I was once presented with the idea that without evil, good would not exist. It is the absence of evil that allows us to understand something as good. I see this philosophy running our society and world in many ways. For instance, some people see great success and wealth even as others remain in conditions of extreme poverty. We haven't figured out a way to eliminate the evil while maintaining the good.
It seems that success comes with side-effects. Even as we progress and develop incredible technology, there is always the fallout. We can create cars that park themselves and wear computers on our heads, yet we can't manage to stop the 46.5 million people living in poverty in the United States (world hunger.org). Is it moral to continue our technological advancement when so many people live without their basic needs met? Maybe the only advancements that should continue are those in medicine.
In my opinion, we haven't yet figured out how to get our priorities straight. It could be true that with good there is evil, but that doesn't mean we should help further the reality of this statement. We haven't figured out how to make all citizens care more about those dying from hunger than the release of the newest iPhone. For every apple ad you've seen in the past month, imagine it replaced with one of an organization working to interrupt the poverty cycle. Let's use the brilliant minds creating the iPhone 7 to instead create a model that will greatly decrease the number of Americans living in poverty.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
How Do I Know What I Know?
By the end of Chapter 2, Siddhartha doubts that one can learn anything at all. He thinks there is Atman, knowledge, within everyone, but that more knowledge cannot be learned.
I definitely think I know what I know because of knowledge I have learned, not that has always been within me. There are certain conditions in my life that make my "knowledge" different from the next person's. For instance, I "know" that gay marriage should absolutely be allowed the same as any other marriage, yet this knowledge of mine isn't a universal truth. I know something that I deem true even though it is not true for everyone. Therefore, I know what I know based on the family, society, religion, and culture that I have grown up in.
This makes me think of what I've read of the many failed attempts by outsiders to address the issues facing people in other countries or communities. We go in with our knowledge and try to fix problems without considering how limited our knowledge may be in that situation. With knowledge must come the perspective to understand different knowledge. I think the person who questions what he knows for his whole life is the wisest. Education is always changing because knowledge is not constant. My parents and I may have both taken a physics class, but I'm sure I learned things that weren't part of the general knowledge when they took the class. We know what we know because of where we come from, but to grow as global citizens we need to challenge what we know and gain new knowledge.
I definitely think I know what I know because of knowledge I have learned, not that has always been within me. There are certain conditions in my life that make my "knowledge" different from the next person's. For instance, I "know" that gay marriage should absolutely be allowed the same as any other marriage, yet this knowledge of mine isn't a universal truth. I know something that I deem true even though it is not true for everyone. Therefore, I know what I know based on the family, society, religion, and culture that I have grown up in.
This makes me think of what I've read of the many failed attempts by outsiders to address the issues facing people in other countries or communities. We go in with our knowledge and try to fix problems without considering how limited our knowledge may be in that situation. With knowledge must come the perspective to understand different knowledge. I think the person who questions what he knows for his whole life is the wisest. Education is always changing because knowledge is not constant. My parents and I may have both taken a physics class, but I'm sure I learned things that weren't part of the general knowledge when they took the class. We know what we know because of where we come from, but to grow as global citizens we need to challenge what we know and gain new knowledge.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
The Garden State: New Jersey
Car ride to Beloit, Wisconsin:
Me: I just finished Candide.
Aunt Lainie: Oh isn't that the one about the garden?
Me: Yeah, that idea was just mentioned in the final pages.
Aunt Lainie: I read that years ago, but I still live by that line.
Me: What is it that you live by?
Aunt Lainie: The idea that we each need to take care of our own little spot. Instead of getting involved in big battles, do your work, and cultivate your garden.
Me: Interesting. That is different than I what I thought it to mean. I was interpreting it as the idea that in order to feel fulfilled we must help provide growth for something. When we work to nourish development, we take a more active role in our lives instead of just waiting to judge the outcomes as good or bad.
Aunt Lainie: Uh oh, have I just twisted it to fit my life for all these years?
Me: No. I think what you're saying comes from the old man who explains to Candide, Pangloss, and Martin that he stays uninvolved with political affairs of his city and is happy just to sell his fruits there (p. 92).
Aunt Lainie: Ok. So the overlap in our interpretations is the necessity of work.
Me: Right. In both, it is work that can save us from "the three great evils: boredom, vice, and necessity" (p.92). Instead of being fulfilled by things we think we need, we can instead look to find this fulfillment in staying busy and committing to some work. Just as gardens vary in what is grown, how it is organized, etc., we can each personalize the garden that we wish to sustain. Maybe in Candide's final words "That is well said, but we must cultivate our garden," he is telling Pangloss that instead of hoping for things to turn out for the best, we have to take action to affect the result.
Aunt Lainie: Cool. Let's go to Arby's.
Me: I just finished Candide.
Aunt Lainie: Oh isn't that the one about the garden?
Me: Yeah, that idea was just mentioned in the final pages.
Aunt Lainie: I read that years ago, but I still live by that line.
Me: What is it that you live by?
Aunt Lainie: The idea that we each need to take care of our own little spot. Instead of getting involved in big battles, do your work, and cultivate your garden.
Me: Interesting. That is different than I what I thought it to mean. I was interpreting it as the idea that in order to feel fulfilled we must help provide growth for something. When we work to nourish development, we take a more active role in our lives instead of just waiting to judge the outcomes as good or bad.
Aunt Lainie: Uh oh, have I just twisted it to fit my life for all these years?
Me: No. I think what you're saying comes from the old man who explains to Candide, Pangloss, and Martin that he stays uninvolved with political affairs of his city and is happy just to sell his fruits there (p. 92).
Aunt Lainie: Ok. So the overlap in our interpretations is the necessity of work.
Me: Right. In both, it is work that can save us from "the three great evils: boredom, vice, and necessity" (p.92). Instead of being fulfilled by things we think we need, we can instead look to find this fulfillment in staying busy and committing to some work. Just as gardens vary in what is grown, how it is organized, etc., we can each personalize the garden that we wish to sustain. Maybe in Candide's final words "That is well said, but we must cultivate our garden," he is telling Pangloss that instead of hoping for things to turn out for the best, we have to take action to affect the result.
Aunt Lainie: Cool. Let's go to Arby's.
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