Objects on My Desk - Deep Philosophical Ruminations

By Seungwoo Lee

I. Pomodoro Clock

My pomodoro clock demonstrates my steadfast dedication towards productivity and time management. It represents my effort to thrive in a capitalistic society, where we are encouraged - nay forced - to maximize efficiency at all times.

But, the more I think about it, the more I realize that there are inherent flaws in the system. How is it that we are always compelled to stay productive and meet unrealistic motivations? It’s no wonder why people are stressed out. Our society needs to start valuing genuine human connections. We can’t just sit back and wait anymore. We need to come together and stand up for ourselves!

We need to - Oops - my timer just went off. See you back in 5 minutes!

II. A large pile of sticky notes

Oh boy! I sure do love annotating books that have absolutely nothing to do with my life. How did my English teacher know that I love highlighting random sentences and making cute, little notes with my 6-colored pen?

I always have a stack of sticky notes at my disposal so that I can draw stick figures when the teacher gives us 30 minutes to analyze why “Jeffery ate pasta” (me personally, I think that it showcases the mundanity and banality of daily life).

Oh and I’mma let you in on a secret: my annotations are actually directly copied from the things I read in r/askphilosophy (my teacher loves my “profound and interesting” analysis!)

III. A Rubik’s Cube

Sometimes I feel like my life is like matching a Rubik’s cube. But, the thing is - there is no easy-to-follow, become-a-master-in-less-than-60-seconds formula in real life. When I finally manage to match one side, the other side gets all messed up. When I finally manage to feel happy for once in my life, my Spotify shuffle suddenly hits me with the saddest song known to mankind.

But, hey, that’s life - am I right?

IV. A Half-Eaten Granola Bar

Don't ask.

V. A Self Help Book

In my world, a good self-help book rivals anything by dosto - dostok - dostoevsky (did I say that right?) Read some David Goggins, kids.

VI. A Letter from My Mom

The last - and my favorite- item on the list: a hand-written letter from my mom. I think we all have to just take the time to remind ourselves that, regardless of how much our society values fancy accomplishments, nothing - NOTHING - matters more than family.

...except brawl stars.