Conversation of Our Generation

As we've talked about before, an institution is far more than a physical place, but the shared understandings our culture uses as shortcuts to interacting with each other. Often, these are developed over centuries or millennia. The institution being discussed today is justice due to the issues with understanding the court system in America as well as where the idea of justice comes from.

Philosophy: Justice is the idea that certain actions will result in certain consequences. It is a recognition of the order of the universe and the order it follows, and the repercussions of actions with that in mind. Should one act against the natural order, it will find a way to correct the action against it.

Religion: This is where the idea of justice has an ideal extracted from it. This ideal is God's justice. It is where perfect justice exists because it is the view of time and space through the lens of eternity, which sees all at once.

Law: This is the attempt to codify the ideal of justice and execute it as well as man can as an imperfect vehicle. Law in America uses 3 branches to create, enforce, and judge cases of injustice.

Society: Society must find a way to instill justice as a virtue in individuals that comprise it. In order to have a just society, individuals within it must be just themselves. This means that wherever injustice arises, individuals go against it.

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Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor, possibly one of the greatest emperors, but is remembered mostly for his Meditations. These are a compilation of thoughts he recorded for himself as a sort of journal, and were never meant to be published. I read his these Meditations last week and felt they were pertinent to our modern world and the ideas I have been trying to convey.

Philosophy: I want to talk about the idea of Stoicism and the way this idea seemed to shape Marcus Aurelius' thoughts. It was from this first principle that his discipline and self-criticism seems to come.

Spirituality: We could all take this lesson and record our thoughts and beliefs on a daily basis. This reflection on one's thoughts would offer a more fruitful form of meditation than simply closing one's eyes and breathing a certain way. Meditation should be revelatory in nature- not simply a yoga exercise.

Politics: Obviously Marcus Aurelius was an emperor, and was therefore not chosen as ruler. However he felt more of a sense of duty than our elected officials do today. He was incredibly critical of himself and worried more about fulfilling his duty than by feeding his ego or searching for fame and praise.

Religion: Despite his faith in himself to overcome all odds based on the tenants of Stoicism, he had tremendous faith in the gods. This is something we see in Christianity and Judaism. All three believe in a world that has order discoverable by the human mind through the senses and guided by reason. That is the act of faith. No matter how one arrives at the belief in the logical universe, it still takes a leap of faith to think that there is order.

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After last week's show, I've decided to continue with the format that I tried last week as it seemed to go smoothly. I enjoyed hitting a topic from several angles, and I think it's an idea worth continuing, so this week I'll hit marriage from the spiritual, philosophical, political, and cultural level.

Spiritual- This is the primary realm of marriage. It is a religious institution that signifies a spiritual act. Marriage has its origins in the spiritual and religious traditions of cultures around the world, and it is one of the oldest institutions we have.

Philosophical- Marriage is not just two people or a bride and groom, but a bond that exists between them. It is a separate entity from the two individuals bonded together by it. Like friendship, it is a bond marked by certain characteristics.

Political- Well, as a libertarian, I say it isn't the government's job at all. Under the Constitution, it should be left to the states to decide. However, it seems as a best practice to allow people to create their own marital contracts, and to simply treat it like any other contract.

Cultural- The family is the bedrock of a society, and marriage is at the center of the family. A healthy marriage will produce a healthy family, which creates healthy individuals. I think there is a potential in today's world to open our minds to new types of families without compromising the traditional values.

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We have a new format! Instead of an hour of me going on about one topic, I decided to break it up into segments about each of the main tenants that make up the Conversation of Our Generation. I will still have my quote of the week, but I will instead have a segment for politics/economics, philosophy/history, religion/spirituality, and art/music/literature. This way, I can cover an assortment of ideas and topics and keep things fresh. I will be playing around with the number of segments, but they will be labeled as the type of discussion we will be having, so you are aware of the approach I'm taking to the topic.

Would love feedback on the new format, so find me on social media or comment below on the blog to tell me more about the show and your thoughts on the topics!

We will discuss education and how we can tie the Quote of the Week into our education system, as well as some of my experiences from my education, my mom being a teacher, and my volunteering in a charter school.

This will be a discussion on the Objectivity of Truth (with a link to my recent post about this topic linked in the notes) and what this means for us and how we should approach discussions on truth.

The Holy Cross Brothers have an idea of "educating hearts and minds." What I would like to do is discuss my experience with religious education and why I think it deepened my love for learning as well as built character in me.

One thing that has become a hot topic in education is what literature ought to be taught. From erasing anti-slavery works like Huckleberry Finn for historically accurate language, to ignoring Shakespeare because of intersectionality, the major works of Western Literature are being forgotten or taught incorrectly.

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How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

-William Shakespeare

What can we do to brighten our world? How can we light the candle that shines a light onto the beams of our world? Can we light this room?

I think there is a chance to do better in this world and create a better, more peaceful world for all. It begins with the individual. We must look inside to fix ourselves and our hearts. Then, we must fix our thoughts, then words, actions, and habits. As we come to the point of building positive habits, we can create within ourselves a virtuous character.

As we do so, the world becomes brighter as well. It is by displaying virtue that others see the fruit of virtuousness, and converts are won.

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Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. -Ludwig van Beethoven

The philosopher is one who analyzes the world around him. He is the man who describes the order and nature of things. He thinks logically and analytically. He takes the experience of the individual and abstracts from that the universal Truths that govern the universe.

The artist is one who thinks abstractly. He looks for the Truth in stories, harmonies, color and form. He takes the universal Truth and makes it relatable by expressing it through the eyes of the individual to uncover more about human nature.

The philosopher and artist are equally wise, but not in the same way. It would be hard for either to take on the other's role. There is one who can do both, however.

The sage is the highest form of wisdom. The sage can do the job of the philosopher and the artist. His writings sound like Shakespeare, with the Truth of Genesis. The sage has an understanding of self that is so clear, he can uncover the universal by looking within and understands himself by looking without.

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In a time when fear and hatred seem to rule, we must find ways to love and grow the seed of goodness in ourselves to effect change in our society.

We must learn ourselves, and with love, combined with wisdom, act in the world in a way that is inarguably good. By doing so, we may not be accepted at first, but it is what is right, and with time, people will come to realize that.

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This week, I will discuss the idea of corruption. What does it mean to be corrupted? How does one become corrupted?

What is power? Why does power have this corrupting effect? How do we defend against it?

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If you would like to join me in the Conversation of Our Generation, follow me on Twitter @ConOfOurGen, Facebook Conversation of Our Generation Facebook Page and SteemIt @jamell

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