No Reason (April)

           Have you ever asked someone why they did something and they responded with "no reason?" Did this make you puzzled and feel as if there had to be a reason so you asked them why again? In The Stranger, this reaction is described as society's refusal for irrationality. Society needs there to be a purpose to life and a structure. Society falls apart without these. It even destroys things which it does not understand could have no meaning in order to stay together.

          In The Stranger, Meursault lives off his basic needs. He sleeps, eats, and has relations with a woman. Meursault does things for no other importance than to live each day. He killed a man, but was judged based on not crying at his mother's funeral. Because of this, Meursault was executed. In today's society, people are still judged by their motives or reasons. One big thing that is still not understood by society is how people can be homosexuals. Society tries to explain it with science saying it is their genes or with religion saying that they are possessed by demons. Parents tell they're kids they are just in a phase. Others say they decided for themselves to be gay. Some try to say that bad experience with one gender led them to another.

         What if the real reason is that there is not one? They did not make a decision, it just always was. It was not always because of some genetic decision either. It could be just another absurdity. Something that can not be explained because there is no explanation. We choose our own meanings to make sense, when in actuality there could be no sense.

Soul or the World (March)

Throughout The Picture Of Dorian Gray, the power and struggle for everlasting beauty is seen. Dorian gives his soul and and aging to the painting, while he gets to keep his good looks and almost immaculate name. After time, despite his beauty and power, Dorian worries for it. He kills Basil in order to keep his soul a secret. The picture grows more grotesque after Dorian does other things as well. Dorian loses his touch of humanity in order to keep his beauty and eventually kills himself. In Dr. Faustus, Faustus gives up his soul for the pleasures of black magic. He enjoys it during the time being. Faustus' enjoyment in the dark arts spurs others, not as intelligent as him, to try them, which starts to lead them into more trouble. In the end, Faustus is confronted by an old man who tries to convert him back to the Lord. This man cannot be touched by the ways of the devil because of his great faith. Faustus is then taken to hell. In both of these, the main character's ultimate desires so they can be greater than all others leads them to die off younger than they would have, and changes them spiritually.

This way of gaining ultimate desires is still present today. In society, it is evident that people believe they need to undermine any obstacles that get in their way, be it even morals, to reach their ultimate desires. One of the biggest things is what would one do for money. The black market is still alive today. There are stories of stolen organs being sold on the market for lots of money. Even blood donations are being stolen. Both of these are used in research and helping patients. Without them, much is lost for better care. Babies have been stolen and sold on the black market as well. They cost a lot more since adoption is so expensive. Others to gain their ultimate desires lie, such as the man who lied about using drugs in a bike race. He now has to face the shame of being a cheater, when he could have lived only as someone in a lower place than first. 

My thoughts are that in human's roots there is a desire to be better than the rest no matter what. I believe society and morals has shown us that using that mindset to reach goals is detrimental to others and ourselves. There is no real satisfaction from lies and cheating and stealing to reach the top, because in the end it was fake, false, a facade. Satisfaction in society should not be taught to only come from everlasting money and beauty, but from hard works done by one's own hands. Not everything can last, but are effect on others and the world stays and passes on.