The following is a list of premises that provide the foundation upon which most of the writing of this blog is built.
Originally, I thought that I could provide comprehensive explanations of the reasoning behind these premises, but I eventually had to realize that:
(a) I did not have an intimate understanding of my own writing, and thus have no way to supply such explanations.
(b) Any explanations that I would give take away from the “point”, causing both myself and my readers to “miss the point” in the process.
The primary purpose of this blog, outside education, is to inspire myself and others. This being the case, I will let you decide what each of these mean for yourselves, and in doing so inspire yourself (and through your comments, me) through your own interpretation.
Here they are:
1. There is no difference between truth and lies
2. For this reason, inspiration is the only ideal worth pursuing.
3. The best way to appreciate anything is to accept its opposite as truth.
4. Different ways of looking at the same thing.
5. To see both sides of the coin at the same time.
6. The outside looking in ; the inside looking out.
7. Bullshit is the closest thing to truth.
8. Truth should be judged by the extent to which it influences (inspires) people.
9. There is no real truth– only truths that are more real than others.
10. Truth is relative.
11. The power (inspiration) of given reality) is determined by how real it is believed to be.
12. The validity of knowledge is irrelevant.
13. One of the best ways to appreciate (be inspired by) a given reality, is to view it in a deliberately contradictory fashion.
14. Everything that exists exists only in the mind.
15. Any concept that one considers to be beyond oneself (ideals, God, etc.) are only illusion– constructs of the psyche to support the Ego.
16. To attempt to justify one’s views through rationalizations, logic, empirical evidence, etc. will inevitably result in “missing the point”, especially when the given views concern spiritual knowledge (e.g. God, metaphysics, truth, etc.)
17. There is a reason for everything
18. There are no coincidences, there is only necessity
19. Every action, decision, thought, and feeling has a valid motive.
20. The validity of knowledge is irrelevant.
21. There are potentially infinite motives exerting influence on every conscious motive.
22. Society is composed of universally accepted habits, norms, standards and behaviors.
23. The purpose of Society is to sublimate the realities of the human race into a more controlled, manageable form.
24. When the world, or a particular demographic of it, is seen as being corrupt, the programmed response is to blame that facet of Society. In reality, it is the human race that is imperfect, but Society serves as the scapegoat for any imperfections, because Society IS the world, in controlled form.
25. Because Society is the scapegoat of the world, it will destroy and alienate any part of itself that is seen as imperfect, as the sociological version of “damage control”.
26. Society is the means by which mankind outgrew the nomadic lifestyle; by creating an image of humanity that is predictable and manageable, humanity was enabled to plan for the future.
27. The primary disadvantage of Society that it relies on adherence to the proverbial least common denominator. To ensure that expectations of Society are met, the image that is Society must be understood by everyone that is considered part of Society. As a result, it is only as strong as its weakest link.
28. Knowledge is power, but that power can only be used if that knowledge is actualized.
29. There are three primary factors that determines the value of a person’s life:
Motivation, Direction, and Control
30. These three factors correspond to the Id, Ego, and SuperEgo, respectively.
31. Anything particular truth is universally true, and exists in every form.
32. Reality does not “actually” exist.
33. The nature of reality is entirely subjective– even if it’s represented objectively.
34. Ultimate reality is fundamentally unknowable, and to try to know it would be “missing the point”.
35. To know others, one must first know oneself; to know oneself is to know others also.
36. The perception of other people is entirely subjective.
37. It’s impossible to “truly” know anyone– not even oneself.
38. Perception of a person is determined by the image of themselves they project, how that image is determined by others, and how the environment influences that projection.
39. When bringing about change in oneself, it is vital to have as intimate and comprehensive of knowledge about oneself as possible, especially regarding the aspects in question.
40. To find the answers, one must inquire within, but to understand these answers, one must travel beyond oneself, and gaze upon one’s own reflection.
41. The existence of any given thing requires that its exact opposite exist also– otherwise it could not exist.
42. To appreciate, and be aware of anything, one must also appreciate and be aware of the corresponding antithesis; the extent to which one can appreciate and be aware of the former, is directly reciprocal to the latter.
43. Everything given will be taken away equally in an equal and different form; everything taken away will be returned in a different and equal form.
44. Expectations are the most essential component of motivation.
45. The expectations of others and oneself play a key role in who we are, and who we will become.
46. Parents should always have high expectations of their children- if nothing is expected of a child, nothing they will become- a person usually only develops their own expectations after adulthood.
47. Those that have no expectations of themselves are weak-willed; any decision they take and action they do will be motivated by other people- they are essentially puppets, and lack all control.
More premises to come– this is really just a rough draft ;-)
In writing all that I have thus far, most of what I have written is deduced from previous thoughts- building upon and clarifying what I have learned over time, and the knowledge upon which these deductions are built is also the result of previously acquired knowledge, procured in the very same manner. Because each branch provides the foundation from which each new thought springs forth, most of my thoughts can be considered premises, but what, at least in my mind, are the true progenerators- that is, the root premise from which I have come the the present conclusion in these respective topics- these are the true premises. Philosophers make heavy use of premises, because to grasp that which is unseen, intuition is necessary, of which an “educated guess” would be essential.
But I have found these premises to be of more value than just starting-points: they also serve to organize my thoughts, and more importantly, are the absolutes that allow me to preserve my sanity while undertaking the otherwise dangerous process of revolutionizing my own ideas about the roles of society, and the social organizations thereof. Furthermore, these premises will form the layout for the book I will (eventually) write using the contents of this blog- effectively stabilizing this otherwise dynamically loose collective. These premises will also serve as “chapters” when the book nears completion.
