nadriel

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Okay, not quite as catchy as some titles, but hey look at the material I have to work with here...

Didn't sleep well last night- still feeling fairly shitty. Still got some good thinking in, as always. Not about anything of note, just generic thinking on reality, perception, the usual sort of thing.

So, today's thoughtful bit:

I sometimes despair of the human race- every day I see people not thinking about anyone other than themselves, or just not thinking. I mean, if people just took a little time to think about the effect their actions, then surely the world would be a better place.

But the prevelant attitude seems to be, "Well, it benefits me, so it's okay".

*sigh*

Current Mood: crazy
Current Music: Klaus Badelt - One Last Shot

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

joysilence.livejournal.com

"I sometimes despair of the human race- every day I see people not thinking about anyone other than themselves, or just not thinking. I mean, if people just took a little time to think about the effect their actions, then surely the world would be a better place."
Get out of that groove quickly if you can, that mindset can lead to fascism. Even the most apparently simple, football-TV-and-McDonalds soul can hold complexity and depth beyond guessing. That's something I've learnt at a high cost to myself. What you see everyday is not necessarily what there is, not by a very long chalk.

From:

nadriel.livejournal.com

I wouldn;t worry- I don't stay in any one mindset for very long- it's almost an anathema to me.

And my statement was based on observational evidence, which I stand by. Obviously I can't judge on what I don't see, but my point is that these are actions that affect other people, and people are either not thinking or not caring. Either way...

From:

joysilence.livejournal.com

"people are either not thinking or not caring"
My point is: how do you know they're not thinking? Or caring? I'm not being snide, I really am curious as to why you think the "human race", as a whole, doesn't 'do' altruism or consideration. You've seen the twatty actions, but have you seen the motivations behind the twatty actions? Does anyone ever?
I'm guessing you've had a pretty shit few weeks/years/whatever, and I sympathize,but you're going to have a shit life if you write off the human race as a result.

From:

nadriel.livejournal.com

I never said the human race as a whole doesn't do altruism or suchlike. However, I keep an eye on trends in society and, in particular, in politics, and I don't like they way they are going.

I haven't written off the human race. If I had, I would do something about it.

I am optimistic and hopeful about individuals in general, and I am frequently disappointed.

Anyway, I can't get my points across properly in this medium, so we'll have to continue this next time we meet.

From:

joysilence.livejournal.com

Sorry if I've misunderstood you, I tend to treat sentences beginning with "the prevalent attitude seems to be..." as more or less equivalent to "the human race as a whole does/thinks X", though maybe some people have different definitions etc. A lot of arguments seem to boil down to word definitions after all. But, if you "despair of the human race" even sometimes, how can you be optimistic about individuals? Unless you just mean individuals who haven't pissed you off yet ;)

From:

nadriel.livejournal.com

Because I have an intrinsically strnge nature. I can disassociate the individual from the group that they associate with. So while I may have a low opinion of the group in general, specific individuals that I have encountered may well have a better reception, depending upon their individual actions....

From:

joysilence.livejournal.com

That's not indicative of a "strange" nature at all, because that's the attitude the majority of people takes: 'the human race/people from Manchester/blacks piss me off but I like my friends'. Show me someone who doesn't take that attitude, and I'll show you either a saint or a complete fiend. It's the strength of your revulsion for those not part of your circle of friends that puzzles me, not the fact that you distinguish between having friends and enemies. We all do that; we're all capable of overcoming prejudice when it benefits us socially to do so!

From:

nadriel.livejournal.com

I dislike wasted potential.

From:

joysilence.livejournal.com

So what, you're going to "despair" and cease giving these people any credit for having potential? I know you don't think like that all the time though, because you said so; which is good. I don't think there's a person alive who likes wasted potential. The hard thing is judging whether or not the person has wasted their potential.