by Chris Billowsin Republic of Bloggers1 commentstags: Blogging, Components of Human Nature, Fictional Letter, Virtuous Discourse
This is an open letter in response to Chris Bateman; it is written in a format to cultivate an open discussion, so please do not hesitate to get involved! Dear Chris, It has taken me some time to write this response to you about facts and knowledge. It is an involved topic that has had me rewrite this letter multiple (40 and counting) times since to write something about knowing means you need to have a conviction you know something! Let me start off with a relatively famous and grammatically twisted quote about what it is to know: [quote]… because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know. – Donald Rumsfeld[/quote] This quote captured my imagination. It identifies three different kinds of knowing from known knowns to unknown unknowns. Taking those three, I added a fourth to extrapolate a scale that combines the two redundant values: Known Knowns – these are “facts” that we believe to be true. […]
by Chris Billowsin Spirit Speculations0 commentstags: Fictional Letter, Human Misery, Personal Resolve, Self Analysis, Stages of Realization
Dear Samsara, I am writing to let you know that I have finally figured out how bad you are for me and that its time to break this thing off. You kept telling me that the pain of our relationship would get easier with time, that I would learn to live with the pain and come to accept it. I now don’t think so. I remember as a young child how my parents took care of me, yet you took the credit for all of the good things that happened. And when the bad things happened, you told me to just wait until the next good thing comes along. I believed you that life is full of ups and downs and you just had to hold on. As an older child I remember experiencing terror, tragedy, and self-loathing, and yet you were nowhere to be seen. You were never there to help me. Yet, I survived. And it was this survival that created this distinct self-sculpture. My scars became signs of battles survived and never won. As a young adult, I began exploring the limitless pleasures you offered. You provided entertainment, dining and drink. Yet these experiences always had a […]
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