from the archives

this became my first ever blog post. it was written almost exactly 3 years ago and hasn't been edited:


here i go being self righteous again. i don't mean to but if you're going to contribute your ideas to the world at large then you will always straddle that line between being informative and preachy. i hope this is much more the former though i'm sure it will zig zag back and forth somewhat. having said that i'll be the first person to say that i don't know everything, don't have all the answers (or even come close) and to a large degree have no formal training to talk about what i'm going to talk about. i'm just a guy that pays attention. you will find that most of the advice i convey here can be factored out to leave very simple core elements such as paying attention. i believe that as a species we possess the tools for self improvement at macro and micro levels and that we pay for too little attention to these mechanisms and instead give in to base caveman mentality of me first. since these acts of impulse are so primitive there's reason to believe that processes' of similar simplicity (such as ones i suggest) can be ingrained in the collective psyche.
sadly, there's still something to be said for those who practice common decency. something that should have been assumed and assimilated amongst the human population any numbers of years, decades or centuries ago. regardless, here we are.

i hold certain inalienable beliefs that i think everyone would do well to adhere to. not in the sacrilegious sense but more like a guide. i prefer to think of it as my take on the golden rule. actually, it's basically just a regurgitated form of it. my belief is that all human beings have the capacity for good and that kindness begets kindness. obviously some exercise this capacity much more sparingly than others however i'm sure even hitler held the door for an old lady once (note: this is pure supposition on my part...but you get the point). you can't believe in the overall presence of good without acknowledging the existence of evil. i don't think of it as a god vs. devil thing really, just that the potential for malice is every bit as real as the inherent good i mentioned a few sentences ago. having said that i think that by and large our natural instincts are to do good, or at least we like to tell ourselves that. the most horrible acts have been justified through the guise of the greater good so we even have the potential to commit terrible crimes with the noblest of intentions, all the while patting ourselves our the back. that is a very frightening idea. this is the paradigm from which i view humanity at large and i think the history proves these assertions to be largely true. initially this may seem pessimistic but i don't see it that way. above all else i believe in the overall goodness of humanity, i just think that our priorities (at personal and national/global levels) are skewed.
we act in self interest (or what we perceive our self interest to be). this is both natural and understandable. in general, conflict arises when the self interest of one entity collides with that of another. this is essentially the reason for every war ever undertaken. fighting for land, fighting against the evil in the world, fighting to liberate a people etc. are too often misstated as such. any nations engaging in combat are doing so in their own perceived self interest, there is hardly any disputing that. to use one relevant example, america has invaded iraq on the pretext of preemptive war due to the threat posed by hussein. i'm not going to discuss the merits just the motives of this line of thinking. the reason why arguably equal if not greater threats or catastrophes (north korea, iran, global warming) have not warranted similar attention is self interest. i will make no assertions as to what that interest is suffice it to say that there can be no doubt as to the existence of it. the armchair generals of george bush's administration clearly believe and have stated ad nauseam that this war was, is and will be in the nation's best interest. this is not meant to demean this line of thinking, merely to explain it. now to use a personal example of self interest. i have a full time job that i maintain because i need to pay my rent and it's in my best interest to do so. i challenge myself to meet or exceed any and all expectations at this position and i do so not because i like the job (cause i don't) but because it's a means to an end. it's in my best interest to do so.
i'm being pedantic for a reason. this is not some revelation made after hours of careful observation and study. our pursuit of self interest is inherent in each one of us and can be reduced, dissected and applied to every decision we make. even at the most rudimentary level. this is a simple point but one worth noting as it is all around us and all it takes is the least bit of self awareness to grasp that. many of my observations are just that. my point is to encourage this kind of inquisitive journey into an understanding of oneself and of others. i believe that we must empathize with those around us in order to fully appreciate and express compassion for one another. i am not insinuating that we all must develop an emotional attachment to each other or any absurd notion of the sort. i propose that we need to develop an understanding and empathy towards humanity as a whole. it is only then that issues such as global warming and world hunger can be handled with the necessary policies. we must treat human factors as being greater in value than any kind of market expansion or bottom line. i intend to focus on the day to day and face to face encounters that shape this idea of humanity and how each one of us can change and improve these relationships.
we're all in this together. we all must feed, clothe and provide shelter for ourselves and the families we create. because of this i've never understood why people would make this struggle anymore difficult than it already is. understanding of this (i call it the human condition) is paramount to drawing on the patience that is sometimes required to deal with people. i'm convinced that this is much harder than it sounds and the amount of car horns, unruly customers and bar fights can all attest to that. let's face it, it is much easier to hate or to blame others than it is to show empathy. i will always believe that the patience and empathy is worth it and starting to write and express these thoughts is the first step i've made to expose these ideas to society.