In an interview with BJ Fogg, Ramit Sethi states that persuasion is ok as long as it is done ethically. He proceeds to define ethical persuasion as persuasion that is done to get a person to do A, when they would have done A anyway if they had all the information and the necessary motivation. If they had all the information and motivation and would not have done A, then it would be unethical to pursuade them to do so. I understand the point he is making, but disagree that pursuasion is ethical in this scenario.
I think Mr. Sethi is implying that if somebody would lose weight, or try to get rich if they had the information and motivation, it would be ethical to pursuade them to do so. But, consider the example where the person being persuaded would do something horrible, like murder, if they had all the information and the motivation to do so. Since they don't have the information or the motivation, they do not commit the crime, and it would not be ethical to pursuade them to do so. In fact, it would be very wrong to persuade them. Further, there are things people may do if they had the information and motivation that would not be very good for themselves. To give an example, one may go party all the time, getting drunk, having fun, and ignoring responsibilities. It sounds like a good time, but it actually holds a person back to pursuade them to do so.
My biggest contention with his statement however is that it requires the persuader to make a judgement on what a person would do given a certain set of hypotheticals. It is impossible for the persuader to know this. It is possible to make an educated guess, and for friends and family members, it may be more appearant than for others, but to make this judgement on a complete stranger (or for someone you know) is not practical or ethical. To say a person would do x if they knew y would require an extensive knowledge of that person's psychology, biology, and circumstances. Even if these things were known, deduced, or induced, there is still a great amount of variability that would come into play with an individual's choice. It's like saying, "those republicans would choose to be democrats if they had all the information and motivation, so I'm going to pursuade them." One's personal bias will color the perception of the targeted person.
What persuasion really is, is the ability to impart your will onto another person, and the discussion of whether persuasion is ethical should revolve around this question. There may or may not be circumstances under which it is warranted. Regardless, one should be aware that persuasion exists and is being used constantly to try to shape one's behavior. Despite the ethical considerations, persuasion is an important art/science to learn if for no other reason than to recognize when it is being used against you.
Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts
Friday, July 6, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Tale of a Preacher
A man walked into the woods to get relief from the relentless sun. As he walked he noticed the life around him and had a moment of enlightenment as the spirit of the woods imparted to him a message of the way life is meant to be. As he continued walking, he came upon a path leading up a mountain and decided to climb to the top. Looking out over the valley after his long journey to the top, he noticed that the sun was nearly setting and the world was nearly quiet. He himself could not be quiet however, as the message imparted on him by the woods had been turning in his head for the entire climb, and he knew that he had discovered a sacred secret about life. On the mountain top he realized he was alone, with no one but himself and the mountain with which to speak. He decided however that his newfound message was too valuable to keep to himself and proceeded to speak the meaning of life he learned from the woods as he understood it. As he finished speaking this divine secret, he made a deep etching capturing the essence of his words on a giant stone next to where he was sitting, and the sun fell behind the horizon just as he finished, leading to a quiet stillness in the valley and in himself. He realized the world had just been changed by his words, by his message, even if only in the smallest sense. He slept a long deep dreamless sleep and when he awoke, the valley had also been awakened, buzzing and humming its own message in return. The man quickly descended the mountain, and exited the wood, to breathe the fresh sun-drenched air. He had only his message to give henceforth, and understood the little miracle that he spoke changed the world everywhere he went. He understood the importance of his impact as his message was imparted to others so that they, after a long journey of their own, could speak it as they understood it.
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Desire to Understand Life
A curious mind is constantly exploring the world with the desire to know Life, and to understand Life. It is only when you can understand life that you can make rational decisions with conscious control over your behavior. Let me give you an example.
You might spend the evening behind a tv or computer screen, but you will benefit if you stand up and try this exercise. With your palm on one hand facing down in front of you and all your fingers together pointing in a forward direction, try to draw a perfect circle in the air. Now try to draw that same exact circle perfectly at half speed.
If this is your first time trying this, your first circle was probably fairly decent, and you did it at a moderately fast speed that you are naturally comfortable with. The second circle you drew was not nearly a perfect circle, and it was hard to control your speed to go so slowly. This demonstrates that you do not have very much physical control of your body. It can be learned however by drawing the slow circle many times until you can go even slower.
If your mind does not have good control over your body, how can it have good control of your will. This too can be practiced by resting the mind. So, take a deep breathe to relax, and try the exercise above with the circles, because you will develop both your physical precison, and your mental willpower.
You have just explored an aspect of life that helps you to understand Life. Doing these types of activities (and 1000's of other similar activities) you begin to understand Life. While you may never get to a true enlightenment, you make constant progress to getting closer to Life's meaning. Approaching this understaning of Life, you begin to think clearly and can make more rational decisions while exercising your will.
There are those who don't want to understand life. They are content to not know, and do not want to explore to get further answers or enlightenment. It is simple enough to be led by the physical pleasures in life. It is much more of an accomplishment to explore beyond the physical pleasures, and to be led by your sheer will. So how do you get control of your own will?
Really this is a path that only you can go down, as the answer is different for everybody. You need to explore life and figure that part out. I can't tell you how to control your own will, but I can give you suggestions for things that have worked for me to understand life:
These are just a few of the exercises you can do, and the list is virtually limitless. Be creative with your time as you only live once. Please share a comment with the things that you do in your life to explore Life, because it can only lead to enlightenment.
You might spend the evening behind a tv or computer screen, but you will benefit if you stand up and try this exercise. With your palm on one hand facing down in front of you and all your fingers together pointing in a forward direction, try to draw a perfect circle in the air. Now try to draw that same exact circle perfectly at half speed.
If this is your first time trying this, your first circle was probably fairly decent, and you did it at a moderately fast speed that you are naturally comfortable with. The second circle you drew was not nearly a perfect circle, and it was hard to control your speed to go so slowly. This demonstrates that you do not have very much physical control of your body. It can be learned however by drawing the slow circle many times until you can go even slower.
If your mind does not have good control over your body, how can it have good control of your will. This too can be practiced by resting the mind. So, take a deep breathe to relax, and try the exercise above with the circles, because you will develop both your physical precison, and your mental willpower.
You have just explored an aspect of life that helps you to understand Life. Doing these types of activities (and 1000's of other similar activities) you begin to understand Life. While you may never get to a true enlightenment, you make constant progress to getting closer to Life's meaning. Approaching this understaning of Life, you begin to think clearly and can make more rational decisions while exercising your will.
There are those who don't want to understand life. They are content to not know, and do not want to explore to get further answers or enlightenment. It is simple enough to be led by the physical pleasures in life. It is much more of an accomplishment to explore beyond the physical pleasures, and to be led by your sheer will. So how do you get control of your own will?
Really this is a path that only you can go down, as the answer is different for everybody. You need to explore life and figure that part out. I can't tell you how to control your own will, but I can give you suggestions for things that have worked for me to understand life:
- Put yourself in an uncomfortable position and relax in it everyday. I mean this both physically through stretching or lifting or doing some difficult exercise, and I also mean this in the other context of taking actions to expand your mental awareness. Go somewhere you don't know the language, talk to a stranger, give somebody $100 out of the blue, go skydiving, etc.
- Observe how nature works. Nature is a complex entity, much more complex than our most advanced technology, and it works incredibly efficiently and resilliantly. Go somewhere you can find a relatively undisturbed natural place and sit quietly while observing the interactions. The longer you stay the better, whether its sitting quietly for an hour or for 3 days. Observe how nature works and adopt its patterns into your life.
- Do opposites to acheive balance. If you just lifted somehting heavy, lift somehting light. If you were just angry, practice being calm. If you've been calm all day, work on getting excited about something. If you've been working for 70 hours, take a vacation.
These are just a few of the exercises you can do, and the list is virtually limitless. Be creative with your time as you only live once. Please share a comment with the things that you do in your life to explore Life, because it can only lead to enlightenment.
Monday, March 5, 2012
The Meaning of Sustainability
The term 'sustainable' is lightly tossed around in conversations about the environment, food, energy, and even the economy, to demonstrate that we as a civilization are in trouble if we continue on our current trajectory. It has become a buzz word that triggers euphoria in hippies and nausea in conservatives. From my personal experience, I have approached the word with great concern and interest, especially when presented with compelling data, but have grown callous to it with over exposure. This has triggered me to reflect on the true meaning of the word, and how it relates to the way we live our lives.
Without consulting a dictionary, I would define something as sustainable if it can be continued indefinitely. A sustainable system is one in which the inputs feed the outputs and the outputs feed the inputs, leading to a closed cycle which is balanced. I have seen this imagery in the form of an ouroborus, and Aristotle described the universe as the mythical snake eating its own tail and constantly regenerating. If we care about self preservation, it is worth caring about whether we are living sustainably, that is in a way in which we can preserve our collective quality of life or improve it indefinitely.
It became clear with the economic collapse, that our system was not sustainable, and it needed a large boost to stay afloat. Its questionable if that boost has put it on track to be sustainable from this point on or if it was merely a band aid on a much larger wound. Looking at the world economy would lead one to believe it was just a band aid. And if our economy is not sustainable, it is not likely that other parts of our lives are sustainable either. We're running out of things. Quickly. While I could write a list of things that we can never get back, its better said that we are running out of the ability to continue doing what we are doing.
I'm not here to argue about conserving fossil fuels, or conserving water, or conserving soil, or conserving the environment. I think those are all important things, but they don't really matter. They don't matter because we are currently not living sustainably and this means that we either change our ways or we perish. What matters is that we, as a species, as a civilization are able to continue to thrive. And this ability is currently being threatened by our current lifestyles.
I'm not here to argue about the right way to live your life, or that you should bike more often than drive, or that you should eat local organic foods because I do not have the answers, and I'm not sure our best actions could solve the current system of unsustainability. It is estimated that the world can only support 1-2 billion people, and I'm not eager to see how that goes down. But I do find it believable that life has value and it is important to preserve our world, our quality of lives for our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and neighbors if we value our existence and the ability for civilization to thrive. It seems people want to take everything they can before its all gone and leave nothing for the future (either for themselves or the next generations). We are destroying instead of building, consuming instead generating.
Nature will correct itself as it always has and always will. This means we can begin to live sustainably either by choice through consciously changing our ways, or by force through an unstable environment, government, and economy. I do not fear continuing on the current path because I know it cannot happen as it is by definition not sustainable. Sustainable is the only thing that can persevere and is the natural order of things. The only question is what will the future to get to sustainability look like and how do we make it the least painful? Make your changes now so you won't be forced to do so later. Cleaning up the mess begins with the individual cleaning up his or her own life.
Without consulting a dictionary, I would define something as sustainable if it can be continued indefinitely. A sustainable system is one in which the inputs feed the outputs and the outputs feed the inputs, leading to a closed cycle which is balanced. I have seen this imagery in the form of an ouroborus, and Aristotle described the universe as the mythical snake eating its own tail and constantly regenerating. If we care about self preservation, it is worth caring about whether we are living sustainably, that is in a way in which we can preserve our collective quality of life or improve it indefinitely.
It became clear with the economic collapse, that our system was not sustainable, and it needed a large boost to stay afloat. Its questionable if that boost has put it on track to be sustainable from this point on or if it was merely a band aid on a much larger wound. Looking at the world economy would lead one to believe it was just a band aid. And if our economy is not sustainable, it is not likely that other parts of our lives are sustainable either. We're running out of things. Quickly. While I could write a list of things that we can never get back, its better said that we are running out of the ability to continue doing what we are doing.
I'm not here to argue about conserving fossil fuels, or conserving water, or conserving soil, or conserving the environment. I think those are all important things, but they don't really matter. They don't matter because we are currently not living sustainably and this means that we either change our ways or we perish. What matters is that we, as a species, as a civilization are able to continue to thrive. And this ability is currently being threatened by our current lifestyles.
I'm not here to argue about the right way to live your life, or that you should bike more often than drive, or that you should eat local organic foods because I do not have the answers, and I'm not sure our best actions could solve the current system of unsustainability. It is estimated that the world can only support 1-2 billion people, and I'm not eager to see how that goes down. But I do find it believable that life has value and it is important to preserve our world, our quality of lives for our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and neighbors if we value our existence and the ability for civilization to thrive. It seems people want to take everything they can before its all gone and leave nothing for the future (either for themselves or the next generations). We are destroying instead of building, consuming instead generating.
Nature will correct itself as it always has and always will. This means we can begin to live sustainably either by choice through consciously changing our ways, or by force through an unstable environment, government, and economy. I do not fear continuing on the current path because I know it cannot happen as it is by definition not sustainable. Sustainable is the only thing that can persevere and is the natural order of things. The only question is what will the future to get to sustainability look like and how do we make it the least painful? Make your changes now so you won't be forced to do so later. Cleaning up the mess begins with the individual cleaning up his or her own life.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Goal Setting
I recently read the following post about goal setting, and according to the information in this article, only 3% of the population sets goals and only one percent write them down: http://www.good.is/post/a-city-education-the-importance-of-teaching-students-to-set-goals/ The article goes on to describe why it is important to teach kids to set and write down goals. While I think the intent of the writer is a positive one, I'm not sure I entirely agree.
Goals have value, and can help you to achieve some things by giving focus and direction. Writing them down (and putting them somewhere you will see it every day) serves as a commitment and a reminder of your ambition. But I also have several problems with goals.
In pursuit of every goal, there are obstacles that one will encounter and overcome. Occasionally these obstacles will cause you to change goals/plans because as they say, "that's the way the cracker crumbles". So if a goal is going to change and evolve, what is the point of having the goal in the first place? Wouldn't it be more valuable to be able to roll with the punches? And if you choose to continue to pursue a goal despite insurmountable obstacles or a change in your needs/development, then it would appear that you would pursuing them with a blind fanatical conviction that is out of touch with reality. This does not seem to be healthy or productive.
Pursuit of one's goals also prevents one from living in the moment and enjoying what life is offering everyday, every moment. Instead of living for the future, it would be beneficial to live consciously and presently finding success in the way that you choose your day to unfold.
Further, if one still chooses to live life according to goals, setting them is not enough. One must know how to structure the goals so that they are attainable and reasonble. The goals must be worthy of accomplishing as well, and not just shaping one's fancies. And in reality a goal is meaningless if one does not have the will to follow through on the goal. And so many of us lack any meaningful willpower.
Despite my problems with goals, I think they do have some merit and can be a useful tool. Whether one chooses to live life according to goals or not, it is still informative to understand goal development and utilization. There is a difference between choosing not to set goals because you do not think it is the best life strategy and failing to set goals or take any actions because you have not thought about the matter. I applaud the writer of introducing the subject to kids, but I think the emphasis on the importance of goals is overblown. I have used goals in the past, and I will likely use them in the future, but it is more important for me to set my direction based on principles and conscious living, than the pursuit of my desires which change frequently as I mature and develop.
Do you use goals? How do you use them, and if so what are they?
Goals have value, and can help you to achieve some things by giving focus and direction. Writing them down (and putting them somewhere you will see it every day) serves as a commitment and a reminder of your ambition. But I also have several problems with goals.
In pursuit of every goal, there are obstacles that one will encounter and overcome. Occasionally these obstacles will cause you to change goals/plans because as they say, "that's the way the cracker crumbles". So if a goal is going to change and evolve, what is the point of having the goal in the first place? Wouldn't it be more valuable to be able to roll with the punches? And if you choose to continue to pursue a goal despite insurmountable obstacles or a change in your needs/development, then it would appear that you would pursuing them with a blind fanatical conviction that is out of touch with reality. This does not seem to be healthy or productive.
Pursuit of one's goals also prevents one from living in the moment and enjoying what life is offering everyday, every moment. Instead of living for the future, it would be beneficial to live consciously and presently finding success in the way that you choose your day to unfold.
Further, if one still chooses to live life according to goals, setting them is not enough. One must know how to structure the goals so that they are attainable and reasonble. The goals must be worthy of accomplishing as well, and not just shaping one's fancies. And in reality a goal is meaningless if one does not have the will to follow through on the goal. And so many of us lack any meaningful willpower.
Despite my problems with goals, I think they do have some merit and can be a useful tool. Whether one chooses to live life according to goals or not, it is still informative to understand goal development and utilization. There is a difference between choosing not to set goals because you do not think it is the best life strategy and failing to set goals or take any actions because you have not thought about the matter. I applaud the writer of introducing the subject to kids, but I think the emphasis on the importance of goals is overblown. I have used goals in the past, and I will likely use them in the future, but it is more important for me to set my direction based on principles and conscious living, than the pursuit of my desires which change frequently as I mature and develop.
Do you use goals? How do you use them, and if so what are they?
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Infinite Value and Freedom
In a recent conversation with a friend, we agreed that life has inherent value. That is something I can agree with. There are entire industries dedicated to determining what that value is and balancing risk accordingly. The problem with these industries however is that they are currently incapable of calculating the infinite value that life has. Life does have infinite value to you. Is there any amount of money for which you would give your life? The answer is no.
Until you live your life to reflect this infinite value, you are not free, and you will not be fulfilled. Despite the infinite value of our time, we choose to squander away precious moments every day by placing a finite value on our time. We continue to live our lives for finite income, letting somebody else dictate what our time is worth. Further we tend to squander away precious moments "vegging out", or mindlessly relaxing instead of being conscious and engaged.
So the question quickly becomes, how does one live life to reflect infinite value? How does one attain freedom? I have many answers to complex questions, but I have not yet been able to answer this one. The only ideas I have come up with have been to become filthy rich, thereby virtually having infinite value, or by becoming filthy poor, thereby taking complete control of your time. Both are equally difficult to achieve, and I look forward to any comments that could contribute to the answer.
It seems a thrid possibility, rejecting the current system of values entirely and constructing it anew, holds promise as a solution, but I do not know what that would look like. I look forward to your thoughts on the matter in the comments.
Until you live your life to reflect this infinite value, you are not free, and you will not be fulfilled. Despite the infinite value of our time, we choose to squander away precious moments every day by placing a finite value on our time. We continue to live our lives for finite income, letting somebody else dictate what our time is worth. Further we tend to squander away precious moments "vegging out", or mindlessly relaxing instead of being conscious and engaged.
So the question quickly becomes, how does one live life to reflect infinite value? How does one attain freedom? I have many answers to complex questions, but I have not yet been able to answer this one. The only ideas I have come up with have been to become filthy rich, thereby virtually having infinite value, or by becoming filthy poor, thereby taking complete control of your time. Both are equally difficult to achieve, and I look forward to any comments that could contribute to the answer.
It seems a thrid possibility, rejecting the current system of values entirely and constructing it anew, holds promise as a solution, but I do not know what that would look like. I look forward to your thoughts on the matter in the comments.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Systems of Greed
I frequently have political discussions with my friends. Several years ago, I was discussing the economy with two of my friends, and also which systems of government work best. After stating they were in favor of improving the economy at all costs, and giving theories about how best to do that, they proclaimed their reasoning boiled down to, "Because I'm greedy". The bluntness of this statement shocked me a little bit. It came across as a raw truth about their motivation, and while I wasn't necessarily surprised at the proclamation, I was shocked at the corrosiveness of the statement. Several years have past since that conversation, and I am only reminded of it because of video I recently came across. The video is Milton Friedman discussing how greed is the basis of Capitalism, and how this is a good thing. You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A
In short, his argument is that Greed is human nature. Any system not run on greed has not been successful. Capitalism is run on greed and it has been the most sucessful of all economic systems. All political systems have run on greed. Therefore greed is good and so is Capitalism.
He is a good talker with an enchanting rhythm, strong presence, and uses alot of loaded rhetoric to get his point across, however his argument is flawed on several points.
While greed is a PART of human nature, it is not the essence of human nature. Humans are also happy, sad, angry, kind, compassionate, excitable, jealous, prideful, loving, charitable, etc. To base an economic system on greed because it reflects human nature is flawed because human nature is much more complex than a single emotion. While I conceed that greed has its place in life, it is flawed to say that it is the basis of human nature. If we are to build an economic system to reflect human nature, we must also build in the other aspects which represent how mankind functions. This would be a very complex system, much more so than the current one. A start to remedy the current situation would be to acknowledge our system is built on greed and try to incorporate another emotion. It would be wise to include greed's opposite, namely compassion, as it would lend a balance to a lopsided system. While such a system does not yet exist, it does not mean a transition cannot begin.
A system built solely on greed is imbalanced as it does not take into account the other complex emotions inherent in human nature. An imbalanced system will self destruct as the number of people who lose out in that system grows exponentially. Friedman points out that all other economic systems have failed and uses this to support Capitalism. He also states that all other systems are built on greed. I would argue that capitalism is no better, it just hasn't been around long enough to fail. What we've witnessed over the last few years demonstrates this. Friedman might argue, "Who is going to build a system based on anything other than greed"? He has a point. When greed is so prevalently rewarded as it is in the current system it is hard to achieve any other standard. When the system falls apart however, there is no other option but to reconstruct under different principles. As humans we should strive to do this before the system malfunctions to a point where it forces us to do so. The change needs to come from the bottom up to reward acts that are beneficial everyone's state of being rather than those acts that are beneficial only to the individual. I support building an economic system that reflects human nature just as Friedman does, but I disagree that humans are mearly greedy scoundrels. Lets begin to act according to the virtues that we all agree will bring humanity to a better future.
In short, his argument is that Greed is human nature. Any system not run on greed has not been successful. Capitalism is run on greed and it has been the most sucessful of all economic systems. All political systems have run on greed. Therefore greed is good and so is Capitalism.
He is a good talker with an enchanting rhythm, strong presence, and uses alot of loaded rhetoric to get his point across, however his argument is flawed on several points.
While greed is a PART of human nature, it is not the essence of human nature. Humans are also happy, sad, angry, kind, compassionate, excitable, jealous, prideful, loving, charitable, etc. To base an economic system on greed because it reflects human nature is flawed because human nature is much more complex than a single emotion. While I conceed that greed has its place in life, it is flawed to say that it is the basis of human nature. If we are to build an economic system to reflect human nature, we must also build in the other aspects which represent how mankind functions. This would be a very complex system, much more so than the current one. A start to remedy the current situation would be to acknowledge our system is built on greed and try to incorporate another emotion. It would be wise to include greed's opposite, namely compassion, as it would lend a balance to a lopsided system. While such a system does not yet exist, it does not mean a transition cannot begin.
A system built solely on greed is imbalanced as it does not take into account the other complex emotions inherent in human nature. An imbalanced system will self destruct as the number of people who lose out in that system grows exponentially. Friedman points out that all other economic systems have failed and uses this to support Capitalism. He also states that all other systems are built on greed. I would argue that capitalism is no better, it just hasn't been around long enough to fail. What we've witnessed over the last few years demonstrates this. Friedman might argue, "Who is going to build a system based on anything other than greed"? He has a point. When greed is so prevalently rewarded as it is in the current system it is hard to achieve any other standard. When the system falls apart however, there is no other option but to reconstruct under different principles. As humans we should strive to do this before the system malfunctions to a point where it forces us to do so. The change needs to come from the bottom up to reward acts that are beneficial everyone's state of being rather than those acts that are beneficial only to the individual. I support building an economic system that reflects human nature just as Friedman does, but I disagree that humans are mearly greedy scoundrels. Lets begin to act according to the virtues that we all agree will bring humanity to a better future.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Living by Principle
What is the path to greatness and how does one get there? Often we feel that we were meant for something greater in life; that we have this inert potential waiting to get out. Often this feeling is ignored or brushed off until it diminishes and we continue on with the daily grind. But in order to nuture that potential and achieve greatness in one's life, it is important to live a principled life. There are many principles that together can add up to greatness, but it often takes a lifetime to master all of them. There are 3 principles however that can be implemented fairly easily and quickly, which when utilized will plant the seeds for future bounties. By adhering to these principles you have begun a journey on the path to greatness:
1. Develop a network of friends whom you trust unconditionally. Trust is a tricky notion to define, and unconditional trust is even trickier to establish between people. The best way to establish this is to be trustworthy yourself and live up to your reputation. Continue to build your network until you have a base of good people to rely upon for support and connections. After all, you cannot acheive greatness without the help of others.
2. Take care of your body and your mind. While you cannot achieve greatness without the help of others, you must also rely on yourself. Your body and mind are the vehicle which will take you to greatness and it is therefore important that it be in good enough shape to take you all the way. Its a tall mountain to climb. Its hard to say that one is living correctly when it is obvious they have let themselves go. Further by maintaining good physical stature you develop the fundamental basis of power by having strength and proper body mechanics and posturing. Having the equivalent in mental stature can only take you far along your path.
3. Work hard to pull your own weight, working first for yourself, then your family, then your community and the rest of the world. It is important to put in the discipline needed to acheive and it is not easy. It takes work and you must meet your own needs and those of the people closest to you before you can help others. Your work is not finished however once you meet your own needs and in order to unleash your full potential, you must extend yourself to have a positive impact as far and wide as possible.
These principles are the fundamentals, but there are many more which you will discover along your journey. Please share those which you have discovered are fundamental toward reaching greatness.
1. Develop a network of friends whom you trust unconditionally. Trust is a tricky notion to define, and unconditional trust is even trickier to establish between people. The best way to establish this is to be trustworthy yourself and live up to your reputation. Continue to build your network until you have a base of good people to rely upon for support and connections. After all, you cannot acheive greatness without the help of others.
2. Take care of your body and your mind. While you cannot achieve greatness without the help of others, you must also rely on yourself. Your body and mind are the vehicle which will take you to greatness and it is therefore important that it be in good enough shape to take you all the way. Its a tall mountain to climb. Its hard to say that one is living correctly when it is obvious they have let themselves go. Further by maintaining good physical stature you develop the fundamental basis of power by having strength and proper body mechanics and posturing. Having the equivalent in mental stature can only take you far along your path.
3. Work hard to pull your own weight, working first for yourself, then your family, then your community and the rest of the world. It is important to put in the discipline needed to acheive and it is not easy. It takes work and you must meet your own needs and those of the people closest to you before you can help others. Your work is not finished however once you meet your own needs and in order to unleash your full potential, you must extend yourself to have a positive impact as far and wide as possible.
These principles are the fundamentals, but there are many more which you will discover along your journey. Please share those which you have discovered are fundamental toward reaching greatness.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Redefining Success
I was once asked in an interview what my definition of success is. I fed the interviewer exactly what he wanted to hear and got a job offer out of the interview, but I turned it down, because while I knew I had answered the question correctly according to him, I also knew I had lied to myself.
My definition of success has changed over time as I've grown older and wiser. As I was a teenager, success for me was getting nice clothes and a cool car to drive and flirting with as many girls as possible. To acheive this, I got a job at the mall to get a discount on the clothes and save up to buy myself a Jeep Wrangler. It was enjoyable and I have fond memories of those times, but once I achieved my goal, I was still left with a feeling of want thinking, "Is this it"? For most americans, this is still the guage by which they judge success. How does one dress, and what car do they drive. Its amazing how important this is even to rather enlightened individuals.
As I went to college my priorities changed and success was no longer material, but was based on the intellectual. I stopped caring about looking good for the sake of looking good, and I didn't care to drive in a college town. As my clothes grew old, I did not replace them, and got rid of my vehicle as it became a bigger burden than a luxury. Instead of "succeeding" in appearence, I decided to succeed mentally and I focused my attention to intellectual pursuits, learning as much as I could. Course work was useful, but I often found myself ignoring my coursework to delve deeper into my particular interests. I studied well above and beyond the expectations of my college cirriculum, though my effort toward the convential coursework often suffered for it.
As college came to a close, my priorities began to change once again, and instead of intellectual pursuits, success became defined as experience. I heard a quote once when I was a young boy that stuck with me ever since, "Trouble brings experience, experience brings wisdom". I began to value all experience as important to achieving success. I made friends, made enemies, partied, fasted, explored the world, lived abroad for a year in a country where I couldn't speak the language, learned a new language, learned martial arts, broke my leg, applied for grad school, published papers, presented at conferences, worked toward my skydiving certification, learned to hunt, got married, got a dog, had a kid, bought a house, spent money, saved money, and the list goes on. I grew a lot during this time and have had quite a bit of experience and would be successful by many peoples' measure. And it is very satisfying. However, now that I'm here, I have the same feeling of, "this is it?"
This had led me to redefine success yet again as the mastery of the will. Everyday, there are influences acting upon you that attempt to incite particular behaviors. While it feels like you are choosing to do them of your own volition, the fact is you are making your choice based on the influences of others. Sometimes, the behavior is automatic and choice does not play a role at all. My experiences have led me to believe that true success is mastering my own will; that is consciously acting of my own intentions based on rationality and my personal needs, rather than desires imparted on me by others. This is incredibly difficult and having worked on this for years, I have only made incremental improvements. While I am yet undecided about whether we actually have free will or not, I'm willing to operate under the assumption that we do have the capability for it. That capability however needs to be exercised just like any other mental capacity in order to be effective. Instead of acting on autopilot one should strive to act consciously and correctly. It means resisting the doughnut at work, and the frozen pizza for dinner. It means not impulsively having sex or masturbating. It means not buying the newest gadget or the candy bar at the check-out isle. It means staying in shape and in good health. It means overcoming convenience. In my exercises toward mastering the will, it has become apparent to me how out of touch people are with their own minds and bodies.
Mastering the will can take many forms. Your will may be to become rich, or to gain knowledge, or gain experience, but to do so consciously and controlled is a difficult task. My definition of success will continue to evolve and once I master the will, I suppose the next step would be to purify the will and make your will meritorious. Once you learn to master it, you realize that becoming rich isn't a worthy goal and you can let it go in pursuit of higher goals. I think many people (though a small percentage of people overall) figure out how to master the will. Very few people purify the will to be worthy of mastery. These are the people who change the world for the better.
What is your definition of success?
My definition of success has changed over time as I've grown older and wiser. As I was a teenager, success for me was getting nice clothes and a cool car to drive and flirting with as many girls as possible. To acheive this, I got a job at the mall to get a discount on the clothes and save up to buy myself a Jeep Wrangler. It was enjoyable and I have fond memories of those times, but once I achieved my goal, I was still left with a feeling of want thinking, "Is this it"? For most americans, this is still the guage by which they judge success. How does one dress, and what car do they drive. Its amazing how important this is even to rather enlightened individuals.
As I went to college my priorities changed and success was no longer material, but was based on the intellectual. I stopped caring about looking good for the sake of looking good, and I didn't care to drive in a college town. As my clothes grew old, I did not replace them, and got rid of my vehicle as it became a bigger burden than a luxury. Instead of "succeeding" in appearence, I decided to succeed mentally and I focused my attention to intellectual pursuits, learning as much as I could. Course work was useful, but I often found myself ignoring my coursework to delve deeper into my particular interests. I studied well above and beyond the expectations of my college cirriculum, though my effort toward the convential coursework often suffered for it.
As college came to a close, my priorities began to change once again, and instead of intellectual pursuits, success became defined as experience. I heard a quote once when I was a young boy that stuck with me ever since, "Trouble brings experience, experience brings wisdom". I began to value all experience as important to achieving success. I made friends, made enemies, partied, fasted, explored the world, lived abroad for a year in a country where I couldn't speak the language, learned a new language, learned martial arts, broke my leg, applied for grad school, published papers, presented at conferences, worked toward my skydiving certification, learned to hunt, got married, got a dog, had a kid, bought a house, spent money, saved money, and the list goes on. I grew a lot during this time and have had quite a bit of experience and would be successful by many peoples' measure. And it is very satisfying. However, now that I'm here, I have the same feeling of, "this is it?"
This had led me to redefine success yet again as the mastery of the will. Everyday, there are influences acting upon you that attempt to incite particular behaviors. While it feels like you are choosing to do them of your own volition, the fact is you are making your choice based on the influences of others. Sometimes, the behavior is automatic and choice does not play a role at all. My experiences have led me to believe that true success is mastering my own will; that is consciously acting of my own intentions based on rationality and my personal needs, rather than desires imparted on me by others. This is incredibly difficult and having worked on this for years, I have only made incremental improvements. While I am yet undecided about whether we actually have free will or not, I'm willing to operate under the assumption that we do have the capability for it. That capability however needs to be exercised just like any other mental capacity in order to be effective. Instead of acting on autopilot one should strive to act consciously and correctly. It means resisting the doughnut at work, and the frozen pizza for dinner. It means not impulsively having sex or masturbating. It means not buying the newest gadget or the candy bar at the check-out isle. It means staying in shape and in good health. It means overcoming convenience. In my exercises toward mastering the will, it has become apparent to me how out of touch people are with their own minds and bodies.
Mastering the will can take many forms. Your will may be to become rich, or to gain knowledge, or gain experience, but to do so consciously and controlled is a difficult task. My definition of success will continue to evolve and once I master the will, I suppose the next step would be to purify the will and make your will meritorious. Once you learn to master it, you realize that becoming rich isn't a worthy goal and you can let it go in pursuit of higher goals. I think many people (though a small percentage of people overall) figure out how to master the will. Very few people purify the will to be worthy of mastery. These are the people who change the world for the better.
What is your definition of success?
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The $100 Challenge
Living in America, we live in the richest country in the world. In fact, we live in the richest country in the history of Mankind. This is an amazing fact no matter how you look at it and we all benefit from it whether we are personally rich or not. While we would all like to have more money, and few of us consider ourselves rich, as it stands we all live like kings by historical standards. Things we take for granted such as running water and a heated home are really phenomenal luxuries when you think about what goes into it. So in the land of plenty, how do we use our wealth in the most effective way and give back? This is where the $100 challenge comes in.
I challenge you, the reader, to invest $100 of your money in making the world a better place today. I do not mean invest in the stock market, but invest in your fellow man, your community, your neighbor, out of compassion rather than greed. I chose $100 because I think its an amount that nearly everybody can obtain and depart with without starving to death. I'll admit its difficult for me to part with the money, but in reality how many times do people blow $100 on a daily basis on impulse buys at the store, a night out at the bars, gambling, junk food, cable TV, etc.? All the time. I'm asking you to sacrifice those luxuries just once to invest in a better future. If you don't have the money, sell something online to get it, or invest what you do have; $50, $20, $10. But the challenge is to part with $100 for an investment in our future. You will see that it is the best $100 you've ever spent.
The rules for the challenge are this: 1. The money cannot be spent on yourself or anybody in your immediate family. 2. The money must be spent to do good and make the world a better place. 3. The money must be spent locally. That's it. You could go the old fashioned route of donating to a charity like Salvation Army or United Way. That is a good way to spend your money and the good folks at these organizations and others like it will know how to use that money effectively. But the challenge that I'm really calling upon you for is to be creative and make your money stretch as far as possible to do the most good in the world. For example, if you live in an African village, you could put $100 toward building a water purification system. Or, to be more effective, you could put $100 toward developing blue prints for water purification and training locals on how to implement those blueprints. I heard a story on the bus the other day, where a man's daughter was saving for years to go to Columbia after being influenced by a foreign exchange student. A 92 year old neighbor heard the story and donated $1000 to her cause giving her the enrichment of travel abroad and the relationships that followed. You could buy $100 worth of food and cook dinner at a soup kitchen. Or, you could buy $100 worth of spaghetti, and treat all your friends to a fabulous dinner under the condition that they too participate in the $100 Challenge. All of these ideas are valid and great investments in the future. Please invest your $100 in the most creative and effective way possible, and tell your story in the comments below.
Remember, he who casts his bread unto open waters, shall find it again after many days. You will see that it is the best $100 you have ever spent and will be returned to you ten fold.
I challenge you, the reader, to invest $100 of your money in making the world a better place today. I do not mean invest in the stock market, but invest in your fellow man, your community, your neighbor, out of compassion rather than greed. I chose $100 because I think its an amount that nearly everybody can obtain and depart with without starving to death. I'll admit its difficult for me to part with the money, but in reality how many times do people blow $100 on a daily basis on impulse buys at the store, a night out at the bars, gambling, junk food, cable TV, etc.? All the time. I'm asking you to sacrifice those luxuries just once to invest in a better future. If you don't have the money, sell something online to get it, or invest what you do have; $50, $20, $10. But the challenge is to part with $100 for an investment in our future. You will see that it is the best $100 you've ever spent.
The rules for the challenge are this: 1. The money cannot be spent on yourself or anybody in your immediate family. 2. The money must be spent to do good and make the world a better place. 3. The money must be spent locally. That's it. You could go the old fashioned route of donating to a charity like Salvation Army or United Way. That is a good way to spend your money and the good folks at these organizations and others like it will know how to use that money effectively. But the challenge that I'm really calling upon you for is to be creative and make your money stretch as far as possible to do the most good in the world. For example, if you live in an African village, you could put $100 toward building a water purification system. Or, to be more effective, you could put $100 toward developing blue prints for water purification and training locals on how to implement those blueprints. I heard a story on the bus the other day, where a man's daughter was saving for years to go to Columbia after being influenced by a foreign exchange student. A 92 year old neighbor heard the story and donated $1000 to her cause giving her the enrichment of travel abroad and the relationships that followed. You could buy $100 worth of food and cook dinner at a soup kitchen. Or, you could buy $100 worth of spaghetti, and treat all your friends to a fabulous dinner under the condition that they too participate in the $100 Challenge. All of these ideas are valid and great investments in the future. Please invest your $100 in the most creative and effective way possible, and tell your story in the comments below.
Remember, he who casts his bread unto open waters, shall find it again after many days. You will see that it is the best $100 you have ever spent and will be returned to you ten fold.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Rhinestone Eyes by Gorillaz
I've liked the song Rhinestone Eyes by the Gorillaz ever since it came out. When I was researching the lyrics I came across an analysis of the lyrics and to my astoundment, many people completely mis-interpret this song. While I can't claim to have it exactly right, I think my interpretation is largely supported by the artistic context of the album and video. My analysis of the lyrics is as follows:
“Your rhinestone eyes are like factories far away”
“Where the paralytic dream that we all seem to keep
Drive on engines till they sleep with future pixels in factories far away”
“So call the mainland from the beach
All parties now washed up in bleach”
“The waves are rising for this time of year
And nobody knows what to do with the heat”
“Under sunshine pylons we'll meet
While rain is falling like rhinestones from the sky”
“I prayed on the immoveable yet clinging to the atoms of rocks
seasons the adjustments signs of change”
“This dawn brings strange loyalties and skies”
I'm a scary gargoyle on a tower
that you made with plastic power
Your rhinestone eyes are like factories far awayAgain, the gargoyle is an over-seer of the world, risen to power by the industrial machine. Again, an image of hollow, lifeless eyes that work in the factories.
“Here we go again
That's electric
That's electric”
“I'm a scary gargoyle on a tower
that you made with plastic power”
that you made with plastic power”
I interpret this this to be an icon of leadership, a stone figure scary on a tower/pedistal, put there by the power of modern industry. Plastic has brought much power in the form of technology, industry and economy.
“Your rhinestone eyes are like factories far away”
Rhinestone represents fake value, and greed. Also imagery of hollow expressionless eyes, distant and unfamiliar like factories. We know they exist, but never actually see them.
“Where the paralytic dream that we all seem to keep
Drive on engines till they sleep with future pixels in factories far away”
Our dreams of wealth and success fueled by greed, consume us and we can think of nothing else to the point where we are paralyzed to do anything else except play the game, enter the rat race, and pursue them. Those dreams drive the engine of society until they integrate with people, making them insignificant pixels.
“So call the mainland from the beach
All parties now washed up in bleach”
Regular people who are just trying to enjoy themselves (party on the beach) on a daily basis can no longer do so because the world has become so polluted that enjoying nature has become corrosive. We've fallen from Eden and can no longer enjoy that lifestyle. They need to call the mainland (or support or government, to notify them) and call for help?
“The waves are rising for this time of year
And nobody knows what to do with the heat”
This is a clear reference to rising ocean levels, and the particular choice of words seems to say, “that’s strange, the water’s high” as if it happened gradually. It has a sense of unease and uncertainty. The heat refers to global warming and the controversies surrounding it. Nobody knows how to solve that problem.
“Under sunshine pylons we'll meet
While rain is falling like rhinestones from the sky”
Despite the corrosive beaches, and global warming, people pretend like nothing bad is happening when in reality trouble is in front of them. The trouble seems fake like rhinestones. They meet under bright sunny skies and ignore the problem calling it fake, pretending things are great.
“I can't see you now my heart is frozen
all the bowses and the growses
have been abstinated in my soul”
“I can't see you now my heart is frozen
all the bowses and the growses
have been abstinated in my soul”
A frozen heart implies death, and he can no longer see because of that. The problems were ignored until they were detrimental and the consequences have been suffered. The “shivers” and “pulls” are no longer in him. Life has left. Alternatively, this could be an emotional death and a turning away from the problems signifying loss of hope.
“I prayed on the immoveable yet clinging to the atoms of rocks
seasons the adjustments signs of change”
He prayed to the heavens, but remains stuck on earth and helpless. The seasons are adjusting due to our actions as a whole and severe change is coming to the world despite itself.
“I can't see now she said taxi
Now red light is all I can take”
“I can't see now she said taxi
Now red light is all I can take”
This continues on the death theme. Nature (“she”) took a taxi and left. Red light refers to the rhinestone eyes, implying that all that’s left and acceptable is the artificial plastic world, seen in the red hues of artificial desires.
“This dawn brings strange loyalties and skies”
Now that Nature has left, new alliances are formed, not necessarily desired ones. This happens under strange skies implying an erieness to it as well as an altered climate.
I'm a scary gargoyle on a tower
that you made with plastic power
Your rhinestone eyes are like factories far awayAgain, the gargoyle is an over-seer of the world, risen to power by the industrial machine. Again, an image of hollow, lifeless eyes that work in the factories.
“Here we go again
That's electric
That's electric”
Referencing the continual pattern, and the concept of energy that drives it all.
“Helicopters fly over the beach
Same time every day same routine
Clear target in the summer when skies are blue
It's part of the noise when winter comes
It reverberates in my lungs
Natures corrupted in factories far away”
“Helicopters fly over the beach
Same time every day same routine
Clear target in the summer when skies are blue
It's part of the noise when winter comes
It reverberates in my lungs
Natures corrupted in factories far away”
This verse implies war and a military state resulting from the destruction/corruption of nature, and a development of the strange alliances. A result of calling the mainland for help? Another reference to the seasons no longer being what they were, redefined now by war (targets, noise,). This takes a toll on the body through pollution and lifestyle as the noise of war enters the lungs. It has become a part of daily life. Factories continue to churn as nature continues to be destroyed.
“Here we go again
That's electric
Your loves like rhinestones falling from the sky
That's electric
We are future pixels in factories far away
Here we go again
That's electric
Your loves like rhinestones falling from the sky
That's electric
Where future pixels in factories far away
Here we go again”
“Here we go again
That's electric
Your loves like rhinestones falling from the sky
That's electric
We are future pixels in factories far away
Here we go again
That's electric
Your loves like rhinestones falling from the sky
That's electric
Where future pixels in factories far away
Here we go again”
Now, even love has become fake and hollow like a rhinestone, meaningless and insignificant like a pixel.
Let me know your interpretation or add any comments below.
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