Welcome

So welcome to my art of living web log. The only ones reading this are probably my classmates, my extremely wonderful and intelligent professor who is jumping on the blog wagon, and my parents. But those are the only people that would be interested in such a reflection journal anyway so I wouldn't find myself dissapointed if this isn't picked up as a column in the New York Times. I was prompted to start this journal because I am required to. The more I thought about it after tonight's class, the more I realized that it's probably going to be quite an experience. I have another journal that some of my friends read, but that mostly consists of everyday happenings in my life, occasionally interjected with reflections or inwardly-directed conclusions. In contrast, this journal aims to serve as a documentation of my 14-week endeavour into true philosophical thinking, which I have never done before in an academic setting. It's both exciting and new, but not scary or cause for nervousness.

I suppose I can begin by addressing this title of this entry. What the...? Until today, I hadn't the faintest idea what "Art of Living" meant. Now I know that it's how one lives his or her life, is basically how I interpret it. I'm sure my definition of the concept will gel in the coming weeks. Until then, these entries will evolve as Dr. Schmid stated they would. For now, they may seem a little scattered (as this one obviously is), but I anticipate falling into a routine of reflecting on life, and what's going on in the world. Oh, and most importantly, assignments from class.

This being entry #1, it might be a good opportunity to briefly describe what I view as my art of living, as I'm sure it's going to develop in the coming weeks (but probably not change). I believe that one can have a sound moral system without a belief in God or gods or even without possessing any spirituality at all. This is how I operate. I don't kill because it hurts other people, not because I fear God. Similarly, I don't cheat in college because it defeats the purpose of me and my parents paying for my education, not because a being more powerful than myself deems cheating wrong ("higher power" in this case being both God and the university administration). Aside from morality, which includes honestly, I'm also big on personal accountability. In other words, not placing blame on others or some unseen force. There are influences that may have contributed to one's present condition that were outside of that person's control, but a degree of this personal accountability is highly important to me. Humans haven't gotten as far as they have by sitting around blaming their problems on outside factors.

So there you have it, my first post in what I'm sure will prove to be a rather intruiging journal, at least for a small segment of the population. This one was rambling, but I promise I'll work on that!