Blagojevich is a Fool

What kind of person thinks they can get away with selling a Senate seat right under the nose of law enforcement? A fool. What kind of person, who if innocent against all odds, abuses the trust of the people by keeping his elected position? A fool. What kind of person goes on TV to make claims about his own morality when it is in question? A fool.

Blagojevich needs to back track a lot of steps to make any kind of step forward. Actions truly speak louder than words.

Bruce Lee in Pop Culture

Bruce Lee had a majestic presence on the television screen and in person. Because of an early death, he became a legend. This led to numerous references to him in popular culture, almost as if he were a character in a book or apart of a “real movie.” I will make mention of a few of these references.

Fei Long: This  is my favorite reference. The Street Fighter character who is battled in Hong Kong. His name means Flying Dragon in Chinese, an obvious and direct reference to Bruce Lee (not to mention his appearance and fighting style).

Lee (Naruto): Again, the name makes the reference apparent, along with his appearance. Lee’s determination is representative of an idealistic view about Bruce Lee.

Kill Bill: I haven’t seen either movie, but the track suit worn is a reference to Bruce Lee’s movie track suit.

What is a handicap?

The term handicap has become a thorn in the side of the English language.  It is one of the words most associated with the argument of political correctness. So what is a handicap?

I read on CNN’s Young People Who Rock about a young fellow, Sean Forbes, who performs music videos with American Sign Language for the Deaf Community. He is an inspiration to the Deaf Community and he brings to them a piece of the world most people never expected they could have. Below the passage there are a number of comments flaming the mention of deafness as a disability [handicap]. In my mind a handicap is something that significantly alters the way a person experiences society. The Deaf Community is indeed a culture. ASL is the third most used language in the United States. But it is impossible to say that when outside of the Deaf Community communicating can be a struggle. I have taken a course in ASL, but having not actually sought out situations to use it, I have only used it once in the four years since I first started. People who have speaking difficulties are often considered to have disabilities or handicaps, but it merely a communication barrier. Perhaps that is why deafness is not considered a handicap because it is a communication barrier similar to the growing English-Spanish barrier. But then speaking difficulties should not be disabilities.

It is impossible to toss around the word handicap or disability without making someone angry. It is almost as if the terms themselves make people lesser than others. They are social categorizations similar to race. Ultimately, I must agree that deafness is not a handicap, but such a term can only be defined in the eye of the beholder. If I went to Russia could not someone say I am handicapped?

Perceptions of Heroes

People of the United States and likely elsewhere across the world put shame upon the People’s Republic of China when it was discovered the young girl who appeared to be singing for the opening ceremony had only been lip syncing. The girl who was actually singing had been deemed not beautiful enough to represent the country. One became a heroine, the other became a “role model” for proper Chinese conduct. A similar shame should be relinquished to the United States. Students in China may sometimes blindly praise Mao Zedong (River Town by Peter Hessler), but in the U.S. students are taught to blindly believe in the goodness of past presidents. George Washington went from “chopping down a cherry tree” to perfect leader. There are other examples of false perceptions in the U.S. as well. Martin Luther King Jr. is appraised qualities of sainthood by the education system. Indeed his feats were great, but he also struggled at times too. In fact, the NAACP felt so strongly about perceptions that it determined who the heroine of the Civil Rights movement would be. Before Rosa Parks took a stand (or more literally, a seat) against racism, another woman took a similar action. The NAACP considered a legal challenge, but one problem arose: the woman was unmarried and pregnant (Soul of a Citizen by Paul Rogat Loeb).

Psychology vs. Philosophy

In his book Soul of a Citizen, Paul Rogat Loeb, points out that many developmental psychologists believe individual growth is possible only through the interaction with the human and natural world, and through experiences that challenge us. A number of Chinese philosophers suggest an alternative. The state of Wu Shin (or Mu Shin no Shin) is a state of natural thinking without the presence of ego. More literally, no-mindedness. This concept is paired with Wu Wei, a sort of instinctual action. Bruce Lee was an avid follower of these ancient concepts. Essentially, Wu Shin suggests an ability to improve yourself without anything or the presence of higher thought commanding you to. To understand this better I suggest reading passages by Bruce Lee.

Another example that pits psychology against Chinese philosophy: M. Scott Peck says spiritual healing is “an ongoing process of becoming increasingly conscious.” Ancient Chinese philosophy tends to put more emphasis on simplicity. Again, the concepts of Wu Shin and Wu Wei are important in this way of thinking. Also, the idea of Yin and Yang —a sort of oneness of the world. The most famous of these philosophers is of course Confucius (Kongzi). Others include one of the followers of his ideals, Mencius (Mengzi).

Confucius and the economic ideals of China

It is only mere assumption to classify Confucius (Kongzi) as a supporter of free-markets, socialism, or other economic foundations. However, Kongzi clearly recognized the inequality of different materials. He stated how something made of silk material inherently has a different worth than the same thing made of another material. This is a strong basis of the free-market/Capitalism system. But there is another side to the coin. Kongzi also promoted ideals of oneness. According to my readings (Books such as River Town by Peter Hessler), many citizens believe that by working hard for China they are in fact working hard for themselves — a result of the ideal of oneness. This is a basis of Socialism and Communism.

Character

CHARACTER

Pull down the curtains on a bad play

And bring down hope from the sky.

Open the curtains to the scene of a great play,

Scripted by the playwright of a dream.

Reveal Daimon:

Let the lines flow from your heart

And act on impulse

To reach the state of Wu Wei,

Allowing life to flow.

By B.X.C. MegaSonic

Dr. Seuss Beat us to the Punch

In the past few years, people have been becoming much more concerned with the enivronment. Even some who are outside of environmentalist groups have begun throwing punches at global warming. Way back in 1971, Dr. Seuss published his children’s book, The Lorax. Apparently, few readers listened to the lesson found in this Dr. Seuss title. Throughout the next three decades, environmental decay had not slowed.

Bruce Lee the poet

Most know about Bruce Lee the martial artist and actor; Many know about Bruce Lee the philosopher; Few know about Bruce Lee the poet. Indeed, Bruce Lee spent much of his free time writing poetry and translating Chinese poems. In fact, his poetry is of a high quality, worthy of acknowledgement although his other accomplishments are far overshadowing. Most of his poems seem to have been for his wife (or possibly wife-to-be at the time). He often speaks of being distanced from the one he loves. Although distant love is a recurring theme, each poem still has a certain uniqueness.

A “Link” to Philosophy

I recently discovered a book entitled The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy. I only had a chance to flip through the pages because I did not have the money to buy the book, although I certainly will soon enough. Nonetheless, it reveals a concept about the world that is rarely considered by most people. Fiction has a strong foundation from what the creator(author, game programmer, director, producer, poet, etc.) has learned about reality, but it can also allow others to learn about life. Why is the Legend of Zelda a very popular game? The gameplay is very important in this claim, but so are the minds of the players. The concept of the game appeals to players in ways that similar games do not. Some people may recognize this idea in their choice of games, but most often it is subtle and subconscious.