Three a.m. Thoughts on Wholeness.
Dec 7, 2015 21:46:40 GMT -6
Nugget, Glencairn, and 1 more like this
Post by Charles1952 on Dec 7, 2015 21:46:40 GMT -6
I keep a small pad of paper and a pen by my bed. I sometimes get an idea, or remember a task that needs to be done, while I'm in bed staring at the ceiling. The pen is especially clever, it has a tiny flashlight built into the tip so I don't even need to turn on the light. Last night I had more than a note to jot down. If I can read my sleepy writing, here's what I wrote. (All right, I admit it, I enlarged and clarified it.)
The importance of "three" can hardly be overstated; Man, Woman, Child; Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis; Father, Son, Holy Ghost; Id, Ego, Superego. In more common terms, a whole person needs a heart (passion), a mind (intellect), and a soul (informed conscience). The three must exist and work together in a rough balance to prevent a diseased person.
If someone has a heart overgrown at the expense of the other organs of personality there will be an emotional, yet senseless, gush of sloppy sentimentality or passion. You can see that in anyone supporting any Democratic candidate for president or Donald Trump. It's also on display in those who are called Jihadis, terrorists, career criminals, or others without thought or conscience to control them. But you can also see it in people addicted to activities which provide thrills or emotional rushes at any cost. It's also on display in husbands leaving their wives for someone younger who promises more excitement, or even some businessmen who see obtaining as much money as quickly as possible as "winning the game." Consider Michelle Obama holding up a piece of cardboard saying #BringBackOurGirls. That can hardly be topped as a piece of mindless, useless, "Heart" activity. But people do it because it makes them feel good for awhile, and when the feeling wears off they go for another.
It's like a lot of gasoline without a car to utilize it. There's a hugely impressive explosion which catches everybody's attention, but when it burns out nothing has really changed and the crowd wanders away.
But what if the mind is the pathologically swollen organ in an individual? There are perils here as well, and they are more dangerous. If the individual and society is fortunate, such a person will retire to a life of research and analysis, gathering facts which become more and more obscure, then subjecting them to finer and finer examination. That person might be a professor or an Internet scrounger who picks up more and more facts from around the world but never does anything with them except toss them into a conversation to impress others.
But the threat comes from those overpowered by intellect who are driven to take action on their thoughts. Think about this argument;
1.) Society should be improved militarily, scientifically, and economically.
2.) To accomplish this, society's resources have to be efficiently directed to these ends.
3.) Spending to benefit the elderly or disabled does not advance society's goals.
4.) Let those who don't contribute, die.
Hitler saw the Jews as a drain on his society and so ordered that they be eliminated. If he was right in his assessment, isn't it apparent that an intellect alone, but driven to action, would take the action he did? Margaret Sanger started Planned Parenthood as a way to stop "inferior" genes from being propagated. In her writings she points offers her belief that the Black population was a drag on society. Mao's Cultural Revolution required the deaths of millions, and the persecution of many more, to eliminate "old" thoughts. The list is a long one and is continuing.
It doesn't even have to be that dramatic. Remember Jonathon Gruber considered an architect of Obamacare? In 2009 he said:
The Independent Advisory Board has been given the task of reducing Medicare spending if it's spending exceeds certain targets. It's recommendations carry a lot of "fast track authority" weight. How will Medicare spending be reduced, as the population ages and more rely on Medicare? Does Mr. Gruber present an "intellect only" approach? Please remember that surgeons don't currently perform surgeries that do no good whatsoever. Mr. Gruber meant telling patients that they can't have a surgery which is determined to not do enough good (unless, of course, they want to pay out of pocket). As determined by . . .? (Now you know where the term "death panels" came from.)
Holy smoke, this has gone on for a long time. I think I'll leave an overgrown soul for you to think about. But the worst possible outcome of having such an inflamed conscience, but nothing else, is the failure to do good when it's possible. I'll take that over the other choices any day.
With great thanks for your patience,
Charles
The importance of "three" can hardly be overstated; Man, Woman, Child; Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis; Father, Son, Holy Ghost; Id, Ego, Superego. In more common terms, a whole person needs a heart (passion), a mind (intellect), and a soul (informed conscience). The three must exist and work together in a rough balance to prevent a diseased person.
If someone has a heart overgrown at the expense of the other organs of personality there will be an emotional, yet senseless, gush of sloppy sentimentality or passion. You can see that in anyone supporting any Democratic candidate for president or Donald Trump. It's also on display in those who are called Jihadis, terrorists, career criminals, or others without thought or conscience to control them. But you can also see it in people addicted to activities which provide thrills or emotional rushes at any cost. It's also on display in husbands leaving their wives for someone younger who promises more excitement, or even some businessmen who see obtaining as much money as quickly as possible as "winning the game." Consider Michelle Obama holding up a piece of cardboard saying #BringBackOurGirls. That can hardly be topped as a piece of mindless, useless, "Heart" activity. But people do it because it makes them feel good for awhile, and when the feeling wears off they go for another.
It's like a lot of gasoline without a car to utilize it. There's a hugely impressive explosion which catches everybody's attention, but when it burns out nothing has really changed and the crowd wanders away.
But what if the mind is the pathologically swollen organ in an individual? There are perils here as well, and they are more dangerous. If the individual and society is fortunate, such a person will retire to a life of research and analysis, gathering facts which become more and more obscure, then subjecting them to finer and finer examination. That person might be a professor or an Internet scrounger who picks up more and more facts from around the world but never does anything with them except toss them into a conversation to impress others.
But the threat comes from those overpowered by intellect who are driven to take action on their thoughts. Think about this argument;
1.) Society should be improved militarily, scientifically, and economically.
2.) To accomplish this, society's resources have to be efficiently directed to these ends.
3.) Spending to benefit the elderly or disabled does not advance society's goals.
4.) Let those who don't contribute, die.
Hitler saw the Jews as a drain on his society and so ordered that they be eliminated. If he was right in his assessment, isn't it apparent that an intellect alone, but driven to action, would take the action he did? Margaret Sanger started Planned Parenthood as a way to stop "inferior" genes from being propagated. In her writings she points offers her belief that the Black population was a drag on society. Mao's Cultural Revolution required the deaths of millions, and the persecution of many more, to eliminate "old" thoughts. The list is a long one and is continuing.
It doesn't even have to be that dramatic. Remember Jonathon Gruber considered an architect of Obamacare? In 2009 he said:
"Why should we hold 48 million uninsured people hostage to the fact that we don’t yet know how to control costs in a politically acceptable way?” asked Gruber in the 2009 transcript. “Let’s get the people covered and then let’s do cost control.”
“The real substance of cost control is all about a single thing: telling patients they can’t have something they want,” admitted Gruber. “It’s about telling patients, ‘That surgery doesn’t do any good, so if you want it you have to pay the full cost.’”
“The real substance of cost control is all about a single thing: telling patients they can’t have something they want,” admitted Gruber. “It’s about telling patients, ‘That surgery doesn’t do any good, so if you want it you have to pay the full cost.’”
The Independent Advisory Board has been given the task of reducing Medicare spending if it's spending exceeds certain targets. It's recommendations carry a lot of "fast track authority" weight. How will Medicare spending be reduced, as the population ages and more rely on Medicare? Does Mr. Gruber present an "intellect only" approach? Please remember that surgeons don't currently perform surgeries that do no good whatsoever. Mr. Gruber meant telling patients that they can't have a surgery which is determined to not do enough good (unless, of course, they want to pay out of pocket). As determined by . . .? (Now you know where the term "death panels" came from.)
Holy smoke, this has gone on for a long time. I think I'll leave an overgrown soul for you to think about. But the worst possible outcome of having such an inflamed conscience, but nothing else, is the failure to do good when it's possible. I'll take that over the other choices any day.
With great thanks for your patience,
Charles
