Tag: Thoughts
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The Stars Don’t Care
The stars don’t care if you curse at the sky,Or laugh till you choke, or break down and cry.They’ll burn all the same, cold fire in the black,Never once judging, never looking back. The trees don’t mind if you tell them your sins,They’ve heard it before from the wolves and the wind.They’ll whisper their secrets,…
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Names
What’s in a name? Nelligan, Forani, Couteau, Van Landschoot. These four last names came together and were cancelled out based on to which male held which name. My grandmother’s father held the last name Nelligan, but he had a daughter, thus the last name would not survive a marriage. It fell to Forani, my grandfather’s…
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Organic
Arranged soliloquies offered up deranged estranged pedantic pleas, So please don’t beam across the scene like I’m some means to mean what it gleans. I don’t know how to flow, Like two stones without a home. Crack my back for harder prose. I’ll get back to your stack of bones, But until then strap those…
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NARRATIVES
(And lying to ourselves) The human mind is a storyteller, constantly weaving narratives in every moment of our existence. From the moment we wake up to the time we drift into dreams, our minds are tirelessly constructing stories about ourselves, the world around us, and the people we encounter. At the core of this narrative…
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CONTINUITY
(This isn’t about movies) Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed philosophers and curious minds, allow me to present a provocative argument that challenges the very foundations of our understanding. The continuity of self suggests that the self, as we commonly conceive it, is but an illusion! Consider the river of time as it flows through the landscapes…
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COMING TO AN END
Summer’s End, Relationships, Jobs, Loved Ones, Suicide, and Pets Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, and friends, today, we gather to reflect upon a universal truth that binds the tapestry of our lives together—the unflinching of time toward endings. My motivation to make this thoughts piece came from the bittersweet childhood experience of summer’s end leading…
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ACCUMULATION
(An Inventory Story) On humanity’s path to understanding the cosmos we find ourselves in, we didn’t start at zero. Our predecessors wrote a story through our DNA that spans 4 billion years of survival. While we will never know the trials and experiences of these great countless who came before, they gave us starting blocks…
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Monkes as Pets
We don’t want to be alone in this world. The feeling of loneliness is a terrible thing, worse still when you’re with people but feel alone. Even the most introverted person, who might claim that’s all they want, still require interactions, just through television, gaming, or some other form. In the movie I am Legend,…
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Monkes in Space
Human beings do not hold dominion over this Earth. We don’t. We’ve acted like we do, at least the powerful have throughout all of history and still to this day, but it’s obviously not the case. Though, in our very recent past as a species through agriculture and religion we have separated ourselves very much…
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I AM NOT
My name is Joe Van, and I am filled with absences, though that statement doesn’t track grammatically. Instead, I will simply say that I AM NOT most things. This line of thought is nothing new to me, nor is it new in general, nonetheless, as a kid I remember asking myself what would happen if…
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Thoughts: Choice
Welcome to #53 of Thoughts. In today’s episode I go over the topic of: choice, while tying in free will, causality, and determinism. Enjoy! THOUGHTS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyW0IXUsqiMV1g7qYcuJxhqxpIszT-o-k REVIEWS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyW0IXUsqiMXvgFCWmE9IikMvSXs35HJL Z O N E S: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyW0IXUsqiMVXwdSqC9X7L1UDDapgcyxT MONKE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyW0IXUsqiMX_doqCZdBtnAttTVzQVlxH TIER LISTS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyW0IXUsqiMXr-y5V5quN5w-K3-xVPT4U PRIMATE NATION: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyW0IXUsqiMWM_8uM9jsS-VyxDPEJ8p_V PATREON: https://youtu.be/a_bLwZJzJno SECRET PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/jd-streams/id1541025716 UNPLUGGED PODCAST: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChBigRAO1r1s5hlS57jiP8g TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejoevandotcom?lang=en
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Impossible Places
Impossible places. It’s a vague title, I know, but I didn’t know what to officially call this one. Today, I want to go over the concept of impossible places, but ones you desire deeply to go to. Kind of like the inverse to liminal spaces. Where one gives an eerie sense of familiarity, one that…
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Neophobia
It’s late at night, and you’re home alone. You’re young and this is the first time it’s happened. You were excited at first but as the sun’s light faded beyond the horizon and darkness covered the outside world, you were compelled to turn on every light in the house. An urging sense of fear overtook…
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Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite is the latest mainline instalment to the Halo video game franchise. It has come to us six years after the last main instalment which had most fans feeling like the new developers, 343 industries, missed the point of its story and thus lost the spirit of the original Halo games. For most, including…
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Carapace
I was born into a opened, burning world. Its wrath is old, tenable, and ceaseless. My fingers coil and brow furrows. I struggle to rise. The air weighs heavy on me. I pain to see through muddied light, but it seems, sadly, only the same sits staring on the horizon. Yet something stirs. Now change…
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AUTHORITY Scene Review
Here’s the first video of 2022! Welcome back, and to kick things off we’re going to start with this little micro review of the novel Authority, from the Southern Reach Trilogy. Here we will go over one single scene in the novel and break down how it nails everything a scene can and should be.…
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Scary Stories
Evening ghouls and ghosts, and welcome to another special Halloween episode from me, ya boy, Joe Van! This year we shall dive into three chilling scary stories that were told to me in my youth. Enjoy! And let me know if any of them got to you 👻 PLAYLISTS- SPEECHES: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyW0IXUsqiMVngmiBwHfhWFwLgfLcfRWU MONKE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyW0IXUsqiMX_doqCZdBtnAttTVzQVlxH MOVIE TALK:…
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Kanzi 太
Hola Primate Nation! Welcome to another addition of Monke in Review, where we go over monkes both big and small across history! Today I present: Kanzi the bonobo! Kanzi is known to this day as the world’s smartest bonobo. Let me know below if you’ve already heard about this monke or just learned today! PLAYLISTS-…
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Pigs
So, what the heck are pigs, I hear you ask. A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the even-toed ungulate family Suidae. Pigs include domestic pigs (Sus domesticus) and their ancestor, the common Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa), along with other species. Pigs, like all suids, are native to the Eurasian and African continents, ranging from Europe to the Pacific islands. Juvenile pigs…
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SP 68: A Relationship with Yourself
Welcome back to episode 68 of Joe Van’s Secret Podcast, where I have on another new guest. We talk about the simulation, relationships, multiple best friends, enjoying just yourself, dealing with realities of life, narratives bad actors with good intentions have, and the supernatural! Enjoy. PODCAST LINK: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/jd-streams/id1541025716 YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwmAfQyH-NmPbOsDesbyksg
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Georgie Boy
Hola Primate Nation! Welcome to another addition of Monke in Review, where we go over monkes both big and small across history! Today I present: Georgie Boy the capuchin monkey! Georgie Boy found incredible fame on TikTok during the 2020 lockdowns by opening presents, and by he himself just being a present to be around.…
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Z o n e s: 4
June 16th 2134 It’s time… time I told someone else about the tunnel. Or maybe not- I- I don’t know… No, no, I do. It’s been days now and I haven’t been able to make any head way as far as identifying the soldier that talked to me. I need help. Out of anyone I…
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Thoughts: Experiences
In this anniversary edition of Thoughts I go over the many concepts related to experiential existence, also known as just experience. Panpychism, dreams, and mindfulness are all fair game in this crazy thing we call life. Enjoy! ARTICLE LINK: https://thejoevan.com/2021/02/22/experiences/ PANPYCHISM: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/panpsychism/
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Experiences
Chilling, tingling, hot sensations of bubbly, proud, shocking but sad, boring, scratchy, pungent, exhausting happiness. EXPERIENCES are the tether with which we can all find common ground. It doesn’t matter what beliefs you have. If you’re shy, confident, sadistic, depressed, or think this reality is a simulation, we are all still existing through experiences. It’s…
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A Journey Through Z o n e s
Allow me the pleasure of taking you on a narrative journey; a journey through different zones. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 50: The Final Frontier
In this milestone episode of Thoughts, episode fifty, I go over the concept of the final frontier and what it could be. Are we destined to greatness, or destruction? Time will tell. Enjoy!
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The Final Frontier
It’s hard to articulate, but the void; a word to describe nothing… Nothing, that isn’t a thing, but a lack of, like the space between atoms, is the only thing that existed for all of us before we were born. This milestone edition of Thoughts is on the topic: the Final Frontier. None of us…
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Thoughts 48: Work and Happiness
In episode forty-eight of Thoughts, I go over my opinions about work, the workplace, work life, and general happiness with it all. Enjoy!
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Halloween
I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey.(The Rocky Horror Picture Show) Be afraid… Be very afraid.(The Fly) It’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good scare.(Halloween) Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble!(Macbeth) The ghosts are bad but the one that’s cursed, is the headless horseman; he’s…
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Thoughts 47: Life in 100 Years
In episode forty-seven of Thoughts, I ask you to join me in a thought experiment! We ponder the question: What will life look like in one-hundred years? We go over governments and infrastructure, to human lifespans and potential events. I hope to hear from y’all. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 46: Where Did We Come From? Part Two
In episode forty-six of Thoughts, I continue our journey through the deep history of our species. What did we create on our own and what came instilled in us? How long did we wonder, and what traces of our ancestors can be seen in us today? I hope you all enjoy this take! It was…
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Work and Happiness
Welcome back everyone to another thought piece by me, ya boy, Joe Van. Today we will be covering work life, and general daily happiness. I first named this piece ‘Work’, but considering most peoples’ work takes up a majority of their life, I had to include happiness. Imagine if humans had the same sleeping cycle…
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Thoughts 45: Aliens
In episode forty-five of Thoughts, I dive deep into the history and lore of aliens, what the word means, and how we’ve come to understand the possibility of other lifeforms in the universe. Enjoy!
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Life in One-Hundred Years
Hello everyone and welcome back to another thought piece by me, ya boy, Joe Van! Today… well, today we will be doing a thought experiment. It’s one that has been done a million times before by a million people, ad infinitum, and it’s one I want to encourage all of you to do with me!…
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Thoughts 44: Where Did We Come From?
In episode forty-four of Thoughts, I go over the vast account of our ancestral lineage. From creation myth, to ancient aliens, to the facts, our time on Earth has been unfathomably long. Enjoy!
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Where Did We Come From? Part Two
What Is It Like to Be a Bat? is a paper that was written by American philosopher Thomas Nagel, first published in 1974. It was the public’s introduction to the idea of, not only, ‘I think; therefore I am,’ but, ‘there must be ways in which it is like to be something, other than our…
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Thoughts 43: Filberts
In episode forty-three of Thoughts, I take you guys (meaning both) on a journey through the discovery of the word filbert, its origins, and what it means to label things. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 42: States of Consciousness
In episode forty-two of Thoughts, I expand on my previous episode: Reality, by going over the many forms our mind can take in regard to painting our reality. Enjoy!
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Aliens
What’s that, in the sky? It’s a bird! A plane! No, it’s a U.F.O. BRO! Holy S**T Bro WHAT THE F**K?! Hey everybody and welcome back to another thought piece by me, ya boy, Joe Van! Today we will be going over the topic of aliens! Whether you mean people from another country, an unusual…
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Thoughts 41: Introductions
In episode forty-one of Thoughts, I read to you guys from the beginning page of my four completed novels. I start the narrative with a mini thought piece to prime y’all for the what the story will cover. Let me know if you guys liked this video however you can! It’s greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 40: Reality
In episode forty of Thoughts, I talk about the one thing we all perceive yet all perceive differently: reality. I go over how much we know or could know about reality, along with how our minds construct the reality we all personally experience. Enjoy!
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Where Did We Come From?
Well, once upon a time, Adam and Eve were made by God. According to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, they were the first man and woman. Okay, okay, I’m just messin’ with you, but for the longest time this story and others (where we all came from one pair) was the only answer we would get when…
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Filberts
Great Value Deluxe Mixed Nuts (with 40% cashews) houses many nuts, one of them being hazelnuts… but on the packaging they refer to hazelnuts as filberts. My girlfriend wondered at first what filberts were and why they didn’t put hazelnuts on the can. Great Value isn’t a Canadian brand as it is owned by Walmart,…
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Thoughts 38: Ending Adolescence
In episode thirty-eight of Thoughts, I talk about growing up, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. Life holds so many changes for us and we’ve charted them to great detail, save narrowly for the ending of adolescence, in my mind. I go over this and what it means to really grow up. Enjoy!
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States of Consciousness
When I put together my visualized Thoughts piece: Reality, (that you may or may not have seen yet depending on when you’re reading this,) I used psychedelic visuals to start the video, yet at no point did I talk about the mind in that altered state, only that hallucinations are to be taken with care……
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Reality
What starts as something almost too simple to even think about, reality is so secretly perplexing that doing a deep dive into what we know will leave one floored. The truth is, we know very little about how we are here. The Big Bang theory is still the best possible take on how our CURRENT…
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Thoughts 36: Tolerance
In episode thirty-six of Thoughts, I talk about different forms of tolerance, how we’re subjected to it, when it comes, and when it goes. Enjoy!
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Astrology
Before getting into it, I just wanted to preface this piece by saying that if you believe in astrology, turn away now! I come at it with my biases and am rude to the subject. Now, with that said… Ahh the reading of one’s psychology through the motion of planets and stars, peak science. Welcome…
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Thoughts 35: Late Nights
In episode thirty-five of Thoughts, I talk about late nights in general and their profound effect on our ability of reflection. Enjoy!
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Ending Adolescence
Adolescence itself is the period following the onset of puberty, during which a young person develops from a child into an adult. We all know about adolescence. Aside from us personally experiencing it, countless coming-of-age movies and shows cover it. Most of the other major life changes are covered as well. Growing up is a…
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Thoughts 34: Fame
In episode thirty-four of Thoughts, I go over the concept and origins of fame and infamy, and how we are all effected by it today. Enjoy!
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Proper Introductions 2020
Hello one and all! Check out my YouTube channel found through this video here or in my CHANNELS page. I’d love to have a conversation with you about any of the topics I’ve talked about, and the others I have yet to! Let me know what you think anywhere you can comment, and enjoy!
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Thoughts 33: Language
In episode thirty-three of Thoughts, I am joined with a guest appearance by Ben from stuffwithben to talk about language! We give our take on what it is and what it means for us as a species. Enjoy!
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SP 59: Context
Welcome to episode 59 of Joe Van’s Secret Podcast! Today I have on my fifth guest post COVID-19. We waste no time jumping into Ang Lee’s discography, conspiracies- both ludicrous and true, how separation leads to hate, the new viral ‘woke and racist’ skit on Twitter, Oakville’s checkered past AND present, why Canada should not…
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SP 58: What we Observe
Welcome to episode 58 of Joe Van’s Secret Podcast! Today I have my first NEW guest, post COVID-19. We waste no time jumping into heavy topics such as belief, hard concepts that will ne’er have an answer, working to learn how you want to work, and living situations. It was a blast to have him…
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Tolerance
When you think of tolerance, do you think of physical tolerance, or philosophical tolerance? The capacity to endure continued subjection to something, be it a drug, transplant, antigen, or environmental conditions, without adverse reaction, is physical tolerance. The ability or willingness to forbear something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does…
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Thoughts 32: The Conflict with Conflict
In episode thirty-two of Thoughts, I talk about how conflict as an entity is fused to the meaning of life. It is what gives us rise whether we like it or not. Enjoy!
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Late Nights
I gave you guys a late night thought of mine in Transient Thoughts, and here I just wanted to talk about late nights in general. They are the time of a 24 hour cycle where most people are asleep. It’s when it’s quietest in your corner of the world, and it’s when deep thoughts can…
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Thoughts 31: Halo
In episode thirty-one of Thoughts, I talk about my experience with the video game franchise: Halo. Enjoy!
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Joe Van Recommends
Hey everybody! It’s ya boy, Joe Van, comin’ back at ya with another piece, but this one’s different from the rest. In this piece I wanted to recommend some YouTube channels to you guys. These channels are ones I’ve come across over years of binge-watching YouTuber content. So, they’ll come in no particular order, but…
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Fame
Shamans and heroes! Serial killers and singers! Fame. The subject of fame is cool as hell because it’s one of those other things that’s completely unique to humans. It’s the state of being known or talked about by many people, especially on account of notable achievements. People the world over know who Tom Cruise is.…
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Thoughts 30: Love
In episode thirty of Thoughts I gush about love! Oh what a thing to be captured by. Enjoy!
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Language
At my elementary school, when you rose to grade five, you were inducted to the fictional island of Foo. You learned their language and pastime sports, and near the end of the year you would compete with your peers to claim victory in each category. That was the first and only time I truly learned…
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Thoughts 29: Strength and Power
In episode twenty-nine of Thoughts, I go over the MANY different definitions of strength, and discuss how power plays into strength. Enjoy!
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The Conflict with Conflict
Does life need conflict? More specifically, do humans need conflict in our lives to keep things interesting? Just look at animals in zoos for Pete’s sake. They got no worries in the world, but also nothing to do. Good stories certainly need conflict. And states of higher consciousness or enlightenment are merely momentary, so it…
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Thoughts 28: Follies of Consciousness
In episode twenty-eight of Thoughts, I talk about the follies of consciousness and what we do with our understanding of them. Enjoy!
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Halo
When you first saw Halo, were you blinded by its majesty? Before I jump into the video game that I’m actually referring to, let’s cover the other uses of the word. A halo is a disk or circle of light shown surrounding or above the head of a saint or holy person to represent their…
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Thoughts 27: Determinism
In episode twenty-seven of Thoughts, I dive deep into the philosophical standpoint of Determinism. Is it the truth of reality? One must make up their own mind. Enjoy!
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Love
Love is compassion and attraction. It’s kindness and well wishes. It’s hidden magic, being in it, and something worth fighting for. If life is a game, love is the prize! It’s the one thing everyone wants. But does true love really exist? Sorry to keep playing the word game with you guys, but let’s look…
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Thoughts 26: Fear
In episode twenty-six of Thoughts, I discuss the sensation of fear, where it came from, why it lives within us and what one does with it. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 25: The Good Life
In milestone episode twenty-five of Thoughts, I discuss the pursuit of happiness and how to live a generally good life. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 24: Time
In episode twenty-four of Thoughts, I go over time in all of its complicated simplicity as it draws us ever forward. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 23: Substance Abuse
In episode twenty-three of Thoughts I go over the heavy subject of substance abuse, what factors play into how it develops and how breaking through mental walls is all part of living a better life. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 22: Identities
In episode twenty-two of Thoughts, I talk about the concept of identity, what it is, what it means, where it could come from, and what we make of it. Enjoy!
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Determinism
Is determinism the truth of reality? For starters, what is the idea of determinism and what are its counters? Determinism is the philosophical belief that all events are determined completely by previously existing causes. Causal determinism in physics is known as cause-and-effect. It is the concept that events within a given paradigm are bound by…
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Thoughts 21: Dyson Spheres
In episode twenty-one of Thoughts, I talk about the theory of Dyson Spheres, their potential origin in myth, and what it means for us looking out in the universe. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 20: Sexuality
In episode twenty of Thoughts, I talk about the nature of sexuality and our relationship with it. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 19: Melancholy Flower Infinite
In episode nineteen of Thoughts, I wax poetic about our understanding of existence and how little we will ever know. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 18: Attention
In episode eighteen of Thoughts, I talk about attention and what makes us give it. Enjoy!
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Album Covers of our Cosmos
This is visual poetry, not brought to you by myself but by NASA. I just thought I’d share it on my website. These images have been rendered in all their beauty for free to the general public; the ones below are my favourites of the bunch. You can find all of the posters by searching…
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Thoughts 17: Imagine
In episode seventeen of Thoughts, I talk about a hypothetical blob entity that exists within all of us. Enjoy!
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The Good Life
What constitutes living a good life? While individual happiness is particular to each person, general well being is quantifiable. A good life includes a healthy diet, or healthy enough for you to still enjoy what you’re eating, a moderate fitness regiment, an open dialogue with your inner circle of loved ones, and having a life…
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Thoughts 16: 12 Certainties and Suggestions
In episode sixteen of Thoughts, I lay out my list of the twelve certainties and suggestions about reality as a human on Earth in our lifetime… just to be specific. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 15: Snitches get Stitches
In episode fifteen of Thoughts, I talk about how snitches get stitches! Just kidding, I talk about how that phrase or concept doesn’t just work as a threat.
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Substance Abuse
How does someone find themselves at the receiving end of a destructive habit? No one plans to live a life of degradation. It’s something that happens slowly, like a frog in boiling water. One doesn’t notice that certain actions have a predictive outcome of addiction until they reach that point down the line. It can…
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Thoughts 14: It’s Worth It
Welcome to episode fourteen of Thoughts. Here I talk about when fighting is necessary. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 13: Being in It
Welcome to episode thirteen of Thoughts. Here I talk about the concept of certainty, specifically in personal relationships. Enjoy!
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Identities
Identities! Also known as personalities made from a collection of memories. I’ve written about the concept of identities in bits and pieces throughout my blog, like in Duality and Perspective, but I think it deserves it’s own work down. Would the ninth grade version of yourself even recognize you? Are you still you if you…
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Thoughts 12: Importance
In episode twelve of Thoughts, I talk about the importance we put on things and how it makes us who we are. Enjoy!
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Dyson Spheres
One one-billionth of the Sun’s total energy output actually reaches Earth. Of all the energy that does reach Earth, 34 percent is reflected back to space by clouds. The Earth itself reflects another 66 percent back to space. Wouldn’t it be great if we could harness even one percent of the Sun’s energy? That thought…
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Thoughts 11: Longevity
In episode eleven of Thoughts, I discuss what makes a full life, and why it’s important. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 10: New Terrain
In episode ten of Thoughts, I talk about new terrain, and how we were built to thrive. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 9: Perspective
In episode nine of Thoughts I break down perspective and how it can work wonders for living a good life. Enjoy!
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Sexuality
Sexuality is both praised and abhorred in society. It’s either handled with exuberance or repression, the latter form there arguably running both the show and amok in the western world. The current dominant religions are clearly against it, yet have their own twisted viewpoint on what it even is. Everyone remembers when puberty really changed…
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Thoughts 7: Hidden Magic
In episode seven of Thoughts, I talk about the hidden magic found in people. It’s something ne’er discussed but potent to the meaning of life.
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Thoughts 6: If we Could Live Forever
In episode six of Thoughts, I discuss thought experiments on what it would be like to live forever. Enjoy!
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Thoughts 4: Intentions
In episode four of Thoughts, I talk about intentions and how difficult they are to grasp.
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Thoughts 3: Introspection
In episode three of Thoughts, I talk about the tool of introspection in regards to emotional stability. Enjoy.
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Attention
“Adults with ADHD who are undiagnosed and untreated in childhood are at greater risk of low self-esteem, substance abuse, anxiety and depression,” Labour’s shadow minister for mental health, Barbara Keeleyshe says. “Despite the serious problems that adults with undiagnosed ADHD face, many living with the condition say it has had a positive impact on their…
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Thoughts 2: Transient Thoughts
Welcome to episode two of Thoughts. Here I talk about late night thoughts before work.
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Thoughts 1: Retrospect
Hello everyone and welcome to a new little project of mine! Thoughts. These will be vocalizations of my Thoughts blog on my website, thejoevan.com. Enjoy!
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How Hollywood Moves Ideas
Culture: Reflected and Shaped by Movies Joseph Van Landschoot The Matrix changed how mainstream audiences thought about reality. Through Star Wars, a fan community formed where people made life-long friendships and even families. Us now holds the record for highest grossing original horror film on opening weekend, (Box Office Mojo,) ushering in new…
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Why Care About The Movies You See?
How the Average Moviegoer Votes with Their Wallet Over 48% of the U.S./Canadian yearly box office income is from moviegoers that frequent the theatres one or more times in a month, (source: M.P.A.A. theatre market statistics 2016,) so it’s safe to say that the rest of the money made comes from blockbusters. The top five…
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Imagine
Imagine that every person had inside them a blob. This blob would move about throughout their larger life-force, dark and destructive. It would give them sensations to run, or to fight. It would make them see red, or give them tunnel vision. The blob would do its best to create downward spirals. It was all…
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Snitches Get Stitches
The common phrase, ‘snitches get stitches and end up in ditches,’ is currently used in schoolyards, though it originally came from urban communities regarding illegal activities. They would say it to someone they considered potential police informants, as a form of intimidation for their own self-serving reasons. Since then it has been used in jails,…
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It’s Worth It!
Damn does life throw curve balls sometimes. I’m not a sportsman, no more specifically a follower of the baseball, but meanings mean some things. Fighting is so often something we all try to avoid, and for good reason, because it does nothing but hurt. Though, in many situations, we fight because we need to, to…
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Being In It
Certainty is an issue with some people. They say that the more you know, the less certain you become about things. Once your perspective broadens from information; academically or otherwise, on whatever subject, the more open-minded you might become. Certainty is something innate. You are either into something, or you’re not. And there are many…
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Importance
This will be a hot button topic unlike any of the other topics I’ve written about so far, I feel. What people find important or not important vary radically depending on the individual. Some people find many-a-thing important and therefore sensitive or sacred, while others care so little they couldn’t be bothered to know it…
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Longevity
What would you say is the deepest sensation? An orgasm? True happiness? Peace? You might say ‘sleep’ sarcastically, but no. It is purpose. It is the absolute and ultimate drive of intelligent life. It is what lies behind our every action and reaction. Every want, every need is predicated by our life purpose. It is…
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New Terrain
We’ve been doing it from birth; taking in new sights and sounds, places and people, things and thoughts. No place is too comfortable when you are young. Attachment only happens with time. In that regard, our ability to stay open is a double-edged blade, as the saying goes. I’m sure we all know of someone…
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Melancholy Flower Infinite
Paradox. Abstraction. Imperceivable. Impossible. Grandiosity. The raw beyond. These concepts that will never be answered. They lay on those that seek. Is there intention in existence? If there was, how did such to intend come to be? It was intentioned as well, well, what about that which gave it? If not, then why it in…
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A Slice of Deviance
Here is an excerpt from my first novel: Deviance. You can find a link to its Amazon page ‘Here’. * V took a seat. She looked a little bewildered. “You feeling anything?” asked Nathan. “I don’t know… maybe? I think I feel something.” He took a seat next to her. “It’ll probably take a while…
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Being Alone
I have to start this by making sure everyone knows as a basic fact that we are all alone, at every moment, inside our heads. Now, with that being said I will begin with a question. When you imagine being alone, are you sad? Or are you relieved? As an evolutionary fact we humans are…
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Hidden Magic
There’s a hidden magic in people. It comes out like fire as a child. Like a smile on an old face, or the fury in a friend seeing you get beat up as they come to help. There need not be any enemies. A kid can make friends with a rock but two old friends…
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If We Could Live Forever
We all know there are certainties about the human race. We were built to survive. To know the enemy, and strike them down. We yearn to live not only in the short term, but honestly to the majority of people, forever. Religions give so many people the hope. But in that context however, many troubles…
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Soothing Edges
When did the sun leave me? The dark is so sudden. It shocks by contrast of a stark blue glow. The glow clicks and rattles quietly so as not to disturb those sleeping. Global communities soothe away the edges. It feels nice to hurt a little, be it a sting behind the eyes or a…
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Circle K Rounded Up Mac’s Milk!
Vancouver is a nice place I hear. I’ve never been, is what I’m inferring. Though I’ve lived in this country of Canada for 25 years now, I’ve never traveled west of Ontario. However, there is a connection Vancouver now has with the city I was born and raised in: Burlington, and it is for what…
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Duality
There are always two sides to things. There is this and that. There is me and them. There is will and won’t, is and isn’t. Here and there. Right and wrong. Will they, won’t they. How and haven’t. Why and why not. Two extremes; light and dark. Dimorphism. Males and females split things rather cohesively,…
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Budding Romance
I spend nights alone. I spend days with friends, only sometimes. Days pass. Nights crawl. My hobbies lie, and parents spy. Who’s that? A face. A name. A friend. She’s cute, but no way, taken. Her name is Hope, Forsaken. I see trouble, no, prosperity from lonely. We develop, like film. Feel the screen. Hear…
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Intentions
There was once a naive wish that was lost. The wish, was that we lived in a world where it was easier for everyone to express themselves without fear of holding back, instead of the world we live in now where we tow the line. The social psychology of humanity today is the same as…
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Grandeur
A small child watches the sun set. They feel amazing, alive; filled with a visceral sense of awe. In that moment, everything is beautiful. The outline of the sun becomes visible in its dying descent. It is a waving sphere of burning glory, stretching across the universe and back. The child looks on for as…
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Transient Thoughts
Everybody at my work has a duty to wake up earlier than what would feel natural, to get production going. I can’t speak for all of them but I am what many would say is the farthest thing from a morning person. I spend many-a-nights contemplating existence. Not my existence personally but the existence of…
The Joe Van 