"Do you think modern man has beat isolationism (the meme)?" That
question was off-beat, please excuse. Rather than the assertive stance,
I intended to prod your thinking further: We know so much about genes,
behavior, psychology, animal nature and higher social abilities... it
makes me wonder what is taking us so long to make the necessary
adjustments of vision and knowledge, especially that being taught to
newer generations and being introduced through major media outlets. I
agree with your note on evolving memes and semiotics, it is about
raising the quality of the public consciousness/discourse. The hard
destination is responsibility, on which there is hammering from
progressives but it will fall on deaf ears without the pertinent
scaffolding. Time and more time, that it seems like we are having less
and less of. Sigh, population is still a problem one can achieve an
associates degree without hearing mention of, with the exception of
references to third world countries(!). My personal hope is for a novel
solution to bridge the old and new worldviews, a Rosetta paradigm
perhaps of sorts. Many reasons, no excuses for us 'ramblers'! :)
On 11/23/2010 1:58 AM, Ash wrote:
Gratitude is another reason to give. Looking at the world others have
fought and worked to create, having the choice to make our mark is
quite a privilege. Considering the biological side, I consider the
benefit of promoting health and wellness among the tribe and kinsmen a
very powerful motivator. No telling how much of our intimacy and
affection is the result of that, it is likely a large underlying
portion and a successful one. The opposite social tendencies emerge
under duress and imbalance I think, asocial and one-against-all. Do
you think modern man has beat isolationism (the meme)? Perhaps our
knowledge and understanding of the world and ourselves /has/ reached a
point where we can look at a larger picture and say things don't have
to be the way they are, and if people don't try the predators and
vultures are waiting. The new green backdrop I think is just such
universalized principles and values.
Wishing everyone well
On 11/22/2010 10:05 AM, Chris Jenkins wrote:
Back atcha, Molly! :)
If I recall correctly, Dawkins wrote at length about altruism in "The
Selfish Gene". My Readers Digest Condensed Version of his argument is
that altruism is a selfish action which desires to improve society,
culture, the world, whatever, which then indirectly benefits the
actor. We give of ourselves and our resources not because of a direct
emotional empathy; we're generally too far removed from the recipient
to experience much emotional impact. Instead, we give because we
don't want to live in a world where people don't give. We don't want
to live in a world where people suffer, starve, lose everything,
endure horrible illnesses or violence. We want to "make the world a
better place" because we live in it, and want to live in a better place.
I was reminded of this when you said "I think it is true that your
giving spirit comes back to you tenfold", a variation of the modern,
main stream perception of karma. I've generally not given much weight
to that concept, as it's often packaged as part of a universal
concept of justice, with a greater hand somewhere balancing scales.
Recently though, integrating Dawkins' ideas of both biologically
driven altruism, and how memetic evolutions occur, I see karma as the
philosophy of altruism, where the concept of a slow, progressive
social evolution for the betterment of human kind which benefits all
is replaced by the easier to grok direct return for "energies"
expended in altruistic endeavors. It made your statement resonate
with me.
I've dealt with some pretty challenging hardships this year (skirting
dangerously close to the edge of insolvency), and yet there are two
families connected to me by one degree of separation who have already
gone over that edge, and are now just trying to pick up the pieces
and survive. In honest introspection, I see that underlying
selfishness, in hoping that by helping those worse off, I in some way
contribute towards a world which will potentially help me if I fall
to that level.
At any rate, that was a bit of a ramble, but your statement fit well
into a long running conversation in my head, so figured I'd share. :)
On Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 5:46 AM, Molly <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I think it is true that your giving spirit comes back to you tenfold.
Nicely done, Chris. Blessings to you and yours this holiday season.
On Nov 19, 9:10 am, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
> Every year, we try to do a little fund raising to help those
less fortunate.
> This year is no exception. Despite the challenges we've faced
this year,
> there are several families who are even worse off. If any of
you feel like
> contributing towards a worthy cause, visit
here:http://flmediasolutions.com/help.htm
>
> Otherwise, have a happy holiday, count your blessings, ignore
this email,
> and move on!
