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Taking the Leap

Often, the most daunting task is the one that needs to be taken. Most people know this, either intuitively or explicitly. And yet, most people don't do what they know they should. Why? The simple answer is that "doing" is incredibly scary. Instead of actually pursuing the things we want or even know will get us closer to the best outcome for our lives, we choose to spend time in turmoil, agonizing over every detail and somehow never feeling "sure" enough. None of what I'm writing is new or novel, but due to circumstances in my own life, I've been forced to grapple with this phenomenon more.  Ultimately, everything has a risk, some are bigger than others, of course, but what I've had to remind myself of multiple times over the past couple of weeks is that inaction also carries risk. But even if one were to completely ignore opportunity costs, in reality, the position you are in today is as similarly unguaranteed as the position you could be in if you

The Euphemistic Treadmill

Over the years, I've noticed a strange trend in how we describe and talk about unpleasant things. Every couple of years or so, a new term replaces an old term that has now become "problematic." Even if these words are very literal descriptions of a phenomenon (like mental retardation, for example). It seems two things happen in tandem (but not always necessarily) to force a change in how a word is understood by broader society.  The first thing is shortening, which is a normal thing that happens in slang and the transformation of words. So, mental retardation, or someone being mentally retarded, changes from a two-word phrase to a single-word "retardation" or "retarded." And the second thing is that the word begins to be used pejoratively instead of descriptively.  For the record, I'm talking strictly about the use and enforcement of different terms in the colloquial language that is spoken by the layman. I'm sure there could be some relevant c

Top Anime and Manga List

Obviously, this is not a review, but this is a non-exhaustive list of some of the anime and manga that have legitimately changed my life. I'll keep adding to this, so keep checking back if you're interested. In addition to the list, I'll also try to add some of my favorite characters from each series as well. I haven't read or watched a crazy amount, but I'll try to keep updating it as my tastes and knowledge grow. This list is in alphabetical order, by the way. If I don't have any characters under an anime/manga, then it's been too long for me to remember exactly who my favorites are or I'm getting to it, you'll just have to guess lol. Attack on Titan Favorite character(s):  Levi* (not unique, I know, but he's just so cool) Erwin Eren Mikasa Beastars Favorite character(s): Legosi's grandpa* Bleach Favorite character(s): Shunsui Kyoraku* Byakuya  Shinji  Yamamoto (even though he got done so dirty by Kubo) Aizen Chainsaw Man Code Geass Death N

Red Pill and Manifesting the Good Life

For those unfamiliar, Red Pill is a philosophy developed from the movie The Matrix , where the main character, Neo is offered two pills by Morpheus, one blue and one red. The blue pill offers contentment and relaxation and exclusion from what is actually going on in the system that operates behind the illusion of order. The red pill offers freedom and the truth of reality. It shows you what's really going on, how dirty and dark the matrix really is. If you want a good idea of the idea that the red pill philosophy appeals to, watch this clip . Introduction The red pill is a movement that has grown significantly in the last couple of years. It consists of men, mostly, who have broken out of the "matrix" and have come to understand the reality of the world. Taking the red pill means seeing through the manipulations and deceptions of society. While vague and slightly confusing, if simply understanding the world for what it truly is was the only consequence of taking the "

The Power of Doing (Sucking)

For me, the phrase, "just do it" is almost synonymous with Nike. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but I must admit that it has made me completely numb to the phrase over the past five years. So numb that even when I hear the phrase in its appropriate context, removed from anything Nike-related, I just think of Nike and it has little to no effect on me. While this may seem like a super random introduction, pretty removed from the title of this post, it isn't. Doing is hard. Doing is so difficult that oftentimes people hold themselves back from achieving the things they want to accomplish simply because they don't do .  Honestly, I can relate to this more than I'd like to admit. Most of the time when we have something that we want to do, what keeps us from starting it is our belief about what might happen if we were to do it. The potential consequences. These consequences might include judgment, wasting money and time, and just being bad at the thing

The Commodification of Islam

Introduction: The rise of Andrew Tate and his swift acceptance by the Muslim community made two disturbing realities shockingly clear to me. One, much of the world, but specifically the Muslim community (Sunnis and Shias) hold shockingly anti-women views and are relatively uneducated about what the religion actually says in regard to women (more on this later). And two, and the topic of this particular post, how I’ve seemed to notice a strange trend of Islamic commodification. Before I continue, like any essayist worth their salt, first, I must define terms. On Commodification: What I mean by commodification is the act of transforming something, be it a value, idea, person, or service into an object of trade and exchange. Commodification is a phenomenon that many are familiar with. It happens with athletes and models, and probably, at least to some extent, is unavoidable with most things in market society as we know it today. In the age of social media, knowledge is becoming more and m

Double Consciousness and Black History Month

It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness, -- an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. - W. E. B. Du Bois When I was younger, I was always fairly disconnected from the idea of Black history month. I did projects about various abolitionists, activists, and freedom fighters. I wrote essays and gave presentations about pioneers of the civil rights movement, but I never felt really connected to the celebration or commemoration of this specific month like I knew I was “supposed to.” I’m not gonna lie, I thought something was wrong with me, “am I not Black enough?” “what’s the big deal anyway?” It felt as if two sides of myself were at war with each other.

Paternalism, Sweatshops, and Their Moral Implications

Another one from school, let me know what you think :) Introduction: Paternalism is generally understood as the interference of a sovereign state or an individual with the choices and actions of another person against their will. This interference is defended by the thought that interfering with the person is actually making them better off. The idea here is that there are some things that a person may want or desire that are not actually good for their well-being. On a larger theoretical scale, arguments about paternalism and its effects raise questions surrounding rationality, preference satisfaction, and most importantly, how individuals should be treated when their decision-making is considered irrational. Paternalists generally have two main concerns, an agent’s knowledge, and their autonomy. Is an agent knowledgeable enough to understand what is actually good for them? And should decisions made under conditions in which options have been limited count as fully rational. For t

Introspection

This is another older post I had written about three years ago now. I think it's probably some of my best writing, even if some of my thoughts or opinions may have changed since then. INTROSPECTION [The believers are] those who, when afflicted by oppression, defend themselves. The requital of an evil act is an evil [act] like it, so whoever excuses and conciliates, his reward lies with Allah. Indeed, He does not like the wrongdoers. As for those who retaliate after being wronged, there is no ground for action against them. The ground for action is only against those who oppress the people and commit tyranny in the land in violation of justice. For such there will be a painful punishment. Since the ruthless, brutal lynching of George Floyd, many different centers, mosques, organizations, and people all across the nation have raised their voices in support of police reform, policy change, and the valuing of black lives. While I have nowhere near the qualifications of many of the peo

Epistocracy, Vote Markets, and Democratic Reform

This post is one of those papers that I wrote in my last semester of college. Majoring in philosophy was probably one of the best things I ever did as it exposed me to so many different thoughts and ideas that I never would have been exposed to otherwise. It also forced me to tighten up my reasoning and writing. But, enough reminiscing. This post examines three different reforms to democracy. If one is not at least a little familiar with the literature of political philosophy in regard to democratic reform, then this post might be slightly confusing. However, I think I do a decent enough job explaining most of the major concepts. In this paper (blog post?), I will argue that secret voting in Congress is the best way to reform democracy. In order to illustrate this, first, I will go over two other potential democratic reforms. Specifically, Jason Brennan’s epistocracy and Christopher Freiman’s vote markets. Second, I will explain the problems these reforms seek to fix, but ultimately wh