Philosophy is everywhere?

Complaining about reading and writing philosophy blinded me of something that was revealed last night as I wrote about my personal ideas about having a moral responsibility to people who live in extreme poverty. Yes, three months later but its never too late to understand what I learned.

After squeezing in my creative flare into a big chunk of my essay, I realized that writing with a purpose is what I needed in everything I have ever written. There's an art to the mundane but sometimes I desired to move people or offend them but I couldn't. In class as we discussed Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands, a lot of people questioned whether Anzaldua should be considered philosophy. Many agreed that she wasn't. That she was clearly a folklorist and an artistic writer. I agreed instantly. She wasn't at all a philosopher because I finally felt at ease and comfortable.

There are clearly some philosophical ideas in Borderlands (as several of the excessive Talkers in class mentioned) but why weren't we giving her credit? Was it perhaps because she develops a style that masks what she wants to tell by creatively showing us through story? That's creative writing 101 for you, show don't tell... because it's boring! Personally, that's what I was missing all semester long. The only other writer whose form was admirable and poetic, in my opinion, was Henry D. T. There is something in Anzaldua's writing that I want to imitate because as creative as Borderlands may be in a philosophy class, the opening chapters are a collection of essays... period. There are philosophical ideas in a lot of things from art, poetry, music, politics, religion... Philosophy is everywhere! Actually, if philosophy is absent in writing then I believe its hard for the writing to be meaningful. There's a purpose in the Giving Tree, right? What about anything by Dostoevsky? Orwell's 1984 or Huxley's Brave New World? Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol to make people want to give to the poor. (We could have read that for ethics!) These are all novels and have philosophy somewhere embedded in them. It's our job to go from there. I don't understand what the fuss is about. Ease up on the analosity. Just enjoy Anzaldua and all her spiteful brilliance.

Poverty paper...

"What is your personal moral responsibility to people living in extreme poverty?"

Siamese Fighting Fish

Got my first fish on 3/24/13 with Nataly and Joseph. We named him Gideon. Means Destroyer or Mighty Warrior. Hope he stays alive and hope his fins grow.

God + Friends

This is gonna need some work. It is 2:33 am and i am writing with one eye open on my phone.

I sometimes want to break free. Ditch everyone and NOT be influenced by people. I want an organic spiritual relationship with God, One on one type of deal. I'm pretty sure I blogged about it... Not sure. But i spent sometime thinking about it.

One reason i wanted to part ways from people for a while is because i feel like i depend on people's walks rather than mine. Idk... Sort of like i am only walking with god for the sake of other people. However i thought about it some more and there is no way that is true. I have been alone. There was a time where i was the only person seeking God that i knew and i was still persistent in finding the walk. It was pretty wack but my faith was still there... Its just good to know that I have been at a place where i was alone and God still pushed me to find him.

This post deserves a lot more effort but i is tired.

2:40 am

Goodnight.

Oh. I have a crap more to say. I experienced some crap with border patrol that i wanted to document. I need to makewriting a priority again. I will. I will. I promise b

Children's Haven / Serving

In short, it looks like a visit to the children's home is not going to happen but you can slide to the very bottom and see other volunteering opportunities.

 

 

I woke up a little late but I was determined. I hate being late to meetings - yet, lately, it seems like something prevents me from being on time. More often than not, I decide to skip meetings if I am going to be late but on Monday, I made my way to Children’s Haven regardless of the time. I was a few minutes late but couldn’t find the place! Suddenly, my stomach began spinning. I raced to my sister’s house and used the restroom. I searched the web for the facility’s number and got a hold of the coordinator. I explained everything and made my way back… It still took me a while to find the place but finally found it!

I went in and met Randall and Betsy. The site was full boards with pictures of the kids. They reiterated that the children’s home was in Reynosa (that is what seemed super interesting to me). Several of the kids were in college. There was three brothers... two in college and one was a senior in High School and all had been with the home since 2000. Betsy got busy with a Winter Texan couple, so Randall showed me around the place.

We went to the back of the facility and there was a board with some of the kids who were no longer at the home. There was a board beside that one with “prayers” and another board with pictures of the kids when they were smaller. We made our way back to the front and Randall talked about the three foster couples/parents (Christian families) and talked a little of the director of the school that is open to 140+ students of the neighboring colonias.

We went into a room that was full of little antique home adornments? that were put up on eBay by one of the ladies. When we exited the room, I took a peek at the thrift shop. We went to the back where we can build cabinets and other small things for the children. We walked by another shack that had tons of oranges that were donated. Then to a little kitchen where some of the ladies bake cookies and cakes for the kids. We went into a final room that had three Winter Texans sorting out bags of donated clothes. One of the ladies explained to me that there was three piles: Clothes for the thrift stores, Clothes for the Children and Clothes for the trash. She went to the back and moved a floral curtain that had hundreds of black bags piled to the roof. She told me that the reason why there is so much is because they accept all donations all year long but there isn’t enough time to sort things out during the few months they are in the RGV. There were a few refrigerators in that room they had a few cakes in them and tons of bottled hand squeezed orange and grapefruit juice. When we left that room I saw their property… full of grass that Randall cuts by himself.

It made me sad that Winter Texans are willing to do this work… where are we? What are we doing? There are so many opportunities to serve. These Winter Texans epitomize (in a literal sense) the verse, "the spirit is willing but the body is weak." LET'S GET INVOLVED!

Betsy and Randall thought that a trip to Reynosa would be great… to see where everything that happens at the US site goes to… I left thinking that I was going to have a meeting with Destino and talk about a possible trip to Reynosa on Thursday.

 

I tried setting up a meeting but never really got to it. A few days later (minutes apart) two friends texted me about the violence in Reynosa. It was extremely random, I had not mentioned anything to either of them. It didn’t really scare me however it made me think about the process and I feel like I need to settle down about some things and pray for God’s will to be done rather than act like a bull and irrationally charge at things. I hope I do get to visit soon but even if it isn’t soon, there is tons of need. Join me…

Want to serve?

Serving opportunites at Children’s Haven:

1.)    Sorting clothes after the Winter Texans go home (April - fall)

2.)    Bake cookies and cakes for the kids

3.)    Help build things (construction)

4.)    Make use of the donated fruit

5.)    Help out at the thrift shop (cashier)

6.)    Help unload/load

 

7.)   Yard work

8.)    Make a visit to Reynosa and coordinate a “camping” feel retreat where you can reach the kids of the school not just the kids at the home.

Spring Break

It is finally here. I feel so at ease yet, I feel like this is a perfect opportunity to get on top of things.

This coming Monday I am going to dedicate my time to study for an exam that is on Tuesday of the week following break. I am also going to visit a children's home to try and connect Destino with them. Hopefully we can do a project with them soon. (Orphanage is in Reynosa!)

I've got things to do. A week to work hard. A week to look and find a job. I took the substitute class but applications that are being turned in aren't valid till fall 2013... so 60 bucks wasted right there because in the fall, I will already have my bachelors... I can use that to sub... but hopefully I will be a certified teacher with www.texasteachers.org

Anyway... I will worry about that when time comes. For now, I am going to shut off from everyone. No cell phones, Facebook, Twitter...

On my way home from the show/hangout tonight, I felt a little... I don't know... dependent. It seems odd... but man... I want to thrive on my own flame not on anyone else's. I need prayer for that. I feel like I wouldn't have God without community and that isn't right. I need a personal relationship with the father.

My priorities need a lot of fixing. Only until I help myself will I be able to help others.

10 Minute Blog : Simplicity

I have two philosophy classes with the same professor. (I don’t know if this is a good thing… quite yet.) However, today I felt that it might be good. During ethics, we talked about the philosophy school of Stoicism; which was sort of like accepting things as they come because of determinism (I instantly thought about Calvinism) and only caring for things that are both natural and necessary. Later, in American Philosophy, we were reading Walden by Henry D. Thoreau in which Thoreau is writing about a two year and two month project where he left civilization and only cared for the extreme necessities of life. During class discussion, we were talking about materialism and what we thought about it and it seemed to me that some people didn’t want to acknowledge that the term was bad (makes this even sadder). I personally think that materialistic people are sad. I feel bad for people who are consumed by materialistic things. I’ve heard some people say that they are living a “minimalist” lifestyle but only because they don’t have the resources to pamper themselves and indulge in things that will temporarily make them happy. So, they aren’t doing it by choice, they’re basically enslaved and bitter.

Getting my MacBook Pro stolen last summer taught me a lot.

My goals in life are to teach and tell my students about Jesus

or

live in an RV, travel the world and tell the world about Jesus.