Life Update
November 3, 2007
‘k, I’m workin at the librario-Toushoukan for you folks in Sushi-land- enjoying it mostly. Occasionally get a chance to help people find some good books and help with interesting papers and the like. I’ve decided to give this creative-silliness a try again. Feel like there’s not enough joy in what I’m doing at school. It’s not real hard, but in some ways that is the problem. As a friend of mine said “It’s all just busy work!” I have been using my time to educate myself though and things are starting to come together in some weird way. I’ve been very Buddhist lately in my thinking and it has helped. Compassion for all beings is by and large underrated. The transience of life, and just how very precious it is…well being more aware of it does seem to provide more real moments.
Such thoughts have helped me get through the whole divorce trauma without being hateful or angry. I admit to getting angry sometimes, but they pass pretty quickly and that’s important to me. Optimism has never been my forte, but I’m working on being a little less pessimistic.
I’ve had some GREAT conversations with my friend Raymond about human nature. He sees it as basically bad, or even evil. Merely asking me the question and stating his opinion made me realize that I feel it’s rather the opposite. People generally tend to treat each other pretty well, at least when in a semi-natural environment. Now here’s where the evolutionary psychology comes in, we (humans) have spent most of our history living in small groups. Rather like chimps, I might add. And in such an environment the social group quickly figures out when someone lies or cheats and begins to distrust the folks who do these things. If someone does something terrible they would be banished from the group and forced to survive on their own. Like a wolf without a pack, they probably won’t last long.
This is streamofconsciousnessbloggingbytheway-thinkJamesjoycewithanIQof70,
oh&pleasewipeyourfeetonthedoormat.ThankYou.
Now, take a wolf from his natural environment, put him in a small cage alone and observe his behavior. Pretty soon he’ll become pretty psychotic. He needs space to roam, scents to investigate and he needs a pack of comrades. Give him those things and he can face the world. Remove them and you cripple his very soul. His behavior becomes irrational and counterproductive.
Can you see what I am saying about people? We are living in an unnatural environment. At least many of us are. OK the above example isn’t that great because it doesn’t very well address the social and communicative aspects of the wolf’s nature that are being cut away by his caged environment. But I made half a point anyway, didn’t I? I’ll try more when I’m slightly more sober.
