Interessante Auffassung - interesting perception

One bed "to be shared with only three people".

Dubai has really nice cuisine....

Kuriositäten

Ladies Greeting Area? Who greets us?



Mmh, interesting tag. What does it have to do with buying Cola?

Truth is avoidable.

Persuit of happiness

„Who knows how often in life of a human, one cheering word or sunshine missed to make everything different, because the person would have decided different. Not the sunshine or the word would have been the cause, but the good conditions” (Guss) What I think this quote says is that everything is connected and you might easily make somebody's life better, just by little things. Do not neglect your actions having effects and try to make good conditions.

"Indeed, I suspect that there may be a positive correlation between the emotional intensity with which a controversial belief is defende and the absence of reflective thought about the belief by him who thus defends it." John Mothershead. Some reflections on the Meaning of Freedom in The Journal of Philosophy

There and back- Orient und Okzident

Istanbul
People make each other stranger than they are. Living for five weeks in Istanbul I saw a proof that cross cutting cleavages through a society are a lot more important than the one between cultures.
With the knowledge of all borders of culture being lose and dynamic, I sometimes saw myself being confronted with views which involve borders. I could observe that there was identity construction through me. As I was sometimes told of something being Turkish, meanwhile me not seeing it particular as Turkish. Was it introducing parts of a culture to me, reminding themselves of what is suppose to be Turkish. I am really aware of identity construction, because I know reification is bullshit and done by anybody to simplify and it is me being mostly in charge of constructing my own identity. Still I felt as if anybody was trying to make me a part of "the Germans", was reducing me. The same people at the same time, overreacted if they just felt a slide hint of me saying something was Turkish.
This all shows to me that even though you might be intellectually aware of the phenomena of In-group/ Outgroup processes, you could still do in conscienceless way. Even though you might say everybody is the same, you still look at the differences.
For my experiences, I didn't see a lot. It mostly depended on what you do as your job. Lifestyle is far less influenced by cultural heritage as people believe.
Not to say culture isn't a factor. Rather saying that culture consists of multiple factors from which people choose, with the conclusion that after equation from different cultures similar sums might come out.
Looking back at Istanbul, I just saw the lifestyle of my environment, which at the end didn't differ so much.

To my friends

Many people say, that in bad times it proves who is a friend and who is not.
For that I want to say "thank you" to all my true friends. You all seem to care so much about me!
As I really do about you. True friendship means willingness to give everything and never ask what you get out of it. Being there when you are needed, but not expecting anything. I enjoy just helping my friends and spending time, but I also accept when there is no time, even though that is a little sad. I always hope the best. Sometimes I might be jealous, but there is never greed, cause I wish the best for you...always and forever... as you being happy makes me happy to. Friendship means sharing, its joy together and grief together. But after all its knowing that you are not alone.
Sometimes I really feel weird and proud, how do I get so many good friend? So many of you...everyone of you being special for me and a part of my life. Knowing that you are there makes me feel confident and optimistic about life, even though I am not an optimist...
I would do everything I can for you, since you are my life...
For all that I want to say "thank you" as I love you.
"Thank you" for exsisting and thank you for being my friend(s)!

Freedom of Will (Willensfreiheit)

As Schopenhauer says "Humans can do what they want, but never want what they want". I don't believe in Willensfreiheit as there is never such a thing as an independent decision. A simple example: a (I want to go and play soccer now.) depends on A (I like soccer.), which depends on several things as I have played the game before and as I experienced it as something nice. Which means there are conditions making me want this. This is a simple example but it clearly shows that my "will" depends on things. I need to know to decide. What I know depends on my previous life, my desires depend on what my context is. You are the product of everything what happens in life and for that you really don't have a lot of choice about anything. Your agency is deeply connected with the structure you are born in, even though the structure is dynamic and changes, you are always a part of it. Christian belief of god giving "the free will" to humankind is totally going wrong. As first to have this free will, you would need to be free of all moral judgments, to no condition prefer anything while making a decision. You would have to know about all possible actions and also know about all consequences. Otherwise the direction of your will would depend on knowledge and experience. To be able to know everything, you would have to be??? God itself. Do I think everything is determined? Yes and No. More Yes then No as everything is connected to some point, humans can decide, but every decision depends on context. Going back to my example, if I was asked if I want to play soccer or go to lecture, I would want to play soccer, even though maybe thinking that going to a lecture might be good for me and partly thinking I should want to go to the lecture...but I couldn't do anything about my "want". If I had a free will I should be able to create my desire, "want what I want" (inspired by Hume, Fay, Hobbes and Schopenhauer)