What I love most about rivers isToday we discussed Heraclitus and Parmenides in our first debate. It was hectic! The format was structured and fast-paced, and it seemed that most of us weren't completely comfortable with it. My heart was pounding the entire time, even though I only spent a total of thirty seconds talking in front of the class. Despite the fact that the debate felt confusing and unorganized, I thought it was a great experience. I've never had to think on my feet in front of a group of people in such an environment before. Near the end, I wanted the opportunity to get up and try again.
you can't step in the same river twice.
The water's always changing,
always flowing.
As for the content of the debate itself, I was on team Heraclitus. Like the titular character of one of my favorite historically innacurate animated films, I find that Heraclitus's views coincide more with my own. How can a person remain the same having experienced something new and different? Each interaction I make affects who I am. I can never revert to a previous moment of being. Parmenides might rebut that although I may accumulate new thoughts and experiences, I still won't wake up a butterfly tomorrow. To me, this doesn't negate the fact that I've been changed as an individual.
Change is an intriguing and confusing topic within our culture. I think of the 2008 presidential election, when the word symbolized freedom, and improvement for many people. The concept of moving rapidly forward to something new and better was exciting. But others firmly believe that any more change in our government would lead to further decay, and that we must attempt to revert back to it's original state. We see the same idea of progression vs. regression repeated in other aspects of our society and lives. We want to move forward in our lives and community, without drifting too far from what makes us who we are.
Very thoughtful and insightful post Anne. I enjoyed the reference to Pocahontas--what is it with Disney's obsession with women who give up everything for a man? I am glad to hear you wanted another shot at thinking on your feet in a debate forum. You will get many more chances to do so. One way of interpreting Parmenides is to think about how the human condition, while it may in fact change for all of us and is impacted by time, the state of being human has not changed. What the ancients contemplated is still what we contemplate today. I found your reference to politics intriguing as the use of slogans provides us with different contextual meanings for simple words. It's thought provoking to consider how a simple word like change can have so many wider social, political and philosophical meanings.
ReplyDeleteMr. S
Interestingly, Pocahontas is the only Disney "princess" who does not end up with a man at the end. Although I forget what happens at the end of Pocahontas 2...
ReplyDeleteI agree about the human condition. Although people have very different perspectives, we essentially have the same needs and wants.
Words are powerful things!