if everyone spoke their mind would the world be a better place?

no. and this isn't to say that everyone's opinions aren't valid and that speaking out would help many people. but there would be so much unnecessary clutter that would distract from the more important issues.

some people may adamantly believe the moon landing was a hoax. some might believe it's a ploy by the russians. some might believe it was really caused by aliens simulating humans. while everyone has a right to their own opinions, this doesn't mean all should be given equal weight.

while it's true that speaking out has often led to social reform or a call to change - look at the women's suffrage movement, civil rights, or recently, greta thunberg's speech on climate change at the united nations conference - too many people talking at once would create immense pressure for everyone. people have a limited attention span and there's only so much information that can be processed. my opinion is that the majority of people will be in their right mind and their opinion will come through; for any valid opinion that might be small, it will eventually catch on until more people believe in it that it is worth noting.

~jay

what is the meaning of true love?

in honor of valentine's day, i've decided to take on this age-old question. kind of ironic, seeing as i've never been in love before. crushing on someone, maybe. but that's a whole different story.

disney provides us with ample examples of true love, from cinderella's prince searching the kingdom for her, a kiss from prince charming waking up snow white from death, and recently, princess ana sacrificing herself to save her sister elsa. but as everyone knows, love is not a fairy tale.

i think the best example of true love can be shown through families: parents make enormous sacrifices, move across the globe, and even risk their lives so that their children can have a better future. true love is someone who will always put your needs above their own. true love is someone who will do everything for you while getting nothing in return. true love is someone who loves you just as much in your absolute worst as in your absolute best.

true love is out there (we think!) maybe not in your school or neighborhood or state, but keep searching and one day you might just find someone who truly loves you.

~jay <3

why do we dream?

it's funny how people hold dreams as this divine alter sense where a person's every wish comes true. my dreams are mundane. i barely remember them. the most vivid dream i remember is me walking under a tree while snakes (thick boa constrictors, mind you) are falling out of the branches onto me. i hate snakes.

• needless to say, my dreams have never shown me my heart's desires. they're more of snippets of my everyday life with some sort of slight twist. now my take on the question of why we dream might be different than scientist's. i like to think of it as the brain taking a break and just coasting - surfing the net, as it would be. flipping through scenes that it often experiences, scenes that occur in my life. and when it gets bored of this -- surprise! nightmare! sort of like how i lay on the couch browsing through tv channels to find something interesting, the brain is browsing through memories while the body rests in sleep.
• anyways, that's my take on it. i'm sure there are better explanations but that's how i like to think of it :)
• ~ jay

is there a meaning to life? if so, what is it? (day 1)

woah! okay the quintessential philosophical question here we go! i think the meaning of life can be interpreted in a lot of ways depending on your religious or just general beliefs. for example, as a christian, i'm taught that the meaning of life is to express and contain god. in my biology class, however, i'm taught that the meaning of life is to reproduce, and to give rise to a new generation. in a way, all of these are right! in my personal opinion, i think the meaning of life is to feel satisfied -- whether it be to contain god or become a parent! i think everyone's on a different path to fulfilling the meaning of their life, and it's no good to have a one-size-fits-all "meaning" -- just as with most things in society :)

~fish

welcome!

hey, this is jay!

i started this blog with my friend fish. we're teens with a passion for writing, dreaming big, and wondering about the "deep questions" of life. we started this blog to hopefully tackle one philosophical question a day. please be nice!

i love playing soccer, reading, and playing the guitar. i love being outdoors and something on my bucket list is to hike half dome in yosemite. people would describe me as quiet, driven, and understanding, although my close friends describe me as funny and annoying. my favorite books are the ones that make you think - the ones with a message that strikes so close to your life you can't help but stop and think, "what if that were me?"

hopefully we'll post on a consistent basis! get ready for our take on some deep questions!

~jay

hello world!

hello world! i'm fish :) i'm a sophomore this year and i love to read, listen to music, and write in my free time! i'm hoping to take a deeper look at the world around me and develop a routine of introspectiveness through this blog! i'm excited to start this journey of reflection with my friend jay, and keep each other motivated through the process!

so a little bit about me! i'm what some may say to be the jack of all trades, but i guess a jack of all trades is a master of none, huh? anyways, i play the piano, violin, and flute, "twinkle twinkle little star" on the double bass and recorder, and some basic chords on the guitar and ukulele! i love to buy little instruments off of amazon -- i got a kalimba (a thumb piano) last week -- and try them out! i also love learning languages! i'm learning spanish and japanese in school but i'd love to learn korean someday because the alphabet's really cool! and i also love listening to music! i recently fell into the hole of kpop and it's given me a whole new perspective on what music means to me :)

so let's get started with hopefully daily posts! see y'all in the near future!

~fish