My Philosophy

The Whole of Things

(The Preface)

"I don't believe, but I've got a good idea."

- Bethany Sloane in Dogma

There are no intentions here, it is not my place to tell people how to live and what to think, this is just an exploration of my own ideas.

Life is both simple and complicated. To explain each part with enough detail, to get the entire picture while not loosing the specifics can be a hard thing to do. As with evolution of the species, throughout these billions of years, people change over time.

A person's philosophy in life, or lack of it, can grow and change over the years. The things that have happened in a persons life and their reactions to them shape who they are. Though people can remain at the core the same person throughout their life they are not entirely the same now as they were many years ago. People adapt, evolve, and grow into the person they are now and will continue to change over time. All the pain and pleasures, all the experiences of the different aspects of life become part of a whole person.

There are four main facets to my philosophy. Reason, Logic, Emotion, and Compassion. All of these are then focused around a fifth. That focus is concerned with what I call attitudes. The fundamental things which cause us to act certain ways and believe certain things are our attitudes towards the things around us. In taking a look at them we can better understand (and control?) them.

To make it a complete philosophy it has one major thesis that surrounds everything. While life and the universe are very complex they are derived and function from very simple rules and concepts. There are ways to see, understand, and generalize them which can simplify even the most confounding things. This is how we have dealt with a great deal of things, we just don't always apply it further.

(The Chapter)

Our emotions tell us who we really are. Regardless of what ethics or beliefs we think we have, these are the signs that show us our true selves.

Though I haven't fully explored each part yet, my philosophy has five main attitudes. Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Void. These five attitudes constitute each good and bad aspects of life, they are the colors of life. It may seem very mystical but these are symbolic ways to represent real emotions and actions. They are metaphorical but they have powerful connotations attached to them to help explain the different aspects to being human.

Air is a flowing force, it ebbs and flows, can change what it comes in contact with over vast amounts of time. The attitude of air is about going with the flow of life, letting things pass or passing away, and soaring in the clouds. The reciprocal however of the attitude of air is indecision, listlessness or floundering, and inattentiveness. Air can be confused with water in that water flows as well.

Earth is a solid force. Earth brings thoughts of being down to earth, being consistent, steadfast, and strong. Sometimes we think of earth as being a load stone, or things in which change happens upon but not to directly. On the other hand the attitude of earth is also about stubbornness, unmoving, unchanging, and staying behind. The interesting thing about earth however is that its greatest connection is with water. Through water and air it slowly, but surely changes.

Fire is a consuming force. It is the passion of life. For both good and bad, it consumes life. The attitude of fire is energy, renewal, and love as well as wasteful, destruction, and hate. It is the quickest to change.

Water is a running force. It pushes and pulls. The attitude of water is refreshing, bringing life, and clarity. However it can be overwhelming or drowning, deceptive, and cold. Like air it brings about change over long periods of time. It shapes great things in the rocks of the earth.

Void is not really a force, but a place. By far the most opposite of fire. It is an attitude of objectiveness, observing, and calm. The reciprocal is shallowness, devoid, uncaring or emotionless, and remote.

Life is not necessarily about being just one of these things at one time. Balance comes with being all or parts of each thing at a time. Love, from fire, is not just passion, lust, or consuming, it can be with earth or void and wind, calmly fulfilling and steady.

Most of the attitudes have to do with emotions. Emotions are a way to tell what we really think deep down, even if on the surface we act differently. Understanding our emotions and thus our attitudes can help us understand who we are.

In many cultures good and evil have been classified as black and white. Observed as yin and yang.

(The Gift, The White Album)

The Myth of Pure Good.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

(The Curse, The Black Album)

The Myth of Pure Evil.

====(Life, The Grey Album)====

Together The Gift and The Curse are balanced to make grey. This is a lesson of life.

• Have self respect. This is not high morality, it is not respect from someone else's perspective or ideals, it is respect from your own.
• The first basic concept is "The Whole of Things." It is a methodology for all the concepts in my philosophy. To take everything into consideration, perspective, and question. To look at something from every angle and be open for others. It is about the grand scale and open endedness which existence exudes. It is not about getting mired in particular modes of thought.

Air

• Flowing, Going with the flow, letting things pass or passing away.
• Indecision, listlessness or floundering, inattentiveness

Earth

• Down to earth, consistent, steadfast, strong.
• Unmoving, stubborn, unchanging, staying behind, inactive.

Fire

• consuming, energetic, renewing, love.
• consuming, destroying, hate.

Water

• Pushes and pulls. Brings life, refreshing, clarity.
• Overwhelming or drowning, deceptive, cold.

Void

• Objective, observing, calm.
• Shallow, uncaring, emotionless, remote.

Life: If the beauty in life is that it is short, then the joy is the experience. Life is both The Gift and The Curse. The Gift and The Curse: Life is a gift and a curse. The Gift: To love. The Curse: To Hate. White, Black, Grey: Yet just so it is both. First comes The White Album and The Black Album but the reality is The Grey Album. Life is black and white and grey and every other color. There's hate and love and much in the middle, just as life can be the worst horror and evil, it can be the greatest beauty and splendor. We must strive to do the good, to overcome the bad, in the face of it's eternal existence, to keep the balance, for the sake of it.

Reality: It is balanced, it moves forward, it loses, it wins. It evolves and ultimately conquers.

Music has a message, from the author, from the listener, the message to and from either and both. The beauty of it, like life, is that it can convey the truth. As a medium of expression, like prose, like speech, like stories, like pictures, it is.