Sickness unto Death

Dear Other:

The next reading will be "The Sickness unto Death" written by Kierkegaard. The reading will come from the text "Basic Writings of Existentialism" [ISBN: 978-0-375-75989-5] pages 42-105.

The time and date are January 30, 2010 at 2PM in the Queens Library at Forest Hills.

I was able to schedule for December but no promotional literature was going to be available from the library. In other words, I was unable to contact those participants who wanted to continue.

Further questions, please email me at:

exist314159@gmail.com

Self

Fear and Trembling

Dear Other:


A meeting will be held at the Forest Hills Library on November 21, 2009 to discuss Kierkegaard's "Fear and Trembling." The meeting is free and open to the public. Please review the links on the side of this webpage. I am using written selections from the book, "Basic Writings of Existentialism" by Gordon Marino [ISBN: 978-0-375-75989-5]

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCE:
- Knight_of_faith


Self

IN MEMORIAL

JAMES LANGERGAARD
("The crowd is untruthful.")

Dear Other:

I met James in January of 2009 at the NY Existential Book club which was discussing the "The Irrational Man." James was the founder of the group. We were scheduled to meet again at the Existential Reading Circle's August 2009 meeting. Unfortunately, this was not to occur due to tragedy. James was killed in a bicycle accident on the boulevard a few days before the meeting.

I wanted to say something about James here, as I felt it was a tribute to his efforts in running an Existential book club. James was a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, an advocate for bicyclists and sometimes street philosopher. Oh, and he was fond of cats.

May he rest in peace.

Self

(See link below for more. )
http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/08/17/in-memoriam-james-langergaard/

Ascent into Rationalism - The Stranger

Dear Other:

On Tuesday night, July 28th 2009, the Existential Reading Circle discussed “The Stranger,” by Albert Camus. The conversation became animated at the end of Part 1.

At the end of Part 1, Meursault returns to the beach where the Arab, who is an agent of Meursault’s dead mother, confronts Meursault with a knife. The knife represents a phallic symbol. The Sun, which represents a violent process, causes Meursault to lose control. In losing control, Meursault squeezes once on the trigger of his gun. The gun being a counter phallic symbol to the knife. This one shot results in the death of the Arab, ending the threat of the mother bringing Meursault closer to death.

The main issue is Meursault pauses, after this first shot, and then shoots the Arab four more times. The number 4 became significant and contrasted with the number 3. The number 3 represents a cycle. The number 4, on the other hand, represents linearity. Reading from my outline, I suggested the 4 shots represented the linearity entry of Meursault into the world of rationalism, where power and authority dominate in the form of the court in Part 2.

This was further enhanced by Meursault’s words after the shooting, “I understood that I had destroyed the harmony of the day.”

What do you think?

Self

(Post will appear at online group, please see “Online Discussion Group – Join” link.)

The Stranger by Camus

An Unfamous Quote

Dear Other:

Q: Where shall Self turn to? --------------------> Ans: To Hope.

In a world of evermore modern secularization and computerized automatons employment is shifting to the machine. Talk to a taxi toward your destination is under development, jobs being filled by e-ployments.

Machines have become common peripherals to existence. Thus the role of the local neighborhood has diminished as our community goes online or to a favorite channel. Real time interpersonal communications are on the intermediary of a transistor?

"Believe in yourself. Nobody else will."

ARTICLE:
Markoff, John. (July 25, 2009). Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man. New York Times. Retrieved July 19, 2009 from
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/science/26robot.html?_r=1&hp



Self

Pizza Construction

Dear Other:

Q: What is Existentialism? - - - - - - - - - -> Ans: A pepperoni pizza!

The pepperoni is where one can stand on a hard surface, confident and sure of oneself. Here one can reason logically to find meaning in life. Plato and Descartes stand tall there. Once, I got up on the pepperoni studying at the University. Trying very hard to stay atop on my hands and knees, the turbulence soon became too much. I fell back into the pie.

Fell into the cheese. Once in the cheese, I found flaws in logic, irrationalism and a struggle in the thick ooze of life. Stuck I almost drowned, almost. Now, I manage to stay afloat. How? One grabs a handful of cheese and forms this into a shape one finds meaning in. I hold onto this shape, stay afloat and survive.

This task is difficult as I bob up and down, bumping my head against the pepperoni. Another swims by and points out the absurdity of my creation. I must agree but stay alive.

Let us not forget the final ingredient, the crust. This is the most important because the crust is love. Love surrounds the whole and gives structure and support to our cheese and pepperoni. The crust is a place where we find each other.

I will wait for you there.

Self

txamg6ryf9

The Blogger

Dear Other:

Monday night walking through the park on Madison and 25th street, a man sitting on a bench was yelling, loudly and psychotically about unfulfilled wants or needs. I did not ask. I continued on.

In these difficult economic times many people are in, one might ask, was he homeless, mentally ill, a man in difficult financial situations?

Looking upon myself as blogger there appeared similarities. Ready to cry to the abyss of cyperspace, receiving no ping or knowing who cares not, others are busy to their destination.

The role of organizer of the Existential Reading Circle came unexpectedly. A blooger? Who me? This man on the bench and me, in a situation not planned or imagined. A destination arrived by choices, a responsibility too.

I am the blogger on a bench, screaming in anguish!

Self.

Day One

Dear Other:

I want to introduce myself. I am the organizer of the Existentiali Reading Circle. Please follow this link for more information: http://www.meetup.com/existentialreading/.

I am only a reader. I am not an existentialist or a philosopher. I am somebody like you. This means I have been moved by recent events in our world.

This blog will be about those events and what I learn from reading existentialist material. I hope together we can share our experiences here in this place, a place we call home.

Self