Month: November 2021

Govern-mental

On November 20, 2021

Imagine a small island upon which are 100 castaways. They are strangers to each other and were all shipwrecked at the same time. They can each scrounge enough food and water to live on but not much more.

How might their societal structure develop?

The initial situation is anarchy. Not necessarily a bad thing. There is simply no authority. Each person on the island is equal to the others and nobody is in charge. Alas, utopias cannot last. Sooner or later the more physically powerful and selfish will begin to take resources from their weaker and less assertive companions.

Now we have criminals.

The victims will soon learn to form into groups for mutual defense.

Now we have police.

These groups will sort themselves into hierarchies according to their intelligence and the drive for status of their members.

Now we have government.

The government will create projects to make life easier for the inhabitants (or at least for themselves). This will require a portion of the inhabitants resources.

Now we have taxes.

Et cetera…

I am writing this in response to a friend of mine who is an enthusiastic advocate of anarchy as being the ultimate form of government. Idealism can be a good thing but if it is not tempered by experience and observation, it can lead to large-scale disasters. Communism for example, sounds good in theory and would be a great way to govern a society of angels. As we have seen however, humans are incapable of wielding power without falling into the temptation to accumulate wealth and to manipulate the system for their own ends.

I can imagine a society where children are taught from the very beginning the value of love and kindness to others. Where friendship and compassion and service to others is instilled at an early age as the very foundation of a just and happy society. Where the sharing of resources is…

Ah, never mind.

Taking The Reins

By Remus

On November 14, 2021

In Philosphing

Meaning.

What does that mean? What makes a thing meaningful or meaningless? It is a perceived quality of a thing. Is it objective or subjective? Is it something we apply to a thing or is it something resident to a thing that we react to?

Which is better? A meaningful existence or a meaningless one?

Meaningful of course. Nobody ever committed suicide because their lives just seemed so meaningful.

So this is important. It’s something we should be in control of. And we are.

There is nothing wrong with talking to yourself. It’s listening to yourself that gets you into trouble. We are creating ourselves with the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. If we don’t do it consciously, we let a mental autopilot take over. As in a a self-driving vehicle, the autopilot does an adequate job under calm, controlled conditions. But when the weather turns bad or an unexpected situation presents itself, the autopilot will lose control (often by overcorrecting) and the actual pilot must assume control.

Letting your mental autopilot (your inner dialogue) run out of control is the source of most psychological problems.

We re-assert control of our lives by taking control of the narrative. We are the authors of, not the characters in our stories. You are where you are because you put yourself there. Or you let your autopilot take you there.

The only thing that stands between you and who you want to be is you.

Your life has as much or as little meaning as you want it to.

Stop listening to yourself.

Start telling yourself.

In the year 1983 a young prospector came across a rare and special Stone. Being a natural-born philosopher, he instantly recognized the Stone for what it was. A fabled artifact bestowing immortality and riches beyond compare. Many years passed. Occasionally the man attempted to pass the Stone on to others but they could never grasp nor hold on to it. Their hands were already filled with lesser gems which they feared to put down. Now as an old prospector, he freely offers a few shiny baubles to anyone who wants them. The Stone is available here also although It carries a price that few are willing to pay.

I am happy to entertain your thoughts and questions especially if they entertain me first. Email address is located below. Reply will depend upon worthiness as my time is dear and I cannot suffer fools gladly.

remus@heartsofparadox.com

I have not linked this address to avoid data scrapers. Just copy and paste to your email program.

Individuals or groups seeking personal instruction whether written, spoken or face to face may be accommodated in exchange for (minimal) compensation. If you can communicate with me in other ways, you don't need my help.