What did you think of my blog? Instead of saying we create illusions of freedom, I said we create our prisons. If we could create either, dont we have choices?
What did you think of my blog? Instead of saying we create illusions of freedom, I said we create our prisons. If we could create either, dont we have choices?Perhaps he didn't find the link
You're own evil demon July 28, 2017 I came across this rather interesting use of a very old thought experiment. Descartes was trying to figure out if he existed independently, or if something was controlling him, like an evil demon. He eventually concluded his ability to think proved his independence. The use of this is something I see people doing to themselves or trying to do to others. They try to make people into their own “Cartesian demons". You can do it to yourself by thinking you are a failure, then believing it. You can let others do it by allowing them to tell you that you are in some way flawed. You can let them convince you that they are smarter, or that all humans are incapable of understanding some fundamental truth or that none of us know the real way things work. Of course they have the answer, and if you believe them, you give yourself up to them to get it. Or, you just give up to the idea. Either way you’ve let an imaginary “demon" take control. ... ... The good news, no special powers are required to escape this demon. Just think for yourself. If it’s a claim about science, then find all the research you can and learn how a scientific consensus if formed. If it’s government, get involved. The US just had two polar opposites in the presidency. I’m guessing no one is controlling this. 'If it’s just that we can’t know everything and we’re just animals, then how do you know that? You would need to know everything to know that we can’t know it. There is nothing to do but learn more. You don’t know what your limits are. http://winter60.blogspot.com/2017/07/youre-own-evil-demon.htmlMakes sense to me.
What did you think of my blog? Instead of saying we create illusions of freedom, I said we create our prisons. If we could create either, dont we have choices?Prison by choice isn't prison.
What did you think of my blog? Instead of saying we create illusions of freedom, I said we create our prisons. If we could create either, dont we have choices?Prison by choice isn't prison. Then what is it?
Have you ever heard the expression, “nobody said life was fair”? But when you think about it, isn’t that all they tell you every minute of every day from the moment you’re born? Every fairy tale, story, book, movie, television show – “Life is tough, but if you work hard and keep faith, in the end things will work out. You’ll get the girl. You may not get the princess you were in love with at the beginning of the movie, but that’s only because by the end you’ll find out that she’s really an empty-headed twit, and the one you really love is the plucky scullery maid who stood by you through thick and thin.”
Then you grow up and find out you’re not even the star of the movie! You’re just one of the extras walking past in the background, and even the scullery maid isn’t going to glance in your direction except by accident! What do you do then? You learn to deal with it, that’s what.
At about age 23 I was told in the end they will dump me in a hole and throw dirt in my face. Some of the best advice I’ve ever got. Not something you want to tell a 13 year old, but delivered correctly, along with tools for finding happiness and making a difference, it is what is, star or not.
At about age 23 I was told in the end they will dump me in a hole and throw dirt in my face. Some of the best advice I've ever got. Not something you want to tell a 13 year old, but delivered correctly, along with tools for finding happiness and making a difference, it is what is, star or not.Except you don't find happiness, and nothing you do makes a difference.
Be come into this world naked, travel from the place or our birth to the place of our death, then we die alone and naked.
So what. It’s the journey that matters.
What did you think of my blog? Instead of saying we create illusions of freedom, I said we create our prisons. If we could create either, dont we have choices?Prison by choice isn't prison. It's not a choice if it's all you're offered.
Have you ever heard the expression, "nobody said life was fair"? But when you think about it, isn't that all they tell you every minute of every day from the moment you're born? Every fairy tale, story, book, movie, television show -- "Life is tough, but if you work hard and keep faith, in the end things will work out. You'll get the girl. You may not get the princess you were in love with at the beginning of the movie, but that's only because by the end you'll find out that she's really an empty-headed twit, and the one you really love is the plucky scullery maid who stood by you through thick and thin." Then you grow up and find out you're not even the star of the movie! You're just one of the extras walking past in the background, and even the scullery maid isn't going to glance in your direction except by accident! What do you do then? You learn to deal with it, that's what.If life were fair we'd all be in a heap of trouble. A large percentage of the world's population doesn't get enough to eat, has no decent medical care, no bathroom facilities, no decent transportation, and lacks jobs that offer even subsistence. Think twice before you want life to be "fair".
If life were fair we'd all be in a heap of trouble. A large percentage of the world's population doesn't get enough to eat, has no decent medical care, no bathroom facilities, no decent transportation, and lacks jobs that offer even subsistence. Think twice before you want life to be "fair".But if life were fair, it would be fair for everybody, wouldn't it?
If life were fair we'd all be in a heap of trouble. A large percentage of the world's population doesn't get enough to eat, has no decent medical care, no bathroom facilities, no decent transportation, and lacks jobs that offer even subsistence. Think twice before you want life to be "fair".But if life were fair, it would be fair for everybody, wouldn't it? I think she is saying if life were fair, it would suck for everybody. I think it can be more fair and not suck that much, but I'm an idealist. But if we took the world we have today, divided up the wealth, we'd all have some pretty simple lives, many of us would increase their risk of getting diseases, many would reduce their life span. If the rule was we had to maintain fairness, we would be completely overwhelmed about how to slightly increase our comfort, because we would have to increase it times 7 billion, to be fair. We couldn't divide up knowledge overnight, so all the people with educations would have to spend their time passing on their knowledge. Progress would be slow or backwards, for decades.
If life were fair we'd all be in a heap of trouble. A large percentage of the world's population doesn't get enough to eat, has no decent medical care, no bathroom facilities, no decent transportation, and lacks jobs that offer even subsistence. Think twice before you want life to be "fair".But if life were fair, it would be fair for everybody, wouldn't it? That's my point. If life were fair those of us who have decent lives would have to give them up to give to those who have less. What do you think would happen of all the food worth eating were distributed equally to all the world's population? How about medical care? Sanitary facilities? Decent housing? Education?
My most recent “moment of true happiness” came when I recovered my “stereo mix” on my computer (which somehow had been deleted by an update)
Now I can broadcast music again and make other people happy when they like my music. As an old musician, there was nothing more gratifying than be able to bring people into a better state of mind, as expressed by their applause of approval.
Music is a true international natural language. We all seem to share an affinity to certain soundwaves when placed in a correct emotional code.
One example: Modern Jazz Quartet - Django (HQ) - YouTube
or this wonderful inspiring video: what a wonderful world - toots thielemans & kenny werner - YouTube
and one of my all time favorites: Pat Metheny and Toots Thielemans - Always And Forever 1992 - YouTube
What did you think of my blog? Instead of saying we create illusions of freedom, I said we create our prisons. If we could create either, dont we have choices?Prison by choice isn't prison. Then what is it? Self-flagellation. Christians have engaged in that for millennia.
If life were fair we'd all be in a heap of trouble. A large percentage of the world's population doesn't get enough to eat, has no decent medical care, no bathroom facilities, no decent transportation, and lacks jobs that offer even subsistence. Think twice before you want life to be "fair".But if life were fair, it would be fair for everybody, wouldn't it? The point is there are limited resources and if they were fairly distributed to all people, the ones who have more now would have to give a lot of them up. "Fair" doesn't mean resources will be magically increased. It's a matter of distribution.
If life were fair we'd all be in a heap of trouble. A large percentage of the world's population doesn't get enough to eat, has no decent medical care, no bathroom facilities, no decent transportation, and lacks jobs that offer even subsistence. Think twice before you want life to be "fair".But if life were fair, it would be fair for everybody, wouldn't it? I think she is saying if life were fair, it would suck for everybody. I think it can be more fair and not suck that much, but I'm an idealist. But if we took the world we have today, divided up the wealth, we'd all have some pretty simple lives, many of us would increase their risk of getting diseases, many would reduce their life span. If the rule was we had to maintain fairness, we would be completely overwhelmed about how to slightly increase our comfort, because we would have to increase it times 7 billion, to be fair. We couldn't divide up knowledge overnight, so all the people with educations would have to spend their time passing on their knowledge. Progress would be slow or backwards, for decades. But it would be "fair." If the world's resources are to remain unevenly distributed, how would you feel if it was you and your loved ones who are on the bottom of the distribution chain instead of pretty near the top? Lois
But it would be “fair." If the world’s resources are to remain unevenly distributed, how would you feel if it was you and your loved ones who are on the bottom of the distribution chain instead of pretty near the top? LoisI tend to agree, a Nation's resources belong to all the all its citizens. But except for air, all resources are privately held and sold to the citizenry for a profit. Seems to me that those profits should be shared by the citizenry, the people who actually are owners of the Nation's resources. This is the result of "fences". To the Native Americans the concept of fences and property ownership was alien, until they were forced into fenced Reservations. But the possession of material wealth is just a small part of "being happy" as Buddha (a royal prince) demonstrated during his lifetime. This little Ted Talk may be pertinent to the discussion. https://www.ted.com/talks/david_whyte_a_lyrical_bridge_between_past_present_and_future?
The possession of material wealth may be a small part of "being happy, unless you don't have enough to eat or clean water or sanitary facilities or decent clothing and shelter or a way to support yourself and your family. . Those basic things are essential to "being happy" as far as I can see, emoty Buddhist platitudes to the contrary. LoisBut it would be “fair." If the world’s resources are to remain unevenly distributed, how would you feel if it was you and your loved ones who are on the bottom of the distribution chain instead of pretty near the top? LoisI tend to agree, a Nation's resources belong to all the all its citizens. But except for air, all resources are privately held and sold to the citizenry for a profit. Seems to me that those profits should be shared by the citizenry, the people who actually are owners of the Nation's resources. This is the result of "fences". To the Native Americans the concept of fences and property ownership was alien, until they were forced into fenced Reservations. But the possession of material wealth is just a small part of "being happy" as Buddha (a royal prince) demonstrated during his lifetime. This little Ted Talk may be pertinent to the discussion. https://www.ted.com/talks/david_whyte_a_lyrical_bridge_between_past_present_and_future?
My most recent "moment of true happiness" came when I recovered my "stereo mix" on my computer (which somehow had been deleted by an update) Now I can broadcast music again and make other people happy when they like my music. As an old musician, there was nothing more gratifying than be able to bring people into a better state of mind, as expressed by their applause of approval. Music is a true international natural language. We all seem to share an affinity to certain soundwaves when placed in a correct emotional code. One example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4ksM27dVfs or this wonderful inspiring video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zfgFfC5kOs and one of my all time favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcAkEl6AV5YNot true at all, like any language music divides people based on their tastes and you get others who ridicule and belittle you for what you like to listen to. It's not an international language, there is no such thing. Playing what some like can also entail causing others to hate you because they seriously don't enjoy it. I would think a musician would know that.