Every once in a while I find myself feeling disgusted. I wonder what is happening in the world. I feel like my Dad used to say he felt. I guess that is another indication of aging, when we start to realize that our " common " logic and reason is being redefined. I would say that social networks raise the awareness a bit. At the very least you hear these new philosophies sooner than you would have in the past. The " information " age. From my view the big problem is the propagation of misinformation. This redefining of " common " logic, I find upsetting. Yesterday I made an attempt at clarification of a common misconception. I tried to define something. What I wrote was, " consequence is the result of your own actions, circumstance is not. " I had to post that as a result of reading a variety of postings about those complaining of their circumstances. The thing was, they were only in those circumstances as a result of their own actions ! You made your bed, now sleep in it ! That is common logic.
It seems to me we have shifted our focus on prevention. Instead of allowing the consequences of our actions to result in unfavorable circumstances we attempt to change the consequences of those same actions. That is to say to make the circumstances more palatable. Prison reform has always been at the top of the list. To make our prisons more pleasurable ? It is a " penal " system and so by definition punishment is forthcoming. That was the common sense lesson I was taught. I was held to account for my misdeeds, rewards were not provided, nor excuses easily accepted. Circumstance did not drive consequence ! Because I made bad choices, as a result of my circumstance, the consequences were not modified. That, in my opinion is the key to understanding.
That lesson needs to be taught and reinforced in our children. It begins when they are infants. If the consequences of incorrect choices and actions are not punished the result is evident. It is what we see happening today. Fear is a motivational tool. Fear is an emotion. Yes, children should be should a little bit afraid of their parents and other authority figures. That fear should stem from the knowledge that they will be held accountable for their choices. The fear is the result of consequence, not circumstance. As we grow, and hopefully mature in our thinking and reasoning, the fear of consequence moves to the forefront in our deliberations. What is fear really ? Unwanted consequence or is it unwanted circumstance ? Consequence is the result of an action. Circumstance is related to consequence as it results from that action. Fear is the avoidance of actions that will result in unfavorable circumstances. Some call it wisdom but the result is the same.
Consider the fear of God ! Will our actions here on this earth result in a favorable circumstance in the next ? Are we afraid of God ? No, what we fear are the consequences of our actions. That is the fear I am writing about. It is a wise man that has fear. Fear tempers our emotions and emotions often lack logic. Isn't that what Spock of Star Trek fame represents ? Logic dictates that consequences are the result of action, circumstance is not. Then there are regrets. Regrets stem from consequences too. They may be the circumstance you find yourself in. To obtain a different set of circumstances you must change your actions, not the consequences.
It seems to me we have shifted our focus on prevention. Instead of allowing the consequences of our actions to result in unfavorable circumstances we attempt to change the consequences of those same actions. That is to say to make the circumstances more palatable. Prison reform has always been at the top of the list. To make our prisons more pleasurable ? It is a " penal " system and so by definition punishment is forthcoming. That was the common sense lesson I was taught. I was held to account for my misdeeds, rewards were not provided, nor excuses easily accepted. Circumstance did not drive consequence ! Because I made bad choices, as a result of my circumstance, the consequences were not modified. That, in my opinion is the key to understanding.
That lesson needs to be taught and reinforced in our children. It begins when they are infants. If the consequences of incorrect choices and actions are not punished the result is evident. It is what we see happening today. Fear is a motivational tool. Fear is an emotion. Yes, children should be should a little bit afraid of their parents and other authority figures. That fear should stem from the knowledge that they will be held accountable for their choices. The fear is the result of consequence, not circumstance. As we grow, and hopefully mature in our thinking and reasoning, the fear of consequence moves to the forefront in our deliberations. What is fear really ? Unwanted consequence or is it unwanted circumstance ? Consequence is the result of an action. Circumstance is related to consequence as it results from that action. Fear is the avoidance of actions that will result in unfavorable circumstances. Some call it wisdom but the result is the same.
Consider the fear of God ! Will our actions here on this earth result in a favorable circumstance in the next ? Are we afraid of God ? No, what we fear are the consequences of our actions. That is the fear I am writing about. It is a wise man that has fear. Fear tempers our emotions and emotions often lack logic. Isn't that what Spock of Star Trek fame represents ? Logic dictates that consequences are the result of action, circumstance is not. Then there are regrets. Regrets stem from consequences too. They may be the circumstance you find yourself in. To obtain a different set of circumstances you must change your actions, not the consequences.
No comments:
Post a Comment