shanostics

Some time ago I jokingly created "shanostics" my theory for explaining relationships in the world. Now, it was only partially a joke since I generally believe the basic tenets of shanostics. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is all original thought, I'm sure somebody somewhere says the same thing, but I didn't read it and then make it my own, so in some ways it is original thought, you just have to consider perspective. That's my disclaimer...This is shanostics. It basically says that all love, to an object or human being is selfish. You love a person because they fill some void, they are of some use to you, just like you love your car because you don't want to walk to the store (even though it may be a block down the road). If that person did not strike a certain chord within you, that person would be basically meaningless to you. Now we can have a basic "love" for humanity in general as well, but even then, a social vision fulfills some broad desire from within an individual to see the world a better place, and one gets enjoyment out of striving for those goals. This is basically my explanation for why people who I have genuinely cared about have come and gone in my life. When I am no longer of use to them, no longer able to fulfil one of their selfish desires, then I am easily expendible. That's just the way it is. Is it wrong? No not necessarily, we are all driven by this selfishness. BUT, the selfishness can be put to good, such as the case is with a person working for charity or a teacher. The selfishness is bad when you hurt someone's feelings, or it becomes a certain level of obsession with an object or whatever. This is one of those things I grapple with everyday because it will not change, but it hurts when you know that you may not always be important to another person because just like the latest fashion, it can get old. This applies to friends, family, and that significant other. We are all puzzles with missing pieces, the thing is, with the human puzzle not all the pieces or nearly as important as some; think about it, in any puzzle some pieces just blend in with one big blob of nothingness while some are critically important to the over all pictures. So with objects and people we hang on to the most important, the ones that impacted us the most and are critical to who we are. These are the ones who fill critical voids, critical pieces of our personal puzzle. Sometimes we as human beings aren't as superior as we think we are to the rest of the animal kingdom, sometimes we are still just animals concerned with our own well being. I'm sure this perspective is clouded to some respect, but it's out there to challenge at will.

John Stuart Mill

I'm currently reading some John Stuart Mill which I've been dying to do since I was first exposed to him in an ethics class. It's some pretty deep writing, but very clear which is always good to see from a philosopher. If you're interested in thoughts on liberty, personal freedom, and the role of government I highly suggest reading some of Mill's work. I haven't finished it yet, but one the basic tenets of his thought is that the government should not infringe upon personal freedoms unless it is to prevent somebody from harming another or the common good of the people. Of course this raises many questions about what constitutes harm since one could make the argument that conflicting opinions amount to coercive actions which may be viewed as harmful to the common good depending on what is said relative to the general opinions of the masses. But Mill counters this with argument that dissenting opinions are good since they challenge what we may perceive to be truth. If we are found to be right then simply have a stronger sense of truth, if we are wrong, then of course one is enlightened. However, Mill likes to believe that real truth lies somewhere between two conflicting viewpoints. I think this is something that is very applicable to today's society and political scene. Truth is relative my friends and we must be willing to challenge our own beliefs. Mill makes a great point that throughout history as time has passed, humankind has found that what were thought to be previous truths, are in fact, false. So it is extremely dangerous to fall into custom or to start seeing things through tunnel vision since those with power will seek to streamline their support and crush any dissenting opinion. Truth is extremely fluid and ever changing and instead of butting heads, today's politicians need to learn to work together and find real solutions; solutions that generally lay in between Republican and Democrat, Liberal and Conservative. Mill's thoughts really should apply to all of us though. We can all be individuals while respecting the lives of others.

Eugene V. Debs

I've always been fascinated by Eugene Debs who was a prominent labor leader and political activist during the late 19th and early 20th century. I don't believe the guy is exceptional in what he said, but in the fact that he said it. Americans fear class language because I think many like to believe that we don't have much social stratification, but I'm not going to get on this topic right now. The following is only portions of the speech, I encourage anybody who reads it to give it some real though, because it is still very applicable today. I don't consider myself a pacifist, but who knows, maybe I am because I always believe that diplomacy is the best course of action and is a long term and more complete solution. There are many things I love about this speech, but the basic point of it is that those who run this country don't fight for it, nor do their children. Now I know there are exceptions, but it is the lower classes who are both directly and indirectly forced to fight. And what benefits do we see from it? For those of you who haven't read it, this speech is phenomenal, and it's dead on...enjoy!

Wars throughout history have been waged for conquest and plunder. In the Middle Ages when the feudal lords who inhabited the castles whose towers may still be seen along the Rhine concluded to enlarge their domains, to increase their power, their prestige and their wealth they declared war upon one another. But they themselves did not go to war any more than the modern feudal lords, the barons of Wall Street go to war.
The feudal barons of the Middle Ages, the economic predecessors of the capitalists of our day, declared all wars. And their miserable serfs fought all the battles. The poor, ignorant serfs had been taught to revere their masters; to believe that when their masters declared war upon one another, it was their patriotic duty to fall upon one another and to cut one another's throats for the profit and glory of the lords and barons who held them in contempt. And that is war in a nutshell. The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and all to lose--especially their lives.
They have always taught and trained you to believe it to be your patriotic duty to go to war and to have yourselves slaughtered at their command. But in all the history of the world you, the people, have never had a voice in declaring war, and strange as it certainly appears, no war by any nation in any age has ever been declared by the people.
And here let me emphasize the fact--and it cannot be repeated too often--that the working class who fight all the battles, the working class who make the supreme sacrifices, the working class who freely shed their blood and furnish the corpses, have never yet had a voice in either declaring war or making peace. It is the ruling class that invariably does both. They alone declare war and they alone make peace. Yours not to reason why; Yours but to do and die. That is their motto and we object on the part of the awakening workers of this nation. If war is right let it be declared by the people. You who have your lives to lose, you certainly above all others have the right to decide the momentous issue of war or peace....
You need at this time especially to know that you are fit for something better than slavery and cannon fodder. You need to know that you were not created to work and produce and impoverish yourself to enrich an idle exploiter. You need to know that you have a mind to improve, a soul to develop, and a manhood to sustain....
They are continually talking about your patriotic duty. It is not their but your patriotic duty that they are concerned about. There is a decided difference. Their patriotic duty never takes them to the firing line or chucks them into the trenches. And now among other things they are urging you to "cultivate" war gardens, while at the same time a government war report just issued shows that practically 52 percent of the arable, tillable soil is held out of use by the landlords, speculators and profiteers. They themselves do not cultivate the soil. Nor do they allow others to cultivate it. They keep it idle to enrich themselves, to pocket the millions of dollars of unearned increment....
And now for all of us to do our duty! The clarion call is ringing in our ears and we cannot falter without being convicted of treason to ourselves and to our great cause.
Do not worry over the charge of treason to your masters, but be concerned about the treason that involves yourselves. Be true to yourself and you cannot be a traitor to any good cause on earth.
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