8 wnt. Is there a Conundrum of life that we need to get to the bottom of?
Here we are on Substack talking about it, so I guess there is. But nobody says it is a unified search, so to define it might take us in many different directions.
We would have to find out about the myriad of acculturations that have defined each life in a certain way, and each with those contradictions particular to it. Is your problem the same as my problem? I sincerely doubt it. They may have a similar outward appearance, get along with the spouse, family and neighbors, make a living, raise the children. Be a “good citizen”.
The study of other cultures could be extremely interesting, if we could ever really “get-to-it” with all our internal biases. But first of all is to notice, that every culture is a virtual reality created out of linguistic agreements. Those “agreements” are arbitrary not universal, but it’s just enough agreement to avoid fragmentation. (And some parts of it do break off, and fragment.)
In this virtual agreement game of defined conditions, we inherit those same common problems that all the others are believing-in as their truth. I think that you can safely say that within that verbal realm of possibility, you can NEVER truly resolve those common problems. You have to change, or broaden your outlook, to see the problem from a wider perspective. This limited context creates our circumstances, that which we are the victim of.
But WE ourselves are not a victim. It is only our reluctance to look at the world differently, which creates our victimhood. Life within the heard-mentality is comfortable in many ways. I am not going to list them, as I trust that you know what I mean. Neither am I going to say to try to overcome them. I live there too.
We can notice that we take a stance within that collective. We define what part of life is due to circumstance, and in what part we might have some “free-choice”. It is our adopted “responsibility-quotient”. Here I can-do, here I am powerless. Assumed powerlessness is the cause of anger, maybe the cause of all anger? (Are we damaged by our own anger? I’ll let you determine that.)
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So, what is the overall goal of life. I would say it is to expand our responsibility quotient, and to contract our victim quotient. Outwardly, it may seem impossible. That’s if you define freedom as doing anything you want. But not many people want to actualize everything they can think of. You can notice that within the constraints of “the-circumstances”, you can make some choices that give a different result.
So where do we go from here? We’re defining “responsibility quotient”, and saying you DO have some input on how that develops. Where do we draw the line?
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We also have to talk about how THE TRUTH shapes our options. We already introduced the virtual reality in every society, so our concept of truth is a virtual truth, nothing more. Sure, we are going to talk about it among friends, but for real “brass-tacks” decisions, perhaps it can be set aside or even discarded. What is the basis of decisions then?
Every set of definitions sets us on a path of life according to their possibilities, and their “rewards” and punishments. Which choice would allow the widest number of options for me to develop? If it is too far from reality, it can’t be achieved, but if it is too narrow, it will certainly limit my horizons. Here are a few examples: Each belief system offers a pathway that claims some result if you follow it. What is the claimed result, and what is the actual trajectory that you find yourself on?
✓Capitalism promises you'll get rich and society will prosper. But what you find is you're propelled toward greed and hoarding, and taking more and more from all the others. You can be a capitalist, but watch out for those tendencies, that most often capture everyone.
✓Christianity promises your soul will be saved and you'll go to heaven among the angels and God. (Maybe that is a primitive version). The unconscious tenancy is that you have the only truth, and you become a chauvinist, converting the heathen and telling everyone to follow you, and your "rules-based-order". Actually, Christianity has other dangers, because only Jesus can save, and you are assured that "good works" add nothing to you. Wow, that is scary. (They say be charitable, but that is optional, and not for being saved.)
✓Karma means many things, but just to simplify it for an example, there is something in there about "re-birth", and that you'll start next life where you left off in this life. Sounds abstract and far-fetched, but what is the probably trajectory in this life. You will lead the best life you know how, and care for others as you would want to be cared for. That is so you can get a head-start in the next life. Wow, that will really build our society and our cooperation. It is more constructive than the other two examples, which are either destructive or neutral at best.
[I am not suggesting to believe in “karma”. This is just an example of what each belief might lead to.]
So accept something not because it is "true", but because of what it will do.
Comparing responsibility to the world situation, Roosevelt once said: “If it happened; it was certainly planned that way”. That is the 100% interpretation of responsibility. Realize that you do get a pay-back from everything that happens in your life. Can you recognize that? What part in it are you playing? Can you take responsibility for that, even if you cannot readily identify it?
It doesn’t hurt you to look for, and eliminate definitions that are counterproductive. These are the definitions that give you the excuse to do stupid things, (because that is the way the world is), because that is “the nature of mankind”, it is due to the original sin.
NO IT ISN’T, unless you say so.
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Interesting views. That is the crux of it isn't it? I will ponder on this.