Nathan Key

Husband, Father, Thinker.

 

 
 
I don't get out to the movies very often anymore. When I do, it's usually so I can write a Blog series like the one I'm working on for this week called: Aliens & Philosophy

That said, my new friend Neil has a really good site for film reviews called: A True Review
I'll be linking there whenever I mention films in the future so that you can get a better idea of whatever film I'm discussing here on my blog.

Check it out. It's good stuff.
 
Linkfest 3.0 06/02/2009
 

From time to time, I think it’s important to acknowledge some people who have added to my own online experience. Today, I want to feature two individuals who have helped me understand my online experience through our offline interactions! When I was in Seattle, I worked very closely with both of them at Media Partners and continue to interact with online now that we’re 3000 miles away.

Maureen @ http://iheartiheart.com/ was the marketing specialist at Media Partners when I worked there. Beyond that, she’s a really wonderful SEO who just happens to have a pretty great blog about marketing and internet fun. She got me hooked on Talk Like a Pirate Day and also managed to get us an office Wii when we were working at Media Partners. She also helped me figure out how to increase traffic to my own site (although we never talked about it directly, our conversations about internet campaigns and search engine optimization (SEO) really made a difference).

Rob @ http://www.robthedesigner.com/ was the graphic designer at Media Partners when I worked there. After leaving our respective positions, he’s become a pretty incredible freelance designer. We were both “jobless” around the same time and so it was really helpful to watch his networking moves. I copied a number of them to try to nail down some freelance work of my own- even though we’re in different trades (I write stories all day and he draws pictures).

OK, one other person I want to mention is Jeff. If you read my comments then you’ll probably noticed that he’s made quite a few lately, and they’ve all been really interesting, insightful, and have helped me focus my thoughts quite a bit. He’s got a blog called jeffsdeepthoughts. You should check it out because the fun continues over there, too!

 
 

Matt was kind enough to allow me to use one of his photos as my banner this week. Here it is without my 880x250 crop:

Picture
Courtesy of Matt Addington
He's in Iraq right now documenting a family and an organization who helps kids. Please head over to his blog to learn more. It's a visual wonderland and he tells it through film much better than I could through words!
 
 
Making an issue of one’s being is what makes us human, claims Heidegger. He calls this “making and issue of one’s being” existence and claims that this is the essence of what it means to be human. After reading Micah’s brilliant little series on Modernism/Postmodernism:

>>>>     What Is Modernism? | Examples | What Is Postmodernism? | Examples

I’m inclined to put Heidegger’s third state of being into the Postmodern category because it makes a claim against all other philosophers that “nothing” is our essence other than to make an issue of our essence. Kant argues that we are fundamentally Rational Beings, and Christians argue that we are fundamentally “Children of God” and so this claim that we are essentially and purely existence is a very “wheel-like” claim. I’m borrowing the wheel from Micah’s posts and this will make a lot more sense if you read through them- especially the Postmodern examples.

I’m probably making a fairly simple leap since Heidegger was of first importance to Derrida, Foucoult, and all the other Continental Philosophers- but bear with me as I’ve not done much study on Heidegger prior to this and even little accomplishments like this make me happy.

Now that I’ve giving a little ‘blog love,’ let me point this in a different direction, if I may.

Heidegger argues that only humans exist (his definition of existence is to “make an issue of one’s being”). He even goes as far as to say that God does not exist within this definition of existence (remember that He’s not refuting God, he’s saying that God doesn’t make an issue of his being). However, it seems to me that in the Christian worldview, God IS a Being whose essence is existence. He calls himself I AM, essentially stating that His very nature is built on His existence, thus making an issue of His own being. Following that idea, if we were made in the image of God- namely that His existence IS His nature, it would follow that our existence (and making an issue of it), would be our essence as well.

I doubt Heidegger really wanted this idea reconciled with Christianity, but there you have it. What’s done is done.

Thoughts?
 
 

For the next few days, your daily dose of politics, philosophy, and religion may be a bit intermittent as I'm adapting to a new role as a Sr. Trainer with Liberty Mutual. I'm going to try to keep blogging through it al, but it may not update in the middle of the day as normal?

In the meantime, check out this amazing review that Chris sent my way this afternoon!

Also, be sure to send your submissions this week for the banner space on my site.

 
 

Chris reminded me (through one of his latest posts) that I'm a bit overdue for a linkfest blog! So today I'm going to ask you, my gentle readers, to check out some of the blogs and sites that I've been really enjoying lately.

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GrizzlyBearCouture & KateKing
Two of my really good friends have each just started up a vintage clothing business. They salvage amazing clothing and find new homes for it. Please give both of them some love and encouragement by checking out their products (and buying something)!

Mirrorshards
100 word short stories, every single day. I subscribe to this site through an RSS feed and I’m telling you- other than my daily ESV feed, this is my morning fuel. Each story is smart and fun. And since they’re only 100 words,  even the ones that aren’t as great are still worth reading.

BabieMamaDrama
My wife just began blogging about our life. She is so much funnier than I could ever hope to be. If you want a really honest, humorous look at two new parents learning about life- this is a great blog (and I’m not just saying that because I’m married to the author). Two of my personal favorites include this One and this One.

A Book Elegantly Bound
Megan is one of the most articulate and descriptive writers I've ever had the pleasure of knowing/reading. Start following her now because she's bound to be on par with Sylvia Plath in another few years (although her writing doesn't smack of depression like Plath's does).

Dinosaur Comics
It’s hard to get into this comic at first because the art doesn’t change. Author Ryan North took the static form idea from David Lynch´s postmodern strip “The Angriest Dog in the World.” Seriously, though- it's a must read. Not only is it very funny- it’s also very thought provoking. It’s a comic about philosophy, religion, social commentary, and all sorts of other topics written concisely and with grand intellect and narrated by a self-absorbed T-Rex.

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Extra Credit
If you really want to read something of mine today, re-read through my Watchmen or Heroes Series cause I really enjoyed both of those. Prepare yourselves for tomorrow, too. I’m going to go on a tirade about THIS and I'd sure like your comments and thoughts.