I apologize for my abscense. It was hard to find time for internet in Okinawa, and most of the computers I had access to were work computers, which aren't the best ones to check SG with.
I'll sit down and write about the Okinawa trip if I have time (and there's interest) but for now, this is an essay I wrote a while back, one of my favorites.
Enjoy:
The Paradox of Wisdom
I remember when I was a student a few years ago, I used to delight in asking all of my classmates what I called, Thought Questions about reasons they did things, why they lived the way they did, why things are the way they are. I came to the realization that in order to annoy someone greatly, all one has to do is ask the question why five times.
Ultimately you get to an unsubstantiateable position that I call, The Irrational Rationalization Loop.
For example:
Why do you work and spend most of your life away from the people you care the most about?
Because I need money to buy things for them.
Why?
Because money is needed for survival.
Why?
Because thats the way our system is.
Why?
Because thats what we developed as the best.
Why?
Because it was inevitable, OK? Stop bothering me!!
(Irrational Rationalization Loop has been entered)
Usually at this point they would get very angry at me for asking too many questions. I would point out that Socrates got killed for asking too many questions. They would point out that I was not Socrates
They were right.
I have a great amount more information at my disposal than he ever had. So would it not stand to reason that I would be in a better position to develop better conclusions than he did? But for some odd reason, we trust the wisdom of the past more than we do our own reason, faculty, and ability to draw conclusions from all the information around us.
In this, the Age of Information, wouldnt it be logical that we as humans would be coming to the best conclusions with so much information available?
Some would argue the Information Overload has occurred, but I disagree. The human mind is far too amazing a device to be overloaded by such small amounts of information, even as great as they may seem.
Perhaps something else is going on.
Perhaps, we are not really looking at all the information available, and perhaps, just perhaps
We are asking the wrong questions
Lets substitute How for Why, and maybe we can sidestep the Irrational Rationalization Loop.
Try this:
How might we find a way to live in harmony with the environment without sacrificing our standard of living?
Maybe your imaginations are going now
Direct Action Journal
I'll sit down and write about the Okinawa trip if I have time (and there's interest) but for now, this is an essay I wrote a while back, one of my favorites.
Enjoy:
The Paradox of Wisdom
I remember when I was a student a few years ago, I used to delight in asking all of my classmates what I called, Thought Questions about reasons they did things, why they lived the way they did, why things are the way they are. I came to the realization that in order to annoy someone greatly, all one has to do is ask the question why five times.
Ultimately you get to an unsubstantiateable position that I call, The Irrational Rationalization Loop.
For example:
Why do you work and spend most of your life away from the people you care the most about?
Because I need money to buy things for them.
Why?
Because money is needed for survival.
Why?
Because thats the way our system is.
Why?
Because thats what we developed as the best.
Why?
Because it was inevitable, OK? Stop bothering me!!
(Irrational Rationalization Loop has been entered)
Usually at this point they would get very angry at me for asking too many questions. I would point out that Socrates got killed for asking too many questions. They would point out that I was not Socrates
They were right.
I have a great amount more information at my disposal than he ever had. So would it not stand to reason that I would be in a better position to develop better conclusions than he did? But for some odd reason, we trust the wisdom of the past more than we do our own reason, faculty, and ability to draw conclusions from all the information around us.
In this, the Age of Information, wouldnt it be logical that we as humans would be coming to the best conclusions with so much information available?
Some would argue the Information Overload has occurred, but I disagree. The human mind is far too amazing a device to be overloaded by such small amounts of information, even as great as they may seem.
Perhaps something else is going on.
Perhaps, we are not really looking at all the information available, and perhaps, just perhaps
We are asking the wrong questions
Lets substitute How for Why, and maybe we can sidestep the Irrational Rationalization Loop.
Try this:
How might we find a way to live in harmony with the environment without sacrificing our standard of living?
Maybe your imaginations are going now
Direct Action Journal
VIEW 9 of 9 COMMENTS
billybillybilly:
DOOOOOOODE! You're from Albuquerque! That's crazy. A friend of mine just got ahold of me a little while ago to let me know that he's living there now. I mean, like a week ago. I thought that was odd. Very cool though, he really likes it, and has convinced me to visit him sometime in the fairly near future.
kungfuvoodoo:
BTW, cool new profile pic, shinto cool...... 