Saturday, August 16, 2008

a strange list, that needs to be shorter


Someone (no matter who) saying something does not make it so
  1. question everything and allow for any answer
  2. accept change
  3. Love everything you can
  4. hold onto nothing that does not want to be held onto (people, ideas, anything)
  5. discard all that is not needed
  6. learn what is real
  7. hold onto what is real and important
  8. understand stories for what they are
  9. see beauty
  10. don't get tied up in ego
  11. listen, especially to those who disagree with you
  12. share appropriately
  13. have no guru
  14. learn from others
  15. make mistakes
  16. enjoy mistakes
  17. have fun
  18. forgive (others and self)
  19. be honest with self
  20. understand things for what they are
  21. see people for who they are (not necessarily who they think or say they are)
  22. see self honestly (this might be the hardest to do)
  23. understand the difference between possible and probable
  24. question all feelings understand what is creating them
  25. question everything you know understand why you know it
  26. feelings just keep people controlled in society
  27. impose no should
  28. let others be what and who they are
  29. the only real experiences are the really good and the really bad
  30. People are more important than things
  31. Leave the world a better place for being there

I do not know who I am

I do not know what money is

I do not really know why the sun comes up or goes down

Other seem to think they know but I suspect they are naive.

feelings are interesting but ultimately are not trustworthy.
a. they motivate one towards things that one is biologically programmed for

b they motivate one towards things that one is culturally programmed for

If something seems too good to be true it probably is

Do not believe anyone who says trust me,

the phrase trust me really means shut up, stop thinking and accept what I say

Common sense is a misnomer

Be a skeptic

There is no new and original thought, just synthesis and mutation of what already exists

Science is a verb not a noun.

Humans are animals

Instinct or other programming motivates most of what humans do.

Humans need reasons

People do things for reasons

Most of the reasons are biological

People make up other reasons for doing things, but think their reason is true and correct

I would like to know who I am

I would like to know what is up

3 comments:

djinn said...

I would like to add that we are just dogs with Language. Language tricks us into thinking that we are cleverer than we are. And, it must be admitted, allows us to be cleverer than we otherwise would be.

djinn said...

What about "Be Kind?"

I guess I have one rule of thumb (previous post) one rule, above (which I fail at, but it's only 6 letters long so I can at least memorize it) and one koan. If you see the buddha on the road, kill him.

Scott W. Galer said...

James, this list really does sound like the James I remember. But there was more mystery without the list! I'm sincerely impressed that you have been able to articulate all this about your worldview. I don't think I could do the same for myself. If you want to catch up on our family a bit, check out Tricia's new blog: snakerivermama.blogspot.com. I'm in China with Madison at the moment. Home next week.