The subjects I know best.

I do not consider myself an authority on any subject, but honestly, I wouldn’t blindly accept anyone else’s authority on any subject either. I will always think for myself and make up my own mind. That’s the only reason I can think of that we would have been given individual minds, so we can use them. There are quite a few subjects I know about though. Growing up, I was a very curious person and had a broad range of intellectual pursuits.

I’m also fairly well educated. I graduated summa cum laude with two bachelor’s degrees (double major), one in information systems, and the other in business administration, and I went on to complete a master’s degree in business. This means I’m quite knowledgeable of business, computer science, and information systems.

I also used to read a lot, sometimes over a hundred books a year, and they were mostly non-fiction and classics, so they were knowledge dense. Some of my favorite subjects are philosophy, psychology, business, personal finance, programming, internet, social media, marketing, blogging, spirituality, relationships, lifestyle, and society.

After all this learning, education, observation, experience and contemplation are done, I still feel like the fundamental questions in life have been left unanswered and no one is an authority on them. Going forward, the things I would like to become an authority on are having fun, being happy, making friends, enjoying company, staying healthy, talking much, staying relaxed, and enjoying a cold one. Cheers!

What are you an authority on? Do you think we spend a lot of time gaining our authority? Is it all worth it? Share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to like and subscribe!

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Ken

I see myself as a free thinker, life explorer, and wisdom collector. Some of my favorite subjects are psychology, philosophy, relationships, society, reading, writing, technology, and lifestyle. My goal in life is to connect with people, make the world a little better, and improve the lives of those I meet along the way.

21 thoughts on “The subjects I know best.”

    1. I’ve read so many and there’s a few genres I like. One book I just finished was The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson. It was a good book, but I neglected it for long time, probably because of the title. The title sounds like it is promoting indifference, which is ok, but really the book could have just been titled Focus on the Important Stuff, though that title wouldn’t have gotten any attention. Another book I read with expletives in the title that I liked was You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. In fiction, I also like Dean Koontz’s thrillers because they seem to take off quickly and he keeps the pace going throughout the book. Almost feels like an action movie. Right now, I’m also reading Stephen King’s book On Writing thinking it might help me understand writing better and improve my blog posts. Seems to be about his life right now though. The Girl on the Train was pretty good also. What about you? Do you read a lot? What are your favorite books? Maybe I’ve read one of them.

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      1. I’ve heard of that book by Mark Manson. I’m doing pretty well in life subtly not giving a f—. And focusing on the important things.😂 I think you’re doing just fine, with the blog that is, and writing. If a person’s writing is tolerable to me then that says something, since I’m not very tolerant of spelling and grammar mistakes, poor writing, etc.
        My favorite book of all time is Watership Down. Other books I’ve enjoyed reading that immediately come to mind are Practicing Peace in Times of War by Pema Chödrön; Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa; Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone by James Martin; and of course the Bible, the best selling book of all time, which to me is a book in its own right. I’ve also enjoyed quite a few books by Stephen King, Shawshank Redemption being one, and that is my favorite movie. Never read Dean Koontz, though I’ve heard a great deal of good things. The Redwall series by Brian Jacques is wonderful, I’ve always loved it. I read the books as a child and I could probably read them again.
        I did most of my book reading when I was younger. Most of my reading now is considerable amounts of poetry, the blogs of others, etc. when I’m not writing. I am usually on here three to four hours a day and most of that is writing my own poetry.😁

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      2. Thank you so much! I read Watership Down when I was young also. Great pick! There’s a lot of spiritual books in there, nice! The Bible definitely had a profound effect on me growing up. It’s interesting that you mentioned Shawshank Redemption. That was the favorite movie of the girl I commented on in the last post. I never could understand why girls like it so much. What calls to you? Do you have a favorite scene?

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      3. The ending when they meet up after time, the concept of freedom as a social construct and the effects being imprisoned has on a person, injustice (being falsely imprisoned; the man who could bear witness to set Andy free being murdered; systemic authority and oppression), seeing true spiritual reform (as in Red’s case), the music (If I Didn’t Care by The Ink Spots and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro), and of course the iconic script.

        “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

        “There’s not a day goes by I don’t feel regret. Not because I’m in here, or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try and talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can’t. That kid’s long gone and this old man is all that’s left. I got to live with that. Rehabilitated? It’s just a bullshit word. So you can go and stamp your form, Sonny, and stop wasting my time. Because to tell you the truth, I don’t give a shit.”

        “I guess it comes down to a simple choice. Get busy living or get busy dying.”

        “I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I like to think they were singing about something so beautiful it can’t be expressed in words and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away. And for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.”

        “I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”

        “You know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific? They say it has no memory. That’s where I want to live the rest of my life–a warm place with no memory.”

        “I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they’re gone. I guess I just miss my friend.”

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      4. That helps! I’m totally going to have to rewatch this movie. I’m stuck on a scene that disturbs me so much I don’t hear the rest of it.

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      5. Oh no! Which scene? There is a lot of heavy stuff in the movie, so I would understand why some might not want to watch it. Overall I think it’s a message of hope; and of the gritty beauty of life, all of it, the good and the bad.

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    1. Understandable. There are so many subject areas, and they already have plenty of experts. I’m not too interesting in wrestling them for the title of authority.

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  4. I’m far from an authority, but I do know a lot about radio and radio station politics because of my years in the field. I’ve also worked in the field of sleep medicine for 10 years now and know a bit about sleep disorders, CPAP and such.

    I have rekindled my love for reading lately and have read many books since last December. many are mystery or thrillers, but also some historical content.

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    1. Radio seems interesting but I’ve never been a fan of any kind of politics. I know a guy at work who loves his CPAP. Says he can’t sleep without it. Reading is great, but I’ve actually slowed down lately. Trying to take as much life in as I can. You show try a Koontz book if you like thrillers. He’s pretty good. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. That’s an interesting set of genres. What are some of the greatest learnings in Philosophy, psychology and spirituality.

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    1. I would suggest Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes. It is a foundational work in western philosophy. Many of the Greek philosophers also come to mind, like Socrates and Aristotle. I also enjoyed Meditations by Marcus Aurelius very much. In psychology, you might read the works of Freud or Jung, but I think textbooks are a better way of taking it all in. I don’t think the initial contributors to psychology had it all figured out enough to get the big picture, and it’s still an evolving field, like all sciences. Spirituality is a broad area. Outside the ancient religious texts, I kind of liked The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh. Thanks for sharing!

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