I have come to believe that in every given situation it comes down to a simple choice: You can look at what’s occurring with cynicism and negativity and have a virtual guarantee of getting nowhere — or, without having to like it at all you can at least acknowledge it as merely another obstacle which will test your determination to not become frozen by fear, or anger, or pessimism. Your will to keep moving, regardless of circumstances.
Tag: humanity
Sitting on the Sidelines is No Longer an Option
I believe we are nearing a watershed moment in human history. We will either break our chains and free ourselves once and for all or we will squander this opportunity, surrender our arms, and accept our enslavement as a permanent condition.
That’s Not Feminism: 3 Ways Women Advocate For Their Own Oppression
Something I often see in the feminist movement (and I am a feminist!) is women demanding for something that appears on the outside will liberate them, but in reality, it only furthers their oppression. Usually, the very nature of the thing they are asking for, the very concept of it is bred from patriarchal ideals and ways of thinking.
You’re Not the Only Person On a Quest
If your search is long and arduous, it’s reasonable to get some tunnel-vision. You’re focused on becoming excellent at your job, establishing your new business, educating yourself in a new technology/science, or becoming a hero to your children. Your quest is and (probably) should be a focus for you. But maybe you’re missing something important.
Strange Ideas
Sometimes, idea-oriented people have no shutoff valve. Politicians often have this affliction. They never met an idea that they didn’t like, but cost, intervention, and Rube Goldberg-ishness turn idea-attractions into love affairs. Their confirmation biases block any words to the wise.
Complexity of Causality
We make this mistake over and over. We think that A causes B. But in addition to A, there are infinite A primes, double primes, triple primes, n-tuple primes, as well as the rest of the alphabet and its primes. And these are not a solid front, but a staggered and scattered barrage. Furthermore nothing strikes B directly, or practically so.
Statism: Undesirable, Unnecessary, and Avoidable
Is statism desirable? No, it is not. In fact, institutionalized and ideologically whitewashed aggression is the most undesirable thing that any sane person can think of. Is statism necessary? No, it is not, since institutionalized and ideologically whitewashed aggression is the very opposite of its stated goal of securing social cooperation.
Don’t Assume Innocence Is an Obstacle to Wisdom
A lot of young people toss their youthful optimism, playfulness, and their moral idealism out the window at a certain age because they believe that “wisdom” requires it.
Advice to My Children, and Everyone Else
I’ve given this entire learning experience some thought over the last few days, and the following stanza sums up my principles nicely: Don’t hurt people. Don’t take their stuff. Don’t ask permission. This is the advice I will be giving and reinforcing in my children as opportunity arises, and its advice I give to the rest of humanity. Let’s dig deeper.
Psychology Goes Toe-To-Toe With Totalitarianism in Carl Jung’s “The Undiscovered Self”
To most of us living in the 21st century, it’s easy to forget that weapons exist which could easily destroy life on the planet a few times over. Jung was not ignorant of that. What’s more, he was living through a time when that kind of warfare seemed likely. The world had just lived through the destruction of two world wars, the Russian Revolution, the rise of fascism and National Socialism, and the Holocaust. In 1957, it was not certain that Communism would not spread over the whole world.