Let’s get back to the question of whether or not it is wrong to kill. One of the reasons this is such a confusing question is this idea of “nature,” and what is “natural.” We need only look out at nature to see what we would consider to be violence and murder galore. It is [...]
Posts Tagged ‘philosophy’
Is It “Natural” to Kill?
Posted in Life, tagged human condition, life, morality, philosophy on February 4, 2012 | Comments Off
Violence
Posted in Life, tagged morality, philosophy, reality, society on January 18, 2012 | Comments Off
One of the things I find myself struggling with is the fact that you can’t always combat violence with passivity. One of the reasons for this is the obvious fact that violence can end the life of the passive, who therefore no longer has the opportunity to defend or express his position and ideas. And [...]
Fear of Being Alone
Posted in Life, tagged conditioned existence, illusion vs. reality, love, philosophy, reality, truth on August 18, 2011 | Comments Off
Though deep down it is that which we fear most, that which is contrary to everything we truly are, it never ceases to amaze me just how much effort and energy people expend to be alone. Though we go through our lives blindly reaching out for connection, for solace, safety, understanding, in the end we [...]
We are all connected in being human
Posted in Life, tagged human condition, life, philosophy, society on July 5, 2011 | Comments Off
I remember when I was studying a lot of philosophy, and when things were pretty bad [in my life], that I was feeling pretty hopeless, that I was thinking about life: “Is this it? Is this all there is?” I had gotten to a point where I was feeling like I had a pretty solid [...]
Jesus and Letting Go
Posted in Life, tagged freedom, happiness, philosophy, religion on June 20, 2011 | Comments Off
The thought just occurred to me that this is what the Jesus story is ultimately about: letting go. It is about the “death” of what you are in order to be who you are. It is about a dying of the old, of your old illusory life, in order to be “resurrected” as who you [...]
Losing Everything
Posted in Life, tagged courage, freedom, philosophy, truth on June 10, 2011 | Comments Off
That line from Fight Club: that it’s only when we lose everything that we’re free to do anything. Is this true? I don’t know, but there is much truth in it. I think that most people, including myself, instinctively (or, out of fear, if we are to be honest with ourselves) think that, well, you [...]
WHAT we desire matters
Posted in Life, tagged ego-self, philosophy, selfish desire on May 4, 2011 | Comments Off
Spinoza seems to be an egoist in the sense that he contends that all things try to persevere in their own beings. Many ‘egoists’ express a similar idea, which is that all beings are, ‘by nature,’ selfish, in that their prime motivation is self-preservation and self-satisfaction. But I think that these ideas are fundamentally different. [...]
