I’ve found that some people in Taoist circles have passionate ideals about cultivating one’s character. Seen from a symptoms point of view, I see passion overall as arising from the mother of need — fear. In this case, they fear lack of control over life, which drives their desire to control life… to cultivate character. […]
Continue reading…Cultivating Ego
Science News’s, Rats Feel Regret, Experiment Finds, reported that when a rat realizes it made a mistake, its body and brain show signs of regret (1). This finding is yet another nail in the coffin of human ‘exceptionalism’. Sure, we are different from rats, but so are butterflies and cats. Research like this truly challenges […]
Continue reading…Passing judgment is healthy if…
Okay, first we need to stipulate that passing judgment is an innate part of any social animal’s nature… and most especially human animals. I say “most especially” because we lug around many preconceptions that worm their way into our imagination.
Continue reading…Necessity is the Mother
If you’re unfamiliar with the neuroscience behind the illusion of freewill, this TED talk, Sam Harris on “Free Will”, is a good listen. If you are familiar, then skip ahead until it gets interesting as he addresses other related issues.
Continue reading…Practice what you preach
The saying, “practice what you preach” makes for an appealing ideal, or for a good put down. Taking it deeper, the idea becomes a source of internal strife. We are capable of imagining ideal behaviors that are completely out of reach… even to the point of being humanly impossible. Yet, we dream away, expecting ourselves […]
Continue reading…Of Mountains, Molehills and the Supernatural
I’ve noticed how our species appears to have a universal sense of the supernatural. Now, I know science types and atheists will probably dispute that, at least as far as ‘universal’ applies to them. They’ll claim that they don’t believe in the supernatural. Fair enough, so let me rephrase this…
Continue reading…Civilized Insanity
Cults like ISIS and Nazis define true human insanity for me. However, the tribal instinct driving this is universal. It pops up in all of us to various degrees. What drives the fanatic ISIS or Nazi to go over the edge? And what is the best way to deal with this? What determines the degree?
Continue reading…Ancient Signs Of Modern Behavior
Modern behavior and an ability to think and have knowledge are two sides of the same coin. Recent discoveries show this goes way back, even before Adam and Eve ;-). Our existential difficulties are a consequence of the unique ability we have for thinking and knowing… and for thinking we know. As chapter 71 says, […]
Continue reading…The Good Old Days
Some profoundly pivotal points in human history go back at least 3+ million years. The Science News article Written in bone sheds light on one, the transition from hunter gather tribes to more civilized farming populations. First, let’s review major pivotal points in the order they occurred to provide context: (photo: written in bone) 1) […]
Continue reading…Modus Operandi
Life following the agricultural revolution has been a period of exponential growth in technological change affecting every aspect of human existence. Youth compared to the elderly are much more inclined to be comfortable with such change, even embrace it. Rash actions excite younger folks. Considering this through the lens of chapter 16, “Not knowing the […]
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