Waxing Poetically: Addressing Culture with a Twist of Poetry

A picture of me with my college buddies (and a flash
in my face, haha)

Weekend Philosophy is usually all about examining the philosophies of the many thinkers who have passed through the world at various point in its history. Today, however, I, Michael LaPenna, have gotten the somewhat dangerous, but at times exceedingly helpful impulse to give my personal views on the world which I have accrued over 28 years on the spinning ball known as Earth. Please note that I am doing so without the aid of a helmet or a psychiatrist…. These are also in no particular order; and keep in mind that this is given advice and not forced on anyone.

1. The world is full of people with ideas. Know what they are even if you hate them. You cannot refute a bad idea until you know and understand it. Also, you might change your mind later. For instance, don’t avoid reading or watching something or someone you disagree with, (even if a person ends his sentence in a preposition as I just did… or did I)?

2. Have a sense of humor about everything. The more politically incorrect it is, the better it is. As a person with Cerebral Palsy I have to say that sometimes those “I’m in it for the parking” shirts are funny. So are Timmy and Jimmy on South Park. Culture is funny. Religion is funny. It is all funny.

3. No one can know all the answers to life’s mysteries. For instance, I have certain faith beliefs, but I do not have knowledge that everything I believe is correct. Nobody does. If you are going to tell someone your views, no that neither of you has all the answers; or if one or both of you do have them, yo probably can’t prove you have them.

4. There is no genius without motivation or hard work. Michael Jordan was didn’t make his Eighth Grade basketball team and had to practice his outside
jump-shot, Michael Phelps swam non-stop to achieve his record breaking Olympic performance and Alicia Keys had being writing songs for nearly a decade before she got noticed…. It all takes work.

5. Abstract art is all about the idea. If you see a piece of abstract art, you can what know what it is or what it means to the artist unless you know his of her motivation. Also, if a concept is new, it will always be seen by others as brilliant no matter what it is. Jackson Pollack knows this fact all too well.

Wax honestly.

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