The Word

Tag: philosophy

  • Word of the Day

    Even the smallest things generate a ripple effect.
    A fallen leaf floats at the center of rippling water as the forest reflects the evening sky.

    Do you believe in karma?

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    I do believe in karma, in the way that I believe in energy. I think that what’s projected outward will in turn be attracted back inward. Is it a tit-for-tat type of deal? I don’t know. Probably not in the way most people think of karma. 

    I think if someone has negative intentions in their heart and then acts on them, they will eventually receive negativity in return. That being said, my high school bully ended up winning a whole house in a local YMCA fundraiser held in my hometown, so there’s that. For the sake of my own karma, I wish her nothing but the best lessons in life. 🙂

    Anyway, it’s my belief that the concept of karma is many things thanks to the blending of meaning and language. By definition, it’s “an impersonal law of cause and effect, not a system of divine reward and punishment.” Going by that definition, my own interpretation of karma bleeds out of the lines a bit. I maintain my belief, though, that an act of positivity leads to positivity in return. Engaging in positive thoughts, gratitude, acts of selflessness, etc., emits a frequency that has you radiating on a level that can only attract like frequencies back to you. That, to me, is physics; that’s cause and effect. 

    I write in these blog posts as if I’ve got it all figured out. I assure you, I don’t. I get sucked into bad moods and shit-talking like the best Negative Nancy in the pageant. However, what I can say is that I’ve absolutely become more aware of my thoughts. I do catch myself in one of these moods or thought cycles and at least try to break it. I actively notice things that I’m grateful for, and I do that on a regular basis. And, as of super recently, I’ve gotten back into an exercise routine. This alone helps regulate the energy within me that otherwise would get charged up throughout the day and have nowhere to go, except to my head, which is where overthinking and negativity breed. 

    So, do I believe in karma? Yes. Do I think it all comes back to energy and frequencies? Of course. I’m seeing now that most of what I have to say also boils down to those topics. Let’s see where that cause and effect takes us. 🙂

  • Word of the Day

    Photo by Gavin Young on Pexels.com
    Daily writing prompt
    If you could have dinner with any philosopher, who would it be?
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    I took a lengthy philosophy class in college, and one takeaway from it was that I would never want to have dinner with Plato or Socrates.

    Dictionary.com’s first definition of philosopher is “a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other related fields.” Based on that, I’d say Hell Yeah to a dinner with Pete Holmes. For those who are unfamiliar, he’s a comedian; he’s also a very deep thinker and has profound views on spirituality. He’s kind of my hero.

    Some quotes of his that I like:

    • “We’d all like to increase pleasure and minimize pain, but the truth is, suffering, even collective suffering that we’re going through, is often the earmark that some real change is happening.”
    • “There’s nothing you can do to increase or decrease the love that God has for you, but there are things you can do that increase or decrease your awareness of that love. That’s certainly been my experience.”
    • “I am a comedian. My brain is critical – it’s overthinking – but you can find ways to turn it down and realize that’s not who you really are.”
    • “I needed to let go of the idea of a God who was mad at me for feeling how I was feeling. Now, I bask in an understanding of the divine that delights in truth and the complexities of the human experience – even when it’s not very ‘clean.’”

    I’ll also leave this here. I mean, just imagine a conversation like this over some chips & guac!