Vocabulary words for Philosophy VQz4

Following are the vocabulary words for this week and the reasons I chose them for philosophy class.

Aesthetics - This major branch of philosophy concerns itself with the nature of beauty, quality, or "goodness" in life.  Obviously, we have often heard that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  If this is true, then beauty is not existent on its own.  Rather, it is an interplay between objects and their perceivers.  A carcass, then, would be the epitome of natural beauty if you were a fly, but humans have an instinctive revulsion to dead, rotting flesh.  When your parents ridicule your music or favorite television shows, it is fairly clear that their opinions of good or quality entertainment are based upon rules from a different era.  For instance, what this generation calls "beats" I call redundant notes in a simple melody, played over and over again.  I regret that real drummers have been replaced by drum machines and "tracks" that repeat themselves.  Beauty is relative to the being who perceives it, or is it?

Avocation - This word generally refers to something a person does on the side, when he is not performing his mandatory duties, like studying for school or working to pay bills.  What has been lost from this word and the related word "vocation" is the original meaning found in the root "voc-".  An avocation or a vocation originally referred to one's "calling."  Notice that both words share the root found in the words "vocal" (related to speaking) or "advocate" (to speak for).  One of the eight principles found in the Eightfold Path is that a person should find her "Right livelihood."  This refers not just to any job, but a vocation that (1) feeds his soul, and (2) serves the universe well.  We now think of vocations as jobs, obligatory duties we must perform in order to survive until we inevitably die.  What I wish for each of you is that you will find vocations and avocations that fill both your pockets and your hearts.  Corny, I know, but I'm okay with that

Consternation - This is yet another of the many words that we use to describe cognitive dissonance.  When we get frustrated - which is what I consider to be a root emotion - we often let that feeling turn into something else.  I realized long ago that the immensity of the universe was not designed to satisfy my desires, so in that grandiose scheme of cosmic actions and reactions, I am bound to become frustrated when I find it difficult to follow through with my day to day plans.  If I let my feelings of frustration degenerate into feelings of helplessness, then I will feel consternation.  If I, instead, recognize what tools I have to deal with my frustrations, what gifts I have been given, both personally and as part of my social network, I might instead turn that root emotion into feelings of perseverance and hopefulness.  Do I sometimes (or even often) feel consternation in my life?  Yup. However, in retrospect, even during those times I wish I had looked at what I had more than what I did not have before reacting to my frustrations.

Cultivate - As a writer, and especially as a poet, I love metaphorical language.  The word "cultivate" is frequently used in gardening or farming.  One must weed, water, fertilize and otherwise care for his crops in order to bring them to fruition.  Not only that, a quality gardener will recognize that not all plants are the same, that some require different levels of light, varying amounts of water, and particular mixes of nutrients.  I love the metaphorical use of this word, as well, because it implies that living is not passive; rather it is active.  If you want to properly educate yourself for quality vocations, you must cultivate a quality understanding of your surroundings.  If you want your relationships to be as fruitful as your garden, then you must carefully cultivate them by attending to what kinds of caring each friend or family member needs.  If you want friends, be a friend.  If you want to be loved, then love.  Though most people lose sight of this, love is not just something you have or do not have.  Love is a verb.  So cultivate your connections to the world by loving.  If that is too corny for you, consider that one scientific precept says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  Whatever you put out into the world causes reactions in the world.  Karma says, what comes around goes around.

Etiquette - This word refers to proper or conventional behaviors in various situations.  "Conventional" means that people get together (convene) and decide what is and is not proper or acceptable.  For instance, in some cultures, burping at the table is poor etiquette, while in others it is one way of telling the cook, "Ummmm, that was good!"  Etiquette changes from culture to culture or generation to generation.  For instance, I sometimes like to sit with my feet up because it feels good for my legs.  However, in some cultures I would be insulting whomever was in the room because I am showing them the bottoms of my feet.  What is interesting about etiquette is the relative nature of right and wrong.  Remember what I said about the Golden Rule versus the Platinum rule.  If you follow the Golden Rule, treating others as you wish to be treated, you might accidentally violate someone else's sense of etiquette.  If you follow the Platinum Rule, you will find out how people prefer to be treated, and if it does not violate your own values and virtues, you will try to treat them as they wish to be treated.  Some people say that this would be too time and energy consuming, that an overly PC (politically correct) world is inefficient and ineffective.  This too is a decision the individual must make for himself.

This definitely takes longer than covering the words in class, but it helps me polish my writing skills.  I will finish later today.

Immersion - Anyone who has studied a language has likely heard of immersion studies.  When you learn a language from a book, recordings, worksheets, etc., it is always going to be less effective than being around people who speak that language all of the time and then actively striving to learn what they are saying.  To immerse, literally, means to surround yourself with something or in something, like water.  I chose this word because I wanted to emphasize that self-improvement, one of the main goals of this course, involves almost total immersion and commitment.  If you make self-improvement your daily, even hourly goal, you will see positive results.  If, instead, you try to improve 15 minutes a day or a half hour per week, do not expect to see results.  Remember, though, pick Daffodil Projects with well-defined goals while you attempt to improve, because two things among many others destroy our will to improve: (1) Changing too many variables at once can cause one to get overwhelmed; (2) not defining desired end results (goals) means that you will know that you are working towards nothing in particular, so it just feels like work.  Once you choose your project and define your goals, then immerse yourself in achieving them.

Imperturbable - I think I like the word "unflappable" even better.  To be perturbed means you feel consternation about something.  One goal of philosophy is to teach a person to be imperturbable, undisturbable (that is not an actual word, but I liked the rhyme).  Meditation is one way to attain a quiescent spirit.  Imagine what it would be like if you could, at a time when you feel the worst possible consternation, relax and turn all of that negative mental energy into a serene, glassy-smooth pond on a cool, brisk spring day, just as dawn emerges.  Few people actually train their brains to not think, but when our thoughts start racing, crisscrossing, overlapping and generally tearing to shreds our tranquility, being able to go to that quiet mental place is more than welcome.  Then, after basking in placidity for a few moments, return to your tasks from a calm center.  It works.  I've tried it.

Irresolute - Why most attempts at positive personal changes fail - the seekers are irresolute.  Look at the root of the word.  You can see, if you look carefully, the roots for the words "solve," "resolve," "resolution," and "solution."  Many people make New Year's Resolutions, but they are not truly resolute about making these changes or improvements.  When you hear someone say, "I hereby resolve to ...," this person is saying that he promises to do something.  When a person breaks promises to others, they begin to not trust him anymore, but this is also true for a person who breaks resolutions (promises) he makes to himself.  Maybe at first, he feels guilt about not following through on his promises.  Then, after a while, it gets easier.  He may even stop resolving anything anymore because he knows how easily he goes back on his promises.  He is irresolute, not fully committed or not committed at all.

Steadfast - Earlier, we discussed the North Star as a symbol for solidity, for resolutely committing to a set of quality values and virtues.  My grandfather has always been my North Star (though he passed away three decades ago) because whenever I saw him (and I watched pretty carefully) he was acting like I believe a man should.  Many people thoroughly depended upon him.  He was a go-to guy because he was steadfast regarding his moral and ethical codes.  If you look at the word "steadfast" you see the roots for "steady" and "fastened."  In fact, it is a bit redundant because "steady" means "solid" or "fixed" and so does "fastened," as in "fastened down."  Just as the North Star was a steadfast guide for sailors as they navigated the open seas, a person can become a steadfast guide for others, because she always does the right things at the right times for seemingly the right reasons.

Voracious - This adjective frequently refers to appetites, desires, wants.  "Voracity," as a personal characteristic, is similar to greed.  One reason many people across history and in many different philosophical or religious disciplines have emphasized asceticism is because they recognized how voracious our animal natures can be.  In the modern world, the impacts of voraciousness can be magnified because, compared to other time periods, we find it easier to acquire the goods that we used to have to create, raise or grow for ourselves.  What are the results?  Obesity, debt, health problems, social unrest, unequal division of wealth, etc.  Neither you nor I can make the rest of the world less voracious by ourselves, but we can resolve to be North Stars for those around us.  Some day, you may have your own children, and one of your jobs will be to help them learn so they can eventually gain employment opportunities and start families of their own.  The other side of the coin, though, is to teach them to value economy relative asceticism so they also learn how not to waste their resources on trinkets.  Help your children control their voracious appetites.