Arguing Vs. Voting

Right or wrong, I'd rather have the right to argue than the right to vote.

Can Pop Culture Change Natural Law?

I was thinking of something that's sort of like pragmatism in a way.  I wondered if human beings could inspire God even when they inspire no one else.  Then I got to wondering something else.  If human beings can inspire God, maybe they can inspire everything else.

In the past century, the trend in pop culture has been to make things more mentally complex.  Computers are made up of complex parts, as is most technology.  And we have discovered that a lot of nature is made up of complex chemical elements.  We could go on for decades studying this stuff.  But will we get sort of tired and worn out from such mental exertion?  As we study finance more and more, creating a more complex financial system, there is some talk of reducing its complexity, particularly in the area of taxation.  If we do that, will we reduce the complexity of technology and of other scientific discoveries?  Can we maintain our knowledge that we have being able to construct computers and chemical compounds without a complex method of understanding them?  If we decide we want natural, financial, and physical laws to be simpler for us, will they be?  Can we influence that?  Did we influence these things to be complex in the first place, and will a simple preference for the simple make these things simpler as well?

Of course most people would say the very idea is ridiculous, and that natural laws are set in stone beyond human influence.  But I'm just trying to be open minded here.

Why bite the hand that feeds you?

I think a lot of people on welfare vote for big government because they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them.  But there are occassions where doing so would make sense.  If the hand that feeds you also hits you or holds you back, you might want to take your chances and get away from it.  Especailly if you favor liberty and are willing to risk security to get it.  Also if you know of another hand that can feed you better (like perhaps your own) then you might want to bite the hand that's currently feeding you.

Can God be inspired?

I wonder about our celebrity culture, and why people want to be famous.  I think in ancient China not too many people desired that accomplishment.  Perhaps the reason people want to be famous is they want to be a part of someone else's life in a way that makes them feel important.  They want to be an influence on the lives of as many others as possible.  But is this even necessary?  Why can't we be comfortable in obscurity?  Why do we need to be an influence on others?  Why do we always feel we need to leave something behind when we die?

I think it's because we forgot that we can be an influence on God.  That Roman soldier impressed Jesus with his faith, so I think we can inspire God, even though he's omnipotent and almighty.  I think he might have created us to be inspired by us.  So if only he knows of our existence, and the rest of everything we ever were on this earth vanishes without a trace, we can still know we were important, because our lives actually inspired the most important being of all.

Maybe we should forget this foolishness about achieving greatness, and just go along with the flow as best we can.  I understand having ambition, because there are things I want to do that I think would be great, but my gosh, why do we sell our souls for fame?  Why should we trash God's law just so people know who we are?  I'm speaking mostly of Kim Kardashian here.  Remember how she staged a sham marriage just so people would talk about her, and she'd get extra money to buy junk no one ever needs?  Nothing like breaking a life-long vow for something so petty.

Pendulum

If society is like a pendulum, oscillating back and forth, and you're out of step the pendulum, swinging left when it swings right, and swinging right when it swings left, you are both ahead of your time and behind the times.

The Opposite of Depression

In a nightmare world, the opposite of depression is insanity.

No Rules

When I look at a blank page or a blank canvas, I realize there are no rules.  I can be as G-rated as I want to be.

A Fake Minister

One day I want to get one of those 100 dollar, one-hour course phoney minister degrees, just so I could have it.  But if I were to ever be asked to speak as a minister, I'd always want to address myself as a fake minister.  I'd be proud of my minister degree being fake, and I'd want people to know it was fake.

Given Too Much

I think I first learned in college that you will always be asked to do more than you're able or expected to do.  I remember one class where I was given an insane amount of reading material.  Of course I didn't read it all.  I couldn't.  It was impossible.  But I still made an A in the class.  Obviously I wasn't expected to read all that stuff.  And the same thing happened in other college classes I had.  Then when I began working in an office, I felt the same experience.  So it's just an ugly fact of the world that you will always be given more than you're expected to do.  And I think in the same way the government is giving you more taxes than you're able to pay, to keep you in debt and at their mercy.  It's how they milk you dry.  So I guess I'm glad I first learned the lesson in college, even though to this day that lesson still depresses me.  I wish I was expected to do things within my capabilities, so I wouldn't feel so tired from the pressures of the world.  I'm not suicidal or homicidal or anything.  Just mildly frustrated that what should be isn't what is.  As long as I get to keep working for my bread, and I get a fair amount of time off, and I get to keep my house, frustrating situations are tolerable.  Cats and books bring me relaxation.  Thank God for them.  And for my family too, which is sometimes relaxing.

Multi-Tasking and Focusing Are Opposites

I'm opposed to multi-tasking.  I'm all for efficiency and everything, but at some point, you got to sit down and actually focus on something that you do.  You have to ignore everything else that's going on in the world and try not to do too much all at once.  Focus improves the quality of your work even if it reduces the quantity.

Plus it's a pain in the behind to multi-task.

The Dark Side

When I tell people I converted to the Dark Side, they usually worry.  But then I specify that it's the G-rated Dark Side, and then they're okay.

A G-rated Clockwork Orange

I read a book called Clockwork Orange once that demonstrated the behavior of R-rated anarchy.  I would love to write something people would actually read that would demonstrate G-rated anarchy.

Non-Specialized Accomplishments

We live in an age where someone is expected to pick one thing to focus on and develop it as much as we can.  In other words to be the best.  We tell somebody, "Hey, be the best football player ever," or, "Be the best advertising executive ever."  We never say, "Be the best combination of popcorn maker, lawyer, and welder ever."  Someone who is the best as this combination of things is probably no where near the best at any three of them.  All of us are probably the best in the world at some unusual combination of abilities, even though for the most part we're not the best at specifically one thing. 

Look at Eratosthenes.  This guy did a lot of stuff, even though he probably wasn't the absolute best at any one thing he did.  He even got made fun of for it.

So we should take pride in the combination of our abilities, even if we get no recognition for it.

Horrendous Memory

I read a Sherlock Holmes book of short stories, and then read it again.  My memory was so bad I couldn't remember who committed the crimes in most of the stories, so it was like I was reading them for the first time when I was really reading them the second time.  Heck, I couldn't even remember the outcome of the story where the HORSE committed the murder.

Computer Parts

I sometimes wish I had a whole room full of nothing but computer parts that no one wants so I could spend my recreational time smashing them to bits.

Implicit Generosity

I'll do a little ethical philosophy here.

Suppose society is like a buffet of limited resources, where you can take as much or as little as you want, BUT if you take a lot, you are obligated to give a lot back in return.  Would you take a relatively small amount or a relatively large amount?  I'd take a relatively small amount just so I wouldn't have to give as much back.

Someone who takes a lot but gives a lot back is explicitly generous.  Someone who takes just a little bit from the start so others could have something is implicitly generous.  Someone who takes a little bit or a lot, and doesn't put a proportionate amount back is flat out greedy, but the more they take, the greedier they are.  I'd like to think I'm ever so slightly greedy.

Tao

I don't know much about Tao, but I think it has something to do with emptiness, quietness, and open space.  Things that are pretty rare in the cluttered western world.  So I guess Tao has some appealing elements to me.  It's like the opposite of hoarding.  And man, if you've ever seen that show hoarders, you know what I'm talking about.

Pessimism

I know there's a society called the Optimist Society.  I wonder if there's a Pessimist Society anywhere.  I think in some ways pessimism is more honorable than optimism.  If you have optimistic faith in a bad idea, you're a fool.  If you have pessimistic faith in a good idea, it's because you realize that there are a lot of fools in the world who seem to screw good stuff up.

Funny Obsession

I think it would be a funny obsession if someone wanted to eliminate all dirt from the surface of the earth.

Can't We All Get Along?

No, not really.  As long as there are opposing ideas in the world there will be certain things that aren't going to fall victim to compromise.  So we either got to force everyone to think the same way, or we just have to get used to arguing a lot.

For instance, should charity/welfare, whatever you want to call it, be obligated to private citizens or a centralized government?  Both entities could abuse what they are given. 

There are just certain core fundamentals that people are not going to compromise on.

Customers Are Often Wrong

I read in a marketing book about the push towards consumerism that began decades ago and is still going strong today.  Customers should have rights, like being informed and safe and all that, but some just can't be satisfied no matter what.  Buddy, if McDonalds takes 2 minutes to make your hamburger instead of 1 minute, you don't have to flip out and scream for the manager.  Quit being so darn spoiled.  The burger's only like a buck anyway.  If you were paying 20 dollars for the thing that would be different.

People want to "be their own boss" these days.  What does that mean anyway?  It means you open a business and you still have to satisfy customers, just like your employees do.  Customers are still in charge of you while they're buying, just like they're in charge of your employees.  So being your own boss is really a myth.  And it's not a myth worth going into a tremendous amount of debt for. 

Little Things > World Records

I figure little things must be more important than big things since God requires little things to happen more often.  He must like seeing us brushing our teeth more than he likes seeing us setting a world record in something.

Book Burning

You use books to develop your mind and exercise machines to develop your body.  Now if someone participated in a demonstration where they burned exercise machines instead of books, would anybody be offended?

What Viral E-mails Replaced

As much as I like getting People of Walmart fowards, I do see that they've led to the fatality of something that was once great.  Newspaper comics.  Calvin and Hobbes was by far my favorite.  I was hoping to see another comic strip creator come up with something on its level, but I guess that'll never happen since newspapers are being killed by the internet.  So goodbye newspaper comics.  You will be missed.

Contradictions Are Necessary For Life

According to the theory of Cognitive Dissonance developed by Leon Festinger in 1957, people modify something about their beliefs if their beliefs appear to be contradictory because they desire their own minds to be consistent.  A few years back I ran into similar issues, and I in fact, did modify my beliefs.  I learned to accept contradictions as potential truths.  I rarely see someone else who is willing to do so.  So if science is contradictory, I have no problem with it.  If religion is contradictory, I have no problem with it.  I am no longer bothered by cognitive dissonance.  Is there any consistency in my own life as a result?  Probably so, but the consistency is just random.  I'd like to develop a theory where contradictions are the norm and any consistency that arises out of life does so simply by chance.  Because the world is a very strange place indeed.  I see things that don't make sense every day.  Maybe life could not exist without contradiction, since so much of the world don't make sense.

On Fitness...

Most people approach fitness with a goal in mind.  That's the problem.  If all you care about is losing weight or looking better, you aren't going to have much motivation.  You're looking at the ends instead of the means.  You need to forget about the ends and learn to consider the means a reward instead. Then you can't be stopped.

Let's say you don't have a goal.  You just love working out.  Your goal at the end of the work or school day is to hit the gym because you love it.  Then you'll get in better shape without even thinking about it.  You don't care how you look or what your weight is, and you'll never care because you love the means more than the ends. 

So my advice to most people is either abandon fitness or learn to love it without having any goal in mind.  And New Years is the WORST time to start a fitness program because you planned it.  You shouldn't plan it at all.  Just jump into it immediately.  If you have the idea to get fit on December 12th, then start getting fit on December 12th.  Don't put it off until New Years. 

Second Best is Really the Best

What's the best painting in the world?  The Mona Lisa?  Why?  Cause everyone else says so?  I like Vermeer's Girl With The Pearl Earring.  I heard it was called the Mona Lisa of the North.  But in my opinion, it's better than the Mona Lisa simply because it's less famous than the Mona Lisa.  I don't want to like the same thing everyone else likes.

Same thing with intellectuals.  Is Albert Einstein my favorite intellectual?  Heck no.  I never even studied physics.  I'm more interested in his good friend Kurt Godel.

So I guess I'm interested in quality without hype.  Sometimes I like guys who have hype behind them, like Brock Lesnar back in his WWF days, but most of the time I look for the guy who isn't number one, but is pretty much just as good.  I feel like I've done more research when I like something that's not number one. 

Appreciating Our Congressmen

I wonder why no members of congress ever defend themselves from the constant barrage of insults hurled at them?  It makes the insults look more true when they use no defense whatsoever.  Couldn't they defend themselves once a year at least?

I remember when AIG was bailed out with government money and their executives got huge bonuses, one of the executives actually had the guts to defend himself against all the complaints.  I can't remember his argument, but it surprised me.  Call him ethical or unethical, but at least he had some guts.

I think a Congressman should write a letter like this:

"Dear American public:

As a Congressman of the United States, I know I am looked down upon by the majority of you.  Perhaps it makes sense.  We do make legislation that is often questionable, and we know you look at that legislation and think you can do a better job than us.

But let me tell you something.  This job is harder than it looks.  We have to make a lot of decisions and try to lead a lot of people into accepting those decisions.

We keep hearing you complain about us giving away your tax money as welfare.  Well heck, you can just give the bums that don't work money directly if you want to.  I doubt you will.  And when you don't, they're going to rob your house.  We're just trying to appease them to make sure that doesn't happen.  Same with all the foreign aid we give out.  You want those folks mad at you?  I bet not.  You all talk tough, but you'd do the same thing we're doing if you were in our shoes.  You wouldn't just let a lady with nine illegitimate children die on the street with all her kids, no matter how lazy and crooked she was.

And then you complain about our salaries and health care.  Trust me, we could make our salaries much higher if we wanted, but we don't out of respect to you.  You'd want to be financially set for life if you were in our position.  And I'll bet a lot of you would want fancy cars and mansions too.  Tell me you'd reject all that stuff and be altruistic if you were in our position.

We do a darn good job keeping America afloat whether you know it or not.  And yet most of you are so ungrateful.  You don't know all the threats to your well being that are out there that we guard you against.  We let you be mad at us, because most of the time we have better things to do than defend our actions, but enough is enough.  You need to understand that we are public SERVANTS.  We work more hours than you'll ever know protecting this country against more things than we can ever tell you about.  Plato knew what he was talking about promoting a republic over a democracy.  You all need smart people like us running the government because the average joe cannot.  No matter how well -intentioned he is.  We use all our brains keeping things going, and if we let you know everything we did, the country would fall apart because you all aren't smart enough to be trusted with that information.  I hate to sound mean talking like that, but it's true.

So I guess it's worth taking all the insults from you guys and looking incompetent if I get to protect you every day against things you'll never know.  I deserve a lot as a legislator, and get far less than what I deserve.  I'm sorry you feel differently.  But I hope you have a nice day anyhow.

Sincerely,

Your ELECTED official"

Well, that's the letter I'd like to see.  Probably will never see it.  I personally hate almost everyone in Washington although I know none of them personally.  Still, I'm TRYING to see things from their point of view here.  I think I did a pretty good job putting myself in their shoes with my limited knowledge.

Questioning Mathematics

Math is pretty much the most set in stone thing I've ever seen, which is a big reason I studied it as an undergrad.  But as I studied it further, I came across the work of Cantor.  His work is very paradoxical.  So paradoxical it made me wonder if mathematics is correct.  Then I thought maybe even logic itself is flawed.  Then I thought, well heck, if logic is flawed, that leaves room for superstitions to be true.  So, if you're ever evangelizing a religion (like my religion of Christianity) and someone says there are too many contradictions in your holy book, you can question logic's validity as a response.  I like to point out the Banach-Tarski paradox myself.  Plus I like to reference Plato and say our senses are probably off, so we can't rely on them for truth.  Of course, the person can say in response that if I argue that, then I can't argue anything with certainty, even my religion, and well, I guess they got me there.  But I'd rather get people to question logic than to not question Christianity.  Simply opening the door is better than trying to force someone through it.  That's my evangelistic suggestion for anyone who wants to spread their religion to atheists.

Idea Generation

Some men want money.  Some men want power.  Some men want ideas.  Ideas have a wonderful attractiveness about them.  And I'm glad the internet allows us to post ideas for others to see.  For years I've been trying to promote the ideas of G-rated Shock Value on youtube, and I just haven't had much luck.  I haven't had the ability to match the medium used with the ideas generated, so I have not been able to communicate my ideas effectively.  Blogs are a lot easier to make than videos, and easier to publish than books, so perhaps I can work on expressing my ideas through this form of public diary. 

I like many R-rated things and I like many G-rated things.  I just think that there are too many R-rated things right now, so I'm trying to create a new path for G-ratedness.  I watch a lot of pro-wrestling, and when that show wants to draw attention to a wrestler, they turn him from a good guy to a bad guy.  So I thought, heck, I can do the same with the G-rating.  I can turn G-rated stuff from being good to being bad.  As long as I keep the bad stuff G-rated, it doesn't violate its identity.  And believe me, there's more room for G-rated stuff to be bad than you'd think.

The first thing I got to do is think of a better name for G-rated Shock Value.  I think the best I've come up with so far is clean mental poison.  I'm open for suggestions to other names, as I try in my own anonymous way to make G-rated stuff more controversial.