The idea
for this blog gradually took shape thanks to my amazing past and present students, who bring immense satisfaction to my work and make it better by challenging or embracing it. It took me 5 years of self-doubt before the 3 years of teaching made the venture of writing this blog worthwhile. Here it is now finally a place (and I hope not the only one) where they could always come back to, should they feel the need to add to or be reminded of our shared activities in the jungles of Philosophy, Psychology, and the Arts. However, the content of the blog is not a copy but rather an extended and upgraded version of the curriculum; broadened enough to include not only the theory, factsheets, tables, references to dictionaries, encyclopedias, tutorials, quotes, books, and movie reviews, but also my art and photography, playlists, charts, travel logs, and occasionally my poetry and short stories. In short, everything I am into in a given week.
Who for
Naturally, my students are the ones best prepared to read the posts on this blog to the extent that they may even hear the changes in my voice and see the expressions on my face in their heads while reading. However, I hope that there will be some side beneficiaries who also might have a peek in here, such as my family and friends who arrive at this classroom-like space out of sheer curiosity for the subjects I teach or as another way to get to know me better under this different light and angle they could never do under normal conditions. Unlike a real classroom, though, random guest visitors of all paths who encounter this blog are most welcome too! In The Great Gatsby, Jordan Baker says, "I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties, there isn't any privacy" So jump quickly on board with your post comments, and let's get the party started!
The name
I don't wear (sun)glasses nor contact lenses since 1st grade in elementary. Yet I try to change the frames of reference and the pairs of glasses I use to look at the world through as often as I can remember. I do so out of boredom, for fun, or out of doubt and confusion. I guess the list of reasons I change "channels" can cover every defense mechanism known to men and mice. Still, the greatest one must be the urge to escape from the sense of solipsism and arrive at sharing that defies loneliness and exposes me to the light and warmth of others. If I can get into their shoes, they must be there with me. I love hosting people under my skin as well - it simply feels so good to be known inside out. So, how does philosophy do this training in togetherness? - It challenges our every axiom of existence by causing us the discomfort of changing the (point of) view. This act reveals contradiction, conflict, and uncertainty all around. Yet taking this risky and costly training is what brings about an understanding of how an "I" could become "we" so it can find "I" at last.
As ingredients of "we," you are the most common reason I reach out to the big shelves of doorstops where old dead-and-gone giants fight for eternal life with the young and healthy of the day. Every new frame of reference is a window open to a new place. And I am someone who enjoys traveling (without leaving the room). It provides the refreshment of experiencing the new and unknown distant close to heart and mind and seeing the old close to heart and mind from a distance. The double benefit must be obvious: 1) You are reminded you have a heart and mind. 2) You are reminded that whatever you have felt and thought before is not the only thing out there. And if this realization brings about the FOMO, it is again philosophy that exposes this and other fears. We will see how exactly in the dedicated posts to come. As philosophy is notoriously cerebral, I will try to complement the experience with references to the arts so that they can present their interpretation of the view seen with the heart.
Finally, I like to look at my enthusiasm for exploring different frames of reference and changing handy pairs of glasses of all colors, ages, penetration abilities, sharpness, and side effects as boldness and bravery worth your attention. Every Sunday, a new view to be experienced will be out before your senses. To receive the 5-20min reading time posts directly on your email, subscribe below.
Special thanks
to the unquotable sources who turned my feelings and thoughts toward the quotable ones. I realize with a sense of deepest appreciation, admiration, indebtedness, and gratitude that whatever you are going to read here is a mixture of the influences I absorbed by paying attention to some spectacular people I have the honor to call my teachers/heros. One way or another, they ultimately made me who I am, so there is something of me for you to read on this blog at all. I will modify a little the lyrics of a song by Whitney Houston to say that for all my family that raised me, and the teachers that then shaped me, I ain't got nothing but love!