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There never existed rumors that Philosophy makes money. No one has ever taken these courses seriously for the sake of money. Some people seek to understand the universe, morality, history, science, people, and many other things through philosophy; others desire to form theories of justice, ethics, fill the gabs between science and art and culture. It's like a spirit that exists everywhere; each person, of course, focuses on different aspects of it. I, for example, have taken up the least profitable of all types: not political or ethical philosophy, but simply that of the universe, time, and consciousness. Yes, it's useless if you think about it in terms of a Benjamin generator. But other than that, the experience insofar has been the most exciting thing in my life - ever; you get to encounter people who think more than they speak of "opinions," you meet some of the most passionate personalities, sometimes you encounter the most dangerous and obsessed minds, sometimes imaginative and fantastical, and at other times the most tranquil; and most of the time, you find degrees of all types in the same person. And they are all unique. They hate it when I admit this: the more desirous we are, the more thoughtful we become and the less physically active, to the point that it almost seems a great philosopher is "virtous" or "noble" - but he only desires too much to even move a little.
Besides, the way people treat you and the way they look at you is not bad either, when you tell them you're a philosophy major, or in my case, a philosophy and a psychology major. Most ladies simply smile graciously when they hear of this. I visited my previous college today to wish some of the faculty a great holiday season, and I told some of them that I changed from Business to Psych/Philo - they were in awe. Why? Because it shows spirit. I am obviously not doing this for "practicality" or to become the next Bill Gates - I haven't the desire for money to begin with; I'm so easily content that I don't even need a TV or videogames; I don't pay attention to cars or sports or women or men or what other people easily call "matters of living a good life." I'm always here and elsewhere at the same time - too absent to care for the "big issues" that people care about; and the only cases that intrigue me are the unusual, isolated, alienated, extreme cases - I've talked to stalkers before, to homosexuals, to goths, to "vampires": its amazing how much they know! I can't wait to interview criminals and terrorists - they can teach you more about human psychology than any professional or average "good citizen."
My parents are unhappy with my decision, especially when everyone in the family line and most relatives are taking Computer Science, Business, Law, or entering some Science field. But what can I do? Philosophy is in me and I'm in Philosophy. I have no will over it.
Plus, I'm cursed (or blessed?) with few hundred ailments - severe ADD, a headache that apparently has no cure, lack of tolerance for anything stupid, incapacity to deal with routine work, and few other ticks that just make me impossible. And I refuse to be medically treated. If I'm not dead by my mid 40s than it is solely by a miracle. I don't have enough patience and tolerance to do what "normal" guys do, and that is, follow orders, commands, obey mathematical numbers, and work "impersonally." I would die!
All that, and still I have to say - if everyone did only what is practical, which is sadly the common case, the world sure would have stopped producing great men and women a long time ago. I rather take a risk and experiment with something new and be sure that I would fail rather than take a sure way out of life, be sure that it is successful, and call it The End. And most people have called it The End, hence, their lack of thinking ability, their lack of bold insight, their Lack in general, with a big fat L. They live to generate money, to feed themselves, their families if any, to roam about Heaven's earth almost randomly and without a point of focus, without one value towards which they are willing to sacrifice themselves; they play around with their bodies a little, cry and moan and complain a lot, and then retire only to discover that they haven't lived at all, but only acted like any other animal - and even animals lead more exciting lives! Are you shocked that people generally fear death? They don't want to die because they realize secretly that they haven't begun living at all, that despite all the time they have spent cursing and yelling and making their daily noise, they have not begun living yet, and instead, have hastened their way to death. They do die, thankfully, and the world is restored after their presence again and again.
In the end, you will find that if you're an American, taking Philosophy a little more seriously immediately cures that unfortunate illness. Read Beyond Good and Evil few times; get to know what Existentialism means; read some Descartes - he's easy; see what Plato and Socrates had to say; get in touch with not just man, but mankind; try to touch upon the basics of the problems of mankind that have puzzled people throughout ages; try to think, and who knows, perhaps try to solve something: instantly you are cleaned from your Americanism and are more whole human being, more worthy of your own time...and perhaps you would begin to see why I, along with millions around the world, despise Americans to no ends: not because they are "stupid" or that they "don't know"; most people around the world are as ignorant as Americans if not even more so; but what bothers us most is that out of all these people, Americans still think they are socially, mentally, and generally more superior, free, "liberated," than the rest of the world - which is just so sickening.
[Edit]I also forgot to mention that ever since I began sinking myself in Philosophy, my actions, thoughts, and ideas, no matter how strange and depraved they seem, and despite the fact that I refer to myself as a "philosophical tyrant," I have met few people who told me that I am more Christian, more compassionate, more Islamic, more Jew, more Budhist, than they who practice these arts. And I am an athiest! And I can tell you the reason: we have to admit that many people simply "perfer" their religions (as if that makes it an "intelligent, thoughtful choice"!) in some cases or are born with their religions tagged on them, and they keep them. I call these people voyeurs: they stand apart from their mindsets and watch as if from a looking glass, from a safe distant where they are safe from harm, from life as a whole - they call it "practical living," or "living with common sense." If you are daring enough, with ease and with greatness you will encounter in yourself the Christian, the Muslim, the Jew, the Spiritual, the Sexual, the Violent, the God, and the whole of mankind and the whole array of their experiences - it requires patience, of course, and not modern living with haste and "trying to get it over with." It's your life, after all, live it slowly and with patience!