What do you want? - some enemy voice kept asking, and he walked faster, trying to escape it. It seemed to him that his brain was a maze where a blind alley opened at every turn, leading into a fog that hid an abyss. It seemed to him that he was running, while the small island of safety was shrinking and nothing but those alleys would soon be left. It was like a remnant of clarity in the street around him, with the haze rolling in to fill all exits. Why did it have to shrink? - he thought in panic. This was the way he had lived all his life - keeping his eyes stubbornly, safety on the immediate pavement before him, craftily avoiding the sight of his road, of corners, of distances, of pinnacles. He had never intended going anywhere, he had wanted to be free of progression, free of the yoke of a straight line, he had never wanted his years to add up to any sum - what had summed them up? - why had he reached some unchosen destination where on could no longer stand still or retreat? "Look where you're going, brother!" snarled some voice, while an elbow pushed him back - and he realized that he had collided with some large, ill-smelling figure and that he had been running.
He slowed his steps and admitted into hid mind a recognition of the streets he had chosen in his random escape. He had not wanted to know that he was going home to his wife. That, too, was a fogbound alley, but there was no other left to him.
He knew - the moment he saw Cherryl's silent, poised figure as she rose at his entrance into her room - that this was more dangerous than he had allowed himself to know and that he would not find what he wanted. Bu danger, to him, was a signal to shut off his sight, suspend his judgment and pursue an unaltered course, on the unstated premis that the danger would remain unreal buy the sovereign power of his wish not to see it - like a foghorn within him, blowing, not to sound of warning, but to summon the fog.
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Poster: Mr.M
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Well you say you want a revolution
Well you know we all want to change the world... unless it takes more than one day a year.
I found myself at a tea party yesterday, and to say the least it was not what I had expected. To start there was a much larger turn out than I had imagined, around 5,000 at downtown Houston alone and around 1,000,000 total in over 700 cities & towns nationwide. Men, women, and children of all walks of life gathered together to protest the government that ignores and suppresses them. It seems that the media either trying to portray the protesters as either ignorant conservatives being controlled by a desperate republican party or as a small group of fanatics insulated by hangers on. I personally found both views to be complete and utter bullshit. I spoke to and heard from a group of people that are simply tired of being bullied and controlled by their federal government. I found the main theme of the people around me to be disgust with our elected officials and a strong desire to oust them from their positions of power to which they so desperately cling. Yes, the main purpose of these protests were to direct attention to the outrageous taxes that are going to pay for the mistakes of people who show no real signs of changing the way they operate their businesses. However I think the best way to think about it is to compare the protests to taking Ibuprofen, a medicine that treats symptoms of a problem not the cause. Our taxes and the way that the federal government are spending them are merely a symptom, a symptom of control.
It seems people all over the country are waking up to this and are beginning to make their voices heard en-mass. A wondrous thing according to my perspective, but it is not without its faults, of which there are many.
I believe the worst of these faults to be the belief that removing these elected officials, even en-mass and replacing them with new elected officials will do any good on its own. Certainly I believe it would make a show of change and reform, but it would be nothing more than hollow pageantry which would undoubtedly be left to rot in a dark corner after a few scant days or years. I think it will take real and lasting change to policy, personnel, and purse strings. Of course by this I mean the relatively small group of people that control the vast majority of the world i.e. the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations. etc. These are the real organizations that need to be uprooted like so many strangle vines in a garden.
Nearly as bad I believe, is the opinion I heard voiced by many protesters, that these 4/15 protests on their own were going to usher in real and speedy change. I see these protests as merely the very tip of the proverbial iceberg. Surely I view this as real and vital, but I also realize its going to take many months and years to affect real and lasting change. It is because of this, that I fear many people will lose their zeal for the matter simply due to the fact that people don't like long fights against high odds.
I guess the real question is how we fan the fires of social evolution. We need to plan and work to enact our hopes and dreams, and not just in ourselves but in all those around us. One thing is for certain this is not a fight that we can win on our own. And so it is time for us to make our plans, provide our contributions, and do what we can... or rather what we must.
Poster: Z
I found myself at a tea party yesterday, and to say the least it was not what I had expected. To start there was a much larger turn out than I had imagined, around 5,000 at downtown Houston alone and around 1,000,000 total in over 700 cities & towns nationwide. Men, women, and children of all walks of life gathered together to protest the government that ignores and suppresses them. It seems that the media either trying to portray the protesters as either ignorant conservatives being controlled by a desperate republican party or as a small group of fanatics insulated by hangers on. I personally found both views to be complete and utter bullshit. I spoke to and heard from a group of people that are simply tired of being bullied and controlled by their federal government. I found the main theme of the people around me to be disgust with our elected officials and a strong desire to oust them from their positions of power to which they so desperately cling. Yes, the main purpose of these protests were to direct attention to the outrageous taxes that are going to pay for the mistakes of people who show no real signs of changing the way they operate their businesses. However I think the best way to think about it is to compare the protests to taking Ibuprofen, a medicine that treats symptoms of a problem not the cause. Our taxes and the way that the federal government are spending them are merely a symptom, a symptom of control.
It seems people all over the country are waking up to this and are beginning to make their voices heard en-mass. A wondrous thing according to my perspective, but it is not without its faults, of which there are many.
I believe the worst of these faults to be the belief that removing these elected officials, even en-mass and replacing them with new elected officials will do any good on its own. Certainly I believe it would make a show of change and reform, but it would be nothing more than hollow pageantry which would undoubtedly be left to rot in a dark corner after a few scant days or years. I think it will take real and lasting change to policy, personnel, and purse strings. Of course by this I mean the relatively small group of people that control the vast majority of the world i.e. the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations. etc. These are the real organizations that need to be uprooted like so many strangle vines in a garden.
Nearly as bad I believe, is the opinion I heard voiced by many protesters, that these 4/15 protests on their own were going to usher in real and speedy change. I see these protests as merely the very tip of the proverbial iceberg. Surely I view this as real and vital, but I also realize its going to take many months and years to affect real and lasting change. It is because of this, that I fear many people will lose their zeal for the matter simply due to the fact that people don't like long fights against high odds.
I guess the real question is how we fan the fires of social evolution. We need to plan and work to enact our hopes and dreams, and not just in ourselves but in all those around us. One thing is for certain this is not a fight that we can win on our own. And so it is time for us to make our plans, provide our contributions, and do what we can... or rather what we must.
Poster: Z
Dear BAB,
Why don't you ask some tough questions! :P
What is truth and is reality subjective or objective? I have a quote of unknown origin (at least to me): "You can have your own truth. You cannot have your own facts."
This is the basis of my thought on the reality of the material world. Whatever the ultimate reality is (energy fields or whatever), we find ourselves trapped in our world of senses. Whatever the outside reality actually is, we humans have a common way of understanding it. That is our senses.
As far as we know, we cannot change the perceived outside reality at will. It takes physical effort. This is the way it has been and will be until we die. This is for physical reality.
For social reality, which you had mentioned with the Japanese words of Tatemae and Honne, people are sometimes smarter and realize that social boundaries do not matter. Because of this, they see past the "social reality" or "status quo."
Objective reality is objective no matter if people want to see things differently. If you were a Jew living in Germany and were in denial about your place on a train, the subjective reality inside your head has no bearing (no matter how much you want to believe it to) on the reality of your imminent train ride.
Reality is.
Poster: Mr.M
Why don't you ask some tough questions! :P
What is truth and is reality subjective or objective? I have a quote of unknown origin (at least to me): "You can have your own truth. You cannot have your own facts."
This is the basis of my thought on the reality of the material world. Whatever the ultimate reality is (energy fields or whatever), we find ourselves trapped in our world of senses. Whatever the outside reality actually is, we humans have a common way of understanding it. That is our senses.
As far as we know, we cannot change the perceived outside reality at will. It takes physical effort. This is the way it has been and will be until we die. This is for physical reality.
For social reality, which you had mentioned with the Japanese words of Tatemae and Honne, people are sometimes smarter and realize that social boundaries do not matter. Because of this, they see past the "social reality" or "status quo."
Objective reality is objective no matter if people want to see things differently. If you were a Jew living in Germany and were in denial about your place on a train, the subjective reality inside your head has no bearing (no matter how much you want to believe it to) on the reality of your imminent train ride.
Reality is.
Poster: Mr.M
Monday, April 13, 2009
the dichotomous reality
one topic i have been pulled into talking with my friends about is the nature of reality. most of the people i talk to believe reality as being the world inside one's head, thus reality is subjective to the observer of that reality. although i can accept this subjective reality as being "truth," there is always the parts of this subjective reality that overlap in several individuals' realities. so for the purpose of categorizing these overlaps, is there another form of reality that can be considered the "objective" reality? if so, how many subjective minds have to perceive something in order for it to become "objective?"
i bring this up because i came across an interesting fact earlier today. the Japanese have two words for "reality" (though it isn't exactly in the context as i have put it in the past paragraph): 'tatemae' and 'honne'. 'tatemae' is defined as the "official, public, socially required reality" or the reality as outsiders see it, reality on the surface. 'honne,' however, is the "informal, personal reality in disregard of social parameters," the reality under the surface, the reality of things with in-depth knowledge of all circumstances and factors. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A571565)
the Japanese see no problem in calling both of these things "reality," and see them as existing hand in hand with each other. personally, i guess i am more attuned to look for absolutes, so i consider them to be mutually exclusive, and i consider 'honne' to be the more "true" reality.
if 'honne' is indeed the true reality, then do i need to rethink my position on subjective reality itself? does it matter what is observed and taken in by the subjective observer, if the more "honest" reality is the objective reality? what do you think of the Japanese notion of having two 'realities' that exist simultaneously, and possibly even in opposition to each other at times?
poster: BAB
i bring this up because i came across an interesting fact earlier today. the Japanese have two words for "reality" (though it isn't exactly in the context as i have put it in the past paragraph): 'tatemae' and 'honne'. 'tatemae' is defined as the "official, public, socially required reality" or the reality as outsiders see it, reality on the surface. 'honne,' however, is the "informal, personal reality in disregard of social parameters," the reality under the surface, the reality of things with in-depth knowledge of all circumstances and factors. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A571565)
the Japanese see no problem in calling both of these things "reality," and see them as existing hand in hand with each other. personally, i guess i am more attuned to look for absolutes, so i consider them to be mutually exclusive, and i consider 'honne' to be the more "true" reality.
if 'honne' is indeed the true reality, then do i need to rethink my position on subjective reality itself? does it matter what is observed and taken in by the subjective observer, if the more "honest" reality is the objective reality? what do you think of the Japanese notion of having two 'realities' that exist simultaneously, and possibly even in opposition to each other at times?
poster: BAB
Re: What is Right?
i agree with you, MRM, that we can't trust anyone who tells us that they are privy to some special knowledge of god's intentions that we are not privy to. i also totally agree that we have all the evidence of how to live right here in the reality we consume ourselves with; it is a code written into our experiences and our perceptions. the reason that it is tough to ascertain is because our we filter everything we perceive through our mind.
so, how are we as human beings to live in order to affirm our life and all life around us?
first, we are talking about "right living," or "how to act with full respect to others and yourself at all times every day." the only way i see it working is by being as fair and just with yourself as you attempt to be to others.
Poster: BAB
so, how are we as human beings to live in order to affirm our life and all life around us?
first, we are talking about "right living," or "how to act with full respect to others and yourself at all times every day." the only way i see it working is by being as fair and just with yourself as you attempt to be to others.
Poster: BAB
What is right?
Do you feel bad for doubting the existence of God? How do you view God? Is it the christian God; is it the Muslim one; is it the Hindu God? Does it matter?
Is there an afterlife that I am supposed to put all of my effort toward. Won't that, in effect, turn me into a beast of burden? For those who do not believe in an afterlife, the question of working for an afterlife seems absurd.
I am of the opinion, since we don't have any evidence, that the God (if there is such a conscious being) of this reality is not here to make us obey any rules that are not life affirming. If there is a creator God (who cares about us), then any instruction he would give would be to help us, to further our life and being. Why? For what purpose? To live better; not to live worse today for a better life after death.
So, a loving caring God would want us to live to the best of our ability in the way that we are supposed to live? How, then, do we figure out how to live? Since there is no evidence of a God, I am not going to blindly follow any "words of God." Instead, I think that we have evidence on how to live correctly. This evidence is found in life itself and the way that life works best.
Life is natural, despite what some of "divine" texts tell us about our inherent human nature. Objectively, without religious influence and with reason, how are we as human beings to live in order to affirm our life and all life around us? That is the question I think we should all be trying to answer. What is right?
Poster: MRM
Is there an afterlife that I am supposed to put all of my effort toward. Won't that, in effect, turn me into a beast of burden? For those who do not believe in an afterlife, the question of working for an afterlife seems absurd.
I am of the opinion, since we don't have any evidence, that the God (if there is such a conscious being) of this reality is not here to make us obey any rules that are not life affirming. If there is a creator God (who cares about us), then any instruction he would give would be to help us, to further our life and being. Why? For what purpose? To live better; not to live worse today for a better life after death.
So, a loving caring God would want us to live to the best of our ability in the way that we are supposed to live? How, then, do we figure out how to live? Since there is no evidence of a God, I am not going to blindly follow any "words of God." Instead, I think that we have evidence on how to live correctly. This evidence is found in life itself and the way that life works best.
Life is natural, despite what some of "divine" texts tell us about our inherent human nature. Objectively, without religious influence and with reason, how are we as human beings to live in order to affirm our life and all life around us? That is the question I think we should all be trying to answer. What is right?
Poster: MRM
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