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Saturday, December 31, 2011

The Difference Between Experience and Theory


Some people claim that intellectual knowledge is just as good as experiential knowledge, that you don't have to actually practice what you preach to be considered a credible source of advice. That there is little difference between being able to describe how to do something, and actually doing it. That theoretical knowledge is a sufficient substitute for experience.

I really couldn't disagree more.

To me the whole point of a theory is practical application. Certainly both philosophy and practice are important, but I would have to say that experience is even more important than theory, because without practical application, all your theories are little more than unsubstantiated fantasies.

The whole point of brainstorming ideas, of proposing speculative theories, is testing them, and putting them into action, otherwise what's the point? Life is about living, doing, implementing, interacting, not about daydreaming in isolation.

For instance, if you are thirsty, you don't go read a book about water, or visualize a picture of water in your mind, and expect that to quench your thirst. If you read about water, or think about water, you do so for the purpose of helping you actually find water, or to improve your relationship with water (how to find it, purify it, store it, use it); and unless you actually apply this information to the real world, you will die of thirst.

No amount of theorizing on its own has the power to sustain or enhance life. The value of anything depends on whether or not you find it useful. Does it add value to your life? Does it help you in anyway?

Real world experience and the practical application of ideas, is the only thing giving an idea substance, the only thing giving an idea life. An idea is like a seed, and the experiential application of the idea is like a seed bearing fruit. Unless an idea is actually applied, it remains barren, like a disembodied spirit without a body.

If all you do is understand things on an intellectual level, without ever actually applying the things you know experientially, your life will remain very much like that seed that does not bear fruit.

I'll give you another example.

Imagine there are two little boys who both dream of someday riding a bicycle.

1. One day one of the boys is given a bicycle. He rides his bicycle all the time all over the place, to such an extent that he becomes quite an expert cyclist. Not only does he ride his bicycle well, but he knows what foods and drinks provide the most efficient fuel for his body, he knows how to fix his bicycle, how to maintain it, how to prevent it from getting stolen, and also how to travel well over any terrain and in any weather, in the city, in the country, off road, uphill, over long distances, and riding with traffic. Everything he needs to know about bicycles, he learned from riding his bicycle. He may have paged through a few books on bicycle repair, but only through the trial and error practice of actually working on his bicycle and riding it, did he actually learn how to fix his bicycle and ride it well.

2. The other boy did not get a bicycle, but instead he got a pile of books about bicycles. So he read them all and became quite an expert on the subject, memorizing everything that he read. You could ask him any question about bicycles, and most likely he could answer it. Except that the ideas were not really his own, he was just repeating what he read, as he still hadn't actually road a bicycle himself. He hadn't even seen one in person, only pictures and descriptions in a book is the closest he ever got to one. His knowledge of bicycles was very much like a blind man describing color after being told what to say, but because his memory was so good, he spoke like someone who knew what he was talking about.

Who knew bicycles better? The person who actually road them, or the person who only read about them?

Isn't it obvious?

The major difference between these two ways of knowing bicycles, is that one is a spectator, the other is a participant.

One is based on fantasy, the other is based on reality.

Both intellectual theory and practical experience go hand in hand, it's helpful to have both, but the whole point of knowing about something is putting it into practice; otherwise without doing it, you're engaging in little more than a fantasy.

The boy who knows all about bicycles from having read about them, but who has never actually rode one before, can't actually call himself a cyclist. He could call himself an expert in bicycle history and trivia, but he will never be a cyclist until he actually rides a bike.

It's all well and good to speculate upon things, to contemplate abstract philosophical concepts, but unless you can actually apply it to your life in some way, to put the philosophy or theory into practice, it's like doing nothing at all, and where is the value in that?

A person possessing intellectual knowledge without experience, is like someone looking into a reflection of reality as an outside observer, but not actually participating in it. Like watching a dance, but not dancing; like reading about bicycles, but not actually riding one. It's not the same thing. To know something you must participate with it. Trying to do otherwise, is like describing the taste of fruit, based on what you have read about it, without ever tasting it yourself. It's fake. It's hollow. It's like a blind man accurately describing color without ever seeing it for himself, because he's memorized someone else's description of it.

The point is that there is a substantial difference between knowing things from experience and knowing them from a theoretical perspective, and that the only thing that really makes ideas come alive, is when they are applied.

Failure to apply any idea, to demonstrate its practical value to the world (and practical in this sense does not only mean utilitarian, but is anything that adds personal value to your life, including entertainment and the arts) is an indication that you are engaging in a fruitless pursuit, a form of intellectual flatulence. Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of that going around lately, especially here in blog land. If you like gas, all the power to you, otherwise maybe you ought to try something else.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Soul Fire

I thought of the title of this post last night while sitting outside and staring intently into the flame of a candle. I had a terrible sinus headache that came on suddenly in the evening and lasted the entire night. I had hoped that sitting outside in the cool air would help, but while it did stimulate some interesting ideas, I found it impossible to write under those conditions.

Which got me thinking that all creativity, productivity, the ability to contemplate big ideas and to translate these ideas into words, depends on your health. If I were in poor health I don't think I would be able to have a blog. So health is an essential ingredient, but it's not the only ingredient. In order to regularly blog day in and day out, and to actually create something from thin air, requires yet another ingredient, something I call Soul Fire.

I got the idea for soul fire, while thinking about this blog, what I write about here, and the reasons for doing this. No, this is not another Why am I Blogging? post. It's too soon for that. But I was thinking about what really motivates a person to blog? And where does the energy come from to write here? Not only do I not make any money at this, it's largely a thankless endeavor. And so, given those circumstances of zero recognition and minimal feedback, what keeps a person doing this day in and day out?

You know, sometimes I read over my blog and see so many imperfectly written posts, rushed posts, posts that were unclear and didn't express everything I needed to say, that really should have been rewritten, and are somewhat of an embarrassment to read. And other times, I'm pleasantly surprised to find that some of the posts are pretty good. Either way, whether good or bad, it's come to my realization that the fact that I consistently publish anything here at all is an accomplishment in itself. Not many people are able to do this.

The problem is that when you are able to do something with ease, seemingly effortlessly, it's easy to take it for granted, to undervalue your skills; that sometimes you don't know what you had, until you lost it. Having a sinus headache that prevented me from being able to write (despite having ideas to write about) or to even bare the sight of a screen, showed me a whole new appreciation for this.

So I was thinking about this, about this creative impulse underlying blogging, which is more than just an idea, it's a motivating force that propels an idea into action, that translates unspoken thoughts into written words. And the name I came up with for this creative impulse was "Soul Fire". It came to me as an epiphany while staring into the flame of a candle, and thinking about my blog, about my health, and about what motivates me to write here.

The ability to have a blog is not just about having the right hardware and software, you also have to have the right combination of motivation and creative energy; or soul fire. Having ideas to write about and the energy to translate those ideas into words, and the ability to do so day in and day out for absolutely no reward; no money, no recognition, and minimal feedback; you have to admit that's pretty remarkable. I've been called selfish before, but I think this is actually an instance of selflessness; either that or stupidity.

It becomes ever so apparent to me during those times when I am unable to put my ideas into words, that the ability to create requires more than just having ideas and talent, the essential ingredient is soul fire. Soul Fire is the fuel that powers this blog. Without it this blog would not exist. It is not only responsible for the creation of each post, but is the energy that is responsible for keeping the entire blog going.

Soul Fire, a type of applied inspiration, that enables you to create something from nothing. It's not really something you own, it's more like something that you borrow, like a gift from the gods; you don't call it, it calls you, but in order to hear it your health must be crystal clear, or else the reception will be too fuzzy to translate into words.

Nothing can be created without soul fire; and without health the soul fire burns out.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Scattered Reading Habits

Hmm, while looking through the list of books I've read over the last six years, it's come to my attention that strangely enough for someone who professes a primary interest in the subjects of health and fitness and longevity, I've only read five books on those topics since 2006. Isn't that odd?

Of course, this list only mentions completed books, and not books I may have browsed through but not read from cover to cover; or magazines and websites related to health and longevity; or books I've read prior to 2006.

But still, for someone who reads a lot, it is peculiar to me that I haven't read more on these subjects. Is it because I feel like I already am well educated in these matters, that I no longer need to read books about it, because I already know all there is to know about health and longevity? Well, if that were the case, I better start writing about it then, right? But no that's not the case. So what is the conclusion then? That I better get cracking; meaning that I better start reading some health and longevity books soon.

Of course my problem, as far as independent study goes, is that I tend to jump around. I lack focus. I get bored easily. As soon as I read one thing, I find something else to read that is extremely interesting to me but completely unrelated to what I just previously read. It happens every time. When it comes to my education, I really don't have a definite plan, or specific goal. All I know is that I like to learn, and enjoy reading about whatever interests me, which changes from month to month.

Which means that I acquire a basic understanding of several different topics, but attain mastery of none. Instead of reading five good books on one topic, I read five good books on five different topics, and then I read five more books on five other topics, and then after a few months maybe I'll read a book on a topic I've already read about. It's sort of a scattered approach to learning; it's a very slow and unfocused process.

Although the more I read, no matter how different the subjects, I suppose it's improving my overall reading proficiency, my vocabulary, reading speed, and comprehension, which I hope is also carrying over into the way I think and communicate, and especially in the way I write. As they say, if you want to become better at anything: practice, practice, practice. If you want to become a better reader, spend more time reading. If you want to become a better writer, spend more time writing. If you want to become a better speaker, spend more time speaking. If you want to become better at anything, spend more time doing it.

It's really as simple as that. So while reading a lot of unrelated topics may not give you mastery of those topics, it will improve your general knowledge, your reading skills, as well as your overall competency with words, whether that be reading, writing, or speaking. But, reading in itself, is not my primary goal. The goal is knowledge, understanding, wisdom. Reading is the means, not the end. If you are interested in health, it pays to read a lot about health. If you are interested in business, it pays to read a lot about business. The more you concentrate on a specific thing, the more you read about it, think about it, speak about it, write about it, the more you will learn about it, the more you will know about it, and the more successful you will be in this subject.

In other words: the more you concentrate, the faster you'll learn; the less you concentrate, the slower you'll learn.

This is so obvious that it probably doesn't even need to be said. And yet, despite being so obvious, why is it so difficult for me? Why do I continue to jump around? Why do you suppose this is? I think it is because my mind is so active, and has so many different interests, that if I don't add variety to my reading I become easily bored.

This I think explains my lack of success, or rather my lack of mastery of any single topic. The fact that I jump around a lot, means that it could take me years to master one topic that someone else could master in months.

I think besides having an overactive mind, another reason for my scattered reading habits is due to indecisiveness, of not being able to make up my mind of what I want to master. I'm over 30 and I'm still struggling with the idea of what I want to be when I grow up. Am still conflicted over whether or not I should integrate my passions and interests (which are just as scattered and unfocused as my reading habits) with my employment, or if I should continue to keep them separate. The idea of the latter, being that you develop a business plan that would enable you to make more money working fewer hours, which doesn't necessarily need to be a job you love, but would be lucrative enough to give you an abundance of free time to pursue your real passions in life; like what The 4-Hour Work Week guy suggests.

The second of the two options is what I've unsuccessfully been attempting to do over the last few years, but unfortunately the income has not been lucrative enough to give me the time I need. Instead of working 4 hours a week, it would be 40 hours of hell, multiplied by several months, all done with the aim of taking an extended vacation to pursue doing the things I love. This plan works out all right the first or second time around, but as the years go by, you find out that you're still spending more time doing what you hate, than doing what you love, which is not a very healthy long-term plan. Option two only works if you have a lucrative business or skill.

So you basically have three choices: you either have to figure out a way to make a lot of money in a short period of time, or a job that enables you to have fewer hours with higher pay, which will give you the free time that you need to pursue the things you love; or you have to love what you do regardless of how little you make; or you just make the best of your situation and stop complaining about it.

And what does this have to do with my scattered reading habits? My scattered reading habits are a reflection of my scattered employment habits. The difference between having a focused goal and not having a focused goal, is the difference between having a job you hate and a job you love.

Successful people are focused people. They have goals, and they achieve them. Without a plan, what have you got? Chaos. Weakness. Uncertainty. Indecisiveness. Being lost. Not knowing where you are, who you are, or where you're going. Very easy to be taken advantage of or manipulated in such a situation. The strong shepherd the weak, but the strong are not always your allies, the strong do not always have your best interests at heart. The strong have their own goals, they know exactly what they want, and will use other people to get it. Which reminds me of the Occupy Movement, a mob without a clearly articulated goal or unified objective, is easy prey for outside manipulation from those who do know what they want, but whose longer range goal may not have the mobs true interests at heart. In other words, a leaderless mob, will gravitate to a leader, any leader, even the wrong one, even a tyrant.

As far as my scattered reading habits go, it's good that I at least continue to maintain an interest in learning, that I continue reading books on my own without being required to. Surprisingly many people once their out of school, stop reading all together. Or if they do read, it's limited to magazines and newspapers and novels. Reading is certainly not the only way to learn about things, but I think it gives a decided advantage. The only danger though, is that while it's good to read, you shouldn't read too much, to such an extent that reading become a substitute for thinking. When that happens, you stop learning, and your imagination starts to die. You could read a whole library of books in this way, and not have a single original thought of your own to contribute. In fact you would become more like a robot, and less like a human. What a sad state of affairs that would be.

You want to think about what you read and apply it to your own life and your own experience, to synthesize the ideas with your own, rather than thoughtlessly regurgitating everything you read word for word like a parrot; this is the difference between thinking and repeating, and between understanding and memorizing without understanding.

So the point is that scattered reading is probably better than no reading, but you'll achieve more from your reading with focused concentration. Having a clearly articulated goal, while at the same time being flexible enough to modify your course as necessary, will yield faster, more concentrated, and more productive results than not having a goal at all.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Cycles

I'm someone who's always for as long as I can remember been attuned to natural cycles. I have very strong pattern recognition skills, and the strongest patterns I see around me are those occurring in nature: diurnal cycles, seasonal cycles, celestial cycles, circadian cycles.

And I'm particularly observant of the transition points from one cycle to another. Such as the meeting of day and night, night and day, also known as dusk and dawn, the setting and rising of the sun, the setting and rising of the moon and the stars, and the changes from one season to the next. I've always felt those times to be magical, having a special quality in the air that is only present at those times. I didn't have to read about these things to pay attention to them, to value them, it is something that has always intuitively come natural to me.

I've always tried to make an attempt to be outside during those times, to be present, watching, listening, soaking it in, acknowledging the change. I don't always succeed, but whenever I do I walk away feeling blessed by something special, a certain intangible quality, like a subtle inspiration that bathes over my whole being. I walk away feeling inspired, revitalized, in awe of a mystery. Perhaps this too is key to longevity. Making the time to greet the day and the night, to bear witness to the passing of the torch, the points of transition between seasonal and celestial change, and being thankful for its continuity.

Why do people not notice these things? Perhaps because they do not like their surroundings. Maybe they live in an ugly place, where the objects of man distract from the objects of nature, where it is unpleasant to be outside. Where the streets are loud, and the buildings are oppressively large, and people are physically too close together and mentally too far apart. Where there is a feeling of separation and animosity and alienation and apprehension, and the consequential feelings of frustration and boredom. Or maybe the objects of man are architectural wonders, objects d'art, that keep us enthralled, and distracted from nature's own magical moments of artistic wonder. Or maybe you are just really busy, and would rather be inside doing whatever it is you do, paying little attention to nature's holidays, these special moments during the day and night and on certain days of the year that mark changes in the landscape, that whether we notice them or not, subtly effect the quality of our lives, the quality of our moods and frames of mind.

If you've been reading for awhile you've probably noticed that I label each post according to whatever astrological sign it was in during the time it was written. This is an experiment of mine, to see if I notice patterns in my blog posts, to see if I write about certain topics more frequently during different signs. For instance, do all the posts written in Libra share something in common, that sets them apart from other months? Libra is a sign that begins in late September and occupies most of October, pretty much from September 23 to October 23. It's a sign that is closely aligned with the advent of Autumn. Virgo is the end of summer, and Libra is the beginning of fall.

There probably are noticeable changes in my posts at this time, primarily due to the cooler weather, which is especially apparent here in Arizona, where summer lasts much longer than other places, and we are just now finally reaching the end of a long cycle of approximately six months of temperatures in the hundreds. The hot weather puts me to sleep. I become lazier, not just physically but mentally, and I usually complain about the heat and how much I dislike Arizona. I do like warm weather, but when it is in the hundreds it pretty much puts a break on all outdoor physical activity. It is simply not safe to move around much in that kind of heat. You pretty much have to stay indoors for most of the time, or stay in the shade and not move around much. Six months is a long stretch of time to be indoors, especially for someone who is very physically active and who loves the outdoors, and who doesn't drive and must ride a bike or walk for my primary form of transportation. Which means I have to go outside when it is extremely uncomfortable to be outside and is actually dangerous to be outside. Fortunately that cycle is ending, and we are slowly entering a cool down.

The cooler air that correlates with the onset of Libra, is characterized by a more logical influence, my thinking becomes clearer, I'm less likely to complain about things, my sense of humor returns, and I have more of a propensity to post more frequently, to post more pictures, especially fine art, and more likely to explore themes concerning mythology and symbolism, and topics that require a deeper level of concentration and awareness. The writing seems to come more easily too, because it is easier to concentrate when I do not feel like my body is in a vise, and like I'm slowly suffocating to death as I'm being baked alive in this desert oven. That is my experience of six months of 100 degree temperatures. Despite my proclivity for exaggeration and melodrama, the comparison to hell is really not all that far fetched.

I would say that each astrological sign is a reflection of the seasonal changes present at different times of the year, changes that alter not just temperature, but also the qualities of moisture and light. Cool, Warm, Moist, Dry, Light, Dark. There are distinct patterns that are present in each month. The essence of Libra is the essence of October, and the essence of October is most noticeably shaped by the weather patterns, by the unique seasonal changes occurring at this time. But you could say, why not just label each post by its month...September, October, November, etc.? Well the beauty of the astrological signs is that they each contain the transitions between months, they each overlap months, containing the seeds of their opposite, the cusps between one month and the next. So that Libra begins in September and ends in October, and Scorpio begins in October and ends in November. It makes it kind of interesting, I think.

Anyway, the astrological signs mirror the changes of the seasons, embody the qualities of a particular time of the season, which may be warmer or cooler, wetter or dryer, or darker or lighter. The weather effects our mood. But of the course, the weather varies from place to place. A desert Libra will differ from a tropical Libra. A northern Libra will differ from a southern Libra. But the changes will be more similar than different for those living in the same hemisphere. For instance, although the Arizona desert is still warmer in Libra than it is in Wisconsin, there is still a noticeable cool down at this time effecting both places, which gives it its unique Libra "vibe".

If you get nothing else from this post, get this: Pay attention to nature's cycles. Be present to the transition from one natural cycle to the next, between day and night and night and day, sunrise and sunset, moon rise and moon set, star rise and star set, the changes between one month and one season and the next. And just to make it more interesting how about paying attention to the transition between zodiac signs, between Virgo and Libra, Libra and Scorpio, etc., or how about Chinese astrology, commemorating the twelve year intervals between the year of the snake, the year of the dragon, etc. If you don't like astrology, don't worry about it, but do pay attention to the natural cycles around you, and within you, that influence the rhythms of your life.

These are special times. I can feel it. They have special lessons to impart. I've been studying them all my life. They are lessons of transformation, wordless teachings that get etched into the tapestry of our experience as a sort of unspoken wisdom. I don't know why or how, but there is magic during these times of transition. They are good times to meditate with your eyes wide open, or to simply be outside, being mindful of the experience of being outside and aware of the natural landscape and aware of the subtle changes of light and moisture and heat that are especially visible during these times.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Difference Between Thinking and Reading, Realizing and Repeating

Our creative faculties are all too often stunted from living in noisy overdeveloped urban environments, and spending too much time indoors watching television and looking at computer screens, but did you know that even reading too much can also be detrimental to your creative faculties?

How so? Well as someone who absolutely loves books, spends a lot of time reading books, and whose life would be significantly diminished without books, what the hell do I mean?

It's not that reading in itself is detrimental. Of course not. Reading is good. Reading is the surest way of rapidly improving your education. But reading too much, without regularly taking time out for personal contemplation, to process what you've read, to think for yourself, to directly listen and observe and ask yourself questions and form your own answers, without doing that, both reading and watching television, or doing anything that becomes a substitute for thinking, can become detrimental to your intellect.

It is possible to be an avid "well read" reader without being a thinker, without being much of a creative, independent, or innovative thinker.

There are a lot of repeaters in this world, many who are overpaid and overrated, people who dutifully repeat whatever the experts say, without really understanding or verifying the facts independently for themselves.

It is possible to appear quite learned and intelligent by merely memorizing what you have read or what you are told by others, to be a walking encyclopedia, a human computer regurgitating assorted facts and trivia, while at the same time being little more than a thoughtless repeater, a programmed robot parroting other peoples ideas without having any actual experiential grasp or understanding of those ideas independent of books or words, or without even having any original thoughts and ideas of your own.

Well maybe you'd counter that there are no original ideas, that there is really nothing new under the sun, everything is borrowed, recycled, rediscovered, and re-exchanged. That all ideas are a collaborative affair, and that nothing is truly independent or original. Maybe so, but in this case, when I speak of an original idea, I mean it in the sense of the idea arising from the quiet contemplation of your own mind. It doesn't matter if that idea was partially shaped and influenced by other ideas not uniquely your own, nor does it matter if you are not the only one, or are only one among thousands receiving the same insight or realization. What matters is the experience of the idea arising seemingly independently within your own mind, rather than being feed a prepackaged version that requires little to no thinking or experiential knowledge.

I hope I inspire you, but ultimately your inspiration is your own, is a personal relationship between the inner you and the outer world. You may feel as if the inspiration comes from outside of yourself, but actually inspiration always originates from within each person. Or rather, it is an experiential connection between the microscopic and macroscopic, between self and the cosmos.

Inspiration is like a radio frequency that's always on, but is only received if you are tuned to the right channel. When you are inspired by someone or something, it's not that they are the source of inspiration, but that all that is happening is that they've helped you turn the channel within yourself in alignment with the frequency of inspiration, that they too are tuned into, but it is up to you how long you maintain the connection, whether you raise or lower the volume, or whether you change to a different channel completely.

All knowledge and insight emerges from a receptive state of mind, but there is a difference between receiving ideas from others in their finished product already translated into words, and having the same ideas emerge independently in your own mind. There is a difference between experiential knowledge obtained on your own, and theoretical knowledge obtained from others. Theoretical knowledge can be experienced if the abstract ideas can be applied to the real world, as theoretical principles visualized affecting objects in space, or otherwise conceptualized having some real world application. And of course experiential knowledge can be translated into theoretical knowledge the very moment it is articulated into words.

If you get most of your ideas from books, from other people, without actually experiencing the insights yourself or applying them to the real world in your own way, how many ideas in your head are actually your own? Not only that, but to what extent do you truly understand and have personally tested what you are reading, and to what extent are you merely repeating?

That's the primary danger of reading too much, that of thinking too little. When reading and absorbing other people's ideas becomes a substitute for thinking, that's what I mean when I say that reading too much can potentially be detrimental to your capacity for independent creative thought.

Read to enhance your mind, not to completely erase your mind and replace it with somebody else's. The goal should be the expansion of consciousness, not the annihilation of consciousness. So by all means don't stop reading, but do consider turning off the television and going outside more.

Just make sure to also spend some time thinking, questioning, contemplating, realizing, and better yet reading the wordless wisdom written in the tapestry of the earth and the sky, and listening to nature's wordless sounds circulating all around, within and without, above and below, and beyond the written word of pseudo experts, thoughtless repeaters, and other overrated clowns.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Meaning of 'Dissent is Patriotic'


Earlier last month I wrote a post called Dissent is Patriotic. Well, it's been getting some traffic lately, but it was really nothing more than a rambling rant, that didn't really do either the title or the subject justice. 

In fact, I see now that I didn't even explain in that post exactly what that slogan means, because I took it for granted that it was self-evident. 

Well, I'm sure the phrase 'dissent is patriotic' has probably been used by many people, but it is officially attributed to the historian Howard Zinn. That is where I got it from. But what does it mean? I'll tell you what I think it means.

To say that dissent is patriotic does not mean that all dissent is patriotic, or that dissent in and of itself is patriotic. What it does mean is that dissent, which generally means the opposition to official policy, can be patriotic in certain circumstances. And not only that, but the right to disagree with official policy, or the freedom to have a dissenting opinion without fear of suffering unreasonable punishment for disagreeing, is built into the very fabric of a free and democratic society.

For instance, if your country is founded on a specific set of rules and principles, and the people in charge institute actions and policies that violate, undermine, or subvert those rules and principles, dissent (meaning rebellion, opposition, protest, the failure to comply or support the people in charge and their polices), would in such circumstances be considered patriotic.

Patriotism simply means love and support of country. By country we mean not only the land and its people, but our collective society, our culture, our government, and the founding principles and laws of our nation.

But laws can and do change. Just because something is lawful, doesn't necessarily mean that it is true, or just, or morally sound. For instance, slavery was once legal. At the time of legalized slavery, would you say it is patriotic to support the institution of slavery? If the founding principles of your country support slavery, than perhaps you could. However, if you believe that the institution of slavery violates what your country stands for, than supporting slavery would in fact be quite unpatriotic.

If you believe that all men and women are created equal, and that all human beings have a natural born right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and such a belief is written into the very laws and principles that your country was founded on, support for slavery, or anything else that opposes those principles, would be inimical to not only patriotism, but the ideals of truth, justice, and democracy.

So in such a circumstance those opposing the legalized institution of slavery, would be a good example of dissent being patriotic.

In a society based on democracy and the rule of law, patriotism does not mean uncritically supporting your country, right or wrong, no matter what. Country in this sense meaning government, your elected representatives, their official policies, and the military. Patriotism means supporting certain fundamental founding principles, values, and laws inherent to a democratic society, and holding your elected officials accountable to them.

If on the other hand a democratic nation is for instance taken over by a fascist tyrannical coup, that subverts democracy and the rule of law, it would not be patriotic to support such an administration's policies or military engagements.

So in conclusion, to reiterate my points: The phrase 'dissent is patriotic' basically means an opposition to tyranny and evil, corruption and injustice, and the abuse of power in high places, while actively seeking to change the people and policies responsible for subverting democracy and the rule of law.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Difference Between Solitude and Loneliness


Here's a great quote from The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt about the difference between solitude and loneliness:

The lonely man finds himself surrounded by others with whom he cannot establish contact or to whose hostility he is exposed.

The solitary man, on the contrary, is alone and therefore "can be together with himself." In solitude, in other words, I am "by myself", together with my self, and therefore two-in-one, whereas in loneliness I am actually one, deserted by all others.

All thinking, strictly speaking, is done in solitude and is a dialogue of thought.

Solitude can became loneliness; this happens when all by myself I am deserted by my own self. Solitary men have always been in danger of loneliness, when they can no longer find the redeeming grace of companionship...

To me this description in many ways parallels the differences between introversion and shyness. With introversion as an orientation of thinking more akin to solitude, and shyness more akin to loneliness. In that someone who is shy, may wish to be with others, but is afraid to reach out to them, and if ending up alone feels lonely; whereas an introvert being fully content with themselves, may selectively choose to be alone but without feeling lonely at all; with solitude being a positive experience of being alone, loneliness being a negative one.

I myself am a solitary person. Not a lonely person. I've never felt lonely before in my life. Not even as a little kid, when I was for awhile the new kid on the block who didn't have any friends. I've always felt perfectly at peace with myself, my greatest solace being nature and books. I've never felt completely alone because I've always felt a deep sense of companionship and connectedness with the earth and the sky and the greater universe.

If I were locked up in solitary confinement without a book or a window, that would be hell, but so long as I either have access to a good book, or can be outside and see blue sky and stars and green grass and trees, and hear the sounds of nature and the sounds of birds singing, even by myself I wouldn't feel alone, wouldn't be lonely.

Of course that could all change in the blink of an eye, where solitude could easily digress into loneliness, where strength could be overtaken by weakness, where peace of mind could dissolve into misery...where if this connection to love is severed completely, all that would remain in its place is a feeling of separation, alienation, and isolation.

All it takes is a split second for your attitude to change completely, where your entire world could be turned upside down and inside out.

Attitude really is everything.

In order to never lose this feeling of connectedness, this "redeeming grace of companionship" with the world, it requires an attitude of openness and goodwill toward the whole world.

So that even in the absence of human companionship, you will never feel entirely alone, and even in the absence of housing or material possessions, you will never feel entirely homeless or deprived, but feel at home and among friends wherever you may be, even when alone you'll experience a peaceful solitude without loneliness.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Faces of Death

Today I finished watching a documentary called Faces of Death.

I started watching this one last night and finished it today, and let me tell you, all I can say is WOW! I've never seen anything like this before. Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. But if you can handle it, it's worth watching at least once.

Faces of Death is a graphic documentary film about death, but could just as easily be a horror film. In fact it's so graphic that it has been banned in over 40 countries! Yes, it's morbid. Yes, it's disturbing. Yes, it's shocking. Some may even refer to it as death porn. Using real life film footage from hospitals, morgues, autopsy rooms, war zones, slaughterhouses, public executions, accident and crime scenes, mausoleums and graves, this video graphically depicts the many faces of death, be that death by disease, accident, murder, or execution, this film shows it all.

It's not something I ever need to see again, but I do think it is worthwhile watching once. At least catch the first 20 minutes of it. The tour of the cemetery in Mexico with the mummified corpses is one of my favorite parts. Well that and the autopsy showing the removal of the human brain. It's not that I like it, but it's shockingly mind blowing and unbelievably surreal stuff.

It's uncanny to see how much the face is like a mask. When a person is dead and the skin of their face is peeled away from the skull, what's left is a lifeless mask, no different than any mask you could buy in the store. Because there is no life in it. The mask only comes alive when someone is wearing it. You see this truth illustrated most vividly during an autopsy. How a dead body is like a lifeless doll, like an inanimate object. Because it is not the flesh and bone that lives, but it is the energy of the spirit of the person that animates the flesh, and when that energy leaves, what's left is nothing but a pile of rotting meat and bone.

Yes, death is an unpleasant reality, a reality that most people do not want to face, that most people do not want to think about, but you should, because like it or not you too will die, and so will your loved ones. This is not to say that you should become obsessed with it, but just that you should never forget this painful truth, that you will not live forever, that death is stalking you every moment of your life, and will eventually catch you in the end when you least expect it.

I'd like to think that I will live a long time. Seriously. I'm all about longevity. Very health conscious. Doing everything in my power to maintain my strength my youth and my healthiness. But you know what? Even if I beat the odds and become the longest living person, and maintaining my youthfulness for as long as possible, you still can't live forever. Maybe there is such a thing as the immortality of the soul, but the body itself is doomed. While you may extend your life, you can't extend it forever, all things must eventually come to their end. That's just the way it is. It's a painful truth that I'm still trying to come to terms with. And there is no other way to come to terms with it without facing your own death directly and resolutely with your eyes wide open and wide awake and aware.

All things die. You could even say that life lives by eating life. Someone must die in order for another to live. Though I must tell you that after seeing this film vegetarianism seems even more appealing to me than it did before. I don't want to be complicit in the taking of anyone's life. Sure plants are living things too, but a vegetarian diet just seems a lot kinder to me. There is no viciousness in it.

Whereas killing an animal is extremely vicious. What you don't think so? Why don't you put yourself in its place for a moment, and see if you still would feel that way. Do onto others as you'd have them do unto you. Does that mean anything to you? How would you feel to be hunted for your flesh? How would you feel to see your loved one's murdered before your eyes to satisfy someone's hunger? Because that's what's been done to the animals you eat. Murdered. If you kill a person to eat their flesh? It's called murder. If you kill an animal to eat their flesh, it's called hunting, it's called survival, it's called sport.

But either way it's killing, the taking of a life. Obviously you must do whatever you must do to survive. People have even been known to turn to cannibalism in times of need. Desperate people often do desperate things. But if you have a choice in the matter, if vegetarianism is an option, it seems the far more superior choice. But what do I know? Some people love the thrill of the hunt, and are truly blood thirsty people. The African Masai for instance, drink the blood of their prey, it's like a sacred ritual to them...where their not just drinking blood, their feasting off of it like a vampire consuming its soul.

I had a dream of being hunted once, actually I've had more than one dream of that nature, but only one dream where not only was I being hunted, but I was actually caught and killed and eaten alive. It was terrifying. I remember it vividly, even though it occurred a couple years ago. In this dream I was hunted by a very large bird, either an owl or an eagle. It had me cornered and immobilized by its talons, and there was no escape, no talking my way out of it. I was going to die that day becoming somebody's dinner and there was not a single thing I could do to stop it.

You could say that hunting is natural, that it is natural for life to eat life, but I got to tell you that from the perspective of the hunted, nothing could seem further from the truth. Nothing felt more wrong than it did at that moment of being hunted, like it was the ultimate injustice, the ultimate betrayal, the ultimate violation. It felt like what was happening to me shouldn't happen to anyone ever, because it was nothing less than murder.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Random Insight - 4

Be not deceived by appearances.

Very often sexual attraction, that of being completely captivated by a person's appearance, is very much like being hypnotized and put under a magical spell, a spell that makes you feel like you're under the influence of a very powerful drug, a drug which may cloud your judgment causing you to make all sorts of poor choices. Where you may perhaps see someone in a more favorable light than is actually the case, simply because of the way they look, while ignoring possible red flag warnings, like character flaws and personality incompatibilities, that you would have noticed right away if you were not attracted to them.

This is true not just in romance but in all interpersonal relationships. Sometimes beautiful people get more favorable treatment, are taken more seriously and given better opportunities than ugly people. So it's a good idea to sometimes imagine a beautiful person as ugly, and an ugly person as beautiful, while really listening to what their saying, and closely observing what their doing, to get a clear and honest sense of who they really are as a person independent from their appearance, because appearances can sometimes be deceptive.

I do this quite frequently, not just in person, but also while watching television. Especially when watching something serious, like an interview, a speech, or political debate, I like to close my eyes, or cover the TV, and just listen to it without watching it, without being distracted by their appearance and mannerisms...to really focus on the substance of what people are saying. Because appearances can be deceptive, not just in person, but especially on television, with all the smoke and mirrors and magical incantations, with all the glitz and glamor and fancy suits and flashing lights, it's easy to be distracted and deceived into misinterpreting what you see, or mislead into putting greater or lesser value on the essential message of what a person is saying.

Try this sometime:

1. Visualize a beautiful person as being monstrously ugly, maybe even imagining them looking like a skeletal corpse.

2. Visualize an ugly person as being the perfect embodiment of beauty, like an angelic being right out of a heavenly sphere of perfection.

3. And momentarily try not to concentrate on a person's outward appearance at all, seeing them as neither ugly or beautiful, but letting their words and deeds speak entirely for themselves.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Random Insight - 3

Carpe diem - Seize the day; gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

What do you like? What do you want to do? Make note of whatever interests you now, because interests have a tendency of changing over time. Sometimes your interests, passions, and callings in life are a once in a lifetime opportunity. Sometimes it's now or never, and if you miss the call, you miss the boat forever.

For instance, if you are interested in climbing a mountain, embrace it while you can, because chances are if you put it off for too long, there will come a day when it is no longer an option, perhaps due to declining health or old age, or simply because your interest itself has eventually faded away, and so it will forever remain impossibly outside of your reach.

Which is okay, but don't take your interests for granted. Not everyone shares them. Not everyone feels the same calling as you. Are you troubled by the state of the world and want to do something about it? If so, know this, that not everyone is troubled by it enough to actually want to do something about it. Not everyone wants to solve the problems of the world. Many people are apathetic, so wrapped up in their own lives, that they don't care. But if you do care, it's up to you to answer that calling, because very few hear it, and even fewer actually act upon it.

This simple observation applies to all things, everything that interests you, whether it be a hobby, or topic of research, a career ambition, or a physical challenge, as you get older, new interests emerge, and your old interests may assume less significance, possibly falling to the wayside completely.

Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
(1909) by John William Waterhouse
Never take it for granted that whatever interests you now, and whatever you feel passionate about doing now, will always be of interest to you. Because time has a tendency of changing our lives, altering our perspectives and inclinations. So if you hear the calling in your heart to do something, no matter what it is, however simple or complex, however trivial or profound, do not put it off for too long, because otherwise as they say, he who hesitates is lost.

For instance, right now my interests are primarily educational...reading. I do not yet know enough to successfully do what I want to do. I have not been happy in my previous roles of employment. I have yet to find work that is personally meaningful to me and that I believe in with all my heart. And the only way I'm going to resolve this problem is through education, by reading extensively, embracing my interest in reading before this interest fades away.

I've been a reader for quite some time, but the problem has been that I sort of jump around from one unrelated topic to the next. But if you jump around too much, it's like going around in circles and takes you twice as long to reach your goals. This isn't to say that you shouldn't diversify your reading, because you should, but you also want to make sure that you concentrate on the key areas of interest. Otherwise without concentrated focus, you become what they call a Jack of all trades, but a master of none.

I think big. World changing. Creating a new template for a new world. That is where my thoughts are, and have been since my teenage years. But I have not been focused. I've been jumping around, not just in reading, but in life. So have accomplished nothing, by my standards, other than bringing me to this point in time now where I have enough presence of mind to recognize where I now stand.

Where do you stand? What interests you? What do you want to do? Whatever it is, don't put it off for too long, seize the day now before the passion is gone.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Random Insight - 2

Insight cannot be forced.

While sitting here pondering what to write, I was thinking about how much I really like this new series of mine, of posting random insights, profound insights that spontaneously occur to me, and how great it would be to do so on a daily basis.

I really liked my first post in the series, even though it was a very simple and obvious observation. What I think gives it power is the fact that it is grounded in an experiential truth, that is actually quite profound, but due to its simplicity is so often overlooked, which is what makes the observation all the more meaningful.

So once again I'm pondering what to write, but I'm drawing a complete blank, and realize that I've got nothing. Which is when random insight number two occurred to me: that insight isn't something that can be forced or deliberately invented, but is more of a gift that is received, like a creative blessing that is divinely inspired.

Reason and concentrated thinking can certainly expand upon the insight, but the initial insight seems to appear spontaneously out of nowhere.

For me, it is not something that I sit down and logically invent, but rather it just comes to me when I am not looking for anything or thinking about anything at all. Most of my insights, just pop into my mind out of the blue. And if I'm fortunate enough to have a piece of paper and pen handy, or a computer to record my thoughts, I may capture the insight in its fullest details.

Or if the insight is powerful enough, such was the case in Random Insight - 1, where it was an understanding that was inspired by direct experience, then I may remember it very well without needing to write it down immediately.

Insight cannot be forced. This isn't to say that you shouldn't actively pursue or brainstorm ideas, because ideas come all the time, whether you are actively engaged in them or not.

But for myself I have found that the most innovative and creative insights seem to come to me when I'm not seeking anything at all, when my mind is a blank. Or if I'm thinking about something else, sometimes interesting ideas just come to me in a creative flash, totally unplanned, unrelated and out of the blue.

Four techniques that help open up and deepen your capacity for creative insight.

1) Stream of consciousness writing.
2) Drawing, painting, or some other artistic activity.
3) Playing a musical instrument/Listening to instrumental music.
4) Meditation.

Note: Techniques 1-3 all induce a sort of meditative state of mind. Therefore, meditation is truly the key factor here. So when I say that insights appear to spontaneously occur out of nowhere, it is very likely that these random insights of mine occur when I am in a mildly meditative state of mind. That is, when I am extremely relaxed, focused and aware, I tend to be much more insightful.

Meditation is the doorway to insight. To relax your body and momentarily clear your mind of all thoughts, so as to be completely open and receptive to the direct perception of truth that exists beyond the boundaries of words.

*Originally Published 1/2/2011