Friday, August 29, 2008

Rainy Days

Now that I come to think of it, I've never lived for very long outside of a desert. Coming from Wyoming and Utah, all this rain we've been getting in the last few days is a new experience. It keeps on coming. Jason says that the rain lately has been more of a winter type rain, which is just a completely foreign concept to me. If it's winter there's snow, not rain! Oh well, it's been nice to have things cool down a lot lately, especially since I still have no air conditioning in my car.

The past few days have been pretty uneventful, mostly just going to class and learning some of the basic tenants of property and torts law as well as civil procedure. I don't think there's anything more exciting in the world! Matt's family is visiting him this week and Jason's on vacation, so the house has been more lively than normal, I guess.

Here comes the Labor Day weekend! Luckily as a law student there is no such thing as Labor Day weekend and I have class on Monday. Oh well, I'm excited to keep going and don't know what I would do with an extra day off anyhow, probably just more reading. Wow, this is a boring post.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Why I'm so Liberal

Well, I got an e-mail message not too long ago from my friend John and I've taken far too long to correct a mistake he informed me about. When I said I didn't know anybody for 500 miles I was mistaken, somehow I neglected to see how far Charlotte, North Carolina was, which is where John is. Luckily, my mistake wasn't too gigantic, seeing as how John will be moving to Nebraska shortly and is so busy finishing up with his current work and I'm so busy starting law school that I won't be able to visit him and vice versa. So, soon my mistake will be corrected, except that now I know people here too - although not as well as I might like.

Anyhow, I meant to respond to John via e-mail, and I still might. I just don't get to e-mail as often and apparently he read my blog at least once, so who knows - maybe he'll do it again. But, other than acknowledging my mistake, there was one other thing I wanted to tell him.

Warning: if you aren't comfortable reading or discussing politics, or if you are like many of my friends and family and especially conservative, you may want to avoid this next section. You see, John and I used to discuss politics in high school all the time, he would wonder how I could have a lot my view points and still side with Republicans, and I wondered how John could be so capitalistic and still side with the Democrats. Well, John, I've been converted. To an extent.

First off, I'm an independent. Since I've been able to vote I have never registered with either party and I hope I never will. I am adamantly opposed to a two party system and agree wholeheartedly with George Washington's statement in his farewell address. On the topic of political parties he said "It serves to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration....agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one....against another....it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption...thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another." As such, in my younger days I had no problem with Bill O'Reilly claiming to be an independent, as a matter of fact I still have no problem with that claim. The problem is that O'Reilly now claims (perhaps he did before and I was unaware) that he is a moderate - agreeing with certain viewpoints that have been labeled liberal, especially ones that are widely accepted as being true (e.g. global warming) does not make you a moderate. There are conservative independents and liberal independents, there are authoritarian independents and libertarian independents, and there are all sorts of independents in between.

I digress, the point of this post is to explain why I'm a "liberal" when it comes to politics and so I first want to explain that I'm not just a liberal, I'm also quite libertarian in my views. For those of you familiar with the political compass I fit in the southwest quadrant, just a little northeast of men like Ghandi and Nelson Mandela. (For insight into where your political views fit according to the political compass try taking their test at http://politicalcompass.org/test). Basically, my assertion is this - after paying attention to both sides and having experienced how the policies of both sides have affected me and those around me, I am strongly inclined to say that for the most part it is a good thing to support social programs and that having a strong government is not necessarily a bad thing.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid came to speak at BYU last year, and as he addressed the crowd he said "some people may wonder how I can be a Mormon and a Democrat, but for me being a member of this church and the policies of the democratic party go hand in hand" and continued to explain his affinity for his party. While I will never support one party or another, I think it is best to dispassionately pay attention to who candidates are and the positions they espouse. To me it is a wonder that the people who follow a religion whose core teachings are those of acceptance, love, and service feel that John McCain is a superior candidate to Barack Obama. Just in terms of personal character - one is a loving family man whose children clearly adore him. The other cheated multiple times on his first wife before leaving her for one of the women he cheated on her with. One seeks to fight only in wars that are "just" while the other seems ready to continue our engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan but also to expand and possibly fight both Russia and Iran. Just watch the speeches given on the night Barack Obama clinched the nomination for the Democratic party back in June (McCain vs. Obama) - if it were a movie you would know that Obama is the hero and McCain is the villain.

Again I digress. Basically, I want people to know that no candidate is perfect, that every candidate will have positions that you disagree with, but that we should vote based on what the candidates character and positions are as compared to our own. Also, be aware that some of the issues that voters find most important (abortion, gay marriage) will be little affected by who you vote for as president. The most a president can do is appoint a supreme court justice who may overturn gay marriage laws or the decision in Roe v. Wade. Just so you know, it was Chief Justic Warren Burger's court that delivered the decision in Roe v. Wade, a court that was mostly appointed by Republican presidents and with a conservative majority. Four of the justices on that court were appointed by Richard Nixon. As opposed as you may be to the legality of abortion (I myself am not), who you vote for president will not get Roe v. Wade overturned. Who you vote for president will not change the status of gay marriage, a debate that the courts have left for the states to decide so far. Who you vote for president will affect how we deal with foreign nations - and I for one hope that nations will view us favorably again. Barack Obama definitely has the upperhand there. Who you vote for president will affect the direction of our economy in the coming years, John McCain has openly acknowledged (though he denies it now, see in his own words) that he doesn't know as much as he should about economics. Anyhow, I understand that their are legitimate disagreements in policy, I'm on the other side from many of my closest friends. Just know that the best way to discuss them is to look at their positives and negatives, and to look at everything as a whole, not at the D or R next to somebody's name. Lately I'm inclined towards the Ds, but that won't always hold true.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

A Shorter Post following a Long Post


I said I would be posting a picture about once a week to make sure you don't all forget what I look like, the picture that appears to my left right now was actually taken on Friday night when I decided that, since I was going to the temple the next day, I would say that I had enough of my facial hair catharsis and shave - so that's about as hairy as I got. Eventually I'll grow a full beard, I think, just not yet. But I figure I ought to post a picture of how I look today, since it's been a week as well.... so at the bottom of this post you'll see that picture! Yay.

SO - I kinda screwed up last night, I just figured that it was okay to plan to go to FHE at 7 because, that's what I always did back in Utah. Well, unfortunately for me when I looked at my schedule for classes I only paid attention to the classes that were listed as Section 3 (my section of the incoming law class) and not at the classes that were labeled as Section 9 (the law class is divided in 3 sections for most classes but they divided into 12 sections for smaller classes when it comes to Law Skills and Legal Research). Apparently I have Law Skills from 6-7:40 every Monday Night. That means no Family Home Evening for me! Oh well, Jason and Matt (my roommates) have their own FHE every Monday so I'll at least get that.
I got an e-mail this morning asking me to stop by the admissions office. You see, in law school it's a much bigger deal when you miss a class and the classes are generally smaller - there are only 162 students in my entering class. So when 162 is divided by 12 that means you only have 13-14 students per classroom, which means my absence was noted. The instructors were concerned when I didn't show up and one of the women at the admissions office asked me about it. Now I've missed an important class and that's no good - I should be fine though, I'll just be behind. Sad day.
In other news, the continuing saga of getting my air conditioning repaired has some new updates. My warranty company won't pay for anything other than aftermarket parts and Mazda dealerships won't unstil anything but official parts, meaning that there's a gap in what my warranty will pay out and what Mazda would charge of about $1700. So I'm taking my car to a different shop to make a new claim and start everything all over again. The woman at the warranty company said that they shouldn't need to reinspect the car to verify that the parts need repair as long as I get it into another shop soon. Funny, they shouldn't need to reinspect at all, and they shouldn't have needed to inspect in the first place! Oh well... unfortunately I am now out a fair amount of money because of the technicalities of this issue because the warranty company basically forced me to rent a car and they won't pay for it unless they approve a claim, and since my claim is a new one if I go to a new shop I'm out the 3 days of car rental - that's a lot less than the $1700 difference though. Oh, and I also had to pay Mazda for the work diagnostic work they did - thank you warranty company, you suck. That is all I have to say for now! I like it here so far and I really am happy, other than the stupid car problems.

Oh, and this picture is of me sitting at my carrel in the law school library - good times!

Something You Don't Want to Read

So, I figured I'd post another example of something I've written. I think it's one of the better pieces of writing I did at BYU but it's on a topic that most of you will not find at all interesting - the nature of paradox and the applicability of two of the most basic laws of logic. Hope you enjoy!

Excluding Excluded Middle: How to Live in a World of Paradox

Introduction

In this paper I will explore two basic laws of propositional logic: the law of excluded middle and the law of non-contradiction. These laws, though fundamental to classical logic, have recently faced challenges. Some logicians challenge the viability of these laws while others insist that they are essential to our understanding. While there are several theories that oppose excluded middle I argue for a view called dialetheism. Dialetheism holds that true contradictions exist. It does not say that all contradictions are true, only that some are (Priest). Among possible true contradictions are logical paradoxes, which have troubled philosophers for centuries. I feel that philosophers have failed to properly resolve the conflicts that arise from these paradoxes. The only way to properly account for these paradoxes is to allow for contradiction. Thus, I will argue that excluded middle and non-contradiction cannot hold as absolute laws.

Dilemma

What we have is a dilemma: we must either accept non-contradiction and excluded middle or deny them. However, this reasoning requires the use of excluded middle and so difficulties arise. Any time we make a statement of the form “either p or q” we require excluded middle. The word “either” is tricky; it seems to restrict the meaning of the “or” operator. For example, if I were to say “either I will live in Provo or I will live in Pleasant Grove” it seems to restrict the proposition to just those two choices. I can say “I will live in Provo or I will live in Pleasant Grove or I will live in Denver” without a problem, but when I add “either” a third option seems out of place. This restriction of use can lead to fallacy. One of the more common fallacies of deductive reasoning is that of false dilemma. The fallacy of false dilemma is to say something like “you’re either with us or against us” giving only two possible options. It is not true that we are either in agreement “with” a group or “against” that same group; we can be neutral. The United States was effectively neutral during the early years of World War II. If a Frenchman had said “you’re either with us or against us” in reference to the United States, he would have erred; the United States was not fighting along with the French but it was most certainly not fighting against them.
It is easy to find a false dilemma, but the existence of false dilemmas seems to imply the existence of true dilemmas. If true dilemmas exist then the best example of a true dilemma is the law of excluded middle. Excluded middle doesn’t say “you’re either with us or against us” but rather, “you’re either with us or not with us” and works with our example. It could be said that we were not with the French in terms of fighting alongside them and so the example holds. Understanding what constitutes a true dilemma will help us with our dilemma. We should not phrase the problem as “either accept or deny excluded middle and non-contradiction” but rather “either accept or not accept excluded middle and non-contradiction.” If we accept this as a true dilemma we must choose a side of the disjunction.

The Laws

Excluded middle and non-contradiction have been recognized since the days of Aristotle. In Book IV of Metaphysics Aristotle says “it is impossible that contradictories should be at the same time true of the same thing,” an early formulation of the law of non-contradiction. He also says that “of one subject we must either affirm or deny any one predicate,” an early formulation of the law of excluded middle. For Aristotle these laws were absolutely vital; he even described non-contradiction as “the most indisputable of all beliefs.” Following Aristotle’s example, most logicians continue to hold these laws as indisputable. In fact, these laws are essential to most forms of classical logic.
Classical logic has not been able to fully represent all of the concepts we want it to. For instance, classical logic can only say that a proposition is either true or false, it cannot account for indeterminacy. But certain propositions are indeterminate, for example, future contingent statements. A future contingent statement is a proposition whose truth value cannot be assessed until the future, for example “I will buy a car next year” might be true or it might be false, we won’t know until next year. Jan Lukasiewiecz attempted represent future contingents by developing a multi-valued logic that provided a truth value of ½ for indeterminate propositions (Bourne 122). This system of logic functions very well with unrelated disjunctions, such as “I will eat breakfast tomorrow or I will jump off a cliff tomorrow.” Unfortunately, it fails to work properly if the disjunctions are contraries, as in “I will eat breakfast tomorrow or I will not eat breakfast tomorrow.” In this case, Lukasiewiecz’s system says that the truth value of the disjunction is indeterminate and, as such, denies excluded middle.
In Future contingents, non-contradiction, and the excluded middle muddle, Craig Bourne argues that there is a way to have this bivalent logic without abandoning the law of excluded middle (125). According to Bourne, the key to maintaining excluded middle in a bivalent system is properly understanding the truth-values of different statements. Bourne’s logic uses 0 to represent falsity, 1 to represent truth, and ½ to represent something that is of indeterminate truth-value. This is similar to Lukasawiecz’s system of representing future conditionals except that Bourne maintains the law of excluded middle. He does this by interpreting negation differently, so that in his truth table ~1/2 (i.e. not indeterminate) is a true statement. Because the proposition says something true the proposition’s has a value of 1 (i.e. true) and not of ½ (i.e. indeterminate). Bourne’s logic seems to work and is representative of a three-valued logic that maintains excluded middle. He accurately represents future contingent statements in a straightforward way. Unfortunately, representing future contingent statements is not the only problem in logic. Bourne recognizes that “this system is not functionally complete” (127). His assertion that “the sorts of truth-functions that cannot be generated by the connectives of this system have no application anyways, and so can be ignored” shows that he neglects possible functions of logic in order to accomplish his goals.
While excluded middle and non-contradiction have been problematic with traditional ideas about logic there are some who have developed logical systems that deny their principles completely. For example, the intuitionist movement in logic is based on premises that do not allow excluded middle to hold. Intuitionists deny the objective existence of mathematical objects, saying that any assertion must be shown by construction (Shapiro 19). This system led to a denial of excluded middle when mathematics evolved to include infinite objects. Posy recognizes this as he says “other logical laws maintained their validity; excluded middle did not” (334). Brouwer, one of the better known intuitionists, claims that classical logic can work for finite domains but fails to account for infinite domains.
For the intuitionist, many of the mistakes of classical mathematics evolved from misunderstandings caused by excluded middle. “Says Brouwer, Hilbert’s oft-repeated slogan that every mathematical problem is ultimately solvable is equivalent to the principle of excluded middle and, as such, amount to an outmoded, ungrounded belief” (Posy 335). According to Brouwer and his intuitionism, classical logic and mathematics rely upon an unfounded belief in excluded middle. Intuitionism recognizes problems in classical logic and mathematics but it chooses to completely reject them, leading to logic and mathematics that are not fully functional.
Excluded middle also faces challenges in classical logic. Perhaps the biggest challenge comes from the inference rule of addition. Addition, or disjunction introduction, is an important inference rule used in predicate logic. While not a law, like excluded middle, addition seems to be a sound rule of inference. But addition and excluded middle cannot both hold. Formalized, excluded middle is “p v ~p”, saying that either p is true or it is not true; it does not allow for any other options but the inference rule of addition does, using addition (and commutation) I can say “p v ~p v q.” As such, there may be a viable third option. We must either change the meaning of our operator “v” or say that excluded middle is not absolute.
Many of the problems I’ve named apply directly to the law of excluded middle, but not to non-contradiction. Formally speaking the two laws are distinct: excluded middle is “p v ~p” and non-contradiction is “~(p ^ ~p).” But according to laws of inference, they are logically equivalent. If I apply De Morgan’s theorem to non-contradiction I get “~p v ~~p” and then through the rules of double-negation and commutation I get excluded middle “p v ~p.” Because the two laws are logically equivalent they are both subject to the same problems. It may be objected that we can resolve the problems I’ve already explained and should not reject fundamental laws without significant evidence. We find significant evidence against these laws when we examine paradoxes.

World of Paradox


Paradoxes may be the greatest challenge to these two basic laws of logic. A paradox is “an apparently unacceptable conclusion derived by apparently acceptable reasoning from apparently acceptable premises” (Sainsbury 1). The mere notion of paradox appears paradoxical; paradoxes seem to dispute the indisputable. Paradoxes abound, and every true paradox challenges the viability of excluded middle and non-contradiction. I will explore three especially challenging paradoxes.
The first paradox I will explore is the liar. The liar paradox has confounded philosophers for centuries; it is even found in the Bible. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the liar is its simplicity. Simply put, the liar says “this sentence is false.” If we say that the proposition is true then what it says is false; if we say the proposition is false then what it says is true. This simple proposition challenges the fundamental laws of logic. Because people view excluded middle and non-contradiction as indisputable truths, they struggle to resolve the liar paradox. Some try to resolve it by saying that the statement is neither true nor false, that it has no truth-value (Sorensen 95). On the other hand, some think that the problem with the liar paradox lies in its self-reference (Erickson 109). Unfortunately, every explanation that denies the possibility of contradiction requires us to introduce systems of reasoning that seem counter-intuitive.
Graham Priest argues that paradoxes of this form demonstrate that dialetheias exist (9). The liar and other self-referential paradoxes provide valid and contradictory conclusions from true premises. Priest asserts that if philosophers want to deny dialetheias then they must demonstrate a flaw in this apparently valid reasoning. This usually involves challenging one of the premises of the argument. Not wanting to deny excluded middle or non-contradiction, philosophers respond to the liar and similar paradoxes by explaining complicated issues of self-reference and truth. Some say that the liar is senseless and has no truth-value, while others say that the problem goes away if we just eliminate self-reference (Yablo 251). Unfortunately we can formulate many paradoxes without any need for self-reference (Yablo). And if we claim that some propositions are senseless we must have criteria for doing so beyond saying that they are otherwise paradoxical. In any case, if we follow Occam’s razor the simplest solution is to say that dialetheias exist. This principle holds true with other kinds of paradox as well.
The second paradox I will explore is the heap paradox. The heap paradox is a type of paradox we call a sorites paradox. A sorites is a chain-like argument that uses the conclusion of a set of premises as the premise for the next part of the argument. A sorites paradox uses this method of argumentation to lead to an absurd conclusion. For example, we may have a premise that claims 10,000 grains make a heap of grain (Sainsbury 29). Nobody should reject to such a large pile of grain being called a heap, but if 10,000 grains are a heap then so are 9,999 – removing just one grain will not stop the pile of grain from being a heap. If we continue along this line of reasoning we get: if 9,999 grains make a heap then so do 9,998 grains, and so on. Eventually this line of reasoning will lead to the conclusion that one grain makes a heap. This is obviously wrong but seems to follow from valid reasoning.
While this paradox doesn’t challenge excluded middle and non-contradiction as directly as the liar, it does reveal important information about language. According to excluded middle our collection of grain is either a heap or it is not a heap, but the heap paradox shows us that this is not true. This is because of the vagueness of concepts, like heap. If we reverse the argument we can make a similar chain: one grain is not a heap so two grains are not a heap, and so on until we get to 10,000. This version says that 10,000 grains are not a heap, which is just as wrong as saying that one grain is. There are many concepts that we can only vaguely define. We can’t define a heap as a collection of exactly x number of grains or greater. The law of excluded middle fails to account for this vagueness.
The last paradox I want to examine also challenges excluded middle and non-contradiction through principles of vagueness. Theseus’ paradox examines a ship that belongs to Theseus and has docked for repairs (Olin 4). The ship is made of 1,000 planks and workers renovate the ship, plank by plank. First, they take one plank and move it from the first dock (dock A) to the next dock (dock B), placing it in the exact same position it had on the ship. Next, they replace the first plank with a new plank of wood and continue in this manner until all 1,000 planks have been replaced. In the end there are two ships; one is at dock A and the other is at dock B. But which ship is Theseus’ ship? The ship in dock A begins as Theseus’ ship, and replacing one plank of the ship obviously does not change that. Using a sorites we can conclude that the ship in dock A is Theseus’. In contrast, the ship in dock B has all of the planks that constituted Theseus’ ship arranged in the same manner. As with the heap we can reverse the argument and say that the second ship is Theseus’ ship. We cannot clearly identify which ship is Theseus’ ship.
These three paradoxes use sound reasoning to challenge our notions of non-contradiction and excluded middle. The liar directly challenges the law of non-contradiction, using self-reference to cause a clear case of contradiction. The heap paradox denies the law of excluded middle as it shows that some concepts are vague and that not all things are either have or do not have a given property. Theseus’ paradox compounds the problem introduced with the heap paradox and shows us that concepts are not merely vague but that without accounting for their vagueness we may even have problems with identity. In a world where paradoxes persist, we must either explain how they can be consistent with excluded middle and non-contradiction or we must accept that these laws are not absolute.

Problems of Vagueness


The problems with vagueness that the heap paradox and Theseus’ paradox introduce do not only occur in paradox form. Vagueness occurs in many different concepts, e.g. colors, emotions, and tastes. Excluded middle says that something is either white or not white, but what about shades of white? According to excluded middle, an animal is either a bird or not a bird. But how is it that a penguin is a bird and a bat is not a bird? Or more importantly, if I have a dead bird is it still a bird? The arguments behind the heap and Theseus’ paradox can help illustrate the problem. Just as it is impossible to say when a heap becomes a heap it is impossible to determine when a bird is still a bird. If I have a bird without a wing is it still a bird? If it’s missing its head is it still a bird? What if it’s missing both its head and its wings? The law of excluded middle cannot deal with vagueness.

Conclusion

There are good arguments both for and against the law of excluded middle and non-contradiction. The complete acceptance of these laws seems to ignore important paradoxes, inference rules, and principles of language. On the other hand, if I totally deny the law of excluded middle then I deny the plausibility of classical logic and mathematics. I also deny many of the rules I use for basic reasoning. But if I were to wholeheartedly accept these laws then I would deny many alternative logics that also provide great utility and provide us with applicable and valid results. I would also have to explain how non-contradiction and excluded middle can account for vagueness and paradox. It seems we should only conditionally accept the laws. It seems that it is wrong to affirm the law of excluded middle and non-contradiction as either true or false. Like so many other things in this world, these laws are both true and false. As absolute laws they fail to account for important considerations but that does not mean they do not apply at certain times and in certain situations.
The arguments both for and against these fundamental laws convince me. I feel as though the best thing to do is to say that these fundamental laws of logic hold most of the time. In classical logic the dilemma we’ve examined would be formalized as “(p v ~p) v ~(p v ~p).” According to this formalization, even those who deny the law of excluded middle must follow it. You can only conclude that the law of excluded middle does not hold by using the law of excluded middle. I say that there is no middle to exclude here; we do not have a disjunction but a conjunction. It is not “law of excluded middle or not law of excluded middle”, it is “law of excluded middle and not law of excluded middle.” There is value in classical logics and it is impossible to completely deny the law of excluded middle, but it is not absolute. The same is true of non-contradiction, it is wrong to completely deny it. Completely denying non-contradiction would allow absurdities, but completely accepting it allows its own set of absurdities. We must find a way to accept both positions.
The problem with non-contradiction and excluded middle is that they deny a middle ground. According to excluded middle, something either has a property at a given time or it does not. According to non-contradiction, something cannot at the same time be true and false. Unfortunately, paradoxes and natural language contradict non-contradiction and excluded middle. The simplest way to overcome this problem is to deny the absolute nature of these laws. It’s okay that paradoxes contradict the laws, even though it violates those laws. With dialetheism, Graham Priest has proposed a functional system that others have failed to refute. What Aristotle held as indisputable is disputable. The consequences of this position are profound and widespread. In order to accept dialetheism we must shift our paradigm and view the world differently. Completely shifting paradigms is a huge change, but this change can account for paradox and at the same time provide a formal system of reason.

Works Cited
Aristotle. De Interpretatione. 350 B.C.E. Trans. W.D. Ross. The Complete Works of Aristotle.
Ed. Jonathan Barnes. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1984.
Aristotle. Metaphysics. 350 B.C.E. Trans. W.D. Ross. The Complete Works of Aristotle. Ed.
Jonathan Barnes. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1984.
Bourne, Craig. “Future contingents, non-contradiction, and the law of excluded middle muddle.” Analysis. 64.2 (2004): 122-128.
Erickson, Glenn W., and John A. Fossa. Dictionary of Paradox. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1998.
Olin, Doris. Paradox. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s UP, 2003.
Posy, Carl. “Intuitionism and Philosophy.” The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic. Ed. Stewart Shapiro. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. 318-55.
Priest, Graham. In Contradiction. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2006.
Sainsbury, R.M. Paradoxes. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995.
Shapiro, Stewart. “Philosophy of Mathematics and Its Logic: Introduction.” The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic. Ed. Stewart Shapiro. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. 3-27.
Sorensen, Roy. A Brief History of the Paradox: Philosophy and the Labyrinths of the Mind. New York: Oxford UP, 2003.
Yablo, Stephen. “Paradox without Self-reference.” Analysis. 53.4 (1993): 251-252.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Washington, D.C. Temple

Unfortunately we are still in the process of getting Internet at my house, so that means that I only have Internet access when at school, and as such you don't get any weekend blogging. So, that explains that!

Saturday morning Jason, my roommate, invited me to join him and some friends who were going to the DC Temple, so I decided it would be a good thing to do. It was definitely a worthwhile experience and I was glad to be able to go. Funny, I guess I don't have that much to say about it - I went to church for the first time here in Richmond and it seems like a pretty good ward, hopefully I adjust quickly. I volunteered to help out with baptisms for the dead this coming Saturday so I'll have an early morning then as well, and another opportunity to meet new people.

This morning I officially started law school with my Property class and my Torts class. So far I don't understand why people are intimidated, but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough. So far so good.

In other news, I am now driving around in a Chevy Cobalt because the warranty service's inspector didn't come to see the damage to my A/C unit on Friday and so I took my car back for the weekend and had to bring it back today in case he decides to show up, look in the car, and verify that the Mazda people are not lying to him. The best part about it is that I still don't know if they'll pay for my car rentals ($80 now) and once they finally confirm that my air conditioning needs fixed the dealership will still have to order the parts and wait until they arrive before they can fix the car. Meaning that my wonderful extended warranty has made it so I'll have to wait probably 2 weeks to fix a problem that should have been fixed in half a day once parts arrived. Good times.

Friday, August 22, 2008

The Seed

I'm going to try and post a few examples of my writing and talks I've given, so be aware that some of these will be religious, some of them highly philosophical and hard to understand, and others not so bad - first up is the talk I gave when I returned from my mission to my ward back home in Pinedale, WY.  As always, comments are appreciated.  The seed:

It is good to stand in front of you today. It has been more than two years since I last had the opportunity to speak to the Pinedale Ward, I had the opportunity to address you as I prepared for missionary service. I said at that time that I would not speak on missionary work for I did not yet fully understand it, but that perhaps upon returning I could better touch the theme. Rarely have I been so anxious as I have prepared to speak, I pray that what I say today might be accompanied by the Holy Ghost. It is now my desire to share with you what I have learned about missionary work.
When I last spoke to you I spoke of hope, a word that means a lot to me, about what it meant to me, about how it has helped me in my life - hope is a good thing, one of the best of things. We read in Alma 32:21 of a hope for things which are not seen, but which are true. Alma teaches us that our faith gives us that hope, and he proceeds to teach us of faith, how we might grow - he tells us to plant the word in our hearts as though it were a seed and that it will grow and enlarge our souls. “Now behold would this not increase your faith?” But what is that seed, or word, of which he speaks? Elder H. Brian Richards challenged us in his conference address a few short weeks ago to find out that answer, may I share with you what I have found...
The answer, he said, could be found in the 33rd chapter of Alma - here Alma has just addressed a people humbled by their circumstances and taught them of that word which they must plant in their hearts - not completely understanding they ask him more. I paraphrase from that chapter:

They sent forth unto him desiring to know...how they should plant the seed and Alma said unto them “Behold, ye have said that ye could not worship your God because ye are cast out of your synagogues. But...I say unto you, if ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, ye do greatly err, and ye ought to search the scriptures...Zenos, the prophet of old has said concerning prayer and worship...’thou art merciful O God for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness... Yea, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field...and thou didst hear me...And again, O God, when I did turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer...thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee...Yeah, thou hast been merciful unto me and heard my cries...and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out and have been despised by mine enemies...And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and
it is because of thy son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, for thou hast turned thy judgements away from me, because of thy son’...and Alma said unto them “do ye believe those scriptures? If ye do, ye must believe what Zenos said; for he said ‘thou hast turned away thy judgments because of thy son”...have ye read the scriptures? If ye have how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God? It is not written that Zenos alone spake of these things but Zenock also, he said ‘Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of they Son.’ This is not all; these are not the only ones who have spoken concerning the son of God...he was spoken of by Moses and a type was raised up in the wildernoess that whosoever would look upon it might live...but few understood the meaning of those things and this because of the hardness of their hearts.
Brothers and sisters, few understand it, few they are indeed who understand and comprehend what the true mercies of the son of God are. I am going to use a movie that we heard a great deal about in the mission field to illustrate my point. I’m sure you’ve all heard of the Passion of the Christ...at many doorsteps we were asked if we’d seen it, if we were going to see it, what we thought of it... once I responded that I had not seen the film and that we did not watch movies as missionaries, to this answer came the response “that’s because it’s the truth, and you can’t accept the truth.” What is this truth that people such as this woman don’t think we can accept? From my understanding of the movie it shows in graphic detail the brutal torture and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and little else. Some people have come to a greater understanding of what exactly it was that the Romans did to Christ, the physical suffering he went through in his final hours - they perhaps begin to understand what he was willing to do for us, and for that the film should be commended.
Unfortunately such depictions cannot lead one to understand what Zenos and Zenock are teaching us... they have not spent the hours in prayer in all manner of circumstance crying out to Him, watching a movie cannot make us feel the true mercies of the Lord in our lives. No, nor can we understand the true miracle behind all that Christ has done for us. He was not the only man ever to be scourged and crucified... he was not the only victim to the Roman soldiers - they were masters of torture from years of experience... no, to say that the physical suffering there is what Christ did for us is to say that he experienced little more than the two thieves with whom he died.
Perhaps it is because we can more easily wrap our minds, our understanding, around the physical torture and pain - perhaps that is why we look to the physical suffering, we can more easily comprehend it. Brothers and sisters, the true miracle happened before Jesus was arrested, in a little garden spot called Gethsemane. There he prayed to the father and experienced and did something far greater than to allow men to spit upon him, or abuse and batter him. No man made device could cause such torment that one should bleed from every pore, try as we might we have not in our power to construct such devices. In those quiet moments the Savior of the World, the Son of God, our loving older brother took and drank of the bitter cup. We cannot comprehend the harrowing of a souls as he felt such exquisite agony... he did not take upon him only physical pain and death... no, in that garden spot as Alma tells us “He suffered pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sickness of his people. And he will take upon him death that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”
He felt everything, he overcame everything, the atonement of Jesus Christ is infinite. He not only suffered physically (more in the garden than at the hands of the Romans) but emotionally, mentally, spiritually, his soul felt everything you have ever experienced and more. He felt every bit of sorrow, loneliness, disease, heartache, distress, guilt... that he might understand and know how to succor his people, ho to help us according to the flesh. The spirit knows all things and could have told him of all these but as Alma tells us, he suffered so that he would understand it in the flesh - so that he himself had experienced it!
Imagine, if you will, how hard your life has been at times, some of your moments of greatest grief and difficulty... imagine all the trials, temptations, heartache, stress, and illness of your own life - imagine having to deal with all of those together, all together, in a space of 3 hours... everything you’ve ever felt - good and bad. Do you think you could handle it? Now imagine taking upon yourself not only those moments, those trials from your own life but adding upon them those of just one more person? It would destroy each and every one of us... and yet Christ took upon him not only the pains of one, or two, but billions of people - all who have ever lived. If the Passion of the Christ is how the rest of the world understands what Christ did for us they are missing out on the true miracle, the beautiful mercies of our Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why, brothers and sisters... we should have a greater understanding of exactly what that is, what the mercies of Christ are. After all, is there another church at the head of which sits he himself, our Redeemer Jesus Christ?
I am sure there are some who have a greater understanding of the mercies of Christ than that afforded by a movie... no movie can express what happened in Gethsemane. There may be some who have a fairly solid understanding of Christ and his love for us, but only through the truth can one come to fully understand these things.. And so it is that we mus first gain an understanding of the truth, we must plant that seed in our hearts.

Alma continues in chapter 33, his sermon on the seed:

If ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly?...then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he came to redeem his people, and that he suffered and died to atone for their sins and that he rose again from the dead and brought to pass the resurrection that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works. And now my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his son. And even all this can ye do if ye will.”

Matthew 11:28-30 reads “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” He has taken upon him everything, he understands when you’re sad, when you’re tempted, he has felt the pains of cancer, he has felt the anguish of a guilt-ridden soul...he has provided us a way to become clean of our sins, to return to live with him and our Heavenly Father with eternal life in our wings... he has provided a way to make life’s trials a growing experience rather than a destroying experience... he can lift us up from depression, from guilt, from pain, and from loss - we just need to trust in him, put his yoke upon us, and follow him.
“For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, I know that he loves and supports me, that he suffered incomprehensible agony and despair that I might not. I have felt his love and it has overwhelmed me, to the pint where at times the testimony, the spirit of his love, burns within me and I cannot, as the sons of Mosiah, bear that another should perish, not knowing of his mercies. I have planted the seed, it has a lot of nourishing and growth to go, but I know that when we have truly planted that seed in our hearts it burns withing us and we have to share it with others.
I am not yet to the point where my concern for others is anywhere near constant, but it is at times present, and I would invite you, brothers and sisters to plant and cultivate that seed... the mercies of the Son of God in your lives - and when it begins to grow you will share the gospel for you will truly begin to understand how valuable it is, just as Lehi immediately looked about to see with whom he could share the fruit of the tree of life. When you feel the love of God your instinct is to share it, for selfishness is the very opposite of the nature of the love of God.
Will you join me in gaining a stronger testimony of Jesus Christ? I know him, I love him, more importantly and more truly, he knows and loves me... I have begun to realize that the love I’ve felt, the desire to sing the song of redeeming love... I’m starting to see that he loves everybody else just as much as he loves me. If I love him how can I leave them without? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, it is guided today by Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith was his prophet and restored these wonderful truths to us in our day. Gordon B. Hinckley speaks to the Savior in order to guide us today. I know that Christ lives and loves us, I pray that we all might know of this more assuredly everyday, this is my prayer, this is my hope, this is my faith. He lives, knowing that is the key to the entire gospel, to all of missionary work. As we begin to develop this faith the church will not have 60,000 missionaries throughout the world but 12 million, and when that time comes that number will rapidly increase. It is not easy, nothing worthwhile ever was. There is a lot of work ahead, even after planting the initial seed, but I know it is the first and most vital step. He lives and loves us, I am so grateful for that. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Not the best day to forget my wallet

I woke up yesterday morning with a simple plan.  I would drop my car off at the local Mazda dealership so that they could look at my A/C and decide exactly what was wrong and how much it would cost to fix and order the parts.  I would then take the dealership shuttle to school for my second day of orientation.  After orientation, I would call a cab, get a ride back to the dealership, pick up my car and schedule a later time to have the repairs made once the parts had arrived.  Simple plan, should have been easy, right?  Not so fast.

I was running a bit behind and knew I needed to make it to the dealership before 8 so that I could catch the shuttle, in my hurry I neglected to grab my wallet.  Not noticing my lack of driver's license and money, I dropped off my cars and handed them my keys, not realizing that my house key was on the chain.  As I rode the shuttle to school I realized my mistake and was filled with a sense of dread - how was I going to get back to my car?  If I called a cab to go home, I had no way of getting inside my house to the money, if I called a cab to go to the dealership, I had no way of paying him cuz all that I would have there is my car and keys.  Also, I had no way of paying for lunch, but that was okay - I can survive without eating one meal.  Anyhow, orientation ends for the day and I decide "it's not that far, I'll walk!"

Well, google maps tells me that's only 3.5 miles, I can walk that easily!  Except that it's along busy roads that aren't designed for walkers... and I'm from Wyoming which is a cold, dry state.  Virginia is not cold nor is it dry, luckily the weather was fairly mild but I sweat more than I am accustomed to as I made this walk.  Well, the dealership had called and left a message saying my warranty claimed not to have my contract under record and that I should fax the contract to them.  Seeing as how I was on foot and my contract is in Wyoming I called my Mom to save the day.  She said she had the stuff and would fax it right away and actually ended up calling the warranty company who said that my records came "right up" with no problem.  Strange.  After calling the dealership and telling them the warranty should be there, they said they would call and get it taken care of.  About 20 minutes later I got another phone call from the dealership saying that, unfortunately, the warranty company refused to let them do any work on it or order any parts until they had an inspector look at it, and as such required that they keep the car for the next 24-48 hours - they couldn't give a more specific time than that.  

Joy of joys!  Now I was walking 3 1/2 miles to a dealership where my house key was but I wasn't going to be able to take my car or rent a car, because I didn't have my driver's license or form of payment.  Great.  When I finally arrived the dealership was kind enough to let me borrow my car for a few minutes while I ran home and grabbed my wallet, they called the rental company and had a car brought over for me and now I am driving a lovely yellow Volkswagen Beetle.  Good times.  Other facts of note - the warranty company covers rental cars but not until they approve the repairs, which means I may or may not be reimbursed for a car I had to rent because they demanded that my car be kept at the dealership.  Also, the guy at the dealership, Matt, was great and said that the person on the other end was quite the pain and dubious of every claim he made about the damage to my A/C compressor.  In other words, I don't recommend getting an extended warranty through these people, they make it a real pain in the rear end.  

Those were my adventures yesterday!  Fun fun fun.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

On Whim

As I sat for lunch yesterday with two other new law students and our student advisor the normal questions were asked. Where did you do your undergrad? Have you been out of school long? What brings you here? The funny thing is that people think I'm joking when I give my answer to that last question. Why did I go to law school? Whim. Why did I decide on the University of Richmond? Whim. That's usually how I answer, and I guess there aren't too many people like me who could say that and be partially serious. But whim is a good term for what guides a lot of my life, not that it's random (although sometimes it is) but life for me is pretty dynamic.

Case in point, my time as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with the BYU Positive Behavior Support Initiative. I was working as a secretary with the PBSI when my boss asked me about my plans after I graduated. Student employees aren't allowed to stay on in the same capacity once they graduate, and for some reason they liked me there. Haha. He asked if I would consider being a VISTA volunteer and explained the basics behind the program to me, I would get a small living stipend while you volunteer and at the end of my service I could get an education reward to go towards furthering my education. I would work 30-40 hours a week, and in our office I would probably work on multiple research projects, doing all sorts of different tasks. Basically, he was asking me to make a 1 year commitment to work for very little pay and without the ability to work any other jobs. Without consulting anybody or even really thinking about it for more than five minutes, I signed up. That's all it took for me to set the course for the next year of my life - a few minutes thought. And you know what? It was a good decision. I loved my time as a VISTA, and although I probably wasn't the greatest VISTA volunteer that office has or will see, I think they enjoyed having me there.

So, how can I say that Law School was whim? I guess it's not a good idea to go about making decisions that put you into heavy debt based just on what you feel like doing - but strangely it works for me. I mean, the decision makes sense and it is a field I think I will enjoy working in, but when the decision was made I hadn't worked out the logic - I just decided. To start, I had no intention of going to law school, although that's the normal course for many philosophy majors. My friend Jimmy took me to lunch one day and we ran into one of my friends from the philosophy program, Bart. Bart was telling me that I had to go to law school, that I was being foolish with my plans to pursue a PhD in Philosophy, and that I knew that law was the right way to go. I was unconvinced, but Bart had this idea of going into practice together and so he felt like I needed to go to law school for sure. I asked, jokingly, are you going to pay for me to take the LSAT? Bart had an idea, he said that he would pay for my LSAT if I would agree to go into practice with him once we were both through the process of law school, and if I ever changed my mind about the whole thing that I would have to pay him back. Free LSAT? I signed up. I still didn't care very much and decided I would just see how well I could do on the LSAT without any preparation, with very little study a few months later I took the test and did well enough that Law School seemed more attractive. About then, after seeing the test results on a test I never had any intention of taking, I figured Law School seemed like a decent idea. Strangely enough, Bart changed his mind and decided not to go to law school - I think it's decisions like that are what made me and Bart get along so well (and I think since he changed his mind, I'm free of any and all obligations from our deal). (If you want to get an idea of the kind of guy Bart is, read his website celebritymisinformation.com)

How did I decide to go to the University of Richmond?  It just felt right, as Stephen Colbert might say, I went with my gut.  I remember the first time I got a pamphlet from them in the mail suggesting that I apply for law school there, I looked at it and I had a good feeling about the place.  While I investigated and applied to many other schools, I just had some kind of affinity for the University of Richmond.  It wasn't the highest ranked school I was accepted into, nor the school that offered me the most money - it was just the one I felt best about.  

My friend Casey asked me before I left if I had prayed about my decision.  My answer to him was "of course" but that doesn't give an accurate portrayal of my decision.  I never prayed specifically about the University of Richmond, I more prayed to know if I was going in the right direction.  Kind of "let me know if I'm screwing this up" more than questioning where the right school was.  When it comes to my education, I feel that the answer is to get as much education as possible wherever seems right, and Richmond seems right.  So far, my gut hasn't led me wrong on this adventure, and I'm going to keep on trusting it.  So how did I end up where I am?  Whim - may it take me further than I can see.


Song Lyrics

In case anybody is  interested, I thought I'd post lyrics to some songs I wrote a long time ago.  Chorus is in italics, and feel free to comment - even if its to say "keep your day job."  I am  more than a little embarrassed about some of them so no worries.  Thanks.  I'm currently working on lyrics to a song called "Her Name is Jane" based on several inside jokes, because I need to finish an inside joke - in case that swallow starts singing!  "Working on" is a relative term, by the way.  Without further ado, song lyrics I wrote once:

You May Not Be Mine, but I'm Yours

In my mind I yearn to find
The words to tell you
The way that I feel
The words I could tell you
That would keep you near

My brain is racing, contemplating
Earnest seeking, ways of keeping
You

You're beautiful, engaging, amazing
My darling, you're all things
I'm seeking, except you're not
Mine
In spite of this fact
In spite of the hard times
You know me, I know you
I love you
You may not be mine
But, girl, I'm yours


If only there were some kind of token
Some magic something
That could convince you
To choose me, not lose me
Please be mine,
Cuz you know that I'm yours

CHORUS

I'm hoping and waiting
Anticipating that day
When I can call you mine
Please be mine
You might not be mine
But I'm yours
If you want me
I'm yours….


Jacked Up

It's all jacked up
It's so jacked up
I do my best
Pass every test
It's all jacked up
So jacked up
Only to be passed by
She takes the other guy
It's all jacked up
It's so jacked up
I can't do anymore
She kicks me out the door


Everything,
Everything
How is it that I
Can be everything
They tell me that
They're wanting
Time and time again
I start to love
"Sorry, my best friend
I just don't feel that way"

CHORUS

She describes
Her perfect man
He's standing
In front of her
Here I am!
There's nothing
I can do
To impress
Any of you
Girls don't know
What they want
They say they need
A man like me
But here I am
Standing alone… again

CHORUS

A World Without Me

The first time I met you
I saw dreams come true
An angel that haunted
You had everything I wanted
Your eyes opened windows
I saw into my soul

I loved you too much
I offered you all things
The world and then some
There was nothing I would not give
Until that day when
I realized what you thought
In spite of my caring
The love I was sharing
The world that you sought
Was a world, without me

A world without me
The hardest gift to give
I loved you too much
Gave up my right to live


Thank you so much
For asking too much
I gave you my gift
I left you to live
In a world, without me

CHORUS

So lovely, so perfect
An omen ignored
"A girl will find you
She'll hypnotize you
You will be taken
Until you're heart broken
I can't thank you
Enough for taking
My innocent heart and stomping
You never knew
How much I offered you
I was all you ever dreamt of
But you never knew me

CHORUS

Because I left you
When you asked me
Because I gave you
A world without me
I have found the reason
A world to live in
No longer your world
There's a better girl
Thank you for asking for…

CHORUS

I'm glad I gave you
A world without me
It seemed you asked for
All I could give and more
After all I've been through
I'm better without you
If you had known
All I offered
You would have had
Your dream man
But now I see
You never knew me….


Not My Bluebird Anymore

It was Summer that year
When the bird appeared
She landed looked at me
She started talking
Little bluebird was my friend
Hello little bird
Won't you come on in?
Entered into my life
Oh pretty bird
She brought sunshine
Made me happy

She's not my bluebird anymore
She flew off to another door
Brought into my life
Happiness and smiles
My sweet little friend
Flew away from me
Not my bluebird anymore
Fly away my friend
You're not my bluebird anymore
Time to go away

It's not summer now
I'm standing in the cold



Looked outside the other day
See if a bluebird might come my way
Nothing on my lawn
The good times they are gone
I don't have a bluebird anymore

It feels like winter now
The warmth has gone away
The bluebirds in my life
They decided to migrate

It's such a cold night
And I just want a friend
Please bluebird come
Melt the snow with your sun

CHORUS

Some day there'll be
A bird that stays with me
She won't choose to fly
Off into the sky
A bluebird for my friend
Friendship to never end
Little bird will stay with me
The summer's warmth
Will stay with me
Someday some pretty girl
Will be my bluebird
Forever more.
But for now this last one's
Not my bluebird anymore.

Some day there'll be
A bird that stays with me
She won't choose to fly
Off into the sky


Until You Came Along

Standing all alone
A windy rainy night
No place to call my home
'Twas a life I couldn't fight
I was by myself
Until you came along

Until you came along
The darkness was my life
I couldn't find my place
There was no guiding light
Until you came along
The world was so dull
My feelings had gone numb
But now my life is full
Because you came along


Have you ever felt this way?
Seeing only shades of gray?
I really cannot tell
The impact you have had
The difference you have made
Because you came along

The world's a scary place
There's so much I could fear
But when I see your face
I know that I'm safe here
When I see your face
I need you to be near

CHORUS

Now I'm not alone
Today I am not scared
There's laughter in my life
There's happiness and joy
I've found my will to live
Because you came along
I've finally found the one
Who understands my mind
I've finally found myself
When I look into your eyes
Such beauty kills the pain
And all is right again.

CHORUS

For so long I have searched
For a woman I could love
I found so many girls
To take my heart away
But now I've found the one
Who will give her heart to me.

The cold and rainy night
The time I stood alone
My life was not complete
Until you came along.


A Player's Window

It's another night
He's with another girl
He puts in his time
But doesn't want to be with her
In his mind is a former love
The new girl's waiting
And he's there, but she's all alone

I look inside the player's window
I look inside the player's soul
I see his hurt from life's great passion
I see his lack of moving on
So many girls, should be so much fun
It's too bad, he just wants one
The girl left him, she sent him off
So now he'll find a new girl
And he'll hurt her like she hurt him


So many women
They just want love
But the player cannot give
For some other girl
At some other time
Took away his will to live

Women get hurt
Players hurt too
The human heart
Is a fragile organ
And it spreads its pain to others
A broken heart
A broken man
He seeks healing
They don't understand

CHORUS

It doesn't matter
How many girls
The player goes through
The hurt's still there
Until he gives up his fear
He will never love again
He will never live again

Life is painful, scary
And heartache hurts so bad
Afraid of falling
He cannot leap
But you'll never fly
If you don't risk your heart.


Someone My Home

I'm just trying to find myself
Put all these lies up on the shelf
Help me please to find my place
I'm no longer the person I was
I no longer know who I am

I want to be that somebody
Who somebody loves
I need to be that somebody
Who I once was
I'm trying to be everything
But I don't know where to go
I'll find my self in her eyes
I need someone my home


All alone feel so lost
I can't find myself
Here I am in a room
Full of some selves
But which self
Is my self
I truly cannot say
I'm not the man I used to be
Said goodbye to yesterday

CHORUS

Some one, my home
The home I'm looking for
There I'll find the peace I seek
The warm welcome door
It's home I need
It's home I want
I have lost my home
All alone, by myself
Yearning for those eyes
The eyes of someone
Some one my home.

CHORUS

It's in those eyes of that one
That I find my place
When I see those eyes
I remember me
The man who I used to be
The man who I will be
My goodness, my greatness
My potential full
I'll find it
In her eyes
Someone my home

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

First night at a new home

Well, I'm officially moved in. Still unpacking and with a ton of chores to do, but I'm liking it. I got to meet a few people from the singles ward at family home evening last night. It was crazy, there were almost 60 people there so it was basically impossible to get to know too many people without butting in to some pre-existent groups. I'm starting to get my bearings and understand where I'm at, and so far I'm really enjoying myself. So far so good.

Just a note to everybody, so far I've mostly posted journal type entries, and will probably continue to have journal type posts more often than not, but I will at times post other material, including posts on topics like religion, politics, and sports. Those are three things people are pretty passionate about, so I'll make sure to warn you before I go off on one of my rants.

Oh, and so you all can see how my personal appearance and surroundings change (don't want you to forget what I look like!) I'm going to post an image of myself taken at the time of my blogpost once a week.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Arrival at a new home

So, I made it to Richmond today. That's an accomplishment. Suddenly, the entire reality of what this means is beginning to set in. My roommates here seem like great guys, and I don't foresee any problems with that at all. But I am just now realizing how powerful it is to say goodbye to almost everything you know and just set out on a new adventure. Other than those two men I met earlier tonight, I do not know a single soul for nearly 500 miles. That's a weird feeling. I don't know how well I would deal with that without the church. As for everything else, the campus here is beautiful and I'm looking forward to getting everything started. Hopefully the weather stays mild until I can fix my a/c. Life is good - Hopefully I adjust quickly to these changes.

One more note - in memory of my friend Kaleo who passed away this weekend while on vacation in Georgia. I've only known Kaleo for a few short months, but he was a good friend and a good man. I still remember the first time I talked with him, and I will miss him a lot. Life's not supposed to end while you're in your 20s, unfortunately for those of us who are left behind some people go on to eternity faster than others. Kaleo, you join a group of much loved people who I will remember fondly and my life is dimmer for your absence in it. Goodbye.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Road Trip Day 2, Blog Trip Day 1

Hello friends, family, everybody! I figure now that I'm leaving most of my friends and family 2,000 miles away, I ought to do something to keep all y'all informed. So - here we go. Blog post 1. The first day of my trip east went pretty well, except for the fact that my air conditioning in the car decided to die and may cost me $1500 to fix. Hopefully my warranty covers that, it's been pretty mild weather so luckily the lack of a/c hasn't killed me and my mums.

We stopped over in Topeka, KS last night and are in Louisville, KY tonight. Mum isn't too happy with the motel she picked for us tonight, good times! This morning we stopped off at Liberty Jail to see where Joseph Smith spent 5 months of his life and received some of the most inspiring scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants (sections 121-123). It was a great experience, amazing to see how those men had to live for so long. Good stop on my trip.

I still don't think it has hit me that I'm leaving everything I know behind - if I'm lucky it won't hit me too hard. Law School should be a great experience... but I'm going to miss so many people. Well, I'll update you with all sorts of stuff, and post song lyrics I've written, talks I've written, and other neat stuff on here. Hope lots of you will stop by here to see how I'm doing on occasion. Thanks for everything, love you all.

-Isaac

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