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Philosophy of Life Philosophy of Life

  • Life is about trying to understand what life is about.
  • I try to look at my own plate, and pay attention to no one else.
  • I try hard to always mean what I say, and say what I mean, and I expect others to do the same. I don't like indirect expressions.
  • I prefer sincerity over politeness.
  • The past does not just go away with the passage of time. Some people pretend that it just does. In fact, the past is as alive as the present. One day you sat on that bench, and read a newspaper. Another day, you were in a coffee shop with this girl, and at some point she made a joke and you laughed. Whether you remember each and every one of such past occurrences tells something about your memory, and not the actuality of your past. You were there, and you "lived" all that. Yet moments do not pass; they "are."
  • A virtuous person is in a position to ask questions such as: Is the life I lead worth living? Is this really what I should be doing right now?
  • I try hard to surround myself with people I respect, and don't really want to spend a lot of time with those who live their lives without any particular passions or ideals. Just to give you an idea: Fight Club is one of my favorite movies, and my favorite scene in that movie is when Tyler Durden puts a gun to the head of a convenience store clerk, and tells him that he will come back in six weeks and kill him unless in the meantime he is not back in his way to resume his education to become a veterinarian, which was the ideal the clerk abandoned at some point in his life.
  • How you think, what you think you know, and what you do define you as a person.


Food Food

  • I eat spaghetti a lot - but not before mixing it with yoghurt, corn, and sweet peas. Sometimes I also add brocoli, brussel sprouts and/or albacore fish to the mixture. In the final step, I sprinkle hot sauce, oregano leaves, black pepper, and chili powder on the top of everything - although I know that I will stir them up before starting to eat anyway.
  • I don't like to have my drinks the American way, which is either extremely hot or extremely cold. For example, I never have any ice in my fountain drinks, and I cannot drink my tea/coffee before it cools down a bit. I also don't like the American way of setting room temperatures: extremely cold in summer, and extremely hot in winter.
  • I don't eat olives; never did. I don't find them disgusting or anything. I just don't like the way they taste and smell.
  • When I smell a food or drink, I usually also know how it tastes like.
  • I am not the best fan of fake butter on pop corns, but I prefer to have it than not.
  • I like chocolate. I particularly like mint chocolate. When in the United States, I do most of my chocolate shopping from Aldi, since German chocolates taste way better than the American ones. My favorite chocolate Aldi carries is Choceur's coffee chocolate. Coffee, by the way, goes great with all sorts of chocolate.
  • I usually add some molasses to my cereal dishes.
  • My favorite cereal is raisin brans.
  • "Hate" is too strong a word to use for Brussel sprouts. What did they do to you?
  • I eat very little meat, because I don't really like the idea of eating the flesh of animals. If our bodies did not need meat at all, I would probably eat even fewer meat meals. I believe we shouldn't be fooling around doing things simply because we can. That includes eating a lot more meat than we actually need without thinking that this is at the expense of the lives of other species that we share the world with. Just because we like the way they taste, doesn't necessarily mean that we have an ethical right to kill them.
  • I prefer tea over coffee - Turkish tea that is. Earl grey tea is also just as good. It's not that I don't like coffee; I do. I just like tea better - especially in the mornings. Also, I discovered Somalian tea in early 2010 in a restaurant within the Somalian neighborhood in Seattle. It was the best tea I ever tasted - either with milk or without.

  • I almost always have my coffee cold, and with milk. I prefer Colombian or Costa Rican coffee. And among the corporate chains, Caribou's blend is probably the best. The "Coffee Cooler" in their menu is pretty much my idea of coffee.
  • I microwave ice-creams for about 20 seconds. Ice-creams taste better when half-melted.
  • I haven't eaten McDonald's since Super Size Me.
  • When in the United States, Panera Bread is my #1 choice of restaurant.


Religion Religion / Spirituality

  • The question of "Is there a God?" is not a meaningful one as a point of departure. The question of "Is the universe created?" is more to the point.
  • Most people base their atheism on the ills of organized religion when in fact the two are not as relevant as they are widely assumed to be.
  • Neither theism nor atheism is an answer to the question of existence. Both convictions open doors to new questions. In other words, they designate a starting point rather than a finish line.
  • It is pointless to fight over religious convictions. We are all in this together.
  • I don't think that God is created in the image of man, but I think people do create God in their own images. In that sense, all organized religions are social constructs.
  • I believe in supernatural phenomena. However, "supernatural" is probably a misnomer. If something exists, then it has a nature of its own, and it operates in an environment which may or may not be perceivable to others in the same fashion, if at all. Therefore, it is human-centric to think that such phenomena operate outside of the boundaries of "the" natural world, since we have limited perception and knowledge of (1) what "natural" is, (2) how relatively it can be perceived, and (3) how an actor can or cannot switch from one state of mind to another. In that respect, whether God exists (or whether the universe is created) is not a spiritual question. Absolute truth cannot permit secular thinking which aims to separate things.
  • The theory of evolution does not really have much to do with theism or atheism. Just because some church members reacted to the theory back in the day and others followed the path, does not necessarily mean that the theory is in a position to be pro- or anti-religion. But of course it has some implications.
  • It is very funny that the church turned against Copernicus's theory only after it realized its implications.
  • Empathizing with people in an effort to see things the way they do, and trying to feel the same emotions they derive from their constructions is a wonderful experience. For example, I don't believe that Jesus is God, or that he died for our sins. But that disbelief does not stop me from enjoying the contemplation of the whole idea of faith in Jesus Christ. Toward the end of the 9-minute song "For the Greater Good of God" by Iron Maiden, for example, the concluding lyrics go: "He gave his life for us, he fell upon the cross / To die for all of those who never mourn his loss / It wasn't meant for us to feel the pain again / Tell me why, tell me why..." This is astoundingly powerful and impressive - especially after the 9-minute introduction.


Gusto Gusto

  • I like the way professional casinos are designed. Whenever I walk the gaming floor of a casino, I feel like I am visiting a museum. The only down side, however, is the empty-faced slot-machine-zombies who ruin this unique ambiance. But in the end, it is them who make this whole concept possible. If it was up to people like me who try to act rationally and have yet to spare even one single quarter to the greedy machines, the casinos wouldn't exist in the first place.
  • GM Hummers are really-well-designed cool vehicles. Environment-friendly? Maybe not. Aesthetic? Yes.
  • Loyalty to a certain brand-name is not meaningful unless its complete product line is associated with a peculiar set of characteristics. For example, it is the existence of "Apple aesthetics" that makes the "Apple cult" possible.


Politics Politics

  • The concept of "inquiry" inspires me more than the concept of "freedom." Without the former, the latter doesn't mean much.
  • Respecting people's wills is a lot more fundamental than respecting their rights.
  • A healthily-functioning society is one where people respect the sensitivities of others, and constantly look for possibilities for consensus. But that respect has to come naturally, and should not be confused (or be intertwined with) the respect for the rule of law.
  • Love and respect are political. It is a lot easier to love people who love people, and to respect people who respect people. In other words, it is the will to create intersubjectivities that renders the society more likely to function as a peaceful and progressive body of people. Like most things, the will and the ability to achieve consensus is a function of the kind of mentality the parties hold. The primary focus, therefore, needs to be not on the law but the political culture. (This is very unlike the ever-prevalent American approach to politics.)
  • Categorizing rights as in women rights, minority rights, or gay rights is not meaningful.


TV TV

  • Eric Cartman is probably the most interesting character in South Park.
  • It is very funny to see Homer Simpson angrily say, "Lousy Democrats!"
  • I am a big fan of the character Charles Montgomery Burns in The Simpsons. If he doesn't appear in an episode, I notice his absence.


Music Music

  • In order to explore the true potential of a well-written song, one must approach it with utmost attention and respect, instead of treating it as just another piece of entertainment. When I occasionally want to share such good pieces with people around me, they usually don't feel a need to focus. If people just talk or do unrelated stuff as the music keeps playing in the background, I feel so disappointed.
  • It is very difficult, and probably pointless, to compare music. But Iron Maiden, New Model Army and Nirvana happened to be the major influences on my musical taste.
  • Many Iron Maiden fans don't really like the band's four albums without Bruce Dickinson. Yet many of the songs in those albums are among my Iron Maiden favorites.
  • Tuzak is the best Teoman song ever.
  • If I am listening to the radio, then I am probably driving; and if a song I like airs when I am about to reach my destination, I usually slow down a bit - just so I will make it to the end of the song before I reach my destination. I am almost never in a hurry.
  • Whenever I happen to hear an Alanis Morissette song, I find myself switching the radio channel. Her disruptive music makes me feel like loads of pessimism and discomfort are coming my way.
  • I used to listen to rock channels such as Southern California's KLOS 95.5 or KCAL 96.7 that played the genre's big hits of the 80s, 90s, and today. But, at some point, due to lack of innovation, it so bored me that I started switching to channels that play all day long only like the top 20 of the current pop and hip-hop hits, the examples to which, as of late 2007, may be "Wake up Call" by Maroon 5, and "Stronger" by Kayne West.


Criminal Justice Criminal Justice

  • I don't have any categorical objections to the death penalty. If the law imposes capital punishment on those who kill others coldbloodedly and with no particular concern of self-defense, I don't really have a problem with that. However, if there is even the slightest uncertainty, the defendant should always be given the benefit of doubt. Because once you execute an innocent person, there's no way known to mankind to undo that.
  • People who are convicted of rape, child-molestation or sadistic activities should be sentenced to life with no possibility of parole - the idea being that they should be isolated from the other members of the society no matter what. The idea of releasing them sounds like padding them on the shoulder and saying, "Don't forget that you promised not to do it again, okay?.. Good boy!"
  • If I could, I would introduce harsh measures against those who engage in animal cruelty. (I don't expect people who discuss the issue of abortion around the question of whether fetuses are citizens to understand me in this matter.)


Other Other

  • If someone handed me $100M, it would bring some more comfort to my life, but it wouldn't change my daily schedule.
  • If you swear a lot, we will probably not get along too well.
  • There are billions of people in the world, yet most people can count their true friends on one hand - that is, if they are lucky. What is even sadder is that most of them don't even really question that, and just keep living on as lonely people among other lonely people.
  • I find movies such as House of D, It or Sleepers that involve a group of close childhood friends coming together again years later in order to take care of an unfinished business (or else) very moving emotionally. The scenes in which they get together again and talk about the old times are especially beautiful.
  • Although I strongly dislike militarism, I try to live my own life like a soldier - that is, extremely disciplined, tidy, and organized.
  • If I was to make a different career choice, I would be a musician, and I would probably be very good at it.
  • I used to frequent a Target store with a red t-shirt, and people would keep asking me about stuff.
  • Since childhood, I have always wanted to build a civilization of my own with like-minded people in a remote place like a Pacific island. If achieved, some people would call it a cult. I would call it a more advanced civilization.
  • It is pretty unfair to instantly label all marginal groups as cults. Because, in actuality, the average man who works nine-to-five and watches television every day also belongs to a cult. But since he is in the mainstream, he and others hardly ever realize that.
  • All the Turkish people who got to know me personally tended to either like or hate me so much. For some reason, there has rarely been a midway between the extremes.
  • I understand what a one-night stand is, and why people want it. I also understand what a long-term relationship is, and why people want it. But I don't understand the point of a short-term relationship.
  • It makes me think how horrible it will be for us the facebook generation to get old. Our friend lists will increasingly be full of people who no longer post updates.
  • I am quite an indoors person. I can live inside a small apartment for months without feeling a need to go out. Most of what I favor in life can be enjoyed indoors anyway. (I wouldn't say no to a balcony though.)
  • People who don't know me well tell me that they cannot tell when I am joking and when I am serious. In fact, I have been told more than once that I have a weird and unusual sense of humor - although it looks pretty okay to me. Therefore, when we are in the presence of people who don't know me, my close friends ask (and sometimes even beg) me to just wait for a little while, and allow the others the necessary time to get to know me at least a little bit - the idea being that they will otherwise not understand what exactly is going on, or whether I mean well. But of course I hardly ever listen to my friends, and just go ahead and do my thing.
  • I am neither right- nor left-handed. I am lefty, for example, when I play table-tennis, but not so when I play the guitar. I am probably ambidextrous, and just end up using the hand that I started practising with in the first place.
  • It is a great feeling to wake up long before the sunrise, and listen to "very emotional music," such as that of New Model Army, until the first lights of day.
  • Neutering, spaying or declawing animals does not correspond to "loving" them. Animals are not toys, and we don't have a right to play with their natures just to make ourselves more comfortable.
  • I despise and dislike liars. I never lie - unless people ask me (1) questions about things that are none of their businesses, or (2) whether they pronounce my name correctly.
  • I don't understand how people can get really excited only because it is a certain day in the calendar. Anniversaries, birthdays, et cetera do not matter to me at all.
  • I despise people who spend a lot of money on clothing, jewellery and et cetera. If people cared less about how impressive they look, they would look more impressive to me. The best t-shirt, for example, is a basic one with plain color.
  • I don't like gossips and gossiping.
Last Updated: August 2010