All Entries in the "Philosophy, baby" Category
Why Stereotypes Piss Me Off (And How They’re Ruining Your Life)
A Little Story From My Childhood
We were only in the 6th grade. I had been friends with Angie since I moved to the area in the 1st grade. She was my first friend, as a matter of fact, which is why when I walked into the locker room to change for gym class [...]
Life Isn’t As Serious As We Make It Out To Be
This Isn’t Actually a Love Story
In a strange sort of way, love has been one of my greatest teachers of life.
It has taught me patience.
It has taught me compromise.
It has taught me dedication.
It has taught me intimacy.
Not to mention the importance of a snappy comeback.
But perhaps most of all, love has taught me something that [...]
Introducing the World’s Newest Form of Religion
We hear it all the time:
FIND MEANING IN YOUR LIFE.
It’s become the advice du jour. The magical solution to our woes. The on-call prescription for disappointment with life. The hope we hold onto, when our own has abandoned us.
In a sense, the search for meaning has become a religion of its own.
We [...]
The Lost Art of Quitting
“Quitters never win & winners never quit.”
Excuse me, divine gods of all Protestant work-ethic – inspired proverbs, *takes drag of imaginary cigarette* but I beg to differ. *Apathetically exhales and flings cigarette to ground before grinding it with the ball of not-so-imaginary fire engine red high heel.*
We’ve heard these types of statements all our lives: [...]
Get Your Own Picket Fence (Or Don’t) : A Note on Relationships
My friend & fellow blogger Carlos Miceli of Owl Sparks once told me that he was relieved that I never waxed on about relationships here on the site, which I had sort of made an unspoken rule.
But what can I say? I’m a rule breaker, baby. Even when they’re my own.
And with that, [...]
White Men Can’t Jump, But They’ve Got Other Tricks Up Their Sleeves: The (Unearned) Privilege of Being White
Here’s a little something to ponder:
Band Aids.
What comes to mind? Perhaps a small, rectangular piece of flexible plastic with adhesive that sticks to your skin and pulls at your little hairs when you finally tear it off, bringing back unpleasant memories of your last Brazilian wax.
No? I should leave the Brazilian wax out [...]
Bullshit & The All Mighty Dollar
A harsh look at the unflattering reality that we live and die by, day in and day out . . . without even knowing it.
Dream Zappers Part II: Why They Zap, Squash & Belittle Your Aspirations
A continuation of the Dream Zapper post, discussing why Dream Zappers zap in the first place. Get your GRR face on.
What Life Gets To Keep In Return: On Making Big Decisions
Your life is essentially the outcome of a never ending series of decisions. Make sure those decisions are truly in line with your goals by using a commonly overlooked factor beyond simple pros and cons.
How Societal Ideals Conflict With Societal Goals
When your guilty conscience is your enemy, Ayn Rand & the tension between the moral values and the capitalistic values that define us.
All Wants Are Not Created Equal
A breakdown of the motivations for the things that we do, and which category we should be focusing most on in order to start living more inspired lives.
Your Language Is Holding You Hostage (And Why I’ll Be Flying Obama’s Private Jet As A Result)
A critical look at how the language you have available to you inevitably affects how you perceive the world. It’s deep–hold on to your hats.
Education & Wage Slavery: Hand In Hand?
A no-nonsense look at the education system’s hidden agenda–why we’re being taught what to think, instead of how to think, and how this affects not only us, but the bigger picture at hand. Put on your thinking caps for this one. (P.S. Please don’t egg my house if this makes you angry.)
On Authority: The Blogosphere/Real World Divide
There’s a converse relationship between authority in the real world and authority in the blogosphere–but regardless of context, does actual authority actually exist? Or is it all just a matter of perception?
Red High Heels, Slaughtered Pigs & Why Being Unsure Is A Good Thing
A rendezvous with culture shock in Costa Rica–how can we determine right or wrong, if we’re judging using a separate set of rules for truth?
Is Lifestyle Design A Manifestation of Perfectionism In Disguise? A Self-Reflection
Is the battle for self-improvement an elusive one?
Why Seeking A Meaningful Career Is Bad Advice
A career is a glorified version of a job–you aren’t the product of the tasks you perform, but rather, the experiences you’ve had. You are not your career.
You’re Not Drunk, But Your Vision Is Still Blurred – One Reason Why Religion, Marriage & Even Education Sucks
Common “absolute truths,” such as our version of what an education should look like, a good job should look like or even a good person should look like are all just one model of reality and as such, aren’t absolute at all.
The One Thing That Can (And Will) Mess Up Your Life…If You Let It
There’s no such thing as luck, and if you’re banking your life on getting lucky, you might as well plan for the worst. In terms of lifestyle design, the word “design” implies “deliberate intention.” So if you want control over yours, it’s time to get up, get out there, and BE DELIBERATE AND INTENTIONAL.
Rebellion is Sexy: One Really Big Reason Why You Should Do It Now
Think critically about the things you do in your everyday life–does everything you do actually make sense, or do you do it just because that’s the way it’s always been done? I argue that it’s an unfortunate case of the latter.
Why I’d Rather Be a Mexican Immigrant Than a Corporate CEO
Defending Mexican immigrants, and how they’re just like us lifestyle designers. Viva Mexico!
Tales of a Terrified Lifestyle Designer
On restlessness, and its source–an intense fear of mediocrity.
Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Death – Fate Versus Choices
A major diss to the concepts of “fate” and “destiny,” and a discussion on the power of individual choice. “You are not a marionette. You are a human being with opinions and emotions and likes and dislikes, and you’re also a human being who is entitled to what it is they want out of life. All you’ve got to do is choose it.”
Meaningless Sex & Lifestyle Design: Sorry, Cutie, Last Night Didn’t Really Matter
Everything in life is arbitrary–for example, the “fact” that you “should” be working between the hours of 9-5. Discussion on how even our language and emotions are arbitrary until we attach meaning to them, and how we can leverage this concept to gain greater control over our lives, eliminate fear, and release our inner bad ass.
Lifestyle Design: The New Arch Enemy of Dry Cleaners Everywhere (And Possibly Your Mom, Too)
A look at how social conditioning makes us do things we don’t even want to do, and we don’t even realize it–and how being creative and doing things a bit unconventionally can pay off exponentially.
