Evil in the World Today
The virtue of selfishness presupposes the existence of a self. Julian Jaynes posited that the development of writing enable the creation of interior "voice." In the _Iliad_ warriors spoke to each other of being told by gods or spirits to act. But in the Odyssey, our hero is called "clever" because he is a "liar" who keeps his true motives to himself. As late at the 15th century CE, Joan of Arc thought that she "heard voices" never identifying her motivation as internal. Even today, millions of people have no voice in their heads. They routinize actions from imitation, but have no internal motivation. They have no internal experience.
(Reuters) - So you say all you want to do is to take a few minutes to sit down and think without anyone or anything bugging you? Maybe that is true. But you might be in the minority.
A U.S. study published on Thursday showed that most volunteers who were asked to spend no more than 15 minutes alone in a room doing nothing but sitting and thinking found the task onerous.
"Many people find it difficult to use their own minds to entertain themselves, at least when asked to do it on the spot," said University of Virginia psychology professor Timothy Wilson, who led the study appearing in the journal Science.
Researchers then had adult and college student volunteers do the same thing in their homes, and got the same results. In addition, a third of volunteers cheated by doing things like using a cellphone or listening to music.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/0...
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA report on the study here:
http://news.virginia.edu/content/doing-s...
(Reuters) - So you say all you want to do is to take a few minutes to sit down and think without anyone or anything bugging you? Maybe that is true. But you might be in the minority.
A U.S. study published on Thursday showed that most volunteers who were asked to spend no more than 15 minutes alone in a room doing nothing but sitting and thinking found the task onerous.
"Many people find it difficult to use their own minds to entertain themselves, at least when asked to do it on the spot," said University of Virginia psychology professor Timothy Wilson, who led the study appearing in the journal Science.
Researchers then had adult and college student volunteers do the same thing in their homes, and got the same results. In addition, a third of volunteers cheated by doing things like using a cellphone or listening to music.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/0...
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA report on the study here:
http://news.virginia.edu/content/doing-s...
Napolean Hill contends that a "burning desire" to accomplish something supercharges the mind. This causes the subconscious mind to work a problem 24/7. Then in that quiet time, when you least expect it, a thought comes to mind that you had never considered before. He claims that Edison discover the light bulb this way, Carnegie perfected his steel process this way, W. Clement Stone built a $6B insurance conglomerate using these principals.
I would guess a cynic would call this hokum. We have to be taught how to think by our schools. As a mature observer of American life, I would argue we have had 100 years of our youth being taught how to think by our public schools. Much of the result is a generation of young people holding degrees without promise, student loans that demand payment, basement accommodations at Mom's place, and no hope of ever eclipsing what the prior generations have done.
So, for me, I will set down at the kitchen table, early in the morning in a quiet house. At the top of a yellow pad I will write a question. Something like, "how can I solve the problem of collecting accounts receivable?" I will concentrate on that question alone. If my mind drifts, I will redirect it. Some of the answers are worthless, but I write them down. Some of the answers are spot on, I write them down too. If I pursue this for a few days, in a week I'll have a page full of ideas to evaluate and try. With all of this prodding of my mind, once in a while, while doing some menial task like mowing the lawn, an idea will flash into my head. I take care to handle that idea in a special way. It is my experience that is my "muse" or "better self" giving guidance.
after reading through the gulch musings here ... and
the movie reported that Edison tested 9,000 different
filaments before finding that carbon-filled, baked
sewing thread would work. for awhile.
but pursuing this specific goal with such persistence
implied that he had a vision which convinced him
that it was worthwhile. and the idea of enclosing
the filament in a vacuum came to him separately,
as he worked on filaments, the movie said.
for me, my little inventions have come from self-
guided mental lists like your yellow pad lists -- it's
a well-proven group problem-solving technique
which involves listing all of the brainstormed ideas
and gradually letting them lead to a solution.
these measures keep me from going negative,
like Mike implies with the title of this post!!! -- j
Technically, evil imagines that it is being wronged and there is some sort of score that needs to be evened.
That's why political correctness and all of these "wishes" that have taken the guise of "rights" are so detrimental to our society. Literally, we are watching evil take over our country.
Today, children are encouraged to socialize every hour of the day, never be alone, bond endlessly with peers, and don't think. Being alone is impossible with cell phones, Facebook, TV and video games. Being alone and just thinking is a foreign concept.
I happen to think that being alone is fine, necessary, and calming. To relate to nature does not take a group to share the experience. Even now, I recharge by walking the property quietly, being in nature. Thoughts and ideas grown from such time.
Read your reply to Rich at the top of these comments! You opined "that imagination can be and should be taught." By whom? How?
Try reading Maria Montessori's The Secret of Childhood. It is the best explanation of the child's developing mind I've ever read.
You want me to _try_ reading Montessori? Do you think that she might be too difficult? Should I read a translation or the original Italian? I ask because in Italian, they say, "tradurre e tradire" - to translate is to betray. Which did you read, the original or the betrayal?
1) Illuminate, learn, and teach
2) Obfuscate, attack and destroy.
Instead of discussing the ideas of one of humanity's greatest minds as to the intellectual development of children, you fall back on the time- worn technique of obfuscation by misdirection. By your argument, no one can discuss Jesus unless fluent in Aramaic or Aristotle in ancient Greek.
You are right, of course. Every era has had and will have its distractions.
Buddha wants us to achieve Nirvana, which as far as I can tell, is a state of nothingness where the self as the self ceases to exist. Now that scares the crap out of me. I prefer the reincarnation part and never achieve becoming a Brahman.
somewhere which made me adore your contributions
here -- the seasoning of a radio listener who knows
how to think through things gently, letting them flower
as they will. like Paul Harvey, the prince of pause,
radio involves phrasing during which there is time
for the imagination to flourish. tv and the current
overstimulated world lacks this phrasing, in my
humble opinion ... -- j
To be compared to Paul Harvey? That is quite a compliment. Thank you. If I needed a resume, I would include that in it.
the rest ... of the sto,,,rey! -- j
Technology is merely a tool that the human mind can use, like any other tool, to enhance our understanding of the universe. Those who allow their mind to atrophy by continuing a passive existence instead of interacting proactively with the universe have merely chosen a specific means by which to sequester themselves - but they would have done so nonetheless. Drugs, alcohol, TV, video-games; they all provide a means of escape. It is more that we don't have to provide more for ourselves that allows us to disconnect from the universe. It wasn't merely the lack of TV and video games that caused those in the US western frontier to be engaged - they had to in order to survive. Today, one doesn't need to hunt for one's food, skin an animal or pick one's own cotton to make clothing, etc.
Hope you had the happiest of days and have many more to come!
drawings which freeze the ideas on paper, for
further thought and, maybe, action!!! -- j
Translation from concept to word format occurs seemingly without effort, as language is so ingrained and practiced within me...but when I ponder deeply on something, I always revert to the super-efficient and naturally direct venue of concept.
Moreover, I believe that individuality is inherent and not everyone does the same thing in the same way.
Not only did I see Kirk Douglas as Ulysses, I watched Armand Asanti as Odysseus before I finally read both books in dual language Greek/English from the Loeb Classics Library. But as a child, in the community swimming pool, on my back, I was a trireme and my arms were oars. Imagination works with whatever material it is given.
And how many of our children actually go outdoors and play in the neighborhood with other children?
being entertained by this medium requires no thinking.
I was not consulted as to this change, just as I was not consulted as to the forced adoption of the retardation system... I mean the metric system.
It is widely used by those hostile to Christianity. Isn't it an odd coincidence that "BCE" has the same exact end date as "BC", and "CE" has the exact same start date as "AD". Not 1945, the year of the atom, not 1776, the year of individual liberty, not 6,000 BC, the earliest known written records, not Abe Urbe Condita, the founding of Rome, not 476 AD, the year the Western Roman Empire fell.
Just because something has been pushed onto the public is no reason to accept it.
It's political correctness, and therefore evil.
As in "Windows CE".
It's also used sometimes as a PC euphemism for A.D. It's corollary is BCE... which demonstrates the PC stupidity of it.
IF what you say is right, this completely ruins the Clan of The Cave Bear series for me...
I would think that even up to 25000 years ago, even neanderthals experienced satisfaction and pride in their skills. How else would you get someone to rise to spiritual leader for the group without some basic understanding and processing of emotions however mystically they were interpreted. I do think with the age of "me too" products, youth need to make a conscious effort to tune in by turning everything else off.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_...
and the more complete presentation from the Metropolitan Museum of Art here:
http://metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wrtg/hd_wrt...
Writing likely began with NUMERACY. Keeping track of things led to the invention of "big" numbers such as 5, 6, 7... Neither Fred Flintstone nor Ayla could not count to ten. The method was via clay tokens. Pictographic images of clay tokens became cuneiform writing.
See the works of University of Texas art historian, Denise Schmandt-Besserat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_Schm...
and
http://blogs.utexas.edu/dsb/
I can't speak for the homo sapiens, although I assume they had written language along a parallel timeline.
And what do you mean "EVEN Neanderthals"?
limited by it and enabled by it ... and at 65, I have
found that I have driven parts of it -- like my lungs
and my legs -- too hard. they are nearing the end
of their service lives. makes me love advances in
bio-mechanical and stem-cell research!!! -- j
been hospitalized for eating too much fast food (low
magnesium), sold my '71 harley fx, bought two more
bikes, a harley and an old honda ('65 dream), and
now I'm working on wearing out a subaru baja! -- j
p.s. Keep Up The Good Work, gee-eye!!! ... and
remember the fellow who skidded in sideways,
yelling, "Yee-Haaaa, Whatta Ride!"
"Maybe, the fountain of youth isn't a fountain at all. Maybe, it's a way of looking at things - a way of thinking."
Keep thinking. Stay young!
and it's gooooooood! (like Jeff Dun-ham's "peanut")
I recommend it!!! -- j
p.s. it's just filtered city water, now, after the PC
folks got ahold of 'em.
little tour trains and a lighthouse and evvathang!!! -- j