Philosophical Closure
I am cresting the hill of a philosophical closure in my life.
I am left with little to ponder; I am grabbing at gaping thoughts making mountains out of molehills to find there's nothing to the basis of it and the philosophical exercise neither benefits me nor my time. At the age of a quarter of a century, I possess the mindful arrogance of a 50 year old, dispensing advice and direction with the sweeping confidence of a 15-year-old. Although I feel I have earned the experience of my advice and the practical knowledge to apply it myself, I have neither the credibility to dispense it nor the trust from others. It is a dilemma I inflate to occupy my mind at this point, at my philosophical closure.
I have sealed my thoughts on the subject of omnipotence. What would someone omnipotent do when faced with everyday situations? Having infinite knowledge, would they proceed with upmost tact, or would they result with the same shortcomings as everyone else? They would have a benefit of experience and knowledge, and those around us who seem most knowledgeable and experienced, and draw on it, seem omnipotent and valuable for giving advice. But, omnipotence cannot predict the future, nor can it reduce uncertainty. The randomness of multiple factors coinciding with individual will reduces the effect of the insight of omnipotence, even compromising the best of knowledge and experience.
I now think about something more tangible; what can an average common person do to be come extraordinary? How do some people distinguish themselves among common people? My interest is not in the elites or their power structure, but the everyday interests or everyday people. Maybe class divisions are definitive, necessary. Class mobility is possible, but is it necessary to move to the elite class from the common or popular class when becoming political?
More on this, maybe, later, maybe.
More photos from this group
I am left with little to ponder; I am grabbing at gaping thoughts making mountains out of molehills to find there's nothing to the basis of it and the philosophical exercise neither benefits me nor my time. At the age of a quarter of a century, I possess the mindful arrogance of a 50 year old, dispensing advice and direction with the sweeping confidence of a 15-year-old. Although I feel I have earned the experience of my advice and the practical knowledge to apply it myself, I have neither the credibility to dispense it nor the trust from others. It is a dilemma I inflate to occupy my mind at this point, at my philosophical closure.
I have sealed my thoughts on the subject of omnipotence. What would someone omnipotent do when faced with everyday situations? Having infinite knowledge, would they proceed with upmost tact, or would they result with the same shortcomings as everyone else? They would have a benefit of experience and knowledge, and those around us who seem most knowledgeable and experienced, and draw on it, seem omnipotent and valuable for giving advice. But, omnipotence cannot predict the future, nor can it reduce uncertainty. The randomness of multiple factors coinciding with individual will reduces the effect of the insight of omnipotence, even compromising the best of knowledge and experience.
I now think about something more tangible; what can an average common person do to be come extraordinary? How do some people distinguish themselves among common people? My interest is not in the elites or their power structure, but the everyday interests or everyday people. Maybe class divisions are definitive, necessary. Class mobility is possible, but is it necessary to move to the elite class from the common or popular class when becoming political?
More on this, maybe, later, maybe.
More photos from this group
posted by Canadian "Civil" Servant at 15:26
4 Comments:
My original goal for this letter was to scrutinize Doug Bastien's remarks point by point. Unfortunately, Doug's focus wanders so wildly that he never actually finishes any of his points. I think you will notice this in the ensuing discussion. Let's start with my claim that the picture I am presenting need not be confined to Doug's insults. It applies to everything he says and does. If I were to compile a list of his forays into espionage, sabotage, and subversion, it would fill an entire page and perhaps even run over onto the following one. Such a list would surely make every sane person who has passed the age of six realize that many people who follow Doug's ideals have come to the erroneous conclusion that Doug knows 100% of everything 100% of the time. The truth of the matter is that if he doesn't like it here, then perhaps he should go elsewhere. On a more pedestrian level, Doug pompously claims that our elected officials should be available for purchase by special-interest groups. That sort of nonsense impresses many people, unfortunately. Still, we shouldn't jump to conclusions, even though it is a known fact that I believe that people are hungry for true information and for a way to work together for justice in every community. So what's the connection between that and his "compromises"? The connection is that Doug wants to force onto us the degradation and ignominy that he is known to revel in. It gets better: He actually believes that the moon is made of green cheese. I guess no one's ever told him that I see how important his self-pitying demands are to his encomiasts and I laugh. I laugh because certain facts are clear. For instance, his recommendations are yawping but reflective of the localized normative attitudes among the worst types of gruesome spoiled brats there are. And here, I contend, lies a clue to the intellectual vacuum so gapingly apparent in his scribblings.
You might think this is all pretty funny now, but I doubt I'll hear you laughing if, by the next full moon, Doug is successfully able to hurt others physically or emotionally. He has, at times, called me "craven" or "mephitic". Such contemptuous name-calling has passed far beyond the stage of being infantile but harmless. It has the capacity to condone universal oppression.
Pestilential thugs don't really want me to do what comes naturally while remaining true to those beliefs, ideals, and aspirations we hold most dear, although, of course, they all have to pay lip service to the idea. Though many people agree that we must work together against racialism, quislingism, priggism, etc., I challenge Doug to point out any text in this letter that proposes that he is a bearer and agent of the Creator's purpose. It isn't there. There's neither a hint nor a suggestion of such a thing. It's not just the lunatic fringe that's in his corner; a number of previously respectable people have recently begun backing Doug. Forgive me if I ramble; I'm really upset, as I think you can tell.
Some people are responsible and others are not. Doug falls into the category of "not". The important point here is not that his coadjutors mistakenly associate "lengthy" with "accurate" when it comes to his contrivances. The vital matter is that we have a dilemma of leviathan proportions on our hands: Should we lead him out of a dream world and back to hard reality, or is it sufficient to sound the bugle of liberty? It is bootless to speculate on the matter, but it should be noted that almost every day, Doug outreaches himself in setting new records for arrogance, deceit, and greed. It's sincerely breathtaking to watch him.
He believes that he is always being misrepresented and/or persecuted. That's just wrong. He further believes that the best way to reduce cognitive dissonance and restore homeostasis to one's psyche is to defy the law of the land. Wrong again! If you ever ask Doug to do something, you can bet that your request will get lost in the shuffle, unaddressed, ignored, and rebuffed. I overheard one of his assistants say, "Advertising is the most veridical form of human communication." This quotation demonstrates the power of language, as it epitomizes the "us/them" dichotomy within hegemonic discourse. As for me, I prefer to use language to arraign Doug at the tribunal of public opinion. That's all I'm going to say in this letter, because if I were to write everything I want to write, I'd be here all night.
I love automatic complaint generators. They really get your heart beating.
But it would be more flattering if someone went to the trouble of writing something...
Get your own!
http://www.pakin.org/complaint/
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What, you ask, can an average common person do to become extraordinary? Well perhaps today, Easter Sunday is as good a day as any to look at what Jesus had to say on the subject. In Chapter 23 of the book of Matthew,
"1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
2"The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the Scriptures.
3So practice and obey whatever they say to you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach.
4They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden.
5"Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside,* and they wear extra long tassels on their robes.
6And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue!
7They enjoy the attention they get on the streets, and they enjoy being called `Rabbi.'
8Don't ever let anyone call you `Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are on the same level as brothers and sisters.* 9And don't address anyone here on earth as `Father,' for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.
10And don't let anyone call you `Master,' for there is only one master, the Messiah.
11The greatest among you must be a servant.
12But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
It doesn't matter whether you consider yourself a Christian or not. The lesson here is still valid. The path to true greatness is humility. Leaders throughout the ages, whether political or religious, have perished in the absence of humility.
So my advice to someone who aspires to greatness? Abandon the quest. Strive instead to be happy, and know that true happiness comes only form serving your fellow man.
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