Sunday, March 21, 2010

Wilson, we have a problem...

Just watched Apollo 13 again, amazing movie.

It made me realise what a big Tom Hanks fan I am, I don't think I have ever not enjoyed one of his movies. Cast Away still makes me sad, which is somewhat embarrassing seeing as you get choked up about a volleyball... but I hold that "Cast Away" is held up entirely by "the song" in it. Beautiful. (However, I am also a "Movie score" nerd, so the music behind movies is a huge deal to me)

Back to Apollo 13, aside from my Tom Hanks admiration, the movie also made me wish that I was more "mathematically prone". Those folk at NASA are geniuses. I can't stand math... I wish I could, I wish it made sense, but it doesn't. I always struggled, and as a result, engineering or similar prospects were never a reality. Sure, sure I am prone to very abstract Philosophical thoughts... but could that get you to the moon? Mechanical Engineers, Physicists, they know where it's at. Brightest people on the planet. They are the ones who are boldly going where... only a select few have gone before.

What is Philosophy good for then? Well... a new favorite quote of mine comes from Plato's writing where Socrates says

"I am afraid that other people do not realize that the one aim of those who practice Philosophy in the proper manner is to practice for dying and death" Phaedo 64 a

Fair enough... he continues

Therefore, as I said at the beginning, it would be ridiculous for a man to train himself in life to live in a state as close to death as possible, and then to resent it when it comes?... Those who practice Philosophy in the right way are training for dying and they fear death least of all men" - Phaedo 67 e

I guess the moon will have to wait.

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