What is meaningful to you ? That is a question that needs to be answered before you can find true happiness. That is what I am thinking anyway. There are so many causes to choose from but which one hits home ? The other aspect is do you require an acknowledgement of that concern to keep your interest ? What I mean is, if you are pursuing a cause but no one notices or seems to care beside you, will you continue in that pursuit ? Does the motive for just action make a difference ? Can you do good for the wrong reason ? It is the old, does the means justify the end argument. What is more important, personal action or end result ? Personal action is a measure of ethical and moral behavior. It is my belief you should not sacrifice either in the pursuit of a result, even if the hoped for result is a positive one for society.
What I am speaking about is, of course, an ideology. Many of us do not give it much consideration. Just how did we arrive at the ideological premises we hold so dear ? Did we learn them from our parents, or do we change them in accordance with what society deems acceptable ? I would say that my ideology has transformed somewhat over the years. I am still what you would label a conservative but have really only adopted a harder line on that in recent years. When I was younger, and in my current opinion, less wise, I would jump more readily on the bandwagon. It was easier to take that road and I saw no harm in it. I have since become more reluctant to " climb aboard " as I have found that just because an apparent majority finds something acceptable does not make it a correct action. Call it peer pressure or whatever term you choose but the action is the same. Popularity is a strong motivator, especially to the young. I have always been one to " cling " to my ideological leanings. Some call that being stubborn. I call it being confident in my thoughts and reasoning. But we need to remember we are talking about ideas. Ideas should not be considered threatening. It is only the result of an action that should be considered. The question is, are you responsible for the results ? If you champion the idea, that then leads to the action, are you responsible for that result ? It may or may not be a immediate result. Are you responsible for the long term effect ? That is ideology as we generally think of it. As a system of political and economic ideas or ideals. But we do have to have a personal ideology. It is the recognition of that ideology that will lead us to a meaningful life. It is that understanding that brings the inner peace we all seek.
It boils down to this. Is it more important to be right, in your mind, or to have taken action, even if that action was wrong ? For me I want to be right. I know that about myself and to others it can be infuriating. I get that. I will hesitate when uncertain. I will admit when I don't know the answer. The infuriating part comes in when I continue to want to discuss a possible action after the other person has made up their mind. That is often received as arrogance or complete folly. The other person may feel like I am trying to convince them of my point of view. I suppose on some level that is true, and it should be if you truly believe what you are defending. I feel it is the defense of an idea that will ultimately prove or disprove its' worth. Is your idea supported by an axiom ? If it is, then it is not an idea but a fact. The issue lies in determining fact from fiction or an idea. Ideas are always fiction, as they are unproven. We can not know the future result of todays' actions with complete certainty. " It seemed like a good idea at the time. " Was that a result of just not thinking it through or was it just bad ideology ?
Well I managed to wander way off the course I started with. That happens sometimes and I will just leave it at that. A collection of random thoughts loosely interrelated I would say.
What I am speaking about is, of course, an ideology. Many of us do not give it much consideration. Just how did we arrive at the ideological premises we hold so dear ? Did we learn them from our parents, or do we change them in accordance with what society deems acceptable ? I would say that my ideology has transformed somewhat over the years. I am still what you would label a conservative but have really only adopted a harder line on that in recent years. When I was younger, and in my current opinion, less wise, I would jump more readily on the bandwagon. It was easier to take that road and I saw no harm in it. I have since become more reluctant to " climb aboard " as I have found that just because an apparent majority finds something acceptable does not make it a correct action. Call it peer pressure or whatever term you choose but the action is the same. Popularity is a strong motivator, especially to the young. I have always been one to " cling " to my ideological leanings. Some call that being stubborn. I call it being confident in my thoughts and reasoning. But we need to remember we are talking about ideas. Ideas should not be considered threatening. It is only the result of an action that should be considered. The question is, are you responsible for the results ? If you champion the idea, that then leads to the action, are you responsible for that result ? It may or may not be a immediate result. Are you responsible for the long term effect ? That is ideology as we generally think of it. As a system of political and economic ideas or ideals. But we do have to have a personal ideology. It is the recognition of that ideology that will lead us to a meaningful life. It is that understanding that brings the inner peace we all seek.
It boils down to this. Is it more important to be right, in your mind, or to have taken action, even if that action was wrong ? For me I want to be right. I know that about myself and to others it can be infuriating. I get that. I will hesitate when uncertain. I will admit when I don't know the answer. The infuriating part comes in when I continue to want to discuss a possible action after the other person has made up their mind. That is often received as arrogance or complete folly. The other person may feel like I am trying to convince them of my point of view. I suppose on some level that is true, and it should be if you truly believe what you are defending. I feel it is the defense of an idea that will ultimately prove or disprove its' worth. Is your idea supported by an axiom ? If it is, then it is not an idea but a fact. The issue lies in determining fact from fiction or an idea. Ideas are always fiction, as they are unproven. We can not know the future result of todays' actions with complete certainty. " It seemed like a good idea at the time. " Was that a result of just not thinking it through or was it just bad ideology ?
Well I managed to wander way off the course I started with. That happens sometimes and I will just leave it at that. A collection of random thoughts loosely interrelated I would say.
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