Aristotle's Happiness

I've been studying Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics in my philosophy class and it's been really uplifting. One thing I really enjoyed was his take on happiness and being virtuous.

J'étudie l'Éthique de Nicomaque de Aristote dans mon cours de philosophy et ça a été vraiment génial. Une chose en particulier que j'ai appréciée est son point de vue sur le bonheur et la vertu.

To make things short, Aristotle explains that happiness is the ultimate goal of humankind and that we are happy when we are virtuous. Meaning if our decisions are done based on virtues, such as courage and temperance, happiness will ensue.

Pour résumé le tout, Aristote explique que le bonheur est le but ultime de l'humain et que nous sommes heureux lorsque nous agissons vertueusement. Ce qui veut dire que si nos décisions sont basées sur les vertus, telles que le courage et la tempérance, le bonheur en découlera.

This then leads the thinker to suggest that we are not born virtuous. It comes with practice. Just like to become a dancer I need to dance, I need to do virtuous acts to become virtuous, thus happy. In other words, happiness demands... you guessed it! Discipline!

Cela mène ensuite le penseur à suggérer que nous ne sommes pas nés vertueux. Ça vient avec la pratique. Tout comme pour devenir une danseuse il faut que je me pratique à danser; il faut que je fasse des actions vertueuses pour être vertueuse, et ainsi heureuse. En d'autres mots, le bonheur demande... vous l'aurez deviné! De la discipline!

Also, the more virtuous you are, the easier it is to cope with the difficult situations. I especially like this last part because Aristotle reminds us that we are only human and that human happiness is imperfect. I also relate to it because of my buddhist upbringing and the down to earth approach to life I was taught from it.

D'ailleurs, plus nous sommes vertueux, plus il est facile de faire face à des situations difficiles. J'aime particulièrement cette partie, car Aristote nous rappelle que nous ne sommes qu'humain et que le bonheur humain est imparfait. Je m'associe aussi cette idée à cause de mon éducation bouddhiste qui avait une approche toute aussi terre à terre.

Past Achievements

Photo by Lohbado

The other day I was talking to my friend, L, about the flaws in our education system and she came up with a point I had never thought of before. She said she had a hard time in school as a kid. She would go up to a teacher and say she didn't understand something, to that they'd simply ask:"What don't you understand?" L said it was frustrating for her. It made her feel bad, as if she wasn't smart enough. She then told me that if she became a teacher she'd always ask what the kid DOES understand so that there can be a starting point to understanding what must be learned.

L'autre jour je parlais avec mon amie, L, des failles dans notre système d'éducation et elle m'a sorti un argument auquel je n'avais jamais pensée auparavant. Elle disait qu'elle avait eu de la difficulté à l'école lorsqu'elle était enfant. Elle allait souvent voir l'enseignant pour lui dire qu'elle comprenait rien et à cela le professeur répondait simplement: «Qu'est-ce que tu ne comprends pas?» L m'a dit que c'était frustrant de se faire demander des évidences. Elle se sentait mal, comme si elle n'était pas assez intelligente. Elle m'a ensuite dit que si elle devenait professeur, elle s'assurerait de toujours demander ce que l'enfant comprenait pour qu'il puisse y avoir un point de départ pour mieux apprendre. 

Photo by Lohbado

This made me think of my whole "discipline" thing. I constantly bash myself for procrastinating, but I never highlight what I do well. That's why today I thought I'd do the whole Pavlov's dog theory and highlight what I am disciplined in to help me achieve my goals. In fact, I think I have been achieving my goal for longer than I thought simply by dressing up and having a blog. Whether what I do are masterpieces or not, it's not the important part. Actually, I should be proud of being much more creative on a daily basis that the average person. I dance every day and that's a sign of persistence in itself.

Cette discussion m'a par après fait réfléchir sur toute mon affaire de «discipline». Je me rabaisse constamment pour ma procrastination, mais je ne souligne jamais ce que je fais bien. C'est pourquoi, aujourd'hui, j'ai décidé de tester la théorie des chiens de Pavlov en soulignant ce que j'ai déjà réussi, pour continuer à atteindre mon but. En effet, je pense que j'atteind mon objectif depuis plus longtemps que je ne le pense, simplement par le fait que je me suis toujours efforcée à bien m'habiller et avoir un blog. Si ce que je fais ce sont des chefs-d'oeuvre ou pas, ce n'est pas l'important. En réalité, je devrais être fière d'être plus créative que la personne moyenne. Je danse à tous les jours et cela est une preuve de persévérance en soi. 

Photo by Lohbado

This realization was important to understand that achieving a goal doesn't come with a clear finish line either, especially with discipline, because it is something constant that I try to incorporate in my life on a daily basis. That is why noticing my current routine and identifying my efforts will hopefully help me get where I want to be.

Cette prise de conscience a été importante pour comprendre qu'atteindre un objectif ne viendra pas avec une ligne d'arrivée clair et nette, surtout quand il est question de discipline, parce que c'est quelque chose de constant que je veux incorporer dans mon quotidien. C'est pour cela qu'en analysant ma routine actuelle et en identifiant mes efforts je pourrai éventuellement arriver là où je veux être.

See more of Lohbado at http://clubmorono.blogspot.ca/

Discipline

Discipline. If I want to succeed in the arts, or in life in general, I need discipline. It enables you to have a structure for your creativity to bloom. At first, it seems like a restrictive way of working, but it actually helps you to evolve. It obliges you to always advance and fine tune your technique.

Être disciplinée. Si je veux réussir dans les arts, ou dans la vie en général, j'ai besoin de discipline. En effet, ça permet d'avoir une structure pour faire épanouir sa créativité. À première vue, le terme semble présenter une manière restrictive de travailler, mais elle permet en fait d'évoluer. Être disciplinée m'oblige à toujours avancer et peaufiner ma technique.

However, I say all of this, but I'm actually way more prone to procrastination. I never push myself to take the next step. Therefore, this month is somewhat an opportunity for me to establish a way of working. Before doing anything though, I had to define what discipline means. 

Cependant, je dis tout ça, mais je suis beaucoup plus enclin à la procrastination. Je ne pousse jamais à passer à l'action. C'est pour cela que ce mois-ci est en quelques sortes une manière d'établir une éthique de travail. Par contre, avant de faire quoi que ce soit, j'ai dû définir qu'est-ce qu'être disciplinée.

Then, I figured out what I wanted to be disciplined about. I created a list of things that I want to succeed in, and I figured out what could help me to accomplish my goals.

Puis, j'ai décidé ce dans quoi je voudrais être disciplinée. J'ai créé une liste de ce que je veux accomplir et je me suis trouvée quelques trucs pour accomplir ceux-ci.

I also found a list of resolutions I made last summer that could motivate me on my creative path. On that note, I will be posting every Monday evening, and maybe other evenings if I get good at this whole no procrastination lifestyle.

J'ai aussi trouvé une liste de résolutions que j'ai fait l'été passé qui pourront me motiver dans mon parcours créatif. Sur ce, je vais publier des articles tous les lundi soirs, et peut-être d'autres soir si je deviens bonne à vivre sans procrastination.

Grown Woman

Grown Woman - Beyoncé

I've thought a little bit about womanhood in the past, although this month I put a little extra thought into it. I know we're technically in February and I should be moving on to a different theme, but I believe it's important to finalize what I want to say on the subject. To give an idea of how I proceeded in my exploration, here are some questions I used to guide myself. What is womanhood? Is it important to emphasize the use of this term? Could it simply be adulthood?

Firstly, I'd like to clarify the definition of this word that can sometimes be very vague to some. Womanhood means the state or condition of being women. It defines women as a whole, a collectivity. It also stands for women who are no longer girls. Basically, this word signifies maturity, aging and the responsibility of women in general.

Now that that's out of the way, let's carry on to our main analysis. Though, adulthood and womanhood are very similar in their form, I believe there should be a slight differentiation between the two. On one hand, we have a term that includes the world population. There's nothing wrong with that, except that women have a particular status in society that should be pondered upon more.

To me womanhood is about understanding the position of women in society and sharing our knowledge about it with others. It is a way of taking a stand against the unrealistic standards of our society and distancing ourselves from them by doing whatever we have to do. I see this concept as a informal solidarity group for women around the world. It serves the purpose of encouraging each other and uplifting ourselves into a position of fulfillment and richness. Therefore, I think transitioning into womanhood is very important, because it is like signing a paper saying: "I will encourage my peers and not feel subjected to follow all of our societies norms."

I would also like to particularly emphasize the idea of transition. Womanhood and adulthood is all about evolving and change, it isn't a level up in Mario Bros. It might sound obvious to some, but it wasn't to me at first. I often expect things to change drastically from one day to another without any effort, but that's unrealistic. If we want change, there is an effort that has to be put into it. That is valuable for anything in life. It's also something I'm working very hard on lately. Thus, to fully flourish in womanhood, one must await to put energy into it. Miracles are rare.

On a last note, i'd like to share an observation I would of never thought about if it weren't for this article by Junot Diaz. It shows probably one of the only advantages there is to be placed second in society. To paraphrase what he says in his short text, Junot says women have a bigger point of view on society. We are born into a world were we are taught the mentality of white, cis-gender, heterosexual men (WCHM). Consequently, everyone outside that category has the advantage of having both the experience of the average WCHM and their own. He develops his point of view through literature, saying women create more refined characters because of their larger acknowledgement of what surrounds them. Basically, this is a great example that shows that it's possible to use our disadvantages to elevate ourselves.

All and all, being a woman can be amazing if we learn to work in solidarity, and if we encourage each other to take a stand in a world where women are still seen as unequal to men. I would also like to add that this idea of unity is applicable to any group of people who face inequality in this world; people of color, transgender people, Native Indians, you name it! Be curious and discover what others have to say about their experience in society.

Under your Trees I Forget about Me

Swan Pond - Julie Doiron

Being alone is a conflicting idea to me. I've never felt any problem with it; at least not for short periods of time. Indeed, I very much enjoy being alone at home for days and days. I feel like I can be creative and have control over my life. It gives me a sense of space, and honestly, if I were to move out any time soon, I'd live on my own, because the idea of others being in my space, my cocoon, bothers me. 

The idea of solitude makes me feel safe. There is no judgment from the world. I can do what I want. I can lie down on the floor and just stare at the ceiling. Or even better, I can pretend to be a Noh actress walking around each room and dancing. I can also just be totally lazy once and a while without feeling guilty. Basically, being alone gives me the right to totally weird out and do what I want.

As much as I like my solo time, there are still cons to it. I mean there's a reason why solitude and loneliness are often synonyms. In fact, I like to think of myself as being part loner and part social butterfly. I love being on my own, but I also don't like being totally confronted with myself. There are parts of me that still scare me, and staying isolated from others sheds light into corners I don't want to see. I think a lot of people feel that way though. That's why I think it's healthy to see others. It makes me feel stimulated and good about myself. I also have the opportunity to laugh and talk about anything I want. It's very exciting and sometimes makes it hard for me to want to be alone.

All in all, being alone remains a world of duality. On one hand, I feel free, but on another level, it gives me too much time to pick on old scabs. I guess what's important is to create a balance between the two. I can easily spend three days alone, but after I do enjoy the company of my dear friends. 

Bernini's Caricature of Pope Innocent XI 

80's Celebrities Against Austerity

Karma Chameleon - Culture Club

For a little while now, the Quebec government has been trying to make budget cuts in public services with numerous austerity measures. They have been targeting the public transportation system, the health system, our education system, our cultural heritage; people who don't have any political power, people who are minorities, people with mental disabilities, people with handicaps. These austerity measures also have an impact on the environment.

This is outrageous, because our whole society shouldn't be affected by a small percent of greedy people. Almost everyone in Quebec is affected by this. Actually, EVERYONE is affected, because if we're ruining the environment, we're ruining everything.

The list of reasons why these measures shouldn't be put into action is very long, but I wanted shed some light on the overall situation. This cause is important to me. That's why on October 31st, my college was on strike and we demonstrated with thousands of other students and workers.

It was a fun day! It was Halloween, so everyone dressed up and demonstrated in a festive manner. My two friends and I decided to dress up as 80's celebrities. B. was David Bowie, S. was Cindy Lauper and I was Boy George (only one person recognized my costume, but that's fine!) Anyways, it was a nice day. All my friends were there and I walked through parts of Montreal I had never scene before. It was beautiful.

I've been wanting to share some pictures since, but I almost forgot. So here are a few pictures that portray the absolute opposite of solitude. October 31st was a day of solidarity for me. We came together to show the government that it is impossible to silence 7, 903, 001 people.

For some reason our faces look really weird on this picture. I guess the image got too compressed. Sorry about that!

Beauty and Dance

I hadn't planned on writing tonight. But since I haven't posted anything in over a week, I thought I owed it to you, and to myself, to share certain things I pondered upon throughout the last few days. As the month has been going by, I've been thinking more and more about the concept of beauty. I had many ideas and opinions of what it could be, but it was only after watching Wim Wenders' Pina that it all fell into place. In fact, I realized that beauty goes way farther than appearance. It is something intangible that our mind creates. I believe there are two (or more) ways of seeing beauty. One is may be more instinctive and the other emotional.

On one hand, we might say beauty is a way to label things around us; to differ, for example, a good mate from a bad one. This instance is a concept that is, in some sorts, related to Darwin's theory of evolution. He believed biological characteristics change throughout many generations to ensure the survival of a specie. This "survival of the fittest" is maintained when strong gene pools are kept together. Therefore, it would be logical that, as primates, we choose a mate that is healthy and strong. In other words, beauty would be described as an innate mechanism to differentiate a good breeding partner from a less effective one.

As much as I believe this theory is logical, I do think there is a deeper, more philosophical aspect to this subject. I don't know if this ever happened to you, but sometimes, I feel in total awe of everything around me. It is as if beauty is a feeling that can constantly fluctuate. Everyone has there own way of experiencing how they feel; that might explain why we all see beauty differently. I say this, but I do think the use of the word "feeling" isn't totally on point. When watching the movie Pina, there were many dancers saying how Pina Bausch transcended beauty through her choreographies. This is something I relate to a lot, because, to me, the only way to translate the actual meaning of beauty is by dancing. While I dance, I translate my feelings and that to me is beautiful. Basically, beauty is something we develop throughout our lives and that might change through time. It is like a feeling, but never actually is one.

Essentially, I think the concept of beauty is separated into the innate notion of beauty and the emotional idea of beauty. I also think that what we consider as beautiful is highly influenced by society. Are things pretty because we think they are pretty, or because we were taught they were pretty? That is an other question I will answer another time though, but any way, some things will always be beautiful. Am I right?

End of an Era

Anywhere on this Road - Lhasa

(Mile-End singer that died in 2010)

Yesterday, I was taking the bus to go meet up with a friend. As I was gazing out the window watching all the same old buildings run before my eyes, I noticed one that had disappeared, or at least partly disappeared. It was this old warehouse that had probably been abandoned for several decades and it had just been destroyed by big construction machinery. People always went there and painted graffiti all over the place. Not particularly interesting ones, but enough to make the place look cool.

I climbed up to the roof once with two of my friends. It was the only time I had dared to go, because I had been intimidated by all the fences around the place. Anyways, it was a nice winter evening and we climbed up the icy stairs and walked around as if we were looking for something unknown. The light was shining through the building in such a way that all the graffiti looked way better then they were, and the sunlight reflected on the puddles and ice on the concrete floors which gave the place this dream like feeling. We ended up going to the roof to watch the sunset and that was it. It was a pleasant experience. Now, it will only be a source of nostalgia.

The only reason I'm making a big deal about this building is because it seemed to me like one of the only old authentic place left in that area. It was in the Mile End. The neighborhood I was raised in. It's a nice area of Montreal, but it sure has changed since my childhood. Sure, I probably don't remember everything because I was about 3 or 4 years old when we moved there, but I can recall enough to say that I can hardly recognize the place now.

My dad always loved to go to cafes with me as a kid. So we'd walk around the neighborhood going from one cafe to the next. A lot of the store fronts at that time we're kind of grungy. Most people living around there were pretty poor and moved there because of the low rent. Just to show the level of grunginess, the ground floor to the house next door was totally abandoned and in ruins, but someone was still living upstairs. It was a very bizarre setting. Most of the neighborhood was bizarre but I liked it like that. All the artists were there and it was kind of cool.

With time, people started being interested in this "bohemian" life style. They bought all the shitty apartments for cheap and kicked out the artists. It has now become a gentrified trendy hot spot in Montreal. The Place to go! I mean, yes it's fun, but the authenticity was lost along the way. I guess it left right when the creative people left. Not that there aren't any there anymore, but it's definitely not the same. To me, that old building was part of the essence of that old Mile End I had none many years ago. It is truly weird to see how much certain things change with time.

Sources: The Link , Spacing Montreal