it isn't news
when i first began to read the works of great philosophers, i was struck by how accurate their conclusions were, and how miserably we had, apparently, failed to succeed in their application. where were these paradigm shifts that would carry us gracefully out of the stranglehold of industrialism? away from the mechanization of humanity back to the roots of our interconnectedness, where we respected the symbiotic relationship between ourselves and everything around us? what further damage did we need as proof? what other disasters to remind us that our empathy toward life is absolutely necessary if we are truly concerned about our survival?
it is reassuring to hear about the work of others who believe that the world can change. those who begin working to enact that change through every action they are responsible for. and i realize that part of my disgust over phrases like "you're not getting any younger," or "that's just how life is," or "nobody likes their job" are reflections of the paradigm that i have resisted conforming to since i was able to discern between what i really wanted and what people told me i should want.
i read an article today that explained five common illogical ways of thinking that are common in our culture: the fundamental attribution error, confirmation bias, the argumentative theory of reasoning, the neglect of probability, and the trust gap. as i read about these phenomena, i thought about what it is that prevents us from being able to change our minds. when i think of someone "settled in his (or her) ways," i think of a very old person, who is so close to death, that to shake the foundation of his beliefs would be to destroy the weak threads holding together the purpose and meaning she has come to identify for life. what worse terror to approach death with an understanding that is shattered beyond repair? than to think that your life was wasted or misspent. to recognize that you had done it wrong. that you paid more attention to the things that mattered least. but every day i encounter people who have accepted life as it was presented to them. and they reinforce what they believe and how they perceive because they are only giving audience to the ideas, images, messages, and ideologies that perpetuate what they already have accepted as true.
i was fascinated by the language of logic because if words were the only method we had of interpreting the world and communicating to one another, this language could help us to understand the error of our thoughts. this method would demonstrate that some arguments are not strong. that some claims are inherently faulty. but there was something else getting in the way. something aside from intellectual lethargy. something aside from the focus on materialism. the ego. the ego is the product of a consumer-based society. because people who know that they are whole, do not require extra things to feel satisfied. but for capitalism to succeed, we must all want more. we must all crave better. we must all follow what is new and improved. marketing and advertising contributed to the growth of the ego, and simultaneously to the creativity of the individual, the joy of diversity, and the commodification of our time.
the ego is what prevents us from feeling humble. from feeling vulnerable. from feeling confident but connected. instead it makes us lonely. selfish. needy. greedy. and blind. in the microcosm of our own minds, we must be special in order to be significant. anything that challenges the ego, that threatens its ability to feel important, to feel entitled, to feel right, cannot be accepted. it goes along with the idea of fearing what is unknown. what is different forces us to question our own decisions regarding the right way to live, and no one wants to admit that he or she is doing it wrong.
but what i want to tell people who are resistant to change is that they have been taught. that there is nothing evil about what they were taught, but that their teachers too were fallable. humans following the formulas of the era that nurtured them. to be open to learning something new. to listen to reason. to open their hearts and minds so that we can all benefit. because if we keep functioning as if we are all the center of the universe, then we'll continue to destroy ourselves, and eventually only what is artificial will remain as evidence of the thing we call humanity.
it is reassuring to hear about the work of others who believe that the world can change. those who begin working to enact that change through every action they are responsible for. and i realize that part of my disgust over phrases like "you're not getting any younger," or "that's just how life is," or "nobody likes their job" are reflections of the paradigm that i have resisted conforming to since i was able to discern between what i really wanted and what people told me i should want.
i read an article today that explained five common illogical ways of thinking that are common in our culture: the fundamental attribution error, confirmation bias, the argumentative theory of reasoning, the neglect of probability, and the trust gap. as i read about these phenomena, i thought about what it is that prevents us from being able to change our minds. when i think of someone "settled in his (or her) ways," i think of a very old person, who is so close to death, that to shake the foundation of his beliefs would be to destroy the weak threads holding together the purpose and meaning she has come to identify for life. what worse terror to approach death with an understanding that is shattered beyond repair? than to think that your life was wasted or misspent. to recognize that you had done it wrong. that you paid more attention to the things that mattered least. but every day i encounter people who have accepted life as it was presented to them. and they reinforce what they believe and how they perceive because they are only giving audience to the ideas, images, messages, and ideologies that perpetuate what they already have accepted as true.
i was fascinated by the language of logic because if words were the only method we had of interpreting the world and communicating to one another, this language could help us to understand the error of our thoughts. this method would demonstrate that some arguments are not strong. that some claims are inherently faulty. but there was something else getting in the way. something aside from intellectual lethargy. something aside from the focus on materialism. the ego. the ego is the product of a consumer-based society. because people who know that they are whole, do not require extra things to feel satisfied. but for capitalism to succeed, we must all want more. we must all crave better. we must all follow what is new and improved. marketing and advertising contributed to the growth of the ego, and simultaneously to the creativity of the individual, the joy of diversity, and the commodification of our time.
the ego is what prevents us from feeling humble. from feeling vulnerable. from feeling confident but connected. instead it makes us lonely. selfish. needy. greedy. and blind. in the microcosm of our own minds, we must be special in order to be significant. anything that challenges the ego, that threatens its ability to feel important, to feel entitled, to feel right, cannot be accepted. it goes along with the idea of fearing what is unknown. what is different forces us to question our own decisions regarding the right way to live, and no one wants to admit that he or she is doing it wrong.
but what i want to tell people who are resistant to change is that they have been taught. that there is nothing evil about what they were taught, but that their teachers too were fallable. humans following the formulas of the era that nurtured them. to be open to learning something new. to listen to reason. to open their hearts and minds so that we can all benefit. because if we keep functioning as if we are all the center of the universe, then we'll continue to destroy ourselves, and eventually only what is artificial will remain as evidence of the thing we call humanity.
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