The things I see (1144 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.2 on 55 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by ampersand (View user info) at 2007-04-30 13:22:27 EDT
A man is the measure of all things. Whether you believe it to the same degree that Protagoras does is up to you, the statement itself makes that explicit. If the air feels hot to me and cold to you, then Protagoras would just tell us that in my world its hot and in your world its cold. Modern physics would tell us that the air has a precise temperature and we all feel it at that exact same temperature. But if that exact temperature is uncomfortably hot for me, then as far as I'm concerned its hot and its precise thermodynamic properties don't really matter to me.
So there is reality, and there is a person's perception of that reality. There is a real world which is dictated to and defined by physics, and there are my five senses which interpret that world for my brain. If I were insane I could touch an ice cube with my finger and then have my brain could decide that the world smells purple today. But even if I weren't insane I could look at a shirt in the mall which 99% of the people in the mall would describe as red and I could call it orange. Actually I'd call it red just like everyone else, because in kindergarten when they were pointing to little colored circles on a piece of paper and asking me what each was, I'd just spout back at them whatever they told me to, whether my eyes perceived the colors the same way theirs did or not. Language is arbitrary so it doesn't really matter.
We all have our own perspectives on reality, and these define our own personal worlds. I've never been to Australia and, save for the fact that I had a TA from Australia last semester, if Australia were to vanish tomorrow it wouldn't change my world in any way. The same can be said for most Australians if America were to vanish tomorrow (please don't take this as an excuse for another inane political debate).
But personal worlds extend beyond whether kangaroos are real and if you can successfully match a tie to a shirt. Every experience we have, every sensation we encounter is another brick in our own little mental world. Some of us build worlds that could eat the planet earth for an appetizer, the other planets in our solar system for the entrée, and eyeball the rest of the universe for a possible dessert (these are your extreme extroverts). Some of us keep our worlds smaller, moon sized perhaps (mild extroverts). Some of us don't like to make them any larger then New York or Chicago (mild introverts). Some of us prefer just a little suburban town (extreme introverts). Let me tell you about my world.
I live in a pleasant little cottage sitting on the shore of a small pond buried in the gentle slopes of a small, forested mountain. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. All save my room are sparsely furnished at best. Behind my house and up the hill a little ways there's a small clearing where I like to lay in the grass at night sometimes and look up at the stars. There are no roads to my cottage and you have to get quite near to it to see it between all the trees. Most of the time, the second bedroom in my cottage is unoccupied, just gathering dust. Sometimes someone finds me out here in the woods, they check the place out, spend a day or two fishing on the pond maybe, and decide they like it. Sometimes they like it enough to ask me if they can move in with me. I tell them they're welcome so long as they don't mind dusting things off a bit.
They move in, dust things off, and all is well. They have quite a lot of luggage though, more then can fit in their bedroom, so it ends up spilling out in to the rest of the house. I tell them as long as it stays out of my room and the bathroom, I don't mind where they put it. So they put it everywhere. They replace half my furniture and rearrange the rest of it. Its only furniture though, so I let them. Then they cut down a tree and build a dock on the pond. It bothers me that they cut down a tree, but there are plenty of others so I let it slide. The noises of construction are irritating, but once it's done, I actually like it. We spend many afternoons fishing off the end, dangling our feet in the cool water and enjoying each others company.
Then they cut down another tree. It bothers me a little bit more but I still have plenty of trees so I let it go by again. More irritating construction produces a rowboat which ends up being even more fun then the dock. But then a few days later my companion goes away for the afternoon and comes back with a motor for the boat. The noise of the motor scares the fish and the birds and the deer. Oil and gas leak into the pond. Smoke gets let into the air. It's too much.
I crash the boat and destroy the motor. I tear down the dock. I take all the furniture from the house and turn it to a bonfire. My companion, who is still welcome to stay, leaves. I am left alone in my small cottage again, with now only my bedroom furnished at all. I'll start refurnishing things slowly, and eventually someone else will come by, fish on my pond for a day or two and the cycle will repeat itself. Each time a couple more trees will get chopped down never to be replaced. One day I may just burn the whole cottage down and retire forever to the clearing behind my house. I think if I ever found the words to describe for you the things I see lying there at night, you might want to move into my cottage too. If you could see them for yourself you might even decide to stay.
User Reviews
Submitted by God_Is_My_Mate (user info) at 2007-05-18 16:03:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2007-05-18 14:43:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This is still good. Fuck you people for -2ing it.
Submitted by gravitas (user info) at 2007-05-18 14:07:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by ninja01 (user info) at 2007-05-18 13:55:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2007-05-18 13:48:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by LisaD (user info) at 2007-05-18 13:37:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-05-01 17:57:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-05-01 15:33:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
lungfish that is awesome
zebra I'll try and check CD out sometime. probably next semester if I dont forget. This one ends for me this sunday!!!!
Submitted by ChaosJester (user info) at 2007-05-01 13:46:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Hilarity_Ensues (user info) at 2007-05-01 13:22:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Lungfish - Naked hiking? For real? That's so badass.
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Naked ANYTHING is badass.
Submitted by Hilarity_Ensues (user info) at 2007-05-01 13:22:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked this. I'd never cut down the trees and build all that crap at your cottege though. I'm just not that motivated.
Lungfish - Naked hiking? For real? That's so badass.
Submitted by MidnightToSix (user info) at 2007-05-01 10:22:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
you tryin to say that everyone who lives in cottages likes to get angry and curse?
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That's just a fact of life.
Submitted by snag (user info) at 2007-05-01 08:26:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Fuck you and fuck your professor.
Both of you need some remedial writing lessons.
Submitted by lungfish (user info) at 2007-05-01 02:04:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Zilch. Zip. Nada.
Submitted by lungfish (user info) at 2007-05-01 02:00:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-05-01 00:00:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
lungfish did you really live in the woods for your first year of grad school? its always been a dream of mine to just go off and live alone on some mountain for a year or two. i have wierd dreams.
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It was approximately 12 months over about a year-and-a-half. Something like that. Frankly got too cold in winter (near Flagstaff, Arizona), so I had other arrangements during winter. A bit lonely, as you might imagine, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I read a lot and got pretty good at guitar, if only temporarily. Naked hiking. That's always fun. One of my old professors calls me "Wildman of the Kaibab" to this day.
I lived primarily at the base of Sitgreaves Mountain, but I moved around a lot. Try it. See if you like it. Lot easier to do in the West. (I have no idea where you're based.)
I'm serious about not getting any pussy, though.
Jesus...I have to ruin everything.
But I'm serious. No pussy.
None.
Submitted by Zebra (user info) at 2007-05-01 00:49:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Civil Disobedience is a masterpiece.
1.5
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-05-01 00:13:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
tirpe huh? thats harsh. i had a hard time getting into it at first because it kept bouncing in and out of the narrative but his philosophy on life was extremely interesting I thought. and in a lot of ways its even more valid today then it was when he wrote it.
i havent read anything other then walden though, so maybe the rest of its tripe.
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2007-05-01 00:09:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
nah, i just think his writing is tripe
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-05-01 00:03:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
you tryin to say that everyone who lives in cottages likes to get angry and curse? cause thats bigotry.
Submitted by Zebra (user info) at 2007-05-01 00:01:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Your world explains your reviews on this post.
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-05-01 00:00:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
lungfish did you really live in the woods for your first year of grad school? its always been a dream of mine to just go off and live alone on some mountain for a year or two. i have wierd dreams.
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 23:58:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
it only influences the first sentence (the sentence which he was questioning), I was just saying that I prefer my professors interpretation of things over snags because my professors knows ancient greek and, presumably, snag does not. i dont need any lectures on greek philosophy. i just sat through a whole semester of them and I'll probably sit through another semester before I'm done.
walden is awesome if you're into philosophy at all. if you're not its probably a drag.
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2007-04-30 23:32:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
i sure hate walden. i'm probably not intellectual enough to enjoy it.
Submitted by Zampano (user info) at 2007-04-30 23:02:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Technicolor Big Bang.
Submitted by MidnightToSix (user info) at 2007-04-30 22:48:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
3. Theres not a god damn thing wrong with commas or dependent clauses.
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You have to realize that your average Uber reader cannot hang onto a thought for more than a split second. Therefore, midway through a somewhat complex sentence that is trying to convey a somewhat complex thought..... wait what, this sentence just got too long and I have no idea what is going on. Time to go back to the Golden Books. Now, those are some to-the-point thrillers!
Submitted by BranDo (user info) at 2007-04-30 20:15:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
1. You're fucking retarded. Read the second sentence to understand why. And, unless you read ancient greek, I dont give a fuck whether you think there should be an 'a' in it or not (being that my professor is fluent in it).
Good for your professor but how does his fluency influences your post?
That would be food for Protagoras, who was fluent too in ancient greek!
Man is the measure of all things. Things that exist or don't exist.
Hellas
Submitted by lungfish (user info) at 2007-04-30 19:47:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This reminded me of my first year of grad school. I was living in the woods, too. Except I didn't have a cottage, my "pond" was a stock tank, and my companions were occasional cows. But for the lack of sex (chicks don't dig homeless guys), it was enjoyable. Lots of reading.
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 19:24:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
whats that from catalyst? I like it.
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2007-04-30 19:01:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
"He could not name the thing he wanted of life. He felt it here, in this wild loneliness. But he did not face nature with the joy of a healthy animal — as a proper and final setting; he faced it with the joy of a healthy man — as a challenge; as tools, means and material. So he felt anger that he should find exultation only in the wilderness, that this great sense of hope had to be lost when he would return to men and men's work. He thought that this was not right; that man's work should be a higher step, an improvement on nature, not a degradation. He did not want to despise men; he wanted to love and admire them. But he dreaded the sight of the first house, poolroom and movie poster he would encounter on his way."
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 18:51:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
1. You're fucking retarded. Read the second sentence to understand why. And, unless you read ancient greek, I dont give a fuck whether you think there should be an 'a' in it or not (being that my professor is fluent in it).
2. Ok you're right theres one bad sentence. But if that one sentence obfuscates the whole thing for you, then as I said before, you are of no use to humanity. And if you pick out one or two more bad sentences, and the sum of them makes the whole thing too confusing for you, then the point remains (oh noes! dependent clauses!)
3. Theres not a god damn thing wrong with commas or dependent clauses. If you think using them makes me lofty then you should probably try and broaden your horizons in terms of what you read. Just cause I dont write like a sports illustrated columnist doesn't mean I'm wrong.
[Ex, a random paragraph out of Walden:
"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionablle ability of man to elevate his life by a concious endeavour. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect teh quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. Every man is tasked to make his life, even its details, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour. If we refused, or rather used up, such paltry information as we get, the oracles would distinctly inform us how this might be done."
Its from the middle of 'Where I lived', pg78 in my copy, if you want to look it up.
Should we inform the rest of the world that Walden, previously ranked amongst the greatest pieces of literature in history, is actually a piece of shit because it has too many commas?]
You were so vehement in your first replies that I was figuring you'd have something worthwhile to say if I could draw it out of you. I was wrong.
Submitted by ih8u2man (user info) at 2007-04-30 16:49:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Pure &.
Submitted by MidnightToSix (user info) at 2007-04-30 16:42:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Helpful hint of the day: Lay off the acid.
Submitted by FartSmeller (user info) at 2007-04-30 16:26:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
some of you niggers get on gabbly
Submitted by snag (user info) at 2007-04-30 15:38:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 15:07:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I do have a lot to learn about writing and life but you arent helping me out any.
Leave it to an internet dumbass to get all worked up about vague generalities. There was nothing confusing about this post. Its meaning is blatant and obvious. If you dislike that meaning then thats your choice (a man is the measure of all things), but if you got confused by it, then just die because you are of no use to humanity.
And what fucking formating are you talking about???
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Ok dickcheese. Since this is a serious writer's forum, I'll give you the feedback you deserve.
1. "A man is the measure of all things" is a direct quote from Protagoras, a pre-socratic philosopher. There is no 'A' in the quote, and you didn't even give the man his due credit. You just ripped it. Bad move number one.
2. This sentence: "All save my room are sparsely furnished at best." is absolutely awful. I wanted to go find a cactus to stuff into my eyes after reading it. You could have done much better in referencing the prior sentence and the idea you're trying to convey is a confused one. I.e., it doesn't flow with the rest of the paragraph at all.
3. You use more commas than a CSV file and you should stop with the lofty use of dependent clauses. Your use of syntax is deplorable.
There are another 3 or 4 points that I could enumerate just off the top of my head but honestly, you don't appear worth it so I will stop short here.
Go back to lit 101 and pick up a few more things, then try again.
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 15:26:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
or maybe hes just a stunted assfuck whose parents couldnt afford a house that had lead-free paint
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2007-04-30 15:17:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
It reads a little dense. Maybe they couldn't follow it?
You write like a brit.
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2007-04-30 15:17:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2007-04-30 14:06:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I like how your mind works.
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2007-04-30 15:11:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Didn't read the first few paragraphs. Liked what I did read.
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 15:10:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
show me an ill fitting word choice. defend your hatred of verbosity. or get the fuck off my post.
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 15:07:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I do have a lot to learn about writing and life but you arent helping me out any.
Leave it to an internet dumbass to get all worked up about vague generalities. There was nothing confusing about this post. Its meaning is blatant and obvious. If you dislike that meaning then thats your choice (a man is the measure of all things), but if you got confused by it, then just die because you are of no use to humanity.
And what fucking formating are you talking about???
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2007-04-30 14:30:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
No Comment
Submitted by FALLEN (user info) at 2007-04-30 14:25:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Perhaps your world needs a big "go the fuck away" sign. Then these random people would stop wrecking your stuff.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2007-04-30 14:06:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I like how your mind works.
Submitted by sweetcheebs (user info) at 2007-04-30 14:03:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
This tickled my fancy
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Submitted by snag (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:30:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
This was awful.
Your turn of phrase was terrible, wording was verbose and the picture left me dizzy.
I want my 5 minutes back. This is shit.
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Someone's jealous of talent.
Submitted by ChaosJester (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:59:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Meh...
The post was okay, if a bit pretentious with the meta-physics bit. Definately college-student work.
Still, the swirling maelstrom o' Chaos in my core loved the pic, so...
+2 for you.
Submitted by snag (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:49:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:43:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
that doesnt even make sense snag. its not like the whole thing was one phrase. you have to pick a phrase. and i refuse to believe that you think every single sentence was awful. if that is what you think then you're an idiot and your opinion is moot anyways.
theres nothing wrong with verbosity.
dont be a pussy.
you cant have them back.
************
There is everything wrong with verbosity.
Leave it up to a stoned college kid to overuse imagery and basically confuse the fuck out of the reader with awful formatting and ill-fitting word choices.
You have a lot to learn about writing and, in light of a few of your other posts, life in general.
Get back to doing bong hits and making stoner playlists, dipshit.
Submitted by ampersand (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:43:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
that doesnt even make sense snag. its not like the whole thing was one phrase. you have to pick a phrase. and i refuse to believe that you think every single sentence was awful. if that is what you think then you're an idiot and your opinion is moot anyways.
theres nothing wrong with verbosity.
dont be a pussy.
you cant have them back.
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:42:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
the word cottage makes no sense to ESL mind.
all i can think of is cheese
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:40:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Sacrilicious (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:38:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I enjoyed this immensely. I'd like to visit your cottage.
Submitted by The_Drake (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:37:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Life rules.
the cereal anyway
Submitted by creep_firebombing (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:31:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Skillz.
Submitted by snag (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:30:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
This was awful.
Your turn of phrase was terrible, wording was verbose and the picture left me dizzy.
I want my 5 minutes back. This is shit.
Submitted by TuTs (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:29:54 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Why would you smash a tree down for a boat and buy an engine? Wouldn't they just buy a boat?
Submitted by The_taste_of_Monkeys (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:26:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I see dead peop...oh why bother
Submitted by BobLobla (user info) at 2007-04-30 13:23:39 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
BRIGHT COLORS