The following is a list made at the request of a friend as some sort of exercise, the purpose of which is still undisclosed. He may have gotten more than he asked for ;)
Caveat - These statements are all the thoughts of atheist leaning me, everything is subject to change, especially with me. Well, I should say most things - see #'s 2-6
1. The idea that everything is an illusion could be an illusion (necessarily so, as it's a self enclosed circuitous idea)
2. Extremes are almost always be wrong, and may always be wrong. It appears there are no extremes (absolutes). A statement I like to make on extremes tickles me because it's full of contradiction "Always is never the case, and never never happens." Many extreme statements are contradictory. Irony is a sign of extreme thinking, or assumptions which don't always hold.
3. Extreme thinking leaves no room for alternatives, or other possibilities. Everything has an alternative - everything comes by degree. (Wow - that sounds a bit absolute, eh? I file it on the other side of almost always)
4. Things happen by degrees. With any statement it should always be asked "to what degree?" There are no absolute absolutes. Everything we experience is a mixed bag of contrast, hue, and degree (just like visible light). Colors have almost infinite hues and combinations - but we first learn of them in their primary state. When we grow up we appreciate the vast variety of color ... As we grow into adulthood we learn to apply this to ideas as well.
5. As such (#2-4), We should try to avoid absolutes in our speaking and thinking. Absolutes are a thinking trap. Try to temper or exclude words like always, never, is, are; and replace them with almost, sometimes, mostly, often, predominantly, etc. No matter how much we love speaking in certitudes it is best to avoid definitive statements. Our thinking<-->language is riddled with them (<--> means that language(lexicon) dictates thinking and thinking dictates language). Like a horse, in order to best sit atop the truth you need to straddle both sides of it...most people ride side saddle and more prone to falling off.
6. Ideas when clung to and invested in absolutely are like an impenetrable nut. Once inside it is impossible to see outside the shell. Passion for an idea is usually fanaticism, a blind sort of love.
7. Many ideas are clung absolutely due to the human a drive for, and attraction to, self seeking, self reaffirming ideas. Ideas which invalidate or diminish a person's perception are too painful to confront and are typically tossed.
8. People primarily seek their self interests/self promotions. Pure (perfect/absolute) altruism or unconditional love does not exist.
9. The truth is often so scary (foreign) for most people's belief set that it is rejected outright.
10. As such (#9), the deceptions/delusions of others are best left alone (kids/adults need to believe in Santa Claus/Saviors). Keep it shut, esp. if you have nothing "better" to offer them. No one wants to hear that life is futile and pointless ... "Life is pain princess, anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something"
11. There is no such thing as true objectivity.
12. The human brain, specifically our perception of "reality", is rigged to be wrong. We are wired for error.
13. The "soul" (perpetual self) is an outcropping of the mind, which is an outcropping of the brain - which I suspect at present all ends with death.
14. There are beneficial aspects of delusions - believing in something that is not correct or accurate can lead to growth or positive outcomes. If you think you're good at something you will be far more motivated to pursue it. If something makes you feel better about yourself, others, or the world in general, so what if it's delusional as long as it improves things?
15. Few things are inherently bad or good - all is subjective interpretation, and there are aspects of both in each. (yin-yang). You get what you look for.
16. Reality is ironic - find the irony find the truth (irony can be an indicator of erroneous assumptions, or one sided thinking) Irony is an indicator of contradiction, that the ideas and expectations you are holding might not always hold true.
17. Separation and ego are necessary for growth.
18. Futility - There may not be any reason or purpose for anything. This is an extreme idea, but it may well be true.
19. Nihilism - The more I think I know, the more I realize that I may know nothing, or realize that what I think I know may be wrong. Knowledge is inherently polarized (biased), "reality" may be unpolarized, purposeless. "Full of sound and fury signifying nothing" (Socrates/Shakespeare)
20. Most, possibly all, speculation on the unknowable is wrong. See the previous 4 statements ^^^
21. The most worthwhile/productive/happy goal in life is to merely enjoy it while you're here (Christmas Present's advice to Scrooge)
22. It's fun to play with ideas - but hard to do so without being perceived as clinging to them.
23. In order to really play with an idea and understand it you must try in on, walk around in it, and inhabit it.
24. An attitude of uncertainty and the possibility of being wrong (ignorant) helps keep one unstuck
25. The fun in life is learning to play and enjoy the variety of experiences and ideas
26. Imagination (delusions) are the soul of creativity (but nothing has a soul - see #13 (and irony) ... but nothing may not exist See #2)
27. Make enough "truth" statements and you're bound to contradict yourself at some point. Talk long enough and you're bound to repeat yourself - I plan on doing both in this list.
28. Most people have poor grammar, writing skills, are logic/math impoverished, and have an inability to perceive nuance, contradiction, irony, and multiple meanings (layers). I'm curious to know the ratio on the planet right now - say at maybe a high school grad (european not american) level being the divide.
29. Most are not as smart as they think they are (including me). BUT this can be a protective buffer (a hard shell against reality which allows a person the kind of reasoning that keeps them going on and learning. Delusions can be beneficial. See #14
30. If nothing really matters (existence is purposeless, pointless, ephemeral, godless), why do I feel a compulsion to tell people that? (more a question than a statement)
31. Questions are often more valuable (productive) than statements.
32. Pointing out other people's flaws feels good and is self reaffirming, but overall counterproductive (it embeds the person more tightly in their flawed thinking or behaviors, and makes them shut off any meaningful dialogue because they now hate you and must diminish your opinion in favor of their self preservation. see #7). Related: Pervasive criticism and judgement can be sign that the critical person is using these as a deflective shield which diverts them from examining their own flaws.
33. The "Course in Miracles." sounds and feels like bunk (There I just violated a whole slew of statements, #30 and #32 for example, and reaffirmed #27)
34. I am sometimes a jerk, sometimes knowingly (usually only in retrospect) but more often in clueless oblivion. We all live subjectively and decode the feelings and thoughts of others using our own script. It's hard to know when something you say or do is offensive because it does not feel offensive to you when imagining someone doing it to you.
35. The more I make these statements the more I realize that I may be "full of sound and fury signifying nothing" (See #19 & #27)
36. Just like something written in a book gains more authority, numbering your statements makes them feel more official (weighty). It certainly makes them easier to reference.
37. The flipside of #5; Adopting uncertain attitudes of thinking and speech can give the impression (likely an accurate one) that you are an unreliable source of information, and wishy washy. Uncertainty defeats authority. We seek authority because it is secure and certain. Humans love certainty, which is why the following scripture has a feeling of truthiness. James 1:8 - "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" NO, he may just be able to find balance by his ability to grasp both sides of an argument!
38. Along with #37, people also love predictability and easy categorization = pigeonholing. Being unpredictable or changeable (open minded) puts people off and has an element of fear - we avoid things we can't understand (peg) or rely upon as being unchangeable (always peggable). This is why people with certain mental illnesses are usually feared. People are uncomfortable being around others perceived as unpredictable.
40. People like round numbers, especially those ending in zero. For some reason they feel more tidy (we have an affinity for symmetry). It is for this reason I include this as my last observation.
41. Crap! I just realized that my numbering was off. We hate to realize or admit mistakes, and even more so when others find our error. The fewer rules you make the fewer you break. Ha ha! I still ended on 40, even though it appears that I did not. ;) Damn it! now I want to say something about appearances...but if you dig into that last sentence and other statements you'll see that I did. Argh!, now I want to say something about "nothing existing in isolation", "everything ties together," which are fun statements, but I likely covered that as well.
41. I've just had some more thoughts - maybe I can make it to fifty - that's even more symmetrical! Sometimes when you think you've arrived you're really just taking a break...you can always polish a turd (and many people do so all their lives thinking it's a gem). There's always more around the bend. Every statement should end elliptically.
42. For the next few I'm recycling what I said in 41(actually 40 due to my mistake) since it includes multiple related statements. Recycling has it's merits - everything is a remix... Here is 42's nugget:
Rules can often be counterproductive. It's possible to get caught up in them and miss the big picture. Too many rules can be demotivational and depressive as well. Breaking rules it OK if it leads to something better.
43. Appearances can be deceiving. People often misjudge due to the need to quickly assess. Once pegged they feel no need to look deeper. This is mostly overconfidence in our own judgement. Over and Under Estimators (#12)
44. There is no separation - everything is related. Every idea exists within a web of ideas ... which makes me think maybe all of this should just be one big number 1,
but ...
45. Our "human" ideas will always (ouch!) be incomplete. No matter how hard we try, how many things we list, or how much we say to explain or define the universe (all conceivable, and even inconceivable, states or ideas, etc), it cannot be contained in words or thoughts. It seems to me that reality is boundless and ultimately ineffable, and as such, ultimately unknowable.
46. That last statement has such a ring of truthiness. I like it, but is that because it relates to #37, being authoritative and definitive? Many ideas are truthiness rather than truth. Who can know the unknowable?
47. #45 & #46 may be true if truth is truly relative.
48. Humans love to speculate on the unknown, and even more so on the unknowable. This is the essence of most religions. This is seen as a futile diversion of wasted time to someone of more pragmatic sensibilities (My wife points this out to me when I try to think too hard).
49. It's OK to make mistakes if they lead you to a deeper understanding. The only sin in my book is not learning from your mistakes ... but what does learning matter if we're all dead in the end?
50. People often do things primarily, and sometimes solely, to meet a goal, give a positive impression, or fulfill a dictate. Such acts are largely disingenuous, portraying needless empty performances for approval, either of self or others. This I admittedly have done with this last statement to meet my empty goal of symmetry ... but there really is no last. As long as we last there will alway be more around the bend (see the real 41).
At this point if I have more thoughts (which I almost certainly will), I'll make a new list.
52. ^^^ Be pithy - If you say too much people have a hard time finding the nugget. Brevity is not only the soul of wit, but also the soul of clear communication.
53. If you look closely enough at anything (anyone) you are bound to find flaws ... conversely, look closely at anything you think bad and you are bound to find some goodness. Typically I'm an overestimater, meaning I have a bias to assume the positive, which usually leads to disillusionment.
54. Flaws are an important part of the universe - without them nothing would exist, evolution would not have happened.
55. Perfection is stagnant and arguably non-existent (ANYWHERE!) ... it is an idealized myth.
56. I have a hard time sticking to one thought or stating something simply - there are so many paths, nuances and contingencies.
57. You are only as intelligence (smart) as your ability to express your thoughts, both internally and externally.
58. We often mistake talent as a gift rather than an investment of hard work. Much talent comes from a passion which drives activity (work). If you enjoy doing a thing it doesn't feel like work.
59. That said, some people are naturally gifted, just like some are naturally beautiful - it has no bearing on them - they can't take credit for it...but they're certainly lucky bastards!
60. We tend to despise things we can't have/obtain (sour grapes)
61. ^^^ I obviously just borrowed that from Aesop, who borrowed it from someone else. We borrow everything. There is no true originality - everything comes from something else. Everything is a remix. Every one plagiarizes to some extent. Only blatant plagiarism is egregious.
62. Everything I can say or think has already been said or thought before - but it's still useful for me (or others hearing me) to say or think them. Just because it's all been done doesn't mean there is no value in your doing it.
63. Opposites are inversions of each other...the same idea mirrored. Symmetry exists (dualism)
64. Thinking too much about these things too deeply can drive a person crazy - speaking from experience. But they also rev my mind.
65. Most people don't think too deeply about stuff (See #28), but this observation may be full of self conflatulation. (see #32) Maybe most people do think deeply - except it's their stuff, not mine ;) See Carlin on "stuff"
66. Heavily connected and related thinking is a byproduct (gift/curse) of my bipolar illness, as is rhyming or hearing rhymes in ordinary phrases.
67. It's really hard to express your ideas without sounding arrogant. This is probably why a lot of philosophers claim an inability to really know anything, when deep down they really believe they do (see #19) ... which may itself be a sort of disingenuous dodge of appearances to gain favor (see #50) "You can't point a finger without pointing three back at yourself"
68. There is no free lunch; freedom isn't free without limits. If everyone is free, no one is free. Rules, restrictions, and exclusions define boundaries and space for people to choose their comfortable place. (Inspired by the "Always Sunny", S2E9 where they made the bar free admission to anyone without rules or restrictions and it completely backfires)
69. There is no ideal. No decision or circumstance is a "golden ticket"; every choice has benefit (perks) and compromise (costs).
70. Making goals, plans, statements of intent and not keeping to them is worse than being directionless. It is subversive to the individual, and their sense of personal integrity.
71. Language influences/directs thinking, and thinking influences/directs language. (See #57)
72. There is no perfect word, otherwise all our sentences would consist of a word and a period. However there are often better words to express an idea than the one chosen. Gotta love that thesaurus! And there are better ways to construct a sentence (put words together).
73. You can't sling mud at others without getting some on yourself. Hatred cast outward on others is usually a deflection of our own reflection. Any statement made about another is usually one first made or realized about the self.
74. Some delusions are beneficial, mostly those inhabited with "good faith" - believing is being.
75. Poor grammar, spelling and punctuation is forgivable when mixed with good ideas.
76. Investment. Be careful not to invest too much in any thing or idea: It is almost impossible to crack (question or abandon) that hard nut shell of that in which we're over invested See "Double Down" or "Sunk Costs" fallacy. Investments = Thought, Attention, Talk, Time, money, work, sacrifice. Investment is driven by benefit = image, position, status, power, money, livelihood, future reward.
See "Bamboozled" quote by Carl Sagan
77. I'd choose a rich inner life and a poor outer life over a rich outer life and a poor inner life. Ideally they'd both be rich.
That said, that inner talking to yourself and thinking is only rich IF you do it right. First, "Be your own best friend". Make that constant inner dialogue first your friend and mentor. Make that guy in your head fun to hang out with ... you'll be doing it one way or another. Strive to have fun, thoughtful, and interesting internal conversations. And importantly, make that mentor keep you on your toes and on the hook, while still being kind and compassionate (he's certainly empathetic) :)
78. It's hard to express and be yourself(ego) without confronting the selves(egos) of others.
79. Things have a more emotional/powerful impact when considered in isolation (this thought came to me when listening to Taylor Swift's - Never Grow Up). Sometimes to really feel a thing you have to immerse yourself in it to the exclusion of everything else (flow state) ... this one sided absolute engagement leads to delusions.
Like a heroin high, we become addicted to isolated, one sided ideas (typically the reassuring, affirmative, and self promoting ones), because doing so makes us feel deeply, and makes the message more pure and powerful. This is why the stories we tell of people past are most often hagiographical - becoming more divine (or sinister) the longer the story is told, i.e., the farther from anyone who actually knew the person. Like a horse, if you want to best ride the truth you need to stretch your legs over both sides of it. A lot of people feel fine riding sidesaddle until things get rough and they fall off. Count yourself lucky if you've been thrown, and thusly graduated from hero high
80. There are no absolutes (see #2). There is opposition in all things which tempers/counters absolutes and causes diversity and degrees. Everything is true/false by degree.
81. Blanket statements rarely cover everything about a topic.
82. Hating or being overly critical on things or the behavior of others is mostly wasted energy, and may be an indication of some unresolved internal issues...it also is self perpetuating
83. Things are easier said than done, but the doing part is not as fun.
84. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion ... I'm mostly plagued by inertia :)
85. Many ideas are just a contortion/nuance of another - like an interconnected web. Like the six degrees of Bacon, you can get to any idea/topic from another.
86. Mistakes can compound on each other = inefficiency and waste. Success can be synergistic.
87. One of the secrets to creativity (or growth) is to become unhinged.
88. For everyone you criticize or look down on there's someone who could easily do the same to you.
89. It's hard to criticize another without looking like (or being) an arrogant hypocrite, or a bitter, unfulfilled, curmudgeon.
90. We all rationalize our ways (thoughts and behaviors) - it must be so, since we'd cease to inhabit those we found did not suit our rationale.
91. People rarely seek to expose their own weakness.
92 - I feel so platitudinous at the moment - there is such a thing as too much. Overbearance is boorish, even for the perpetrator. But ... see 43 ;)
93 - Repetition is the mother of learning - practice makes progress. Even though it's all been done it won't benefit you at all unless you do it as well.
94. One of the most refining aspects of parenthood is that it teaches you to deal with other people's sh@t (literally). And you deal because you genuinely love these idiot people (emotionally and mentally stunted) and want the best for them. ..you also learn to wash your hands a lot more.
Moral: It's so much easier to tolerate and help people if first and foremost you love them.
95. Advice: People generally hate advice, and dislike the person giving it as well, especially when unsolicited. It's also hard to give, even in the best conditions, without appearing "the sage" who's figured it all out. However, even with the best intentioned advice givers, there may be narcissistic aspects in the advice giving.
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