sure, sometimes “things just happen,” but for the most part things happen to you because of a choice or choices that you have made. [spoiler alert]

You don’t even need to invoke morality when it comes to making choices; you inherently know a good choice from a bad one most of the time, largely because we make choices in relation to how they impact our health or well-being, whether instantaneously or in the future.   

Obviously we know we shouldn’t have the 10th drink, 5th soda pop, or 3rd sandwich, and we can go our whole lives making these choices, getting fatter, drunker and deteriorating our bodies (and perhaps it isn’t any worse or better in the grand scheme of things).

But I see life as a story of progress, growth, and evolution from one physical or mental state to another.  

Staying in one comfortable place (while you may not have a choice [or appear to have a choice]) isn’t living as all other life lives.  Even organisms we say are not conscious grow bigger, stronger, and more durable as time passes.  It is not like a living organism to stagnate.  

Looking around, we see people at the peaks of physical prowess, the actualizations of stable human physiological specimens, yet we also see the lack of parallel mental development (see Donald Trump and supporters). 

We need to encourage each other to foster the courage to make the right decisions - to think separate from sociological norms as much as possible to make decisions for one’s own well-being as well as others, both immediately and for the future.  

We are often tempted by bad decisions, as they are often easier and/or more alluring, THE DEVIL WEARS MANY FACES, and now I’m beginning to sound like a preacher in the bible belt.  

Life is not a duality of good and evil, a couple of bickering voices on your shoulders, life is developing a pattern of decision-making.

I’d bet that many at the top of the socioeconomic ladder would say that they are just better decision-makers than us ordinary-folk - they are just capitalizing on capitalism.  Everyday we have these choices, they may not be multi-million dollar deals, but we just have to try to minimize the negative ones - especially the ones we know are negative ones.  

Like an addiction, bad decision-making just digs deeper, entrenching a pattern - bad decisions beget bad decisions; just another bet - or another drink - or another mistress - or another lie.  Doubling down on bad decisions leaves you broke, unhappy, unhealthy, fat, stupid, resentful, and empty (ouch baby, very ouch)  At some point we need to hedge our bets, put our money in our pockets, and walk away from the table.

We need to choose, not react, think, not follow, and find the courage we all have but perhaps have not tapped into, yet.  The first choice is always the hardest, and those that follow may not get much easier - but they do - and with every one, a pattern will emerge, and we will start making better decisions, and as a result, a better life, both for ourselves and for others.  We will start making good decisions not because we force ourselves to, but because we want to.

Because we know, bad decisions beget bad decisions, and there is no better time to cut that shit out.

Live as other life lives: unbothered, unhindered, and growing. 

[philinlife]

The Precipice of Passivity

Life is really hard sometimes - all the time really.  Its hard to do our best.  

Our circumstances never seem enough, and its becoming easier to be complacent with what is convenient and safe.  Everyday we pacify ourselves from experiencing or enduring some problem or pain because we can so quickly and conveniently sweep it into our subconscious.  

It is easy to blame systems or other people for our circumstances, and harder to blame ourselves.

Collectively - we are responsible for our reality -  but we only feel obliged to ourselves as individuals, and perhaps those close to us, whether they are family, friends, or just close in proximity.  

Everyday we shirk responsibility, embrace convenience, and fetishize the individual like a golden idol. 

Everyday we walk along precipices of passivity: moments we choose to distract ourselves rather than deal with the problems at hand.  We are a population of procrastinators who only do what we must to maintain a life that we have grown accustomed to.  Life rarely gets truly dangerous (i.e. starvation, violent oppression) for us, and because of this we never really need to fight the big battles.

Pain and suffering exist only insofar as we let them; we can go days, months, years, and even lifetimes without feeling true, gut-wrenching pain.  Some may say that is the benefit we are entitled to enjoy as the species at the top of the food chain.  Further, they would ask why, why on earth would we even allow ourselves to feel this gut-wrenching pain if we don’t have to?  And that is exactly it - we don’t have to.  But we do experience pain everyday, a sort-of soft, mind-numbing pain that persists like a lingering cough in the first allergen-drenched days of spring.  

We avoid the bigger stuff, the stuff that matters because it might jeopardize the lives that we have gotten used to.  It is no coincidence that we always feel that what we have is not enough, that what we long for is just beyond the horizon, and fear that which threatens what we do have.

All of this hovers around the illusion of individuality, the constant bombardment of information and advertisement that screams me-first and everyone else second.  We are a society of selfish sandbox scoundrels.  If we really want things to change, if we really want to be happy, we need to look at ourselves, put down the Tonka tractor, and go think about what we have done.