So your going to change the world, but for whom?

[Psycheinaboat]

Change within oneself is the change that matters. Changing this world begins there.

[hoope]

here's a simple example from life......

The Only "Enabler" in My Life
As a child, I learned at a very early age, to project hatred with a passion, on everyone around me, and also as a means of survival and staying safe from pain and suffering. The end result of this distorted belief system, was that for the next 30 years, I kept myself in bondage to addictions and long-term incarcerations. Up until about 15 years ago, I found myself arrested and incarcerated.

However, in my journey this time I crossed paths with a different type of Correctional Officer. A 72-year-old retired Sheriff’s Officer, who was employed part-time as a Correctional Officer. I was assigned to him as a barber. Little did I know that this little guy would become the pivotal force in my life. He became the first person to batter me with kindness, and called me all kinds of weird, strange, alien and bizarre names, such as: admirable, remarkable, and trusting person. Even, once during a potentially explosive confrontation between myself and other inmates, he electronically locked-down the "Unit" and left me inside! When I asked him why he had done this, he simply smiled and replied, “I knew you could handle that situation.” My thought was, “Yeah right, as if I'm superman.” But he had seen that I had the gift of “negotiating.”

Now, this weirdo had faith and trust in me! I remember thinking, “What was wrong with this dude?!” However, those simple acts of empowerment, and allowing me to know and trust myself and understand that I was a valuable person, has had a profound effect on my life.

Today, on a daily basis, I surrender to living life on life’s terms. And to the best of my ability, I smile and project love toward others. Today, I'm a licensed & registered addictions therapist/counselor. I co-facilitate meditation retreats in prisons, and I teach a graduate class at a local university. All because another human being had the courage to take a risk with me. I've had no treatment interventions, no burning bushes, or laying on of hands; just a simple loving individual that mirrored (projected) every single exquisite quality that he possessed on another human. My only regret, to this story is that, I have been unable to locate God's little Angel, (his nickname was “BRAT”) and bow deeply to him and simply say, “NAMASTE, a thousand times, Mr. Bradburn.”

http://www.forbetterlife.org/be-insp...37&value_id=61

[muazjalil]

No offense but the initial proposition "human nature cannot be changed" is false, it can be modified augmented improved because human beings are influence by Culture Education Family media etc. The entire subject of psychology and sociology is based on that principle "how we evolve". So the entire argument starts from a false premise.

But just for argument's sake let me assume that it cannot be changed, so what? I bet everyone knew that guy or gal in their class who used to ace every exam, what about the Nobel Laureates or people studying at Harvard or Ivy leagues are they average student!! We seem to have no issues when it comes to acknowledging that some people are simply more gifted than others and we glorify them too. Then why do we expect equality in other aspects. The statement "world is not equal" and "World is not fair" are quite different, the first one is a fact and the second one is a debatable assertion but one does not follow from the other.

Standard of living depends on level of income, so even if the income distribution is much more unequal now people are still better off than before as average level of income is higher.

People often suggest that we dont have "peace" where as in reality we are probably living in the most peaceful time in human history (so far), and optimism has nothing to do with it. Fact is because of media/global interconnectedness we now know that there is a war going on in Iraq or people are dying in Sudan or Palestine/Israel. When a soldier dies in Afghanistan we get the news immediately and that's unprecedented. The result is we think that the world has become a much worse place than before, in this case a little bit of tour de History will help us a lot.

The result is similar to what happens when you have a new law that tries to punish people for domestic violence. Reports of domestic violence actually goes up after the law is enacted, however that does not mean people are committing more violence because of the law but rather because of the law people are now reporting more as they now have recourse which previously they didn't and hence did not report. Correlation and Causality are distinct.


(NB: I am studying economics, so I am as dismal as one can get)

[Virgil]

Mauz, you make some very good points here. Let me comment.

No offense but the initial proposition "human nature cannot be changed" is false, it can be modified augmented improved because human beings are influence by Culture Education Family media etc. The entire subject of psychology and sociology is based on that principle "how we evolve". So the entire argument starts from a false premise.

I'm not sure I agree here. I don't think human nautre changes, but we can set up insitutions that generate different results from our nature. I hope that makes sense. And so we don't modify human nature, we try to generate the best possible results.

But just for argument's sake let me assume that it cannot be changed, so what? I bet everyone knew that guy or gal in their class who used to ace every exam, what about the Nobel Laureates or people studying at Harvard or Ivy leagues are they average student!! We seem to have no issues when it comes to acknowledging that some people are simply more gifted than others and we glorify them too. Then why do we expect equality in other aspects. The statement "world is not equal" and "World is not fair" are quite different, the first one is a fact and the second one is a debatable assertion but one does not follow from the other.

Absolutely agree with you here. First of all it is impossible to expect equality of outcome. To enforce equality of outcome has proven disasterous and frankly unjust. If a person works harder than another, he ought to be compensated for it, not punished.

Standard of living depends on level of income, so even if the income distribution is much more unequal now people are still better off than before as average level of income is higher.

Absolutely!!!! Is it better to be equally poor or have a better standard of living despite someone else being better off. That is wisdom. I've finally found a soul mate here.

People often suggest that we dont have "peace" where as in reality we are probably living in the most peaceful time in human history (so far), and optimism has nothing to do with it. Fact is because of media/global interconnectedness we now know that there is a war going on in Iraq or people are dying in Sudan or Palestine/Israel. When a soldier dies in Afghanistan we get the news immediately and that's unprecedented. The result is we think that the world has become a much worse place than before, in this case a little bit of tour de History will help us a lot.

Definitely agree that it's perception. I'm sure there are no statistics to prove it one way or the other. But I'm sure there have been much worse times, and given the world now enjoys the highest standards of living ever, the world is certainly a much better place to live than probably at any time in history.

(NB: I am studying economics, so I am as dismal as one can get)

I wish more people would study economics. Welcome to lit net.

[Mr Hyde]

You seem to be of the mind, that sense making an absolute utopia is impossible, then why bother to attempt to make any imporvement at all.

Very astute.

That is ALL the problems cannot be solved, no one should attempt to solve ANY of the problems.

Nods.

As to an example of some change that has taken place. Women have a lot more rights, freedoms, independents, then they use to once upon a time ago. Sure there are still a few select parts of the world that hold old world views about women.

I don't believe in rights. I also despise political correctness as the more it tries to supposedly correct the world the more problems it creates.

The only right that exists to me is might. Might makes right.

But once upon a time ago the marjoriy of the world with only a few meeger exceptions viewed women as sub-class, inferrior to men, whose only purpose was to stay at home and pump out babies.

And now that we have feminism the metanarrative is that men are these oppressive destructive creatures responsible for a large part of suffering around the world.

Now masculinism is discouraged for emasculation or pacifist behaviors.

I don't like feminism much because I hate all forms of political correctness and I also believe women relatively have it easy compared to men.

[Mr Hyde]

They say practice makes perfect. But if nobody's perfect, then why practice?

Exactly.

I think it's just sad if one decide to sit on his couch and do nothing just because he has this point of view that no matter what he does, there are always be poor people out there.

You call it sad where I just call it realism.

We will never know what can 1 dollar bill or a piece of bread do to someone else's life.

Not a whole hell of alot.

[Mr Hyde]

Change within oneself is the change that matters. Changing this world begins there.

Unfortunately changing yourself doesn't matter considering the limitations and confinements of our world is imposed by society regardless of the sentiments within you.

[Mr Hyde]

No offense but the initial proposition "human nature cannot be changed" is false, it can be modified augmented improved because human beings are influence by Culture Education Family media etc. The entire subject of psychology and sociology is based on that principle "how we evolve". So the entire argument starts from a false premise.

And what has culture and education done in the many thousands of years that both have existed in changing anything other than help repeat the cycle of inequality?

How has human nature been changed?

[Mr Hyde]

I'm not sure I agree here. I don't think human nautre changes, but we can set up insitutions that generate different results from our nature. I hope that makes sense. And so we don't modify human nature, we try to generate the best possible results.

Oh they try with their wishful thinking but as for results...........

If a person works harder than another, he ought to be compensated for it, not punished.

Judgement of seperiority often leads to prejudice which inevitably leads to inequality.

Did you just notice the element in what you said?

[Dark Muse]

And now that we have feminism the metanarrative is that men are these oppressive destructive creatures responsible for a large part of suffering around the world.

I do not agree with the direction femiminsim has taken in this day and age, nor am I waving any banner in support of them.

But considering I have no interest in being a "housewife" that spends all my time cooking and cleaning, and being viewed as subservaint.

And I certaintly have no interest in reproducing, and well if I lived once upon a time ago, I probably already would have been thrown to the inqusistion and burned at the stake. I have to say things of improved considerably.

I also believe women relatively have it easy compared to men.

Personally I cannot much stand to here either gender whine about how much better the other half has it, becasue unless they happen to live somewhere where they do have real problems, I do not think either side as much of a right to complain.

[Mr Hyde]

Societies are not and cannot be organized according to a plan or a goal as there is no direction to history, and there is no such thing as moral or spiritual progress.

[Dark Muse]

While I agree that soceities cannot be orginized according to a plan, I think history itself disproves your last point.

[Mr Hyde]

While I agree that soceities cannot be orginized according to a plan, I think history itself disproves your last point.

There is no such thing as history or anything else, for that matter beyond our subjective efforts to define it.

[Mr Hyde]

I do not agree with the direction femiminsim has taken in this day and age, nor am I waving any banner in support of them.

But considering I have no interest in being a "housewife" that spends all my time cooking and cleaning, and being viewed as subservaint.

And I certaintly have no interest in reproducing, and well if I lived once upon a time ago, I probably already would have been thrown to the inqusistion and burned at the stake. I have to say things of improved considerably.

http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=38841

Personally I cannot much stand to here either gender whine about how much better the other half has it, becasue unless they happen to live somewhere where they do have real problems, I do not think either side as much of a right to complain.

I just express what I feel.

[subterranean]

Exactly.




You call it sad where I just call it realism.



Not a whole hell of alot.

Tell me, what's the goal of this whole discourse of yours?