therealSNEEZY's Xanga

Who Is Barack Obama?

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:29:04 GMT

There is a rather nasty, despicable, and untruthful chain email being sent around about Barack Obama. For the facts, check out this website, and then do some research on your own:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

Just to set the record straight:

Obama is not and never has been a Muslim. Also, it's despicable to vote for or against a candidate solely because of one's religion.

Obama never has gone to a religiously-based school, Muslim or Christian; watch something else besides FOX News - the most indecent name in news - to see a more truthful representation of reality.

Obama was not sworn into office with a Quran; that's just dumb.

Obama says the pledge of allegiance to this country repeatedly.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 23:18:32 GMT

Dear Xanga reader,

It has been 7 months, 7 days, 2 hours, and about 40 minutes since our last conversation. This is the longest break we have taken from one another - and I for one am sorry. Despite our break, I hope this finds you well.

I'm writing to get something creative off my chest in an escape from all the analytical papers I am writing in these next few weeks. The biggest subject on my mind of late is the illustrious graduation. I feel excited, anxious, perplexed, worried, elated, flabbergasted and scared shitless at various parts of the day. Despite this manic state - although 'manic' may be too extreme a word for the description I want to make - I feel like I have been flourishing. In fact, I feel and think this whole year has been one of flourishing.

Late August at the start of my tenure at Pitt last year I was bit anxious about making new friends. After all, I was, and am, about three years older than most of the sophomores - now juniors - around me. Plus, friendships take a lot of effort and time to develop, although I suppose everything good takes time. Yet the efforts I and my soon-to-be friends made paid off. Today, thinking back these past months allows me to see just how large a payoff I have received. I feel like a billion bucks.

I remember leaving RIT after completing two years of school thinking I was leaving a second home. When I returned however it felt like anything but home. Luckily, there are still some good friends I have after leaving, but the place itself contains too many bad memories for it to feel remotely like home. I think my time there can be best described by a Charles Dickens in his famous "A Tale of Two Cities":

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it
was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the
season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other
way...

As my tenure at Pitt draws closer to an end, I think and feel that this indeed a second home for me. Although I want to go back to Nazareth and be with my family for the summer, I do not want to leave the people behind that I've grown to love and admire. I know that I will not only be leaving here with good friends but with great memories as well. As I return to Pitt over the course of next year to visit, I expect this place to have the same feeling of homeliness it has now. And I have most of you to thank for it. Overall I feel the following overused quote by a Sir Winston Churchill best describes my feelings as I leave Pitt:

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 20:10:57 GMT

I'm back at school. Things are looking good. I'm happy - it feels great :)

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Wed, 31 May 2006 13:04:07 GMT

Hey Guys. I've been doing well recently. While browsing a fellow xangan, I came across this speach by Stephen Colbert who spoke a few weeks back at the president's roast. It's so good I had to post it...

STEPHEN COLBERT:

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Before I begin, I've been asked to make an announcement. Whoever parked 14 black bulletproof S.U.V.'s out front, could you please move them? They are blocking in 14 other black bulletproof S.U.V.'s and they need to get out.

Wow. Wow, what an honor. The White House correspondents' dinner. To actually sit here, at the same table with my hero, George W. Bush, to be this close to the man. I feel like I'm dreaming. Somebody pinch me. You know what? I'm a pretty sound sleeper -- that may not be enough. Somebody shoot me in the face. Is he really not here tonight? Dammit. The one guy who could have helped.

By the way, before I get started, if anybody needs anything else at their tables, just speak slowly and clearly into your table numbers. Somebody from the NSA will be right over with a cocktail. Mark Smith, ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, Madame First Lady, Mr. President, my name is Stephen Colbert and tonight it's my privilege to celebrate this president. We're not so different, he and I. We get it. We're not brainiacs on the nerd patrol. We're not members of the factinista. We go straight from the gut, right sir? That's where the truth lies, right down here in the gut. Do you know you have more nerve endings in your gut than you have in your head? You can look it up. I know some of you are going to say "I did look it up, and that's not true." That's 'cause you looked it up in a book.

Next time, look it up in your gut. I did. My gut tells me that's how our nervous system works. Every night on my show, the Colbert Report, I speak straight from the gut, OK? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument. I call it the "No Fact Zone." Fox News, I hold a copyright on that term.

I'm a simple man with a simple mind. I hold a simple set of beliefs that I live by. Number one, I believe in America. I believe it exists. My gut tells me I live there. I feel that it extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and I strongly believe it has 50 states. And I cannot wait to see how the Washington Post spins that one tomorrow. I believe in democracy. I believe democracy is our greatest export. At least until China figures out a way to stamp it out of plastic for three cents a unit.

In fact, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, welcome. Your great country makes our Happy Meals possible. I said it's a celebration. I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.

I believe in pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps. I believe it is possible -- I saw this guy do it once in Cirque du Soleil. It was magical. And though I am a committed Christian, I believe that everyone has the right to their own religion, be you Hindu, Jewish or Muslim. I believe there are infinite paths to accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it's yogurt. But I refuse to believe it's not butter. Most of all, I believe in this president.

Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.

So, Mr. President, please, pay no attention to the people that say the glass is half full. 32% means the glass -- it's important to set up your jokes properly, sir. Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half empty, because 32% means it's 2/3 empty. There's still some liquid in that glass is my point, but I wouldn't drink it. The last third is usually backwash. Okay, look, folks, my point is that I don't believe this is a low point in this presidency. I believe it is just a lull before a comeback.

I mean, it's like the movie "Rocky." All right. The president in this case is Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed is -- everything else in the world. It's the tenth round. He's bloodied. His corner man, Mick, who in this case I guess would be the vice president, he's yelling, "Cut me, Dick, cut me!," and every time he falls everyone says, "Stay down! Stay down!" Does he stay down? No. Like Rocky, he gets back up, and in the end he -- actually, he loses in the first movie.

OK. Doesn't matter. The point is it is the heart-warming story of a man who was repeatedly punched in the face. So don't pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68% of Americans disapprove of the job this man is doing. I ask you this, does that not also logically mean that 68% approve of the job he's not doing? Think about it. I haven't.

I stand by this man. I stand by this man because he stands for things. Not only for things, he stands on things. Things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. And that sends a strong message, that no matter what happens to America, she will always rebound -- with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world.

Now, there may be an energy crisis. This president has a very forward-thinking energy policy. Why do you think he's down on the ranch cutting that brush all the time? He's trying to create an alternative energy source. By 2008 we will have a mesquite-powered car!

And I just like the guy. He's a good joe. Obviously loves his wife, calls her his better half. And polls show America agrees. She's a true lady and a wonderful woman. But I just have one beef, ma'am.

I'm sorry, but this reading initiative. I'm sorry, I've never been a fan of books. I don't trust them. They're all fact, no heart. I mean, they're elitist, telling us what is or isn't true, or what did or didn't happen. Who's Britannica to tell me the Panama Canal was built in 1914? If I want to say it was built in 1941, that's my right as an American! I'm with the president, let history decide what did or did not happen.

The greatest thing about this man is he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change; this man's beliefs never will. As excited as I am to be here with the president, I am appalled to be surrounded by the liberal media that is destroying America, with the exception of Fox News. Fox News gives you both sides of every story: the president's side, and the vice president's side.

But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on NSA wiretapping or secret prisons in eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason: they're super-depressing. And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished. Over the last five years you people were so good -- over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew.

But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works: the president makes decisions. He's the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!

Because really, what incentive do these people have to answer your questions, after all? I mean, nothing satisfies you. Everybody asks for personnel changes. So the White House has personnel changes. Then you write, "Oh, they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." First of all, that is a terrible metaphor. This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg!

Now, it's not all bad guys out there. Some are heroes: Christopher Buckley, Jeff Sacks, Ken Burns, Bob Schieffer. They've all been on my show. By the way, Mr. President, thank you for agreeing to be on my show. I was just as shocked as everyone here is, I promise you. How's Tuesday for you? I've got Frank Rich, but we can bump him. And I mean bump him. I know a guy. Say the word.

See who we've got here tonight. General Moseley, Air Force Chief of Staff. General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They still support Rumsfeld. Right, you guys aren't retired yet, right? Right, they still support Rumsfeld.

Look, by the way, I've got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble: don't let them retire! Come on, we've got a stop-loss program; let's use it on these guys. I've seen Zinni and that crowd on Wolf Blitzer. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle. Come on.

Jesse Jackson is here, the Reverend. Haven't heard from the Reverend in a little while. I had him on the show. Very interesting and challenging interview. You can ask him anything, but he's going to say what he wants, at the pace that he wants. It's like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, by the way, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is.

Justice Scalia is here. Welcome, sir. May I be the first to say, you look fantastic. How are you? [After each sentence, Colbert makes a hand gesture, an allusion to Scalia's recent use of an obscene Sicilian hand gesture in speaking to a reporter about Scalia's critics. Scalia is seen laughing hysterically.] Just talking some Sicilian with my paisan.

John McCain is here. John McCain, John McCain, what a maverick! Somebody find out what fork he used on his salad, because I guarantee you it wasn't a salad fork. This guy could have used a spoon! There's no predicting him. By the way, Senator McCain, it's so wonderful to see you coming back into the Republican fold. I have a summer house in South Carolina; look me up when you go to speak at Bob Jones University. So glad you've seen the light, sir.

Mayor Nagin! Mayor Nagin is here from New Orleans, the chocolate city! Yeah, give it up. Mayor Nagin, I'd like to welcome you to Washington, D.C., the chocolate city with a marshmallow center. And a graham cracker crust of corruption. It's a Mallomar, I guess is what I'm describing, a seasonal cookie.

Joe Wilson is here, Joe Wilson right down here in front, the most famous husband since Desi Arnaz. And of course he brought along his lovely wife Valerie Plame. Oh, my god! Oh, what have I said? [looks horrified] I am sorry, Mr. President, I meant to say he brought along his lovely wife Joe Wilson's wife. Patrick Fitzgerald is not here tonight? OK. Dodged a bullet.

And, of course, we can't forget the man of the hour, new press secretary, Tony Snow. Secret Service name, "Snow Job." Toughest job. What a hero! Took the second toughest job in government, next to, of course, the ambassador to Iraq.

Got some big shoes to fill, Tony. Big shoes to fill. Scott McClellan could say nothing like nobody else. McClellan, of course, eager to retire. Really felt like he needed to spend more time with Andrew Card's children. Mr. President, I wish you hadn't made the decision so quickly, sir.

I was vying for the job myself. I think I would have made a fabulous press secretary. I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns. In fact, sir, I brought along an audition tape and with your indulgence, I'd like to at least give it a shot. So, ladies and gentlemen, my press conference.

For a video, try this site:

http://www.dailymotion.com/sensemilia/video/143459

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Sun, 07 May 2006 09:58:30 GMT

Hello all, it's been a few months. It's amazing how time appears to fly at times. I remember First Year Enrichment (those dreeded FYE classes at RIT) during freshman year as if they were yesterday. And three years later I'm at an entirely different school with an entirely different major and outlook on life. This is not all that uncommon however. I remember at RIT that about 50% of undergrads either change their major or transfer schools by the end of sophomore year. I guess I was just a wee bit late to jump on the band-wagon.

This year at Pitt has been most excellent. At the beginning of the year I had many concerns I would not be able to fit in being nearly 23 years old living in a dorm for 19 -20 year old sophomores. Thankfully, those concerns were proven unsound at the very start of the year when I poured my soul out to two good friends. Over the course of the year I've been able to share that experience with four others, two of which are now good friends. I've made many more friends this year, it's just different. I've learned some friends are good for debates about politics, others for philosophizing with, and others are good just for hanging out and having a good time. It's rare in life to find friends who are good for all areas one is interested in. I only have one friend my age from home who meets that description. But I've managed to meet several here who meet that description in different ways.

Classes were a blast. The most important lessons I've learned this year come from Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics, Social Psychology, Astronomy (Yeah, imagine that!), Bryan Magee's Confessions of a Philosopher, and J. S. Mill's On Liberty. From the Ethics I've learned people are rarely born good or evil. Rather, we are born with a certain genetic code making some of us more altruistic and others more selfish. But just like Aristotle, I do not believe we are slaves to our genes. Most of us have a chance to become more self interested, rather than selfish, through our environment. The more virtuous are actions are, the more virtuous we become. Hence, one of our greatest strengths and one of our greatest weaknesses - we are what we habitually do most. From Social Psychology I've learned the difference between central and peripheral route processing. The former occurs when a speaker uses logic and sound arguments to make his case. The latter occurs when a speaker uses the trust and likeness the audience places in him to please them without offering sound arguments. Politicians and many religious folk I've encountered use this latter route. It is dishonest and can be manipulative. To be successful in gaining support however, we must use a little bit of our trust to get the audience's attention. The audience must trust us to listen. But once they are listening it is in their own best interest that they form their own opinions and be able to back them up preventing the speaker from using coercion. From Astronomy, I've learned our eyes are mere receptacles of the radiation from light sources bouncing off objects. In other words, the world we see is not some independent reality, it is the world we create. Objects aren't inherently blue or yellow, it is our eyes perceiving a certain wavelength and frequency of light that produces the color in our brains. So the next time someone tells you to stop it and get out of your own world, you can reply, that's quite impossible since I create my own world ;)

I won't continue on with what I've learned from the other two books, but they're most excellent reads.

Last school year I took off to work on a co-op. Around this time, I wrote a post containing these lines:
"I miss the joy of last year. I miss the fellowship of last year. I miss the faith of last year. And perhaps most importantly, I miss the purpose of last year. But this is good. After all, isn't it healthy to want joy, to connect with people on a deeper level, to have the assurance that everything will turn out right in the end, and to live every day as if it were your last?"

That "joy" turned out to be ignorance of others' opinions and the reasons they have for having them. That "faith" turned out to be misplaced trust in an individual that will not happen again. That "purpose" turned out to be me willing to bring others to my cause through manipulative means. Again, I will do my best so this does not happen again. After the end of this year agree it is healthy to want joy, but now I've realized just what ignorance is and how to avoid it. I also agree it is healthy to want deep relationships, it's what I now live for. In order for deep relationships to be healthy, however, they must occur when people are willing to shed their masks and get down to their true feelings, not being afraid to disagree with the other. If one is afraid of revealing himself to another, that relationship is not healthy. I disagree with the assurance everything will turn out in the end though. There is room for hope, but not expectation. Perhaps things will work out justly, and perhaps they will not. All we can do is our best. The living every day as if it were your last is pretty damn hard. I've tried to do that this past year and was successful at times, and at others time, not so. But the days this is done right, we receive something a dear friend calls super-hero sleep. It's the kind of sleep we get when we know we've done our best to make the world a little bit better that day. It's an awesome feeling, something I'm going to strive more for.

Well, this post has been quite long enough. I hope this post finds you in good health,
-Sean

Hello all. Expect a good and long post soon. This is what you get for now...

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 01:35:58 GMT

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:32:16 GMT

This post is an explanation of happiness requested by the Socrates Cafe blog ring.

I'm taking History of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. From this class, I've been better able to define "happiness." To the ancient Greeks, living a fulfilling life was important. Living the fulfilling life was known as "eudemonia," which is best translated as happiness. I've recently learned about two different views of happiness. One view stems from Aristotle and the other from Epicurus. Aristotle, from the Nicomachean Ethics, argued that reasoning well is virtue. Someone who reasons well will enter a burning building to safe another's life when there is little risk to himself; this would be brave. However, if the building looks like it could collapse at any minute due to huge flames that block the path of entry to save another, then the virtuous person would not attempt to rescue the other because two lives, the victim and would-be savior, would be lost instead of one. The virtuous person is someone who always makes excellent decisions. Due to always choosing what's right, the virtuous person is happy. Aristotle's virtuoso does not act in ways just to be happy however. His aim is not happiness; it's virtue. If leaving a restaurant with a doggy bag I see a homeless person, it would not be virtuous of me to give my doggy bag away to make myself happy. It would be virtuous of me to give the bag away because it's the right thing to do. Doing the right thing should bring about pleasure. I gain pleasure from giving to the homeless man, but I don't give to receive that pleasure; I give because it's the right thing to do. Happiness, living well, is the fruit of living rightly, living a virtuous life.

Epicurus, another ancient philosopher, disagrees with Aristotle about how happiness should occur. To Epicurus, pleasure is the highest good. I should help the homeless because it makes me feel happy. There is no connection to virtue and happiness here. Many would call Epicurus a hedonist, but there is a difference. He argues that one should abstain from immediate pleasure when it will cause long-term pain. If I have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, Epicurus would advise me to not eat bacon, rather, I should eat a cup of yogurt, even though the bacon will give me much more pleasure than the yogurt would. Happiness then is simply pleasure.

Currently, I agree with Aristotle. Living rightly should coincide with living well. Happiness is the fruit of making right decisions. Is the opposite true? Is living rightly the fruit of living well? Yes, at times one brings about the other. It's similar to smiling in psychology. At times people smile because they are happy. And at other times, people are happy because they smile.

To me, happiness is the feeling of fulfillment one receives after doing a virtuous action.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 02:02:39 GMT

Well, it's been some time since the last post, and a lot has been going on. I've been doing a lot of thinking, but still not enough. I'm continually reminded how I often find myself living in repetition, some sort of pattern. At times it feels as if I'm dreaming while I'm awake and living while asleep. Some people it seems never wake up. I've developed two friendships here at Pitt that I want to keep for the rest of my life. I've told these two friends a lot about what happened at RIT. They also tell me personal things that I can help give advice for. I love it. As humans, we're social beings. Sharing with people our innermost feelings and beliefs should be part of daily life. If I go a day without talking "deeply", I feel I like the day was incomplete. During these incomplete days I've been readying and studying. Books like Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus and Herman Hesse's Siddhartha provide great incite into philosophy. But philosophy, like most crafts, cannot just be studied, it needs to be practiced. In trying to carry out the "good life, " I've realized I've fallen back into a comfort zone of going with the flow, trying to be non-controversial, the nice guy. I remember someone telling me being the nice guy isn’t such a bad thing, after all, when Ronald Reagan passed away, he was best known as 'a nice guy.' Well, that's not enough for me. Just being a nice guy is not what I want to me known for. I want something deeper. But it's hard because habits are difficult to break. I walk by people constantly and occasionally say hello. The reply is usually, "What's up." It's not a question, but a greeting in passing; it usually means "Hey, thanks for noticing me, but I'm too busy to talk to you." Sometimes it feels good. Instead of saying hey, I just not my head at the next person, and when he nods back, a sense of confidence and coolness permeates me. And yet afterwards I feel superficial, dirty, and used even. It's like conditioning.

It seems like we're all so used to shallow conversation that it's all we expect. When someone goes beyond they every day conversations, he's either viewed as savior or weirdo. It's feel horrible writing this, but I too have grown used to this superficiality. Sometimes I'm afraid of stepping outside the regular, of taking a risk. When conversations just run their normal coarse, I regret not going deeper later. But let's be honest. There are times when it's simply not feasible to get into decent conversations because of classes and all. That being said, I'm not saying every conversation of every minute of every day needs to be geared towards questioning the existence of a God or living the "good life". I am saying that in general people don't truly live, we just dream while we're alive. How does one get out of this dream, out of repetition? It’s difficult, but I'm trying to by taking my two friendships deeper and talking with people "on the street" about "controversial" subjects like Christianity and abortion. But it can be done. I’ll continue to post any suggestions I have, and yours are welcome too.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Sat, 22 Oct 2005 01:51:16 GMT

Just watch it. The most real movie.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 19:21:55 GMT

The Case Against Faith

It's been a long time since the last post, and of course I've been doing some thinking. Classes are going well. I'm learning more about myself and what happened at RIT through Social Psych. New Testament class has also given me lots to think about. I've also re-read parts of Ways of Wisdom by Steven Smith, a compilation of what the greats thought of the good life. This post, which I'm warning you will be quite long, will detail what I've leaned regarding Christianity and also what the good life constitutes.

About a week before classes began, while I was still at home in Nazareth, I woke up one morning and realized for the first time I could no longer call myself a Christian. I would be a hypocrite if I designated myself by that name. It felt very strange, overwhelming even. It was as if I betrayed my parents and upbringing for rejecting faith. Now it feels like more like freedom, no religious baggage being carried around this neck anymore. By renouncing Christianity I am free to explore without my perspective being biased towards one religion/philosophy. It is the first step for the earnest search.

I have been researching cases for and against Christianity for about a year and a half. It's the most challenging quest I've ever tried. It's very difficult to try and read the Bible, any religious text for that matter, objectively, but it can and is being done. Considering Jesus is arguably the most influential person of the West, there's remarkably very little evidence of his life. We have nothing he ever wrote, if he did write anything, and not a shred of eyewitness testimony (I'll get into this part later). Outside of the New Testament, there are: the works of Josephus, Jewish rabbis, Tactitus, Mara Bar Sarapion, Pliny the Younger, and Setonius that mention Jesus (some in more detail than others). The Gospel of Thomas, Peter, Secret gospel of Mark, Egeton Papyrus, and Jewish Christian Gospels are all Christian works excluded from the New Testament that also mention Jesus. Because Jesus is mentioned in a variety of sources (it would be impossible for early Christians to fake or edit the plurality of them), it is historically safe to say he did in fact exist and was crucified (the Roman documents and Josephus also mention his crucifixion). It's a start, I can be reasonably assured by claiming Jesus did exist, but is he the God many claim him to be?

To be continued...

Alrighty, almost a week later, I'm finishing this post. Originally I wanted to describe my reasoning for not being a Christian, but that can be easily summed up: I do not believe the Bible is a trustworthy account to base faith off of. It's more like propaganda to me. I would have also gone into some new thoughts of mine after reading The End of Faith by Sam Harris, which I highly recommend for any person. Explaining why I believe this takes a lot of time, time of which I would like to dedicate to other things. Plus, I have a feeling that reading my reasons why the New Testament especially should not be viewed as the infallible Word of God is not going to impact many people. Most people that read this site either are Christians pretty set in their faith or non-Christians set in their particular views. That being said, I will gladly elucidate my views upon request, just respect them as I respect yours. I will go into something more positive though.

The Ways of Wisdom edited by Steven Smith is an awesome compilation of writing of great thinkers and authors. According to Mr. Smith the meaning of life is to find and then live out the good life. The good life consists of living rightly, treating yourself and others as one should, and living well, living a fulfilling life. Living well should be the by-product, fruit, of living rightly, Ideally, they should go hand-in-hand. The fundamental truth in life is that as humans, we are not satisfied where we are at unless living the good life. People can, but usually don't fall upon the good life. People typically are searching for meaning, live in a state of quiet desperation. It's not that everyone needs to pursue a philosophical quest and feels lost without doing so. It's that when we're alone and free to think for ourselves, we feel a sense of meaningless, emptyness. There are some ways to combat this feeling of emptyness. Drinking, drugs, and sports are all ways that temporarily fill the hole of emptyness, but there is something wrong with them. That is, they don't combat the root cause, not living a fulfilling life. The solution to our human condition of emtyness is to search and find the good life through a particular path. Because no person is at the same point in his or her life as another, there are multiple paths that lead to the good life. In the book, Detatchment, Existientialism, God, Humanism, Nature, and others are all paths that might be right for a person depending upon his or her state.

For me, truth is what is most important. Honesty is essential to me. Happiness is therefore put on the back-burner. It is a lot more difficult to believe there is no divine plan or God out there than to believe there is one. It goes against the grain of society. I see myself and others as just being put on this planet. We had nothing to do with our existence here, we simply live it out. Thus, existance precedes essensce. That is, we find ourselves here and then decide who we are as we life. An example of essense preceding existance is the belief in omipotent God who has a grand plan. Existentialists claim we define ourselbes, there is no diving will or human nature. Human being are hence left with their own responsibility for themselves. There are theistic Existentialists like the Christian Kierkgaard, but I'm not familar with his works. Existientialism is the best route for me at this juncture in my life in pursuing the good life. Living the good life entails continually asking Socrates' famous quotation from Plato's Apology:

"Good sir, you are an Athenian, a citizen of the greatest city with the greatest reputation for both wisdom and power; are you not ashamed of your eagerness to possess as much wealth, reputation, and honors as possible, while you do not care for nor give thought to wisdom or truth, or the best possible state of your soul?"