tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post1117649134210345523..comments2024-03-27T00:33:30.832-07:00Comments on Chiron: 3 TropesRoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08483616030072739190noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-72274554219041178092014-01-31T12:00:22.810-08:002014-01-31T12:00:22.810-08:00I so agree. Raising a son and trying to imbue in h...I so agree. Raising a son and trying to imbue in him the level of commitment, respect, discipline and joy my father possessed was and seems to be a losing battle. My parents raised a strong daughter ahead of their times...or with their times, since most of my female predecessors have been strong and accomplished women in my family. But raising a son to understand that turning a Barbie doll into a gun is fine and that a man is only as good as his word and his will? To take responsibility for your own actions in this world? Whew! Sucks! I think lack of being responsible for your non-action and laziness, etc is more a problem than actual dream. But I think you are right in that traits often seen as inherently masculine are being down graded in Western society and have been for many years.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15511155842899819113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-60391638800981947522014-01-30T04:27:35.464-08:002014-01-30T04:27:35.464-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15252633618516984383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-7501204874581888622014-01-30T04:26:54.862-08:002014-01-30T04:26:54.862-08:00I like the general theme, but I have to disagree w...I like the general theme, but I have to disagree with Randy.'Silence of the Lambs' is 'Hanzel and Gretal'. There's a chicken bone and an unexpected bang at the end and the young girl turns out to be the one who saves the day.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15252633618516984383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-58287705622305641492014-01-29T09:41:31.841-08:002014-01-29T09:41:31.841-08:00I like reading fiction- including fantasy- but I k...I like reading fiction- including fantasy- but I know "The Secret" is bullshit.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05637925291373893785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-26354364450157865922014-01-29T09:39:29.007-08:002014-01-29T09:39:29.007-08:00I like reading fiction- including fantasy- but I k...I like reading fiction- including fantasy- but I know "The Secret" is bullshit.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05637925291373893785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-57601320317599797602014-01-26T10:11:34.385-08:002014-01-26T10:11:34.385-08:00This is gonna be quick and unpolished...
Maija, i...This is gonna be quick and unpolished...<br /><br />Maija, if I may, is describing intuition in this sentence: "The 'gut feeling' when something 'feels right' without being able to articulate why (which could be wrong, could be right, who knows), and I bet this place is also tied in with the 'location' of one's personal ethics and moral judgement." <br /><br />Intuition develops from personal experience.<br /><br />This is becoming a bit of a logic vs emotion thread. But remember, empiricism (knowledge gained through experience) trumps pure (and abstract) logic/reason. Greek philosophers were heavily into this approach. Something might look great on the logical drawing board, but only application will show if it works or not. <br /><br />And application (experience) can become heavily associated with any number of environmental cues that will set off emotional triggers in future events/settings/encounters. <br /><br />An emotional reaction is faster than a logical one. Intuition will alert a person to a problem often before he/she can consciously and logically recognize a problem. <br /><br />RXianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11422318102571966643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-22201751362248354842014-01-24T16:14:06.649-08:002014-01-24T16:14:06.649-08:00Neil - That's why you need a hammer ;-)Neil - That's why you need a hammer ;-)Maijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18264657619197571965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-54581980628679312752014-01-24T15:46:27.460-08:002014-01-24T15:46:27.460-08:00Maija, I agree with that. Not fact, but better at ...Maija, I agree with that. Not fact, but better at problem solving than emotion! By the way, I love emotion. Just fails miserably when applying to fixing my computer that's for sure.Neil Bednarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10310729903775947587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-81149753468841125542014-01-24T15:37:18.386-08:002014-01-24T15:37:18.386-08:00MWM- Smart, competent, experienced, hard working, ...MWM- Smart, competent, experienced, hard working, cooperative, rational, professional, sweats a lot, dis-passionate, thoughtful, plans ahead, and carries a gun. And a knife. <br /><br />Is seeking same in collaborators to populate a new planet. Must bring own mate. <br /><br />Please send answer to the following question:<br />1. If you find yourself on an adventure with a magical emotional animal who needs surgery, and is passionate about protesting, and never has the right equipment, do you...<br />a. give it your gun,<br />b. give it your knife<br />c. put it in charge of all decision making<br />d. make an egg salad sandwichScotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771944484286659825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-89313135461037541592014-01-24T15:02:37.960-08:002014-01-24T15:02:37.960-08:00Ah, Neil, I am not arguing the fact that emotions ...Ah, Neil, I am not arguing the fact that emotions can make debate very frustrating, illogical if you like, and is certainly not a great basis for problem solving. <br /><br />However, humans have a long, long history of 'rational' decision making that is just as illogical when compared to 'fact' .... Just because it is 'rational' frontal lobe reasoning, does not, in my humble opinion, make it 'true', 'right' or factual.Maijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18264657619197571965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-77396639893927753532014-01-24T14:44:55.888-08:002014-01-24T14:44:55.888-08:00Regarding "...purely 'rational' thoug...Regarding "...purely 'rational' thought and decision making can be just as prone to delusion, and thus should not be deemed wholly reliable in comparison to 'emotional' decisions..."<br />I would have to strongly disagree. If rational thought (essentially, logic) has value relative to emotion, it is in it's relative permanence. Whereas emotion is capricious and often whimsical, subject to change in any direction for any reason, rationality is (by definition) grounded in fact, and usually has some sort of generally agreed upon framework. The only way to establish meaningful communication is when people speak the same language. Mathematics is an exaggerated form of this. The unpredictable nature of emotion make reliable communication extremely challenging if not impossible.Neil Bednarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10310729903775947587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-26423155938735697832014-01-24T13:41:30.931-08:002014-01-24T13:41:30.931-08:00Seems like this quote:
"..Emotion seems to be...Seems like this quote:<br />"..Emotion seems to be considered to have validity equal to rationality..."<br />Is a popular jumping off point.<br /><br />I'd just like to throw in that purely 'rational' thought and decision making can be just as prone to delusion, and thus should not be deemed wholly reliable in comparison to 'emotional' decisions ...<br /><br />Also, though I accept and understand that 'caring' about something, caring about the outcome, clouds judgement, I think there is a third 'place' that decision making is made from, sometimes confused with the emotions, though not exactly emotional (hence the 'I feel/I think' confusion) but yet not totally 'rational' as it is not objective -<br /><br />The 'gut feeling' when something 'feels right' without being able to articulate why (which could be wrong, could be right, who knows), and I bet this place is also tied in with the 'location' of one's personal ethics and moral judgement. <br /><br />These seem to me to be a combination of rational thought AND personal biases (from society/culture/experience).Maijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18264657619197571965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-54522061996925978782014-01-24T09:43:36.420-08:002014-01-24T09:43:36.420-08:00Josh K, by strict definition, a rally is an aspect...Josh K, by strict definition, a rally is an aspect of or form of demonstration. Popular use can shift the semantics a bit. How I view them: 1. rally tends to be a gathering of like-minded persons in support of something (think pep-rally) or to drum up support. The audience and the presenter often share the same view. 2. In a protest, the entire group is the presenter, and the opposition is the audience. The presenters are giving a show of strength/numbers. <br /><br />Just my interpretation. <br /><br />Very thought provoking thread here. RXianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11422318102571966643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-30935801063001450842014-01-24T02:02:18.996-08:002014-01-24T02:02:18.996-08:00What is the difference between a rally and a prote...What is the difference between a rally and a protest?<br /><br />A change of focus? Josh Kruschkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288700371539530398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-36411994598661507012014-01-23T18:11:55.660-08:002014-01-23T18:11:55.660-08:00"Emotion seems to be considered to have valid..."Emotion seems to be considered to have validity equal to rationality. " <br />Although most people can distinguish between thoughts and feelings it's become acceptable to use "I think that" and "I feel like" interchangeably. We've been taught we can challenge thoughts and ideas but not feelings. So saying "I feel like this is right" relieves the speaker of accountability and makes it socially unacceptable to challenge the idea. <br />I'd be curious to see how reversing this trend could increase appreciation for rational thought in society.Tianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-88630568953204135152014-01-23T09:33:57.964-08:002014-01-23T09:33:57.964-08:00"..Emotion seems to be considered to have val..."..Emotion seems to be considered to have validity equal to rationality..."<br />This is the result of the continued attack on the masculine in our society. Men in our culture are no longer revered for anything, they are made fun of. Homer Simpson is the perfect popular manifestation of this. The clueless dolt has become the "hero" and we are feeling the ramifications.Neil Bednarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10310729903775947587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-25907394560567222042014-01-23T09:31:16.557-08:002014-01-23T09:31:16.557-08:00Ryan M.- It's not hard. Put down the remote co...Ryan M.- It's not hard. Put down the remote control and<br />Go see a new city. People watch<br />Go for a hike in the desert.<br />Take a class-- survival or first aid or forging or...<br />Meet people you have nothing in common with<br />Make sure you have at least one friend who is smarter than you who disagrees about everything (Hi, Barry!)<br />Volunteer: SAR or reserves or rural FDs or...<br />Do the things that scare you until you get uncomfortable when you get too comfortable.<br /><br />It's not hard to do stuff. It's a big world and full of things.Roryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08483616030072739190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-69424679139965448552014-01-23T08:42:42.449-08:002014-01-23T08:42:42.449-08:00Rory, please keep writing. To read this degree of ...Rory, please keep writing. To read this degree of joined up thinking/common sense is an all too rare joy. Thank you.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18167211591164035627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-84320369486352791072014-01-23T08:26:16.993-08:002014-01-23T08:26:16.993-08:00Every time I read a post (or the comments) I feel ...Every time I read a post (or the comments) I feel like a child sitting at the table listening to the adults talk and hesitating to speak for fear of not being able to contribute. <br /><br />With that said: the question(s) that surface from this post are: how do we begin to change that habit of living in fantasy worlds? Is it as simple as just deciding to see reality instead of creating a fantasy? And right up until the actual action, even the decision to act is just a dream. What's preventing the action itself?Ryan M.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-48144296433800844392014-01-23T07:58:09.613-08:002014-01-23T07:58:09.613-08:00You are absolutely right with all three points Ror...You are absolutely right with all three points Rory. And the worse thing is that these dreamers and fear mongers are trying to pass laws and legislate according to their distorted view of the world.Jose Tadeonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-38065753274708642022014-01-23T07:53:05.107-08:002014-01-23T07:53:05.107-08:00Just to throw it out there on the theme- "Sil...Just to throw it out there on the theme- "Silence of the Lambs" is a modern retelling of Cinderella. Lecter is the fairy godmother.Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00301022202057676472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-2398350778658423162014-01-22T22:01:16.483-08:002014-01-22T22:01:16.483-08:00(Part two)
What am I trying to say here...
I gu...(Part two)<br /><br />What am I trying to say here... <br /><br />I guess simply that developing dreaming and fantasy as active qualities is somewhat intrinsically beneficial, whether they are implemented or not.<br /><br />Not everyone will be useful or functional in this world, that's just a reality. Not everyone embodies their potentials. The dreamer has developed a tool-set of one kind at least.<br /><br />However I think you may have mistaken the act of dreaming for its opposite, passivity and the relinquishing of agency.<br /><br />That may be the real enemy. Emotional passion is often portrayed as a relinquishing of control, so is the 'unpreparedness as virtue'. <br /><br />Harnessed passion and improvisational abilities are their natural counterparts which are good skills to develop in context.<br /><br />Taken to their caricatured extreme, of course they are unhealthy and detrimental.<br /><br />But most mass consumption works on these extreme caricatures, and generally speaking people either embody their higher or lower aspects. <br /><br />I'm undecided as to whether the media, or peoples consumptive habits, portends anything other than a status quo (which may be a gradual slope to somewhere else.)<br /><br />Just some thoughts. Thanks for the great blog posts!<br />HandsinHeadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-42185653038853154622014-01-22T22:00:42.205-08:002014-01-22T22:00:42.205-08:00Personally I find the problem is that no one is dr...Personally I find the problem is that no one is dreaming for themselves, they are just eating other peoples dream scripts for a buzz.<br /><br />The fantasy trope I find interesting, because it often goes the other way. Where the dreamer is subjected to difficulties they cannot understand or cope with, which are outside of the norm for the people in their environment, and with that alienation look inside themselves rigorously for a solution which appears 'fantastical' but resolves into physical development and progress. <br /><br />Fantasy of course can make the protagonist a 'special flower' but that's a by-product of character focused writing.<br /><br />The more general term of 'fantasy' is not necessarily the same thing as 'doing nothing', nor is dreaming.<br /><br />Each engages different processes. <br /><br />Take these two examples.<br /><br />One; a man repeats the mantra 'world peace' in front of every challenge which faces him. Economy? World peace. War? World peace. Famine? World peace. Waste management? World peace.<br /><br />Clearly this is a case of trying to fit a square block in a round opening. <br /><br />Two; a man considers the concept of world peace, how we are nowhere near that, but what it might look like if we were. He fantasizes about this world, considering the different characters who might emerge, and how they might act, and what got them to this point. He gradually incorporates these traits, for the sake of this conversation, intelligent benevolence, measured empathy and compassion, etc. <br /><br />Has he put in sweat? Not in a labor sense. However he may have incorporated some things during the dreaming process which result in tendencies that have improved his life measurably.<br /><br />Dreams and fantasy are schemata. There is a value in encountering large volumes of schemata, and there are measurable and scientific correlations with reading fiction/fantasy/dreaming and increased empathy, problem solving, and inventiveness.<br /><br />The question is are you actively engaged with dreaming and fantasy, or are you rather relinquishing yourself to the dreams and fantasies of someone else? <br /><br />The real problem are those who have given up on dreaming and fantasy (which are both active processes), and have relinquished themselves to apathy and oblivion. Filling the void in themselves with other people’s dreams and narratives and fantasies.<br /><br />That is the real fat cell of humanity. Those who cannot even imagine that things could be different, or self reflect skeptically, or develop new scripts and conceptual models.<br /><br />Those who have abnegated self determination.<br /><br />Although there is a fetishism around dreaming, much like the 'melancholic artist' fetish, and a growing schism between concept and implementation; the real danger is those who don't dream for themselves. <br /><br />Those are the ones who will accept the dreams of others, and hold them close as if they were their own. <br /><br />The man who learns 'visualize world peace' hasn't dreamed it for himself, he has adopted a very simple low-functioning meme. <br /><br />It will not get him or world peace very far. <br /><br />Dreams are objectively neutral. But the act of dreaming certainly can have deep and lasting implications, and developing skill will improve your critical or functional faculties in that area. <br /><br />Those who relinquish their dreaming faculties have less reference to see what good or bad dreams are.<br /><br />Dreams vs labor is a false dichotomy. <br /><br />The real cognitive dissonance is that of ‘ideal’ vs actual.<br /><br />Ideally we want productivity, but without doing the work. That is the passive state of attempting to impose an ideal on a situation which is realistically not aligned with that ideal state. <br /><br />Those who are passive in their labor will be more likely to find activity through active fantasy than with a passive script from external sources.<br /><br />(Part1)HandsinHeadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-3680447190093939542014-01-22T20:26:54.313-08:002014-01-22T20:26:54.313-08:00I want the magical animal. Then, anything thing I...I want the magical animal. Then, anything thing I do is excused because I have an illness. Society will pay me, house me, treat me, transport me and recreate me. It's a form of tribute. WAY easier than sweating. This is the new American dream.Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03517107275615739075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14473417.post-20641082824134851032014-01-22T18:34:19.635-08:002014-01-22T18:34:19.635-08:00That's one of the things about most causes tha...That's one of the things about most causes that people so vehemently promote, they aren't achievable. Ending world hunger, poverty, removing bullying from our evolutionary programming, and equality. Nothing is achieved by marching, wearing a bracelet, or walking miles holding hands. Nothing is achieved other than feeling good without actually having to put any real sweat (Rory's term) into whatever is the feel good cause of the moment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com