The key word in the title of my blog is pursuit. Existence is not a choice, it is rather a journey. Each day is another stretch of a voyage that we did not choose to be on. Our ship has long been untethered, the question is will we take our place as captains of our days?

Pursuit is being curious enough about our very breath to step into the role of captain with the hopes of uncovering glimpses of the essence of existence.

The passing of time is an exponential constant. I do not want to wake up one day and have the heart-chilling realization that I have wasted my life. (Yes, that was a John Piper reference — nice catch.)

After reading all of that flowery, philosophical verbiage, you might be asking “why life, liberty, and radical empathy?” (what the heck even is that?)

First off, I am a MAJOR history nerd. My mom is a US history teacher and ever since I was little I have been absolutely inundated in books ranging from the Salem Witch Trials to the March on Washington. Therefore, quoting Thomas Jefferson/John Locke provided a little nod to this facet of my own story. Secondly, to be human is to wrestle with the questions of what is the meaning of life? or is anyone truly free? So, I kept the life and liberty portion of the phrase. I replaced the “happiness” with “radical empathy” because at this moment of time (12/4/24 in Lenoir Dining Hall at 8:17 am) radical empathy is my theory of hope. If you need a more succinct answer here you go:

LIFE: I’m seeking the good life, but what is that? What is the meaning of my breath?

LIBERTY: I am seeking independence from the machine, from the screen, from my social being, but how?

RADICAL EMPATHY: I am seeking to love my neighbor and acknowledge their dignity and value no matter my preconceived notions or what society is telling me.