Philosophic Topics IV

I like the concept
of good vibrations,
just letting things
that make you feel
good surround you,
and block away
the negative.

It's more of a philosophy,
really, because it's far
easier said than done,
and you can debate whether
that's actually good for
you, and I think that's
what philosophy should
really be about, not
some supposed genius
explaining the world,
but the opening of
a dialogue.

Maybe some of the philosophers
already knew that...

Philosophic Topics III

As to whether or not
it's possible to please
others, or figure out
their motivations,
I think that's one of
the biggest topics
possible in philosophy,
not so much whether they
exist, some psychological
analysis of what it means
when others reject you,
but whether is possible
or preferable to accept
that life goes on, or
can go on, regardless
of what your life means
to others.

This is the existential
angst, the infinitesimal
atom, the grain of salt
in your eye that can
cause you annoyance

but beyond that?

Philosophic Topics II

One of those philosophic topics
that always bugged me
has been the struggle to determine
what exactly the nature of reality is,
which may be as simple as whether
or not what you see is real
or cogito ergo sum.

I don't need to think
or to see to be or be seen;
idiots and blind people
are just as real as me.

Philosophic Topics

I've never much been compelled
to read a lot of philosophy -

in fact, I avoided the topic
in college precisely because
I didn't want it ruined
liked so many others,

and certainly didn't want
someone telling me I was
right or wrong or forcing
another flimsy assignment
paper on some basic
reporting, which is all
most teachers really seem
to be interested in
(because they'll know
if that stuff's accurate,
but won't admit that
they can't keep up
with your own thoughts).

(Everyone's got an opinion
until someone says it's wrong,
but that's why it's called
an opinion, and why we
should focus a little more
on that, because opinions
are the basis of philosophy.)

Like poetry, philosophy doesn't
come easily as interesting
reading material, because
a lot of it just isn't all
that interesting, no matter
what others have to say
about it.

In fact, philosophy is very much
something teachers could sit around
talking about (which is one
version of what a teacher
should be doing, that or letting
their students do it for them),
because it almost doesn't matter
what the original philosophers
actually said, so much as what
they were trying to.

But all this is a roundabout way
of saying that like poetry,
philosophy is certainly something
that I like to dabble in,
liberally mixing into my poetry,
actually (you may have noticed)
just because that's the kind
of guy I am.

I would very much like to find
people who are interested
in talking about life, not
so much complaining about it
(although it's fun and I
certainly do my share of it)
as attempting to answer
the reasons why, the same
as anyone, the same thing
people have been doing
for as long as people
have been around.

But those people,
even though
they're everywhere,
are very hard
to find.

So I write about it.

Happiness Not Required

Isn't it a little odd
that other people
really don't care
whether or not
you're happy?

I think that's
what we ought
to be thinking about,
the true measure
of philosophy.

I'm A Stranger Here Myself

I think we'd all be better off
if we stopped treating each other
like strangers.

I mean think of it, stop being
so afraid of everyone else,
and don't you think

things might run a little more smoothly?

Books Are The Most Thriving Endangered Species of All!

I gotta say,
and I know
I just talked
about this,
but as far
as endangered
species go,
books are doing
pretty okay
for themselves.

The real problem
is that everyone
keeps lamenting
their sad fate,
as if they're
already gone,
and we're a
poorer culture
for not noticing
it yet.

The problem with this
is that those same
people have no idea
what they're missing
in the meantime,
because they're so busy
complaining. They
really don't even know
what they're defending,

like a bird complaining
that there's no room
to fly
while it's soaring
in the sky.

Maybe I'm talking
about books,
and maybe I'm
talking about
environmentalists.

Or maybe I'm
just taking up space
with words.

Ah, well,
that's fun, too.

All I know is, there's a lot
of books out there, and more
and more every day, which is
a strangely curious thing
to happen for something that's
apparently quickly fading away!