A quote from a friend of mine at another forum. Excessively negative? No, not necessarily. Let's see what Laozi has to say on the matter:
"If you are disgraced, be willing to accept it.
Accept misfortune as the human condition."
And...
"Other people are happy, enjoying the feasts and rituals of the world.
In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace,
But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.
Like a newborn baby before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Others have more food than they need, but I alone have nothing.
I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused.
Others are clear and bright,
But I alone am dim and weak.
Others are sharp and clever,
But I alone am dull and stupid.
Yes, I drift like the waves of the sea,
Without direction, like the restless wind.
Everyone else is busy,
But I alone am aimless and depressed.
I am different.
I am nourished by the great mother."
These excerpts from the Tao Te Ching (chapters 13 and 20) illustrate a common theme in Taoism - although it is generally a "positive" approach to life, it is also realistic. Life is not an unending parade of delights. Rather, for the thinking person, life can often be confusing, lonely, difficult, and depressing.
And yet, "I am nourished by the great mother," so it is possible to go on. There is a subtle spiritual dimension to life which is opposed to the superficial conventions of this world. A person of conscience will face many challenges and confusions, but he or she is sustained by a deeper consciousness.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
What is Cynicism?
The popular conception of cynicism in modern society seems to be something like "complaining about everything and being negative just for the sake of being negative."
Needless to say, this distorted whitewash of cynicism (ironically) focuses exclusively on the "negative" side of the cynical worldview and leaves out everything important - such as the fact that cynicism is ultimately born of idealism and is in fact a very appropriate reaction to a world which is unwilling to value conscience and virtue. Cynicism is essentially sanity in an insane world.
The historical roots of cynicism and the perspectives of the original cynics are explored here, as well as at numerous websites accessible through a Google search. If you are among the many who have been taught that cynicism is nothing more than "a negative attitude," a much more interesting reality waits to be discovered.
Needless to say, this distorted whitewash of cynicism (ironically) focuses exclusively on the "negative" side of the cynical worldview and leaves out everything important - such as the fact that cynicism is ultimately born of idealism and is in fact a very appropriate reaction to a world which is unwilling to value conscience and virtue. Cynicism is essentially sanity in an insane world.
The historical roots of cynicism and the perspectives of the original cynics are explored here, as well as at numerous websites accessible through a Google search. If you are among the many who have been taught that cynicism is nothing more than "a negative attitude," a much more interesting reality waits to be discovered.
"No one should ever work."
Bob Black's landmark essay, The Abolition of Work, for those who haven't read it yet - or haven't read it recently.
I could be wrong, but I really can't see Diogenes or Zhuangzi reacting with anything but an approving grin. Laozi, being a somewhat more serious sort, might find a few things to nitpick, but I can't see him hating it, either. In my view, no one who has much comprehension of either cynicism or Taoism would be overly attached to their alarm clocks.
And, for those in the mood for more, here is my own essay on the subject. It's no match for Black's groundbreaking piece, but I like to think it offers some insight to those already questioning the "work ethic."
I could be wrong, but I really can't see Diogenes or Zhuangzi reacting with anything but an approving grin. Laozi, being a somewhat more serious sort, might find a few things to nitpick, but I can't see him hating it, either. In my view, no one who has much comprehension of either cynicism or Taoism would be overly attached to their alarm clocks.
And, for those in the mood for more, here is my own essay on the subject. It's no match for Black's groundbreaking piece, but I like to think it offers some insight to those already questioning the "work ethic."
Ego
What is ego?
Most fundamentally, ego is the reification of a convenient sense of self - or, to put it more directly, the belief that what we define as "ourselves" is anything more than a useful fiction.
Ego is dangerous because it is a part of our psychology which seeks to establish the fiction of an "individual self" as a concrete reality, and to affirm that sense of a separate self by any means necessary. Ego is easily exploited by those who seek to control and enslave us for their own purposes. The competitive nature of free-market capitalism, for example, is used as a method of compelling us to participate in a lifelong "rat race," in which individual status and material success are the egotistical goals to be pursued.
Of course, in reality, there is no separation beyond that which we invent in our own minds, for purposes of convenience. All is ultimately one, and we are figments of our own imagination. However, this sort of mystical revelation, although intuitively accurate, often turns out to be of little practical use in navigating the complexities of our daily lives.
More practically, ego can be defined as the self-serving conviction that one is one some sense deeply superior to others. It is on this somewhat more pragmatic definition of ego that most of the evils of modern society are predicated. Social status and material "success" both serve primarily to reassure us that we are undeniably better than those who lack such culturally-approved acknowledgments. Money, formal education, job status, and other foundations of society function primarily as motivations to keep producing and keep consuming, because the alternative is to be seen as somehow inferior.
I will be expanding on these themes extensively in my future writing, whether here or elsewhere. Stay tuned if you're interested in examining how we are manipulated by appeals to ego and other common psychological ploys.
Most fundamentally, ego is the reification of a convenient sense of self - or, to put it more directly, the belief that what we define as "ourselves" is anything more than a useful fiction.
Ego is dangerous because it is a part of our psychology which seeks to establish the fiction of an "individual self" as a concrete reality, and to affirm that sense of a separate self by any means necessary. Ego is easily exploited by those who seek to control and enslave us for their own purposes. The competitive nature of free-market capitalism, for example, is used as a method of compelling us to participate in a lifelong "rat race," in which individual status and material success are the egotistical goals to be pursued.
Of course, in reality, there is no separation beyond that which we invent in our own minds, for purposes of convenience. All is ultimately one, and we are figments of our own imagination. However, this sort of mystical revelation, although intuitively accurate, often turns out to be of little practical use in navigating the complexities of our daily lives.
More practically, ego can be defined as the self-serving conviction that one is one some sense deeply superior to others. It is on this somewhat more pragmatic definition of ego that most of the evils of modern society are predicated. Social status and material "success" both serve primarily to reassure us that we are undeniably better than those who lack such culturally-approved acknowledgments. Money, formal education, job status, and other foundations of society function primarily as motivations to keep producing and keep consuming, because the alternative is to be seen as somehow inferior.
I will be expanding on these themes extensively in my future writing, whether here or elsewhere. Stay tuned if you're interested in examining how we are manipulated by appeals to ego and other common psychological ploys.
Charity vs Human Rights
...Do you mean that the large charity donors legitimize capitalism and promote the idea that economic injustice is okay, if we promise to fix it with charity? If so, I agree. U.G. Krishnamurti said:
"Charity is the filthiest invention of the human mind: first you steal what belongs to everyone; then you use the policeman and the atom bomb to protect it. You give charity to prevent the have-nots from rebelling against you. It also makes you feel less guilty. All do-gooders feel 'high' when they do good."
...In any case, what we need is not more charity, but more understanding that disadvantaged of the world are OWED the birthrights that were stolen from them in any number of ways. We don't need people giving to "the poor" in a condescending manner, we need people returning to the disadvantaged what is rightfully theirs.
All people deserve a share in the wealth of this world, and we shouldn't wait for those who stole it from us to kindly return a few crumbs. We have to take back what is ours, one way or another.
...They have manipulated our psychological weaknesses and cognitive deficiencies through propaganda and indoctrination. They have managed to convince 99% of the world that selling the vast majority of your waking life in order to be able to consume a bunch of unnecessary products is a great idea. They have played to our egos at every turn, and tricked us into becoming their slaves in the name of "freedom."
Those at the top of this system, who profit from it enormously, are laughing all the way to the bank. They have acquired control over virtually everything - even people's daily lives and the content of their minds - all while using Orwellian techniques to assure them that their condition is one of "liberty." It is backward beyond belief.
It is a work of evil genius, refined and perfected for 10,000 long years. Those who now speak against it are inviting the full force of all 10,000 years of conditioning and propaganda, and must expect to be treated accordingly. Those who recently jeered me out of the other community are quite typical of modern consumer-producers. They are obliviously indoctrinated, profoundly egotistical thanks to a lifetime of ego-feeding by the culture, and dangerously intolerant of dissenters.
Essentially, they are a back-patting lynch mob, eager to burn a heretic at the stake.
"Charity is the filthiest invention of the human mind: first you steal what belongs to everyone; then you use the policeman and the atom bomb to protect it. You give charity to prevent the have-nots from rebelling against you. It also makes you feel less guilty. All do-gooders feel 'high' when they do good."
...In any case, what we need is not more charity, but more understanding that disadvantaged of the world are OWED the birthrights that were stolen from them in any number of ways. We don't need people giving to "the poor" in a condescending manner, we need people returning to the disadvantaged what is rightfully theirs.
All people deserve a share in the wealth of this world, and we shouldn't wait for those who stole it from us to kindly return a few crumbs. We have to take back what is ours, one way or another.
...They have manipulated our psychological weaknesses and cognitive deficiencies through propaganda and indoctrination. They have managed to convince 99% of the world that selling the vast majority of your waking life in order to be able to consume a bunch of unnecessary products is a great idea. They have played to our egos at every turn, and tricked us into becoming their slaves in the name of "freedom."
Those at the top of this system, who profit from it enormously, are laughing all the way to the bank. They have acquired control over virtually everything - even people's daily lives and the content of their minds - all while using Orwellian techniques to assure them that their condition is one of "liberty." It is backward beyond belief.
It is a work of evil genius, refined and perfected for 10,000 long years. Those who now speak against it are inviting the full force of all 10,000 years of conditioning and propaganda, and must expect to be treated accordingly. Those who recently jeered me out of the other community are quite typical of modern consumer-producers. They are obliviously indoctrinated, profoundly egotistical thanks to a lifetime of ego-feeding by the culture, and dangerously intolerant of dissenters.
Essentially, they are a back-patting lynch mob, eager to burn a heretic at the stake.
Dog Dao
In this blog, I will post my thoughts on modern society, philosophy, and other subjects which interest me. My perspective will be that of "half-cynic, half Taoist" - as these days I identify most readily with the perspectives of Diogenes, Lao-Tzu, and Chuang-Tzu.
This blog will not contain slick, calculated posts designed to appeal to "today's sophisticated reader" or anything of that nature. It will primarily be my unfiltered thoughts as they occur to me, often without a lot of context or explanatory material.
If you are interested in perspectives which question and sometimes outright oppose many of the most firmly-established conventions of modern society, you will probably like this blog. If you like things the way they are, you will probably have better luck elsewhere.
I do not intend to argue extensively on this blog. Comments will be moderated by me and abusive remarks will be deleted. If you oppose my perspectives, make sure to discuss your objections rationally and respectfully. Do not attempt to troll me.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you find something worthwhile here.
This blog will not contain slick, calculated posts designed to appeal to "today's sophisticated reader" or anything of that nature. It will primarily be my unfiltered thoughts as they occur to me, often without a lot of context or explanatory material.
If you are interested in perspectives which question and sometimes outright oppose many of the most firmly-established conventions of modern society, you will probably like this blog. If you like things the way they are, you will probably have better luck elsewhere.
I do not intend to argue extensively on this blog. Comments will be moderated by me and abusive remarks will be deleted. If you oppose my perspectives, make sure to discuss your objections rationally and respectfully. Do not attempt to troll me.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you find something worthwhile here.
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