Worthy Words
Boys and girls, its time for another fun filled blog lifted straight from the pages of my notebook. Are you excited? I am, YAY!
I have not forgotten that I have on more than one occasion primed readers for some deep insight into that which is worthy of discussion. I have wondered openly what is worth saying. And I don't mean this in a casual sense. I intend to discover and discuss the sorts of things you would say to your great great great grandchildren, if you were somehow alive to say it. Or, pretend you could travel back in time and find yourself an audience in ancient Greece; what would you care to say which would transcend time yet still speak directly to the people and lives of centuries past? Finally, imagine being in Time Square, New York, and yelling "Stop!" What if everyone did stop? What if everyone would listen? What would you say?
So I've always wondered what is worth saying in that grand sense. This fascination is coupled with disdain for the amount of time some people devote to both words and actions which bring them no closer to truth or no closer to satisfaction. I'm thinking of religious studies, of conformity, of laziness, and so on. More than anything, I'm sure this disdain is more indicative of a personal 'neurosis' of mine-the feeling that life is wasted through the distraction of unworthy, unhealthy, and untruthful pursuits. This all implies great judgement on my part, and I won't deny that I am in fact an extremely judgemental person on some sort of nebulous, moralistic level. I try to identify phenomena, ideologies, notions, and such and judge these completely apart from the persons either blessed or victimized by them.
Lets get back to the point of this blog. I've made it seem as though I was ready to talk about that which is worth talking about. Well, let's see. The following are unstructured thoughts which I wrote down in my notebook on some lazy afternoon at a coffee shop:
Worth is defined as what? Something that brings happiness? Something, if read, that has a profound effect on those who read it?
In response to time going by quickly, if you could yell STOP! what then would follow? If you were standing in the middle of time square and all of a sudden everything came to a halt and all eyes turned to you, what would you say?
What would you tell your grandchildren? What would you write about in an essay entombed in a time capsule for 200 years. What would you say to the distant future, to the dark past?
So, what is profound?
What is not profound? What are big wastes of time and energy? Working 9-5, 40 hours a week, doing nothing, accomplishing nothing, until the day you die. More specifically, not coming upon anything significant. What is profound is determining, finding anything that is profound. Not seeing. Not appreciating. Not loving. Seeing, appreciating, loving-these are profound?
Struggling for something that will never come-this is a waste...struggling and then the End.
Hope in nothing vs. a heightened living. Both may involve a belief in God. Both may involve a disbelief in God. They are not tied together completely. But its common to narrow ones actions and thoughts in life drastically-to live in a particular way-when one believes in God. They call it "the straight and narrow". Which is fine, if somehow there is great reward in the straight and narrow. Undoubtedly there can be.
Its more to do with approach, with attitude, with personality. With the insight you have into the consequences of your actions and behavior towards others-because we are tied together emotionally when we are together physically. And more often than not, coming together produce positive emotion--or I'm inclined to believe.
For some, satisfaction comes from religious and traditional conservative life. for others, a more individualistic life-creativity and self reward, individual immersion in nature and society as opposed to integration. Belief then, seems tied to personality. What then determines personality? Nature or nurture? If is is nature, it is largely out of our hands, or at least limited to nutrition, chemical, and self medication. Alcohol, for example, allows us to alter our personality-to become less concerned, less self conscious, more of a socialite. Caffeine may make us more intense, vital, and individual thinkers. It increases focus. Both seem to produce happiness to some degree, but with alcohol, its a secondary affect of social interaction and with caffeine its possibly in the thinking-the heightened vitality of the mind and the reward of individual achievement.
How does personality develop? Does language structure play a big part? Does language flow affect feeling? How important is intelligence to personality and happiness? Have scientists observed babies with distinct personality types? What is the scientific consensus? Is personality encoded in our genes? What then philosophically is the best personality for a) an individual, and b) society?
Personality is worth talking about because it helps explain belief and whether belief should be suppressed, and it controls our degree of happiness.
Intelligence/wisdom is worth talking about. What sort of information should people have to create the most opportunity-to grant them the most freedom-freedom being necessary to satisfy personality? Can intelligence be increased or decreased? If a large percentage is predetermined, can it be modified through science and practice? Does greater intelligence aid in greater happiness, as I imply?
Happiness is worth talking about. How does one 'measure' happiness. Besides individual happiness, is there something we should be striving for? Like, if a person is perfectly content, and joy is abundant, what else is worth knowing or saying? This is where obsession comes in. Obsession is a desire beyond general satisfaction. It's wanting more and more with no conceivable end. A wanting for the sake of the "high" of wanting-or temporary rewards. So, obsession will lead a person to seek more knowledge, despite the journey taking the person out of a comfortable, satisfying state. Still, that state is replaced with something equally or more compelling-an unconventional "high". Some might say that modern 'western' culture is afflicted with obsession. But then, one must ask whether it is natural to stop everything at a base level of satisfaction.
But philosophically-not psychologically speaking-what is worth saying, once contentment is had? What is worth saying to others? Why open one's mouth?
How about the cliche "follow your heart". Do that which you feel compelled to do. Does that even need to be said? Yes and no. The implicit bit which should be stressed is-expand your feeling-be happy-grow your happiness. There can be great experiences if you follow your heart. Something else-a reality check-should be made. Your "heart" is not like the heart of a prince in a Disney cartoon or a character in a Shakespearean play or a character in a Hollywood film. Yours is a true human heart that is sometimes full of feeling, but can sometimes feel less-it can often be difficult to hear what your heart is saying and it may indeed not be dictating anything to you at times. Communication between head and heart is not always loud and clear. Mixed signals are often common. So, in this state, the best course of action is unknown. How might one not flounder their whole life away? How does one connect their head and heart so that their movement towards joy is direct and constant. How much does this involve personality, intelligence...
If read with a certain tone, my question "what is worth talking about" can be found to imply that there isn't much worth saying-that a lot of what is said is of low value. Yes, I do think that a lot of what we say is of low value because the ideas do not bring positive, happy feelings or they are not things of our own choice, we have to do them or say them, and they don't serve to enlighten or empower us in any way. This reminds me of the old adage "if you've got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all". Also, the so-called secret to success is positive thinking. I think that there is really something to this beyond the usual barfy self-help literature out there. There are many artists and intellectuals I'm familiar with who seem to think extremely highly of themselves. Some are undoubtedly quite narcissistic. I would go so far as to posit that a good amount of narcissism is a key ingredient for happiness as well as success. Drugs like marijuana and alcohol were used by many legendary artists. These drugs are known for sparking greater feelings of love-self love and love for others. Feelings of confidence supposedly follow from this-and confidence breeds excitement and energy for creativity. Of course, I'd like to believe that drugs aren't absolutely necessary if one wants to foster a grandiose, extra-positive self image. I think most people can "fake it till they make it", given some practice.
Ok, I've begun adding to that which I wrote in my notebook a few weeks ago. I'll leave it alone for now, despite the fact that the thoughts are barely structured or intelligent enough to post without a great deal of embarrassment.
I have not forgotten that I have on more than one occasion primed readers for some deep insight into that which is worthy of discussion. I have wondered openly what is worth saying. And I don't mean this in a casual sense. I intend to discover and discuss the sorts of things you would say to your great great great grandchildren, if you were somehow alive to say it. Or, pretend you could travel back in time and find yourself an audience in ancient Greece; what would you care to say which would transcend time yet still speak directly to the people and lives of centuries past? Finally, imagine being in Time Square, New York, and yelling "Stop!" What if everyone did stop? What if everyone would listen? What would you say?
So I've always wondered what is worth saying in that grand sense. This fascination is coupled with disdain for the amount of time some people devote to both words and actions which bring them no closer to truth or no closer to satisfaction. I'm thinking of religious studies, of conformity, of laziness, and so on. More than anything, I'm sure this disdain is more indicative of a personal 'neurosis' of mine-the feeling that life is wasted through the distraction of unworthy, unhealthy, and untruthful pursuits. This all implies great judgement on my part, and I won't deny that I am in fact an extremely judgemental person on some sort of nebulous, moralistic level. I try to identify phenomena, ideologies, notions, and such and judge these completely apart from the persons either blessed or victimized by them.
Lets get back to the point of this blog. I've made it seem as though I was ready to talk about that which is worth talking about. Well, let's see. The following are unstructured thoughts which I wrote down in my notebook on some lazy afternoon at a coffee shop:
Worth is defined as what? Something that brings happiness? Something, if read, that has a profound effect on those who read it?
In response to time going by quickly, if you could yell STOP! what then would follow? If you were standing in the middle of time square and all of a sudden everything came to a halt and all eyes turned to you, what would you say?
What would you tell your grandchildren? What would you write about in an essay entombed in a time capsule for 200 years. What would you say to the distant future, to the dark past?
So, what is profound?
What is not profound? What are big wastes of time and energy? Working 9-5, 40 hours a week, doing nothing, accomplishing nothing, until the day you die. More specifically, not coming upon anything significant. What is profound is determining, finding anything that is profound. Not seeing. Not appreciating. Not loving. Seeing, appreciating, loving-these are profound?
Struggling for something that will never come-this is a waste...struggling and then the End.
Hope in nothing vs. a heightened living. Both may involve a belief in God. Both may involve a disbelief in God. They are not tied together completely. But its common to narrow ones actions and thoughts in life drastically-to live in a particular way-when one believes in God. They call it "the straight and narrow". Which is fine, if somehow there is great reward in the straight and narrow. Undoubtedly there can be.
Its more to do with approach, with attitude, with personality. With the insight you have into the consequences of your actions and behavior towards others-because we are tied together emotionally when we are together physically. And more often than not, coming together produce positive emotion--or I'm inclined to believe.
For some, satisfaction comes from religious and traditional conservative life. for others, a more individualistic life-creativity and self reward, individual immersion in nature and society as opposed to integration. Belief then, seems tied to personality. What then determines personality? Nature or nurture? If is is nature, it is largely out of our hands, or at least limited to nutrition, chemical, and self medication. Alcohol, for example, allows us to alter our personality-to become less concerned, less self conscious, more of a socialite. Caffeine may make us more intense, vital, and individual thinkers. It increases focus. Both seem to produce happiness to some degree, but with alcohol, its a secondary affect of social interaction and with caffeine its possibly in the thinking-the heightened vitality of the mind and the reward of individual achievement.
How does personality develop? Does language structure play a big part? Does language flow affect feeling? How important is intelligence to personality and happiness? Have scientists observed babies with distinct personality types? What is the scientific consensus? Is personality encoded in our genes? What then philosophically is the best personality for a) an individual, and b) society?
Personality is worth talking about because it helps explain belief and whether belief should be suppressed, and it controls our degree of happiness.
Intelligence/wisdom is worth talking about. What sort of information should people have to create the most opportunity-to grant them the most freedom-freedom being necessary to satisfy personality? Can intelligence be increased or decreased? If a large percentage is predetermined, can it be modified through science and practice? Does greater intelligence aid in greater happiness, as I imply?
Happiness is worth talking about. How does one 'measure' happiness. Besides individual happiness, is there something we should be striving for? Like, if a person is perfectly content, and joy is abundant, what else is worth knowing or saying? This is where obsession comes in. Obsession is a desire beyond general satisfaction. It's wanting more and more with no conceivable end. A wanting for the sake of the "high" of wanting-or temporary rewards. So, obsession will lead a person to seek more knowledge, despite the journey taking the person out of a comfortable, satisfying state. Still, that state is replaced with something equally or more compelling-an unconventional "high". Some might say that modern 'western' culture is afflicted with obsession. But then, one must ask whether it is natural to stop everything at a base level of satisfaction.
But philosophically-not psychologically speaking-what is worth saying, once contentment is had? What is worth saying to others? Why open one's mouth?
How about the cliche "follow your heart". Do that which you feel compelled to do. Does that even need to be said? Yes and no. The implicit bit which should be stressed is-expand your feeling-be happy-grow your happiness. There can be great experiences if you follow your heart. Something else-a reality check-should be made. Your "heart" is not like the heart of a prince in a Disney cartoon or a character in a Shakespearean play or a character in a Hollywood film. Yours is a true human heart that is sometimes full of feeling, but can sometimes feel less-it can often be difficult to hear what your heart is saying and it may indeed not be dictating anything to you at times. Communication between head and heart is not always loud and clear. Mixed signals are often common. So, in this state, the best course of action is unknown. How might one not flounder their whole life away? How does one connect their head and heart so that their movement towards joy is direct and constant. How much does this involve personality, intelligence...
If read with a certain tone, my question "what is worth talking about" can be found to imply that there isn't much worth saying-that a lot of what is said is of low value. Yes, I do think that a lot of what we say is of low value because the ideas do not bring positive, happy feelings or they are not things of our own choice, we have to do them or say them, and they don't serve to enlighten or empower us in any way. This reminds me of the old adage "if you've got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all". Also, the so-called secret to success is positive thinking. I think that there is really something to this beyond the usual barfy self-help literature out there. There are many artists and intellectuals I'm familiar with who seem to think extremely highly of themselves. Some are undoubtedly quite narcissistic. I would go so far as to posit that a good amount of narcissism is a key ingredient for happiness as well as success. Drugs like marijuana and alcohol were used by many legendary artists. These drugs are known for sparking greater feelings of love-self love and love for others. Feelings of confidence supposedly follow from this-and confidence breeds excitement and energy for creativity. Of course, I'd like to believe that drugs aren't absolutely necessary if one wants to foster a grandiose, extra-positive self image. I think most people can "fake it till they make it", given some practice.
Ok, I've begun adding to that which I wrote in my notebook a few weeks ago. I'll leave it alone for now, despite the fact that the thoughts are barely structured or intelligent enough to post without a great deal of embarrassment.
posted by Josh at
10:22 AM
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