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Why Friends Disappear (and why It’s not a Bad Thing)

February 1, 2020

Why friends disappear might sound like a social topic. And yet, as you can see, I’ve chosen “Experiencing” as the post category. The reason is that this post is, like every other, entirely selfish.

Don’t get me wrong; if you can find answers to your questions, I’m happy. But first and foremost, this post is a stream-of-consciousness-like effort (not unlike recalling almond trees or Greek coffee) to find answers to my own questions.

Yes, my friends have disappeared. Others have reappeared. Then they, too, disappeared. Years pass, friends come, friends go. I’m definitely not a good example for friendships lasting a lifetime.

You might be tempted to think that I’m the common denominator, hence, I must be part of the reason. You wouldn’t be wrong to think that, but not for the reasons you might expect.

Yes, my friends have disappeared, and I’m the focal point of my friends that disappear. But so is something else: space-time. Blame my academic research interests, but it’s hard for me not to put everything in a space-time box. Humans are temporal beings.

Why friends disappear
Why friends disappear is a simple repercussion of our lives, which are bound in space-time.
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What Is Philosophical Suicide?

January 26, 2020

As a notion, suicide is riddled with ideological baggage. Forbidden by most religions and snubbed by societal norms, the concept of self-annihilation often stirs emotions. On a more subtle level, this ought to be the case for philosophical suicide.

Alas, it isn’t. Ironically enough, as we’ll see, the reasons are related (at least indirectly) to the very dogmatism informing physical suicide.

But what is philosophical suicide?

Very briefly, philosophical suicide is an essentially ad-hoc attempt to explain away the inconsistency between the human desire for existential purpose and the apparent lack of such a purpose.

The term is heavily related to the concept of the absurd as described by Albert Camus. Therefore, in order to define philosophical suicide (also described by Camus), we must first take a quick look at the absurd.

philosophical suicide
To face the absurd, Camus sees three options, one of which is philosophical suicide
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The Sublime in Literature: Meaning and Significance

January 20, 2020

The sublime in literature (and art in general) is a fascinating but complex concept. The difficulty in comprehending its ins and outs lies squarely in the fluidity of its definition.

Just as the Gothic itself – with which the sublime is heavily associated – that eludes clear-cut definitions, the sublime is not all that clear to put in a box. In a way, the sublime in literature is a way of experiencing. Yet in another way, the sublime is no more than a ghostly reflection – and so, it’s not really prescribing but rather describing.

In simple terms, the sublime in literature is every instance where we reach a threshold of ambiguity. Whenever we (vicariously, through the protagonist) experience the fuzzy passage between reason and emotion, between fear and awe, or between puzzlement and understanding, the sublime is there.

sublime in literature
In the Romantic period, a usual expression of the sublime was mountain peaks; the realization of something far bigger and older than one’s self
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