Miscellany
Apr. 24th, 2004 12:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vaxjediI had other random thoughts.
I've determined experiementally, that while I can chew bubblegum and walk at the same time, I cannot tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue and drive at the same time. Just so you know.
My observations about people and how they interact continue to underline the fact that most of societal reality is subjective. And I mean almost purely subjective. One person's morality is another person's oppression. One person's reasonable arguement is another person's disappointing rationalization.
And we are all biased. Ever notice how we confuse "You don't understand me" with "You don't agree with me"? Or how our own tragedies are suffering, but other people's suffering is just life? That 'drama queen' usually translates into 'person who gets upset about things I don't think they should be upset about'?
I know I do this. And I've seen others do it. What is it about being human that leads to such increble inherent dissention and incompatibility? Or is it really just an unavoidable side-effect of a plurality of viewpoint and expression?
I'd argue the latter. If we allow any diversity of expression, we must allow conflict and irreconsilable differences. Really, we must expect them. But despite the inevitability of disharmony of peoples, I can't point to an inherent flawed nature of humanity or the universe. I think the multiplicty of expression is more important than any sort of large scale or univeral harmony. The universe, while inter-connects, is really designed to be compartimentalized. A truly holistic viewpoint is impossible and not even desirable. Because when you look at the big picture, you lose the little details. Like I've said before, we don't live in the big picture. We live amongst those little details.
On a side note, I've been recruited to sing "Rap Your Willy" (a rap song about William Shakespeare) for the opening ceremonies of OryCon 26.
Fear.
A Raptured Parable:
The student approached the master.
He asked, "What is mindfulness?"
The master took the student's soft cock in her hand and said, "This is inattention."
She then began to stroke his cock and massage it until it became hard and warm in her hands. The student began to moan in pleasure. "This" she said, "is mindfulness."
Then, with her hand still wrapped around his cock, she said, "dnd this is obsession." She then twisted her wrist as hard as she could.
And the student was enlightened. That is, when he awoke from fainting.
Steve Allen wrote a book called Dumbth back, about the 'rising tide of ignorance' in society. Not sure agree with him on everything. But he lmakes a list of suggestions on how to counter your own Dumbth. The one that struck me was "Question your religious beliefs."
You see the idea here is not to reject your beliefs. but to question them. If, after questioning them you find that they still strong, then good for you. The point is faith should not be blind faith.
Blind faith is an odd phrase. Faith is about accepting that which you cannot know definitively. You are making assumptions. You are trusting that which you cannot verify, that which you cannot see. All faith is blind, to a certain extent.
The arguement against blind faith is really one of mindfulness. Faith without mindfulness isn't really faith. It isn't a choice to believe. It's is an automatic action, without intent thus without real meaning. Mindful faith is intentional. It means something because it it done with thought.
The Student approached the Master.
"Master, is there such a thing as a just war?"
"Yes", the master said, "there is just war."
"Is there such a thing as a righteous war?"
"No. There is no righteous war."
So I get a three day weekend. I'm going to try to enjoy it as much as possible.
I've determined experiementally, that while I can chew bubblegum and walk at the same time, I cannot tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue and drive at the same time. Just so you know.
My observations about people and how they interact continue to underline the fact that most of societal reality is subjective. And I mean almost purely subjective. One person's morality is another person's oppression. One person's reasonable arguement is another person's disappointing rationalization.
And we are all biased. Ever notice how we confuse "You don't understand me" with "You don't agree with me"? Or how our own tragedies are suffering, but other people's suffering is just life? That 'drama queen' usually translates into 'person who gets upset about things I don't think they should be upset about'?
I know I do this. And I've seen others do it. What is it about being human that leads to such increble inherent dissention and incompatibility? Or is it really just an unavoidable side-effect of a plurality of viewpoint and expression?
I'd argue the latter. If we allow any diversity of expression, we must allow conflict and irreconsilable differences. Really, we must expect them. But despite the inevitability of disharmony of peoples, I can't point to an inherent flawed nature of humanity or the universe. I think the multiplicty of expression is more important than any sort of large scale or univeral harmony. The universe, while inter-connects, is really designed to be compartimentalized. A truly holistic viewpoint is impossible and not even desirable. Because when you look at the big picture, you lose the little details. Like I've said before, we don't live in the big picture. We live amongst those little details.
On a side note, I've been recruited to sing "Rap Your Willy" (a rap song about William Shakespeare) for the opening ceremonies of OryCon 26.
Fear.
A Raptured Parable:
The student approached the master.
He asked, "What is mindfulness?"
The master took the student's soft cock in her hand and said, "This is inattention."
She then began to stroke his cock and massage it until it became hard and warm in her hands. The student began to moan in pleasure. "This" she said, "is mindfulness."
Then, with her hand still wrapped around his cock, she said, "dnd this is obsession." She then twisted her wrist as hard as she could.
And the student was enlightened. That is, when he awoke from fainting.
Steve Allen wrote a book called Dumbth back, about the 'rising tide of ignorance' in society. Not sure agree with him on everything. But he lmakes a list of suggestions on how to counter your own Dumbth. The one that struck me was "Question your religious beliefs."
You see the idea here is not to reject your beliefs. but to question them. If, after questioning them you find that they still strong, then good for you. The point is faith should not be blind faith.
Blind faith is an odd phrase. Faith is about accepting that which you cannot know definitively. You are making assumptions. You are trusting that which you cannot verify, that which you cannot see. All faith is blind, to a certain extent.
The arguement against blind faith is really one of mindfulness. Faith without mindfulness isn't really faith. It isn't a choice to believe. It's is an automatic action, without intent thus without real meaning. Mindful faith is intentional. It means something because it it done with thought.
The Student approached the Master.
"Master, is there such a thing as a just war?"
"Yes", the master said, "there is just war."
"Is there such a thing as a righteous war?"
"No. There is no righteous war."
So I get a three day weekend. I'm going to try to enjoy it as much as possible.
