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Michael M. Winburn Professor Brendan Hogan Intro. to Philosophy 每 HUP 101.8638 Term Paper 每 Due Mon 8/11 ※Discovering The Way In Life§ ※What Should I do in this Situation that will result in a peaceful existence?§ That＊s one of those questions that seem to defy the perfect answer. In fact, it could be said that the answer to that question can make us or break us. That is, the answer makes us successful in enjoying life or wholly unsuccessful. Yet, if being able to answer this question correctly will enable us to experience a good life, so too then, answering incorrectly will cause anxiety, stress, and take us down roads we＊ve had no business traveling＃an no desire to stay on. Such was the question I had to ask myself last week. While on my way to school from work, I was verbally, and physically attacked by two senior high school students. It was about 5:15 and a co-worker and I stood on the platform. The train doors opened and lucky for us, 3 seats next to the door were available. Or, so we thought. No sooner had we＊d taken 2 steps toward the seat then out of nowhere - !! Splat, Splat !! Little green pieces of fruit hit the back of the seat, slid down and landed on the saddle! From directly across the train aisle, two teen-aged girls had begun throwing fruit on the floor, on the seat, and, then threw it NEAR us! What should I do in this situation that will result in a peaceful existence? We merely looked at them with disbelief＃ obviously they had some problem that we knew nothing about＃ and didn＊t want to know about either. With trepidation we merely wiped the fruit from the seats and sat down 每 they were, as Murphy＊s Law would have it of course, the only seats available on the car. Next thing we know, while talking to each other, suddenly out of nowhere, and without provocation, splat!! !!Splat!!! Fruit was flying and hit us. The girls obviously noticed our disdain when having looked their direction the girls began to yell ※Yeah, and what are you going to do about it＃§We will beat your &^*%^&$ [rear-ends] !! You and that [European-American Female] you＊re with.§ (European-American 每 of course - that＊s the politically correct term for people whose ancestors came, at point in U.S. History, from Europe. Don＊t be confused by it though, that person no more came from Europe than I came from Africa 每 but, that＊s the society we live in now). I only mention the fact as it seems the nature of the verbal assault was racial. Two brown skinned teens saw a brown skinned man and a fair skinned woman sitting on the train talking＃and the racial slurs abounded!! I＊d not heard such foul language, hate, confusion, and delusion since my child hood - when fair skinned Police (Officers of ＃the Law?) would drive by and yell at us shades of brown skinned people us from their State authorized Police Cruisers, ※Get out of our neighborhood you &*%#$§. Of course, perhaps he thought I didn＊t live on the ※white side of town§ and his non sequitur was the source of his remark. But after he followed me home one day with his slurs, and then continued his remarks frequently thereafter, I was convinced he was just the wrong person to be working for ※The Law§. What Should I do in this Situation that will result in a peaceful existence? The real inner turmoil began when one girl got up a walked toward us 每 fist in tow and declared, ※What are you going to do, I＊ll kick your *&%$# right now; get up, do something＃don＊t just sit there, do something＃.§ !! Splat , Splat !!! The other girl threw more fruit and some hit my friend in the face＃ and some landed behind me. By now, the entire car of course was now looking our direction＃. Anticipating an outcome. Okay, I ask you, how do you think I should have responded? Better yet, how would you respond? The Asian sage nick-named Lao Tzu answers with one of the finest possible solutions that everyone can benefit from. He says in essence, If you want to Discover ※The Way§ of life, you＊ll have to understand ※The Way of Reversal§, prefer ※Yin to Yang§, and acquire the discipline of the ※Action of Doing Nothing§. This is the key to every situation where one finds himself or herself posed with the question, ※What Should I do in this Situation that will result in a peaceful existence§. According to Douglas J. Soccio, author of the book Archetypes of Wisdom, a Sage is the oldest philosophical archetypal figure who combines religious inspiration and extraordinary insight into the human condition＃The term sage has been used to refer to masters associated with religious traditions, to the wise elders of a group or tribe, and to philosophers whose lives reflect noteworthy integrity, compassion, and courage. The title ※sage§ is historically associated with individuals who manifest a deep, lifelong commitment to learning and teaching that extends beyond an academic interest in living wisely.(26) I＊ve had the great privilege of studying several such ※sages§ under the teaching of the inimitable and inspiring Professor Brendan Hogan while here at New York＊s LaGuardia Community College.
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