To catch you up to speed, my journey began while doing soil chemistry research in Cambodia. My work contributed to a project that is researching the fate of arsenic concentrations in Southeast Asia. The project empowered me with a sense of altruism and it also reinvigorated my passion for studying the earth. Not only was this case study an opportunity to offer critical solutions to people who don't have the resources to find them themselves, it also offered me a new perspective on the dynamic that we share with the earth.
Initially excited at the idea of exploring a new perspective, I have to admit that I was extremely intimidated. The ideas that I wanted to explore were so simple that it was complicated-- the perfect riddle for a philosopher... Enter Heraclitus.
Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher whose work focused on three main principles: flux, the unity of opposites, and the belief that all things are just manifestations of fire. Specifically poignant for me was the discussion of the unity of opposites. The unity of opposites is the belief that there are intrinsic qualities within ourselves that manifest themselves at different times and in different respects. These statements resonated strongly with the natural cycles of the earth that I experienced closely in Cambodia: carbon, nitrogen, silicate, and even the dangerous arsenic concentrations found throughout Southeast Asia-- an example of the universe being a collection of "wholes and not wholes; brought together, pulled apart, sung in unison, song in conflict, from all things one and from one thing all."
Heraclitus' philosophy strengthened the platform for which I am basing my exploration and I am excited about making the philosophy my own. Below is a photo of my lab notebook with my notes from Heraclitus.
Initially excited at the idea of exploring a new perspective, I have to admit that I was extremely intimidated. The ideas that I wanted to explore were so simple that it was complicated-- the perfect riddle for a philosopher... Enter Heraclitus.
Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher whose work focused on three main principles: flux, the unity of opposites, and the belief that all things are just manifestations of fire. Specifically poignant for me was the discussion of the unity of opposites. The unity of opposites is the belief that there are intrinsic qualities within ourselves that manifest themselves at different times and in different respects. These statements resonated strongly with the natural cycles of the earth that I experienced closely in Cambodia: carbon, nitrogen, silicate, and even the dangerous arsenic concentrations found throughout Southeast Asia-- an example of the universe being a collection of "wholes and not wholes; brought together, pulled apart, sung in unison, song in conflict, from all things one and from one thing all."
Heraclitus' philosophy strengthened the platform for which I am basing my exploration and I am excited about making the philosophy my own. Below is a photo of my lab notebook with my notes from Heraclitus.
