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That's My Philosophy

I never took a philosophy class in college (I took three sociology classes). I've never read a classic philosophy book, though I have attempted to read Irwin's The Simpsons and Philosophy and Seinfeld and Philosophy books. So why do I wax philosophical all the time on this blog? Well, there are a few reasons why.

For starters, I enjoy talking about certain things (ie, music, movies, books) that traditionally are thought of as throwaway accessories by others that I think are deep and full of meaning. This explains posts on Scooby-Doo, The Warriors, and various bands/artists. Film school warped my sense of seeing things in the sense that there is more to the experience than just what is in front of the recording device. I spent too many hours dissecting what Hitchcock was trying to say with Psycho that I went a tad overboard (and have since retracted a little bit). Films say a lot, even a movie like Student Bodies (as I've blogged on before).

A few years ago, I started realizing that metaphors for life were all over my favorite films. From the Lord of the Rings movies to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope to The Muppet Movie, I got very wrapped up in the fact that a lot of the attitudes I have on life are reflected in these films' themes (in my head at least). To me, The Muppet Movie is about doing what you want to do, finding friends that agree with you and support you, not give into greedy business practices and understand that things that appear to be obstacles at first are really keys to understanding life even better. Yes, the Muppets are puppets, but the kind of human emotions put on the screen are incredibly relatable to me.

I stayed away from philosophy classes in college becuase I only heard bad things about the tests, the lectures and the rough teachers. Anytime I tried to read something by Plato or Socrates, my mind would unravel when I felt like the language they were using was too broad. When I was left to my devices into understanding what life is and how it works, I translated what I've learned into my own language.

Yes, my mother teaches philosophy on a collegiate level and she is a big fan of this blog. Me being so philosophical on this was by pure accident. I've always used this blog to say something that is on my mind without talking about sports or politics or ultra-private stuff. So any deep reasoning is by pure accident.

This blog is nearing the one year mark, so I figured now would be a good time to explain some of my thought process. More explaining is to come as I'll be in Chicago all next week. Stay tuned . . .

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