Going Down in History

When they write about me in history books, what will they say? I was reading about a French political philosopher and author in one of my textbooks last night, and, in the margin of my notebook, found myself writing:

Sarah Koopmans (1981 - ?)

Canadian religious and social philosopher and author

Can’t you just see it? A couple hundred years from now, if I make enough waves during my lifetime, and my existence is significant enough to mention in some kind of history book, I imagine that’s not far from how it might appear.

Like me, when you think “philosopher”, Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato come to mind; perhaps I am not easily compared to the ancient toga-wearers, but when I read this description of philosophy, there is much that I identify with:

Philosophy is defined as: The study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language; the pursuit of wisdom, a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means, an analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing fundamental beliefs.

A philosopher is, then, someone who seeks wisdom and enlightenment; a person who seeks reason and truth by thinking and meditation.

This thing that I do, this blog, is my journal of observations as I study humanity. Someday, hopefully, I’ll graduate to a more formal outlet for my ideas and findings, but lucky you to have known me when–!

My Renaissance

Casting their nets wider, the Renaissance thinkers concluded that the ancients had given worthwhile responses to many of the same issues as Christians and that they should not be dismissed simply because they were non-Christian.*

For a course I’m taking called Comparative Literature - From Homer to Picasso: Western Culture Across the Ages, I’m currently reading about the period in history known as the Renaissance. My textbook is dry reading, but when I apply my brain, with the help of some note-taking, music, coffee, and candles, I do usually learn something.

It just occurred to me, while reading a section titled “Thought and Philosophy” of the Early Renaissance, that I am in the Renaissance period of my life.

As most of my readers know, I was raised in a conservative Christian home, which later became less conservative, but never quite liberal, and definitely not secular. As foundational as it is to have solid moral values, I feel that I missed out on the chance to understand the moral code that I was expected to follow, or its importance. I was ignorant of the alternative, other than a sort of sense of fear of what was other than our lifestyle.

“The world” was generally condemned as inherently and uniformly evil, because it wouldn’t fit inside the doors of the church. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the ignorant like I was, there were many dark, seeping cracks in the would-be fortress walls, letting in all varieties of secret sin and evil, that were in reality the uglier for their secret nature.

I couldn’t help believing that there must be a better way of establishing and reinforcing a moral code than with fear and secrecy. So much was this opinion reinforced through almost every interaction with the institution called church that I had to leave it! And so began my personal renaissance.

Renaissance: rebirth, revival

None of this is new to those who have followed this site for a few years, but I guess when I came across the passage I quoted above, I realized that this thing I’m doing with my life is not a new concept, but rather an ancient one. I’m finding that people have questioned philosophy and religion and humanity since the beginning of time, and I believe that it is only through doubting and asking and searching that truth can hit home.

Also, I wonder if there can ever be a universal belief system, or if we all must go through our own periods of renaissance and learn to love and respect and accept each other despite our differences. Certainly I was not taught that in the church, though “love your neighbour” was a much-repeated motto.

I am finding that the world is teaching me some valuable lessons that I didn’t have the capacity to learn while in the Christian bubble of my former life, though I am eternally grateful for the moral foundation it gave me. Now to continue sifting through all of the fragments of beliefs and ideas to see which are necessary and which aren’t. For me, that is.

And I continue to cast my nets wider!

Mystery Man: Definitely Maybe?

A Transparent Life caught up with Sarah today, and begged and pleaded with her to pretty please give our readers an update about the impressive Mystery Man she told us about five weeks ago. Here’s how our chat went:

ATL: Wow, Sarah, we hardly see you these days! Life must be keeping you busy!

Sarah: Busy enough that we had to do this interview at 12:30 AM, so, yeah!

ATL: Thanks for taking the time!

Sarah: You know me–for a good story, anytime!

ATL: So. We know that there are lots of things happening in your life; between starting university this fall while supporting yourself at the same time; not to mention performing with your very talented band, Fourth Avenue; life is packed. But there’s one particular scoop we’re all hoping for: what’s going on with the mystery guy you went out with last month? Is there anything going on, I guess I should ask, first of all?

Sarah: (laughs) Yes, yes, there IS something going on!

ATL: Oooh, that’s exciting! So you’ve gone out again since then, I assume.

Sarah: Hmm. Yes. Definitely yes. (smiles)

ATL: (laughs) Such certainty! So you’ve gone out one more time? More than once?

Sarah: More than once. In fact, a definite several times, ATL.

ATL: Not once, not twice, but several, eh?

Sarah: It’s true: there are witnesses.

ATL: I’m not going to ask where you’ve gone with this guy, but have you done some fun stuff?

Sarah: If movies and dinner and stargazing and Cirque du Soleil count, then yeah, it’s been fun stuff!

ATL: Wow! Very fun!

Sarah: I know, right? We have no lack of ideas of fun things to do.

ATL: So it’s “we” then, is it?

Sarah: Very clever, ATL. Is your boss reading this? You should get a raise! But, your journalistic prowess won’t work on me. Not today, anyway.

ATL: Thanks for the professional nod, Sarah, but apparently you’ve underestimated me if you think A Transparent Life is gonna let you get off with kissing up and dodging the question! I’ve got my readers to think about, after all, and they are nothing short of nosy, even sometimes downright clamorous for story details. I can’t call this a scoop if there’s nothing juicy about it, now, can I?

Sarah: (laughs) I will agree that the more juicy the story, the better, but I’m honestly not quite ready to hop into the cider press for the public just yet.

ATL: That’s it, then? That’s all you’ve got?

Sarah: Okay, fine, I’ll give you something. One little tidbit.

ATL: Bated breath, Sarah. Bated breath!

Sarah: Here it is, the tidbit: things are going really well!

ATL: Break it down for us. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being very unlikely to continue to go well, and 10 being highly likely to continue to go well, where does your “really well” fall?

Sarah: Man, you don’t give an inch, do you? On that scale, I’d say my “really well” would appear at…. Hmm. Nope, I just can’t do it. But I will say that I’m really happy with the way things are going, and that I don’t see any reason why I’d be unhappy.

ATL: How about his name? Will you make me beg for that, too?

Sarah: All in due time, ATL, all in due time. I told him I was doing this interview, though, and he said that there was a detail I left off of the original post, which isn’t technically true because I didn’t know this about him until I got to meet her a few days later, but he has a sweet blue 1969 Chevrolet Corvair (that’s a car, ladies), that he fixed up and made shine.

ATL: Um…. alrighty then! Not exactly the juice we were wishing for, but cool! We’ll take it! If–! If you promise me another interview when you feel like making cider. (laughs) Are you up for it?

Sarah: Definitely yes, ATL. With certainty.

Things You Should Refuse to Inherit

• A vacuum cleaner. Unless, perhaps, it’s a Dyson. We don’t know their lasting power yet.
• Linens. Towels and sheets were never meant to make the journey from parents to children to grandchildren! Feel free to use them for your pets or to wipe off a wet bike seat or when you colour your hair.
• A toaster. Unless they it was brand-new soon before you acquired it, in my experience it’s just kind of weird knowing some else’s bread was cooked there.
• Freezer contents. Again, unless you’re positive those venison steaks are from this season, resist the urge to take them home!
• Beauty products. I don’t care if it IS an almost-new stick of Speed Stick - that’s just GROSS!
• Audiovisual technology. That VCR? It can stay with the previous generation, it’s okay.
• Plastic containers. As in Tupperware and Rubbermaid, etc. Plastic just isn’t what we once thought it was, and gets right nasty in its old age!
• Anything with a Dollarama sticker on the bottom of it! Haha!
• Half-filled crossword puzzles.
• MDF furniture that already has something broken (guilty!)

Add your own in the comments region…

Transparency Goes on a Date

Before: Excited and a Tiny bit Apprehensive

I have a first date tomorrow. My first first date in a long time, my first first date that I feel has been planned the right way and preceded by the right events. I am so excited! I am positive that I am going to laugh my bum off with this guy and not worry about my front teeth overlapping while I cackle. All my girlfriends will want to know his qualifications going into the first date, so here goes:

• taller than me (even with heels on)
• know how to dress himself! (unless his mommy secretly does it for him)
• doesn’t really like to watch sports on TV (except hockey with the guys and, of course, the Olympics)
• is hilarious
• isn’t afraid to get up and dance (after a pint or two). In fact, we met on the dance floor!
• has sweet glasses
• won’t make fun of me for loving chick flicks
• he’s Canadian!
• hates domestic beer (the Blue-Bud-Coors category) as much as I do
• is built! (arms the size of small trees, which, of course, is relative, but impresses me!)
• asked me for my number the first time we met (true, he thought I lived in Toronto and so didn’t call me until after we met again a month later, but still!)
• has an iPhone (my next technological gadget for SURE)
• isn’t afraid of wordy text messages, sending or receiving them
• loves the beach
• can only take so much hip-hop (Me! Too!)
• …and that’s more than enough for a first date, you romance freaks!

One of the most exciting things going in is that I still don’t know what we’re doing tomorrow night: he’s going to tell me today! Yup, he’s planning it, after a helpful discussion about things we like and don’t like and an inspired idea from the Sarah camp that unfortunately fell through but perhaps was inspiring. Guess I’ll find out! More to come soon…

The Next Day: Impressed!

So I went out with the Great Guy last night, and I am now a Foolish Grinner. It was perfect! I don’t know why I ever went out with anyone else, except for the obvious fact that I hadn’t met Great Guy yet. I need to add to the list of qualifications:

• courteous and gentlemanly (would hold the door for me, wait for me to walk through, etc.)
• good driver
• good listener
• he planned the date and paid for everything - wow!
• he was in control of the evening’s progress, but not in any way overbearing
• we communicate well (this one is HUGE: I often feel misunderstood, or too smart or too dumb or too critical or too snobby, but he just gets me)
• when he’s serious, he’s quietly confident, which is trust- and respect-inspiring, and then laughs so easily and so contagiously in the next moment
• we have so much in common (our opinion about DQ, for example: they should stick to the Cool Treats and get rid of the Hot Eats)
• our differences are complementary
• he makes me feel like it’s great to be me!

I smiled all the way home from our date. In fact, I smiled during the day any time I thought of our upcoming evening together, and, during a washroom break at dinner, had to will myself to stop grinning like a fool before I got back to the table. Even the fact that he kissed me on the cheek and hugged me good-night contributed to making it perfect. Second date? Yes, please!

VIA… Deliciosa!

I was recently given a sample of Starbucks’ revolutionary new instant coffee, VIA, by an eager barista. I told him there was no way he could sell me on any instant coffee, but asked him for some information, anyway. I ended up going home with a sample, but didn’t have the guts to break it out until this morning.

Well (insert drum roll here), I like it!

To quote from the website,

And they’re actually right!

They also have some really cool gear to transport your extra VIA packets:

Could it be? An instant coffee that could revolutionize the world of instant gratification caffeine fixes?

If I Had a Million Dollars…

…I’d buy your lo-o-ove!

Not really.

Off the top of my head, I think I might:

• Pay for my entire education
• Put my sister through school to be a Registered Massage Therapist
• Go back to visit Hawaii and Mexico and Norway, etc., and maybe take my family to one of those places
• Travel to the UK and Australia and New Zealand and Italy and France and Greece (you get the picture)
• Buy some stocks
• The wise thing to do would be to put it in the bank first and start letting it earn interest, and then pay for all of the above things out of the interest, but the wise thing wasn’t the first thing that came to my mind.
• Buy a house, fix it up, and perhaps rent part of it out to pay the mortgage payments
• Is there any left?
• If so, I’d start an authentic Mexican-food restaurant somewhere along Lake Huron and maybe bring in one of my Mexican friends to guarantee that it’s authentic! And, of course, to stay and make tortillas.
• Not gonna lie, I’d buy some brown leather “riding” boots
• And I wouldn’t wait for my BlackBerry contract to expire before getting the biggest and prettiest iPhone there is
• I’d hire someone to review and delete all the spam comments that are in the “comments waiting to be moderated” section of this website. Blech.
• Is there still some left?
• I’d buy one of those sweet mesh ergonomic office chairs that you could just live in, or at least they look like you could!
• I’d buy a newer Toyota 4Runner, one without cracks in the dashboard or worn spots in the paint or dents in the bumper from where my little brother backed into a post. The only flaw I’d accept would be coffee pre-staining under the cupholder, because heaven knows I’m only going to add to them!
• Oh yeah, and buy a lifetime subscription to SIRIUS satellite radio so that I can listen to the CBC wherever, whenever, forever!

Philosophizing

Success is generally understood as being demonstrated by wealth, power, beauty, etc., but it seems to me that a truly successful person knows who they are first and foremost. They realize their giftings, their raison d’etre, and do all that is in their power to use such qualities for good. They do not settle for status quo and are often unsatisfied by that which is merely superficial. When they do strive to get ahead, they do not knock down others along the way, rather they build bridges wherever possible.

A truly successful person is prosperous of soul, of emotion, of character, of experience, of relationship, and of opportunity.

The John Conspiracy?

I’d always heard that John (or variations of the same) was the the most popular men’s name in the world.

This summer, I’ve learned that the rumours are true!

A friend married her fiance named John.

A baby was miscarried and named Jon.

A chef named John came to work in the kitchen at the pub.

I met three men named Jon, John, and John:

One asked me out.

One got my number.

And one I asked to go with me to the wedding of the first John I mentioned.

I’m starting to wonder if there’s some John-centered conspiracy I’m supposed to be part of.

Missin’ you, Mama

I think my mom would have been amused to find her former favourite mechanic schlepping plates and making lattes as co-owner of one of the local cafes.

She would have cried when she heard my song on the Noted CD.

She would be surprised to find that I now like the uniquely-patterned couch and armchair I inherited from her. Birds being one of my least favourite creatrues, I was never very appreciative of the brown, red, taupe, pink and beige pheasants that gallivant on said furniture. Now, however, since I built my living room and dining room around the pattern and colour scheme, I have grown to enjoy it. She’d feel right at home, I think!

This fall, Mom and I might have been students together: She had planned to go back to school for a second degree, hoping to find a way to professionally use her intelligence, wisdom, and hard-earned life experience.

Though her death forced me to get my own apartment and enabled me to buy my Trixie Toyota, if she were still with us she would have been excited to no longer have to share her car with me (or find coffee stains on the upholstery), and I imagine her coming over for coffee every now and then… something I always wished for.

I think she would have enjoyed the memorial we had for Mark. It seemed like she was there in spirit, anyway, and that the event was honouring her life as well as Mark’s. I wonder what she might have done differently, or what her ideas might have been. Still, I have no doubt that she would have been proud of us, proud of how we chose to celebrate Mark’s life.

I’m missin’ you today, Mama. I’m so glad Mark is with you now, but I wish I still had you, too….