The Weekly Plunder: Week 13 - Change

This week, an unusual warm front meant that I took my afternoon walks without needing a jacket. One of my favorite colleagues retired, my first boss is retiring at year’s end, and my foot is inching closer to a return to running (after re-learning to walk and bike, it’s the elusive next step). It seems appropriate for late fall to signify a lot of change.

Speaking of change, I think there are two interesting philosophies regarding a person’s ability to change. The first is what I deem the “Stephen King” belief. King seems to (almost cynically) believe that we are all trapped in a vicious circle, forever doomed to repeat our past errors and (quite likely) the errors of our parents. Note how the abused child tends to become the abusive parent.

King’s Dark Tower series, for example, signifies that a quest to find the meaning of it all, a quest to the end, inevitably takes the pursuer back to his or her beginning.

Then there’s the more optimistic view of humanity’s ability to change: that as long as we’re willing to change and willing to undergo pain, change is entirely possible and never too late.

I like to think that my belief on change falls somewhere between these two sides.

What I’m watching:

I found this to be pretty hilarious!

What I’m listening to: “Changing” by John Mayer. I listened to a lot of John Mayer this week and find this song relevant for the blog topic.

What I’m reading: A little philosophy by Sartre. If it’s true that there is no reality besides the reality that the individual perceives, anyone able to shape a culture’s doors of perception is essentially a God. The social media gatekeepers therefore have far more power than even the most cynical of us believes.

What I’m doing: I assembled my skateboard and have been doing some early practice with what my ankle can currently handle. I’m also making travel plans for next year.

I had thought about training for a triathlon, but frankly I find the idea too “linear” and the training too boring. I might do one for fun, but it would have to be in my own style, and my own style would involve more randomness than a traditional training method would encompass.

I’m thinking about change and how it relates to me. What will I (we) change this week for the better, both in myself (ourselves) and the world around me (us)?