Defend the Poet

Charles Bukowski is by all means, a debbie-downer, a pessimist and any other word that can describe someone with a negative outlook on life. In a social setting, Bukowski sucks. However, in many ways, his outlook on society right now is correct.

Right now, America is in a state of peril. We are rapidly moving further and further towards the point of no return. I think most would agree with Bukowski's views of what is wrong with America right now. The poet is not saying anything too radical because we are, in fact, doomed. I strongly believe that unless there is radical change in the near future, America will have the same fate as Ancient Rome in that we will perish. The similarities are too great to ignore. The disparity between rich and poor is at all time levels and growing, and other nations are growing in to world powers.

I don’t know how exactly we will perish, but we will. Hopefully it is not as bad as the Romans and that we get our acts together, because I genuinely love certain parts of America. But I don’t think that it is possible. Greed has consumed the minds of those who have the power to steer us in the right direction.

So, in Charles Bukowski’s defense, all of what he said is legit.  No reason to criticize him for speaking the truth.

Mother Daughter Father Son

The relationship between a father and his son and a mother and her daughter are in a sense, quite different. However, I think that in many ways, they are the same once you get past the gender differences. The one major difference that I have seen is that I feel mother’s are harder on their daughters than fathers are their sons.

During my childhood, I lived with one brother and one twin sister. When we went to high school, my brother went to college. As a result, I’ve been able to pay close attention to the way that my parents treat my sister, and the way that they treat me. My sister is what people would call a “Daddy’s Girl” and I’m what most people would call a “Mama’s Boy.” M father feels that my sister can do no wrong, however my mother frequently gets her in trouble. Things that my sister does are essentially magnified when dealing with my mother. She is noticeably harder on her, however they still maintain a great relationship. On the flip side, my mother feels that I can do wrong, however she is much more lenient and understanding with me than she is with my sister. My father is neither hard on me nor soft. He is about in the middle of it all. He gets me in trouble when I deserve to get in trouble, and he’s cool when it is not necessary. We do not have the stereotypic “go to the park and play catch” relationship, but I also have a strong relationship with my father.

How do I know what I Know?

This is a question frequently asked by philosophers and other thinkers. Long story short, you don't. You will never be completely sure about anything. In a sense, it is a sad and unfortunate aspect. On the other hand, the uncertainty is a beautiful part of life. I admit I don’t quite understand people’s thought that they don’t quite know anything. I agree w/ Descartes that one is not deceived by their senses. For example, if I lay the ball up and watch it go through the hoop, I know that I watched the ball go through the hoop. There is no disputing that fact. I think that most people would agree with me, however I feel that most would also agree with me in saying that there are few things that we are certain about. I think that the hardest part of this argument is deciding where to draw the line.
How many stars are in the sky? How do I know if I exist? How do I know what I know? etc.... These are all questions that I don't think we will ever know the answer to. I think that most people agree with me on that. Basically, we don't know much of what we know at all.