A Letter to My Parents

For the past 18 years, you have done everything for me. From teaching me all of the life skills I could ever need to helping me with an infinite number of school projects, I don't know what I would do without you guys. You make me breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, take care of everything I could need help with, give me everything i could ever need, and go out of your way to make me happy. You have taken me on wonderful vacations and gotten up every other morning at the crack of dawn to take me to swim and water polo practice for the past 4 years. I still can't believe that you spent 5 hours a day almost every weekend for 8 years watching me swim a total of 5 minutes at swim meets. It is crazy to think about how much time you have spent with me throughout my life. You have always been there for me, and I can't thank you guys enough for everything you have done. Next year I'll be moving out and starting a new part of my life. That will definitely be the time where I come to really understand the support system you have created. I will have to do my own laundry (something I really need to learn how to do), get myself to class, and really figure everything out on my own. Thankfully, you guys have taught me everything I need to know to succeed in the world.

Thank you!!

Frankl-y Speaking

In Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl takes a different approach towards the meaning of life that I really appreciate. He emphasizes the fact that meaning, found through our interactions with the world, differs from man to man, day to day, and hour to hour. Meaning is not something that you have to escape society or practice to find. It can be found in our daily lives as we cook dinner or walk our dogs. I think this is important, it shows that meaning is attainable for everyone and it does not have to be life changing or permanent; it can be anything that makes us happy. Meaning is unique and does not have to be defined by society or our lifestyle. I think this is crucial as today we are unfortunately pressured more and more to conform to society. Meaning is something that will always be specific to each individual and no one can define it for you. 

This makes me think about my life today. I take hard classes, join activities that I may not truly have a passion for, and push myself to the mental break so that I can have a chance at getting into one of the best colleges. Not only because I love to challenge myself, but also because this is what I have been told will make me happy. By going to the best school, I can go to the best medical school, and then get the best job. It is something that is told to me from all sources: parents, social media, professionals, and even friends. College is something we obsess over for almost half of our high school career. Seldom do I stop to think about it. Why should going to the best college I possibly can define my happiness? Shouldn't obtaining the job I want by any path make me happy? This is something that I have really been asking myself as college comes closer.     

I also like the fact that Frankl believes that some amount of conflict and unhappiness is healthy and normal. These two things help us grow, redefine who we are, and find a new meaning to explore. They tell us that it is time to change; out with the old, in with the new. It is a feeling that we should welcome rather than push away. The great thing about life is that it will never be perfect, there will always be new challenges that add to who we are and who we will become. 

Our Meaning

Richard Dawkin's view on the meaning of life was something that I found very interesting. He said that "Humans have always wondered about the meaning of life...life has no higher purpose than to perpetuate the survival of DNA...life has no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference." In this class so far, we have read about what people have to say about life, its meaning, and what we live for. From happiness to good and evil, we have heard a variety of ideas from different people. This quote goes against everything as it reminds us that in the end, we are animals too. We are here to reproduce and pass on our genes just like any other organism. The only thing that sets us apart in our higher cognitive ability. We create meaning and the thought that we are meant to be here for a reason; it keeps us moving, working, and part of the mechanical system that is modern day society. I am not saying that I agree with this, I just think that Richard is very blunt as he takes a more depressing standpoint on our existence. This quote makes me think about everything that humans have created. Social structure, religion, educational systems, the world’s tallest buildings, and name brand clothing have all been made in an effort to help distinguish ourselves from everyone else, “improve the way we work”, and really, give meaning to who we are as we strive for something better than what we currently possess.

Sometimes I do wonder about the meaning of my own life. Everyday I get up early in the morning to either swim or go to school, I go to all of my classes, go to practice, and go home to do my work; I go through the motions of my day without much thought. Why am I doing all of this? Perhaps to go to a good college?

Meaning comes into my life when I think about my path after high school is over. I want to be a doctor. Saving lives is something that I find value in and doctors go to extreme lengths to save any patient that comes in the door. When I think about the endpoint of my education, being a doctor, it makes the thought of 8 long years in school worth it. In the same way, teaching swim lessons and swimming gives me a purpose. I love being able to teach little kids how to swim and see them enjoy it as much as I do. Swimming has been part of my life for 7 years and it has become more than something to do, it has become part of who I am. While I do find my family, and friends meaningful, it is the little things and the activities beyond school that make me happy and make life even more meaningful.  

Thankful

      Thanksgiving is a time for family and food as we come together to appreciate everything we have. While I am thankful for a lot of things everyday, I usually forget about school. I’d like to start off by saying that I am thankful for our class as a whole. Philosophy is one of the best English classes I have taken in high school. I like how everything is discussion based and how everyone is so open to stating their own opinions while still listening to what others have to say.

       One classmate that I am thankful for is Jonathan Eng. I really don’t know where to begin with him. Being friends with my twin brother, Jonathan has been coming to my house for years and that’s actually how we met. We have always waved to each other in the hallway and made fun of my brother together, but this year, we have become closer. Jonathan provides that comical relief that everyone needs during our class discussions and group work. Whether he can’t see the questions on the board, or he has no idea what is going on, one cannot help but laugh.

        Not only do I get to see Jonathan in class but I also get to spend my lunch and the occasional weekend with him. From spa days to fantasy sports we can laugh about anything and there is never a dull moment at our lunch table (even though he eats all of my food). Jonathan is also one of the most competitive people I know. Whether it is on the basketball court or in a debate he cannot accept losing. We were playing Pictionary on Tuesday and I have never seen someone get so involved in the rules. I heard “don’t forget to give us a point” and “THAT’S NOT ALLOWED” way too many times over the course of the night; it was like his life was on the line. In all seriousness I’m happy to call Jonathan my friend and I hope to stay friends with him for years to come.

Into the Wild- Alone

Chris McCandless grew up following the rules of society. He went to school, got good grades, and lived up to his parents’ standards. However, he was never content with the fast pace, judgmental, materialistic society he lived in. By leaving this all behind to travel and eventually go to Alaska, Chris attempted to escape his conventional life. Furthermore, by going alone he aimed to find some sort of enlightenment. What he experienced in the wilderness, and with the various people he met along the way, changed who he was. He learned to take life one day at a time and follow whatever path suited him.

When Chris finally reaches the wilderness, he connected with nature like never before. He was able to appreciate the world around him as he traveled at his own pace. Like Siddhartha, being alone gave Chris the opportunity to wipe his mind clean and take in everything, as it exists. Without the pressure of society and people, both Siddhartha and Chris were able to find a temporary euphoria. However, Chris ran into some problems. Going into the wild without adequate skills, food, or equipment soon confined him to a life that revolved around survival. This hindered his ability to move and live with complete freedom. Had he come with all the right supplies, I think he would have not only survived, but also experienced nature to the extent that he originally intended. While I do understand that he was trying to strip down his life to the bare necessities as Siddhartha did when he became a Samana, he was not ready to handle nature by himself. He was an amateur explorer trying to take on an expert’s adventure.

Looking at his journey from a mental standpoint, I think Chris was able to find the answers he was looking for. By travelling alone he had the ability to form bonds with people from all walks of life and interpret situations as he pleased; he was not tied down. He was also able to come to the conclusion that happiness is meant to be shared. This is crucial because it is a turning point. Up to this part in the movie, Chris was convinced that he did not need anyone to be happy in life. However, living on the edge of death and being trapped in the middle of the wilderness changed his mind. This is an event that was important to Chris’s development. He could not have realized this had he not gone out and experienced the world himself. This is relatable to Siddhartha going into the town. Sure growing up he heard things about the corrupting nature of society, but he would not have been able to hit rock bottom and then eventually reach his state of enlightenment unless he saw it for himself.
     Being alone gives people the opportunity to learn more about themselves and the world. By escaping the expectations of society, and changing the way that they live, people are able to experience new things that will shape who they are, and what they believe in, and ultimately make them happier. In my opinion, people should not live in their own little world forever. There is so much to see and do that lets us know that we are not forced to live in one way; we can choose our own path.     

We Still Haven't Figured This One Out Yet!

Although we may know more than ever before, there are still so many unanswered questions. Is there a God? Where do we go after we die? What is the correct way to govern a country? These types of questions go beyond scientific inquiry. They, as far as we know, cannot be proven or even answered in one way. Therefore, a variety of opinions are inevitably formed based on personal belief. While these opinions do openly exist, we still have not figured out how to accept them and withhold judgment. Today, people will fight for what they believe it. For example, all over the world, the United States is fighting for the right for countries to have a democratic government. With all of this going on, I cannot help but wonder if anyone is really right. Often times, we are quick to go against something that seems so foreign to us. Without even investigating other arguments, we write a view off as morally and ethically wrong or even evil. However, if people are happy with what they believe, and it works for them, who are we to go in and tell them they are wrong?

 I think that as a society, we have been groomed to think that we are always right and everyone else just needs to see our side. While I am not saying that is always the case, we really shouldn’t be forcing our views onto other people. We cannot simply come up with an answer to one of these unanswerable questions and expect everyone to have the same opinion. In a way, we need to learn how to keep to ourselves. Sure we can think one idea is right, but people halfway around the world should be able to agree with a contradicting idea without the hatred and judgment of other people. However, I do not think that this will ever be possible; people are too eager to stand up for their own ideals. While I admire this, this pride makes it hard for people to be open to new things. But we never know, anything can happen.

How Do I Know What I Know?

We as people learn from experience. From the day we are born, we are taught how to behave, move, and socialize. Not only do we learn this from teachers and parents but also from our culture, peers, and society. Through these experiences, we form a sense of self and ideals. However, we all aren’t the same. Families, countries, and individual people develop different religions, customs, and views on controversial issues. Meaning that while we all have similarities, we also develop distinct views and attitudes that make us different from everyone else in the world.  

However, there is one problem with these limited experiences, we learn to value conformity. We are taught to act in accordance to society and in this we lose ourselves. More often than not we chose to wear certain things, follow a certain ideal, or react in a specific way because this will help us fit in. We become quick to judge those who are different and fear to venture from “normal” or “right.”

Then the question of “how do we know what is right?” comes in. With so many opinions flying at us for a variety of sources, how do we know who and what to believe? It is easy to say that water is polar and the earth revolves around the sun because it is supported by scientific evidence. But what about the unknowns? How should I respond in this situation? Is God real? Do mermaids exist? This is where I think personal opinion comes to matter. Sure we can learn the facts, but in some cases, we may never know the truth. To some extend we have to be able to form our own opinions and ignore the judgment of others. In the end, we are influenced by what we see, but how we interpret it all makes us unique.

The Garden State

          At the end of the book, Candide and his friends embrace the farming lifestyle. Each of the characters develops a skill and contributes to the cultivation of a garden so that they can survive and to an extent, avoid the misery of the world. This concept draws back to the story of Adam and Eve as Pangloss states, “for when man was placed in the Garden of Eden, he was put there to work it and dress it” (page 93). However, while Adam and Eve’s troubles begin in the garden as they eat the apple, Candide’s troubles seem to come to an end in his garden. Throughout the book, Candide sees and experiences the evils of the world as he is cheated, punished, almost killed, and lost friends. He realizes that the superficial things in life such as money or power cannot really bring happiness and that no matter where you go misery will be prevalent; the garden provides an escape from the superficial and immoral aspects of life. While he doesn’t whole-heatedly give up Pangloss’s philosophy, he definitely becomes lost, as he doesn’t know what to believe in anymore.

            The garden, to me, symbolizes a place where the characters form a compromise. By participating in the hard work that comes with cultivating a garden, they get to escape the three evils, boredom, vice, and necessity, and no longer have time to truly argue about the true meaning of life and the roles of good and evil. Candide doesn’t have to examine his own thoughts and ideals anymore; all he has to focus on is cultivating the garden. This shows that he is done trying to find out who or what holds the power over everyone. When it comes down to it, everyone will have his or her own opinion and no one can really be right or wrong.

I also see the garden as a place where the characters draw away from civilization. They take this modest path in order to get away from the misery that reins in the world and form a life that they can be content with. In a way this ending shows that the best of all possible worlds cannot exist. Throughout the book, every society seemed to have a problem. From corruption and greed, to not being able to leave (Eldorado) no place can be perfect. Candide now accepts this and is ready to settle down in a place where he can have control over his own life in a way he can be reasonably happy with.    

Do Candide’s Punishments Fit the Crime?

So far in the book, Candide has endured a lot of punishment for his “crimes”. He is kicked out of the baron’s castle for kissing Cunegonde, forced to run the gauntlet for seemingly deserting the army, and flogged for listening to Pangloss’s beliefs with open ears. The reason why I put crimes in quotations is because none of these things Candide does are really crimes. He was never trying to desert the Bulgar, he was simply going for a walk, and he was not trying to cause any harm by kissing Cunegonde or listening to what everyone has to say about the meaning of life. The punishments here have not been deserved. They largely out weigh any of the actions Candide has done. 

However, looking at this question from another perspective, I think what is really being punished here is Candide’s innocence, and belief system. Candide is a firm believer in the Leibniz/Pangloss philosophy in which the world he lives in is the best of all worlds and that everything is done for the greater good. When he is kicked out of the castle, he continues to hold this belief for a while. For example, rather than saving the Anabaptist who saved him, he continues to believe that this must happen for the greater good. This belief system is something that Voltaire is trying to punish. He keeps throwing Candide into horrible situations in which he is hurt mentally and physically in order to test his beliefs and show him that his philosophy is flawed; not everything can be for the best. He even takes it a step further and brings Cunegonde into the mix. After hearing the hardships she has endured, can Candide really continue to stand by his beliefs?

Voltaire really aims to show Candide that the world is in fact a harsh place full of evil and misfortunes; the world is not the always geared for the greater good. As his innocence leads him to mindlessly follow Pangloss’s philosophy and find the good in every situation, Voltaire pushes him, through punishment, to look at his own beliefs and in the end, make a decision about what he really believes in.

Who is the Modern Gadfly?

               Socrates was a social gadfly. He was always questioning the ethics, ideas, and beliefs of people in order to make them think about their lives and eventually question their own ideals. He was stirring up the state (in Athens) and making people question not only themselves, but also the society they live in. Was this an annoyance to some? Yes, but his ideas and methods have been prevalent and used throughout history.

                Today, there is not one singular person who I think stands out as a modern day Socrates. With the technology, and global connection that exists today, there are gadflies all over the world. However, two groups that are often brought up and criticized are politicians and large Internet bloggers. Politicians always have opinions. Whether it is questioning the public or other politicians, they are always trying to incite deep thinking and change people’s views to their advantage. They are on every social media site available advocating their thoughts. In the same way, one can seldom turn the TV to a news channel and not catch a discussion between politicians and business professionals. They are a permanent part of a country’s life and they will always be around to state their own views and attempt to make a mockery of each other.  

                The Internet community also acts as a modern gadfly. For every issue you can find hundreds of blogs, chat rooms, and posts; people are always questioning and getting under each other’s skin. The lack of face-to-face contact and advantage of anonymous commenting lets people say almost anything they want to, and for the most part they do. This makes online conversations especially opinionated, and aggressive. People will say things they would never even think about saying in public. They can even talk about issues for days on end. This is almost more annoying that Socrates himself as there are arguments happening all over the world.   

Is the Unexamined Life Worth Living?

Life is full of complexity, varied beliefs, and different groups of thought. With so many opinions and ideas flying around how can one truly live without examining not only themselves, but also the world around them? Today, as we are all told different angles of every issue, society begs us to take a side and for the most part, we do. But are there more than two sides? Can we think outside of the box and solve issues in a way that shows objectivity and rationality? I think that we can, we just need to determine our morals, and determine what we perceive to be right and just; we need to examine ourselves. While this is hard in a world that strives for conformity and shows animosity for change, breaking free and finding what we really want to believe is valuable in life.  The best philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, have been figures of innovation; they were at the forefront of their time. We need more people to feel the desire to break the molds of human society and show that there is more than a right and wrong answer.

             Now I am not saying that we do not examine ourselves in our daily lives. Every day we make the conscious choice to agree, disagree, aid, or defend; we do take a stance based on what we believe. However, we need to make it a habit to think more deeply. Rather than focusing on our immediate world, we need to venture out and think about problems that are worlds away, affecting different people. With the amount of ideas that we find around us, why not experience them? Why not lend our own thoughts? Our job is to ask questions, test humanity, and explore the grey areas of situations for the benefit of not only ourselves, but society as a whole. 

Me

Hi, my name is Jessie Cronin and I’ll be a senior this year. I have one brother, a twin, named Nate. Despite minor arguments, having a twin is great! We get to have all the same friends, help each other with homework, and of course go through all major life events, such as driving, birthdays, and college touring, together; I never feel alone. Aside from my brother, I have a golden retriever named Lexie who, of course, is the favorite child in the eyes of our parents. When it comes to school, I am a science nerd; I love the human body, experiments, and dissections. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a medical research internship at the University of Illinois Hospital. Here I spent my time in an anatomy lab performing cadaver dissections, conducting experiments on the dissected body parts, and writing pieces for a medical study. While most people cringe when I tell them about these dissections, I found this job extremely interesting and enjoyable. When I am not in school, I can be found in my second home, the pool. Since freshman year I have been on the swimming and water polo teams here at Whitney. Although we are practicing all the time, it is fun to have a hard practice, work with a team, and get away from the stress of school and other obligations. After practice, I teach swim lessons to little kids who are 4-9 years old. I would like to say my kids are future Olympians.

One thing about senior year that intimidates me is college applications. The thought of having to choose my new home for the next four years is scary. I don’t really know where I want to go, but I hope with all the research and writing I will be doing in the next couple of months I can figure it out. Overall, I am excited to be a senior and see how this year plays out.