Rousseau and the Meaning of Life.

So, this morning on my walk to class i thought of something really interesting and i was like "Hey, that would be cool to type about in my BLOG!" but of coarse, the time is now here and i have forgotten it...

So, lets try back track and start and the potential roots of what may have birthed the idea i had this morning. It had something to do with finding the meaning of life...

"Wow, Lance, what a way to start your day!"

I know i know...its just a random reoccurring thought i get every once in a while...no big deal....

But it may begin with what i was talking about in my last post: Iv been getting into alot of philosophy and currently I am reading Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Social Contract and the First and Second Discourses. One idea of his i have attached to most is his idea that WE the people are enslaved by ourselves. How are we enslaved? Well basically how we have built our society and how much we depend on other people. Just think of ONE thing that we can do without having to depend on someone else....

I'll give you a couple of seconds to think about this.....

Nothing....We depend on someone to something for us always....to fulfill simple or natural needs like going to the bathroom. Yeah, we are in TOTAL control of our own baldder...sometimes, but where are you going to go? Someone needs to do the plumbing and set up a toilet for us right? Or perhaps be a spotter while you pee behind a parked car...

Even eating, we have people make our food for us and go grocery shopping for us, and how do we do this? Cars, roads, utensils, everything made by another person who is depending on that job that you depend on him/her for so that they can put food on their table...

Do you see where i am going? Now im not singling myself out either, saying i dont depend on anyone, i mean, iv lived on my own since i was 19 or something and i still have my mom do my laundry, so there!

Very seldom are we able to complete a task without someone else hands helping us.

But, within this I have focused a lot of attention on questioning MATERIALISM. Buying things we don't need strictly to boost our appearance to others. Why do we need leather car seats when fabric does just as good? Why do we need these expensive blue jeans when all pairs of blue jeans look pretty much exactly the same? Now i dont know where im getting with all this, but its certainly something to think about, how pretty much our own worst enemy is ourselves and there is really nothing to do about it...

And that's where it all begins, the meaning of life. I dont know the meaning of life, but I'm pretty sure its probably something really close to exactly what you (WE) are doing with our own lives right now. But how, amongst all this enslavement and dependence on other people and materialism, do we get our own meanings in our own INDEPENDENT lives? I feel this is why I have chosen to be vegan or why i have chosen to be straight edge. To keep me grounded in my own life on my own world. Not as a campaign against the meat industry or anything, but its something i can hold onto, stronger then any pair of jeans i have bought or larger then any house you can buy. Its who I am. Break dancing, or any form of dancing is an expression stronger then any expression you will find printed on a t-shirt. I believe these are what give us meaning, our personal endeavors, not our personal property or belongings. And it's just too bad that there are actually people out there who are so caught up in how they appear to others that they forget the more organic importance of individualism and of life and they focus more on how they want their hair to look like.

And thats that...i guess. Take it how you want, if you take it all...

How about some more basic stuff...

Breakdancing is doing real well, we are performing at a real big halloween party at the Terminal. Its probably going to be the biggest party on hallween night, so thats good. Oh and who will we be performing with? Lyric Born...i know, no big deal really...
This performance is definatly way better then the last one too. I think i have learned more about breakdancing while practicing and running this routine than at the actual classes that Im taking. While doing this performance i have also gotten into a couple more styles of dancing, one is popping and locking, kind of like moving like a robot and stuff. The other is House dancing, i have been taking House classes for a couple months now but its becoming more of an interest now.


Just check out some of this house dancing...one of the best videos of house dancing on the net!


And then this is an awesome video of some old school kids doing some popping and locking


Alright, well, im going to end this now.

I was listening to the new Tiesto while typing some of this and I usually dont like Tiesto or techno really...but his new album is pretty cool, has a bunch of guest appearances, one of which is by Jonsi of Sigur Ros. Awesome.

Other listens have been:

Rise and Fall
Nosaj Thing
Bibio
Pivot
Flying Lotus...Ha, i just keep listing him, cause he is that good, i do always listen to him...

Things a lil different...

Been doing things a bit different Priorities are changing, you know...

I think it is just the fall season....the season for change. It happens every year i think, no matter what. Its just when everyone starts going to school, moves back to the big city, starts working more, or whatever, you just automatically feel the need for change too.

Because of my "Intro To Political Theory" class i have been reading a lot of philosophy books, all different philosophers, and all of them are pretty much about governing yourself, people, and the state of the nature around you. So, with this I have been trying to find relevance and relation with this, im going to say, perspectives on life. Im trying to take a different perspective on life and try learning a few new things about myself. Its difficult, yes, but its all a learning experience, right?

I'll dive further into this in the future, but for now im tired and will keep it easy and simple.

Lately iv been doing the usual, going to school full time, trying to work at the same time. Still break dancing, iv even got another performance coming up, halloween night at the opera house, it will be an awesome awesome performance with all the best dancers in TC....oh and we will be dressed as zombies.

I went through a bunch of old clothes and i am looking to sell a bunch of old t-shirts and pants, a lot of band t-shirts that iv aquired over the years, some stylish expensive t-shirts that i bought without thinking....just a bunch of shirts, and some pants and sweaters. Most of it is pretty gal darn new too, barely worn. Selling them cause i dont wear them cause they probably fit funny, or whatever. $2, $5, 10$?? I dont know, but if YOU know, then talk to me...

Im going to Boston in a week or so....the weekend of the 16th...Edge day.

iv been making rounds at the library again, they've got a bunch of good stuff there....
so...im going to list a few things iv been listening to lately and then im going to bed....typical ending, right?

Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians
Philip Glass - Solo Piano
Flying Lotus....OBVIOUSLY!
Trapped Under Ice - Secrets of The World....This is an AMAZING hardcore album....blew me away, iv always been on edge about liking this band but once i heard this album i listened to it for a good 2 weeks straight, non stop. BLEW ME AWAY.

And currently I'm listening to Burial, to fall asleep.