Ethics

The Word of the Day Thursday: Ethics. Definition: a system of moral principles

Where do we get our idea of morality? Our perception of right and wrong? Our personal ethics that we strive to live by? Socrates said that we all have an innate ability to think and to determine right from wrong. However, just because the ability to think is innate does not necessarily mean we perceive the same definition of right and wrong across cultures and generations. Socially accepted norms of right and wrong may be clearly defined (it is not polite to throw rocks at people), or the lines may be a little blurry (common, almost cliché, examples include gay marriage and abortion).

Many people trace their standards of right and wrong through religion of some sort. But within religions (even the same religion) these standards differ on many subjects. How much is really traced through religion and trying to follow the teachings of a higher being? Family, living situations, and the individual ability to think all play significant roles.

And between all these differing sources of personal ethics, there is no wonder we have so many problems of conflict in the world. Everyone has the right and ability to think for themselves and live by their own standards. However, within this right, it has to fit in with the ethical norms and laws of the land and between different groups of people or conflicts can arise. For example, Christians generally acknowledge that murder is against church teachings and the laws of the United States happen to coincide with this belief. Murder is both wrong religiously and lawfully. Not all things line up. Gandhi and, as a result, MLK told us that it is alright to stand up to and disobey unjust laws. By answering to their personal ethical beliefs, these respected individuals went against society’s set of rules—which could be considered synonymous to society’s beliefs.

So how do we discern between just and unjust laws? It all goes back to our personal morality and basis for our own ethics. It determines how we choose to live our lives (including the laws we abide by and those we break). Once again, religion is oftentimes at the base of this.

Religious wars are abundant throughout history. They’re killing others for their differences in beliefs and standards of right and wrong. So really the concept behind doing what is right over what is wrong is the beginning of conflict. We usually aren’t friends with people who live by standards we don’t agree with. Someone who is a good student probably doesn’t spend their days with people who are meth addicts. We, as a society, are offended by things others say or do that don’t coincide with our beliefs. It is the same with countries. So maybe avoiding conflict starts with recognizing that those around us have a different view of right and wrong. If we want to able to live peacefully in a community filled with people from all different backgrounds, religions, and experiences, we need to learn to tolerate the differences. Toleration is the minimum. We really should strive for understanding. Only through understanding will we ever progress to a peaceful global community.

How are we going to get there? I wish I could tell you. Wanting to avoid conflict should be a common feature of all of our sets of values. But it isn’t. And we don’t live in a utopian world. But it’s interesting to think about the reasons behind what we do. How we deal with situations and people. It all goes back to our ethics. Interesting concept to ponder As the Clock Ticks…

Red bicycle

As you probably noticed, I redecorated my site yesterday. I spent quite a while on it because it was difficult to translate my vision of what I wanted it to look like into the modified form blogger would allow. It’s not very easy to navigate between the design tabs and to then make the page look exactly right. But it’s a good change all the same.

Ever since I came up with the title of my blog (As the Clock Ticks), I envisioned a big wheel on a red bicycle. Yesterday I decided it was about time my page reflected this. When I think of time, I often think of the turning of a bicycle wheel. The spokes are like the seconds ticking away…these spokes are bringing you closer to your goals, and farther away from your past. (I suppose they could also be bringing you closer to bad things and away from good…). But either way, these wheels are taking you somewhere. The path is not always set, but the bicycle is your vehicle to take you wherever that somewhere is.

I also added the quote from Einstein “Life is like riding a bicycle; to keep your balance you must keep on moving” because it puts into words exactly what I imagine to be true. So we will continue to ride on the bicycle of life As the Clock Ticks…

Peace and quiet

Silent Snapshot Sunday:

Today is a study/relax kind of day…too bad it can’t be in a place like this! Wish I were at this pond behind the Potala Palace (which, according to Google, is in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China) for a little quiet meditation As the Clock Ticks…

The transformation from amazing to routine

01/21/2012. (I always think it’s interesting when the date is all the same numbers or seems to have some sort of pattern—so I thought I’d start by pointing that out…)

I haven’t been to very many hockey games in my life, but last night I had the opportunity to go to a Dallas Stars game! I was able to go with a season ticket holder, which made the experience all the more memorable. I don’t think I’ve ever had such fantastic seats at a major sporting event. We sat on the glass. Any closer and we would’ve literally been on the ice. It wasn’t just the seats that were amazing. We got to park at some special entrance where all the players’ cars were parked. And let me tell you, these hockey players are doing well for themselves… We saw the “Wives Lounge” where all the players’ wives hang out during the games. I suppose they had a nice set-up in there, but I was surprised that they wouldn’t be out watching the game. I would think there was probably a TV in there or something so they knew what was going on, but they didn’t look like they cared that their husbands were out on the ice. I mean, by the look on their faces, they didn’t care in the least they were at a hockey game. Looked bored out of their minds, actually.

But I guess it’s that way with everything. They’ve been to a million hockey games and seen their men play a million times. It is no longer exciting. It’s like the difference between a performer and the audience. The people in the audience think the show is magical and fantastic. But the people who put on the show don’t view it in quite the same light. The place I took dance at always did Riverdance as part of our recital at the end of the year. When I was younger, I looked forward to the day that I could participate. Everyone always thought that Riverdance was so amazing and really the best part of the recital. I thought the dancers were the best of the best and their movements so precise and difficult. This magic disappeared once I started being a part of Riverdance. I knew how to do the dance and it lost some of its cool factor. Yes, I still think it looked good and I was proud to be a part of it, but it was no longer seen in my eyes as something of wonder. It was routine. I guess it’s the same with the players’ wives. Hockey games are routine.

We read some book/short story/or poem in high school that explored this concept. I can’t remember what it was called or who the author was. I wish I could, but I can’t. I do remember the points he/she made were really fantastic. One part talked about how a doctor does not view a patient as a human being, but as a thing that has a million different processes and possible ailments going on inside. His experience treating people allows him to see beyond the surface, but to the point where humans become almost like a machine that needs to be fixed.

Knowledge changes the way we view things. Experience changes our perception on things that are neat and amazing into just being every day and routine. Maybe that’s why some things remain unexplained. If we knew how everything worked and why things happen the way they do, what would we have left to find fascinating or remarkable? It’s an interesting concept to ponder As the Clock Ticks…

New Semester

I hadn’t realized it had been so many days since my last post…I suppose the aforementioned indolence completely took over. But either way, I’m finally writing again! (And hopefully will be able to better keep up with my posts since I’ll be on a slightly more structured school schedule). Today was largely uneventful. Yes, classes started back up, but nothing too amazing happened. I’m not sure what it is about the prospect of a new semester/school year, but it just makes me excited. I think of all the possibilities I could achieve within that given new time, and I just am always so excited. Reality will set in soon enough that it will be just another year (most likely without any kind of real magical occurrences)…yet, for the time being at least, the possibility is still open.

We all look for that ‘next chapter ’ (I apologize for the cliché) in which we will find true love, happiness, ourselves, money, our car keys…whatever we wish to find in our lives. Are  we really actively seeking these things? Who can say, but I do know that we use set time frames (like a semester) to help us to find/achieve whatever our goals may be. Motivation is driven by time crunches. However, let’s try not to wait until the very end of the semester to realize we haven’t taken the action we said we would. Today’s the day, carpe diem and all that… Let’s start this semester out on a high note As the Clock Ticks…

Indolence

The Word of the day Thursday: Indolent

Definition: Wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy

I’m afraid I’ve fallen into a pattern of indolence. Aside from working out, the only thing I’ve done this week has been either reading or watching TV and movies. I’ve hung out with friends, but even that doesn’t exactly involve putting forth any kind of real effort. I’ve been somewhat suspended in a wonderful pause in time. With no classes or studying or stress, it’s been fantastic. However, classes start back on Tuesday and I will no longer be able to be so indolent. I’m trying to completely enjoy this break because how many times in my life will I be able to sleep until 10:30/11:00 every day and not worry about any real obligations? Not very many that’s for sure. Although I am very much dreading the return to reality, it is time to get things back together. The excitement to see what will happen in my next semester wins out over my desire to do nothing every single time…Besides what kind of life is filled only with laying around? We wouldn’t ever get anything accomplished. A few more days to enjoy my indolence, and then I’ll take on the world As the Clock Ticks…

 Something to remember: “It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active.” -John Philpot Curran

The Game of Life

Last night as I tried to fall asleep all I kept thinking about was how life itself is really just a game. (These thoughts were most likely brought on by the fact I read The Hunger Games yesterday). But really, we are all just pieces in a game. If you play your cards right, take the correct steps, strategize, you can succeed in the materialistic sense. If you have the right cards in your hand, you’re even more likely to get where you want to go. So you work and work (aka play the game) until you reach the finish line. Hopefully by this point you have achieved what you wanted in the game. You have ‘won’ in a sense. You have a house, car, job, the means to purchase the food you need to live. The game would not be complicated if that’s all there was to it. Play your cards, spin on your turn, don’t cheat, and hope things fall into place.

Yet, who likes playing a game all by themself?  Solitaire aside, it is your opponents that make things interesting. You have the perfect word to play in Scrabble that would get you a million points, but you have to rely on the other players to play the right letters. The ability to make the right moves and, ultimately, win the game is dependent on those you play with. It is impossible to know the true motives of the people around you. And it is not just their strategy and the moves they make that effect your ending. It is the relationships, the alliances you make with those around you that help you to succeed. The advice given and received on how best to play your cards. Sometimes these allies (aka friends and family) skew your view of the game. You are not just playing to win yourself, but to also move them to victory also. Happy endings don’t just spring forth from a materialistic win. It’s the people who are your fellow opponents and allies that are the game changers. Life is about trying to integrate a materialistic and a personal win. That’s what makes it all challenging. 2+2 does not always equal 4 in a world when each move affects everyone around you, including yourself. That’s why there’s no rulebook to the game we’re playing. There is no right or wrong.

We look down on the people who simplify their game by only looking out for their personal needs. They are self-centered, selfish. However, they’ve figured out a strategy. When you connect yourself to those around you, things get complicated. Why do we not follow their lead and simplify our life too? Because we need companionship. We need people to support us and to make us laugh. It would be a long, lonely life without the players we associate with. What defines us as a winner anyway? The definition is different for all of us. (Back to why there is no rulebook…there is no real winner). Have we won at life because we have a job and a house and are surviving? Or have we won if we are barely scraping by yet have the love of a family? Maybe we have won if we have both the material world and love? Maybe we win if we make it to the finish line? Well considering the only finish line in this game is death…I guess we’re all winners. I guess the difference comes in the size of the trophy we receive at death. Will we leave a legacy behind, people to remember us? Or will we just leave an old, empty house full of things to be auctioned off at some estate sell?

And this standpoint does not even begin to factor in religion or any kind of spiritual belief. Hope is another thing that helps move people along. Maybe hope is synonymous to knowing that if one roll of the die is bad, well, at least we’ll get another turn. We can do better next time. We have no way of knowing if what we’re doing is going to lead to a good ending. Yet we keep playing. We align ourselves with people who think similar to the way we do, who enjoy doing the same activities, who have a similar strategy to this game. We play along to please the people we interact with. We smile and wave to people we know, we greet those we don’t. We keep up an appearance that leads to companionship while advancing ourselves materialistically as well. We strive to enjoy our time here on the playing field. We will continue to make up our own rulebook to the most difficult game of all As the Clock Ticks…

Like Mah Status

There is a certain genius to YouTube. I don’t think any of us can say we haven’t wasted a significant amount of time watching YouTube videos at one point or another. Maybe you heard that a video was funny from a friend so you look it up. From this video, other videos pop up on the side and, of course, one of interest catches your eye. Before you realize it, you’ve watched 10 videos and you’re wondering where the last hour went! YouTube has a way of sucking you in. If this phenomenon has yet to happen to you, it might after reading this.

So there is a particular video that had my friends and me laughing for hours…literally. Do you have a Facebook? If so (and I’m assuming you probably do), you may also find this video funny. Go watch “Like Mah Status” if you haven’t already seen it. The video itself is funny and definitely holds your attention.

However, the humor of the video is nothing compared to the thousands (and don’t think I’m exaggerating) of “like mah status” jokes the video inspired. I’m not sure how we even got on the subject. We hadn’t just watched the video. I think it was the combination of a bit of sleep deprivation and someone simply saying “Like Mah Status!!”, but it doesn’t matter how we got there. All I know is that all of the sudden all I could think of was all the stupid things you could put with LMS. “Like mah status if you gotta first name.” “Like mah status if you alive.” “Like mah status if you like pizza.” “Like mah status if you wanna like mah status.” It became a commentary of everything we were saying or doing. Before we knew what was happening, we couldn’t have a conversation without liking mah status about something!

It’s interesting how something as simple as a funny video making fun of some people’s statuses can lead to a whole night of jokes. But I guess that’s also how YouTube works. It allows anyone to post a video about what they care about or what makes them laugh. It is a source of entertainment and learning. Maybe the video doesn’t have to be good. Maybe it can just be so horrible that people can’t stop watching (*cough, cough* Rebecca Black). Either way, it gets our attention, and can lead to good memories with friends. Typically I hate the thought of our generation being completely immersed in technology and social networks. I hate that people can’t just sit around and have a conversation without pulling out their phones to text or check Facebook. But perhaps it’s not all bad. This technology is part of the world we live in. It’s impossible to completely shun it because then we are also shunning advancement and improvement. Maybe my night/day of laughter started with a concept found on a YouTube video, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t create great memories using our own brains separate of technology. The internet is a way to interact, but just because we interact on the internet doesn’t mean we don’t in real life. Even though it seems the world is overrun with these internet connections, maybe I don’t have to fear we are, as a direct result, going to lose personal connection with those around us. This technology (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs...whatever) can act as a spring board for conversation and laughter. So I am rethinking my sometimes skeptical feelings towards these internet/social networking sites As the Clock Ticks…

Happy New Year!

I haven’t written in forever…I was out of town a few days…and lazy a few more. But even though I’m a few days late, I’d like to wish you a Happy New Year!! We made it to 2012. Guess we better really make this the best year ever…you know since we’re all going to die in December and all.

But really, a new year always indicates a new beginning, new hope, new failures, and new resolutions. I have never been one to make ‘New Year’s Resolutions’. If I need to make a change in my life, I like to think that I can make that change day by day, whenever. I don’t need an ending to start a beginning. That being said, it is the perfect time to make an increased effort in whatever area of our life needs it. I was able to make a lot of wonderful friends my first semester of college, but this next semester I want to get to know people in my classes. The majority of people I know live in my dorm. This is fantastic, but it would be good to meet the people I will probably continue to have classes with that are in my major. So even though I claim I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, I guess that’s one.

I spent my New Year’s Eve with friends at a Josh Abbott Band concert (I even caught his guitar pick!). Nothing could be better than bringing in the New Year with a little two-stepping and country music :). 2011 was full of big events (graduating high school, starting college…etc.), but I have a feeling 2012 will be just as exciting. How do I know? Every year can be exciting. Life is what you make it, right?

“Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” - Hal Borland

We’ve experienced another year, and will use what we learned and be the person we have become in this next one As the Clock Ticks...

P.S. Happy 16^th birthday to my brother!

P.S.S. Another New Year’s quote I thought was funny: “New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.” - James Agate