People are perpetually heading towards dissolution of society.
But what is society? I present my working definition here:
A group of people.
So perhaps we are not headed towards dissolving society, but rather towards dissolving civilization. Some call this liberalization, but I will use the word dissolution because referring to it as liberalization brings to mind the perpetual conflict between liberal and conservative.
But maybe that's what this is about. The struggle between the two can be pared down to a short metaphor. Conservatism is the arms of the man Civilization holding fast to the rock Tradition, because it is a sturdy place to build, and Liberalism is the man's friend attempting to pull him from the rock because perhaps over the next ridge are greener pastures. Over the years the rock has moved, has crumbled, but the struggle appears to be in the same place. Some observers have seen chips of the rock crumble and fall away; some swear that they saw the rock move. Half of them have cheered, and half have decided that then was the exact point at which society went wrong.
But who is right?
The answer is neither. Each one is one half of the dichotomy which dictates social norms. If you are between the two ends, you are normal.
Just as the rock inches towards the ridge, however, civilization increasingly departs from its traditions. This is why I say we are headed for dissolution of civilization - because we consistently do away with what once made us civilized.
On the other hand, maybe that is what makes us civilized. Because we accept more of what people naturally are, we are more civilized rather than less. Perhaps our traditions make us barbaric. Perhaps that is why there is still violence in the world - because we fight for ideals rather than people, because we believe in impossible standards, because we make people choose sides.
Perhaps the best option is to give up the struggle and just go peek over the ridge and see if there are indeed greener pastures waiting.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
To Be A Man, pt. 1
1) Retain a level head, so as to preserve one's ability to make decisions and be useful. Surrendering to a powerful feeling is sometimes the right thing to do, but in order to make that decision, one has to hold off that feeling while it is being made.
2) Avoid generalizations whenever possible, except, of course, this one. Approaching problems on a case-by-case basis is a much smarter and more accurate method of problem-solving than any generalization. Such a generalization becomes useful only when case-by-case evaluation is impractical - and even then, the scope of a generalization should be limited as much as possible.
3) Self-control is the root of self-betterment. Willpower and determination are the two most important skills to acquire. Once one has these, anything else will be easy to learn.
4) When something needs to be done - do it, do it well, and do it completely. Do not be afraid to appear stupid because you did something - you will definitely appear stupid if you do it halfway. Commitment to a cause or a person is not something to be feared. Rather, one should take pride in being unafraid to commit. Doing something to the best of one's ability and doing it completely affords the additional benefit of a lack of regrets afterwards.
5) Take responsibility for your actions. Blame and praise should both be taken with pride. To receive one means you have done something to the best of your ability. You may have done it wrong, but you did it with pure intentions and you were not afraid to do it.
2) Avoid generalizations whenever possible, except, of course, this one. Approaching problems on a case-by-case basis is a much smarter and more accurate method of problem-solving than any generalization. Such a generalization becomes useful only when case-by-case evaluation is impractical - and even then, the scope of a generalization should be limited as much as possible.
3) Self-control is the root of self-betterment. Willpower and determination are the two most important skills to acquire. Once one has these, anything else will be easy to learn.
4) When something needs to be done - do it, do it well, and do it completely. Do not be afraid to appear stupid because you did something - you will definitely appear stupid if you do it halfway. Commitment to a cause or a person is not something to be feared. Rather, one should take pride in being unafraid to commit. Doing something to the best of one's ability and doing it completely affords the additional benefit of a lack of regrets afterwards.
5) Take responsibility for your actions. Blame and praise should both be taken with pride. To receive one means you have done something to the best of your ability. You may have done it wrong, but you did it with pure intentions and you were not afraid to do it.
Consciousness
As our material world comes closer and closer to recognizing the reality of the spiritual, of the consciousness that resides behind our mortal bodies, I feel compelled to write a theory concerning their existence.
Our consciousness only exists because of its connections with other consciousnesses. This is evident based on the following:
1) Relationships between actual people foster deep feeling.
It is worth noting that deep feeling is better than no feeling, at least for the health of our consciousness, and so the worst thing one can do to another is to stop caring about them. Be angry or be loving, but do not be indifferent. It may mean that the object of your indifference ceases to exist.
2) Material things do not produce the same deep feeling as another consciousness does.
Our consciousness' survival instinct pushes it towards other consciousnesses rather than transient material wealth. It is therefore obvious that the happiest people are happy because they have friends, or enemies - and that the unhappiest people have invested their time into material things.
Consequences of such a theory:
1) The greatest good is others.
Working for oneself pushes one into an early grave - and may end one's consciousness entirely.
Our consciousness only exists because of its connections with other consciousnesses. This is evident based on the following:
1) Relationships between actual people foster deep feeling.
It is worth noting that deep feeling is better than no feeling, at least for the health of our consciousness, and so the worst thing one can do to another is to stop caring about them. Be angry or be loving, but do not be indifferent. It may mean that the object of your indifference ceases to exist.
2) Material things do not produce the same deep feeling as another consciousness does.
Our consciousness' survival instinct pushes it towards other consciousnesses rather than transient material wealth. It is therefore obvious that the happiest people are happy because they have friends, or enemies - and that the unhappiest people have invested their time into material things.
Consequences of such a theory:
1) The greatest good is others.
Working for oneself pushes one into an early grave - and may end one's consciousness entirely.
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