Every Action

Every action you take has positive and negative repercussions. For a grossly over-simplified example, for any normal action you take, you are not saving a baby from a fire. And when you are saving a baby from a fire, there is still someone, somewhere who doesn't appreciate what you're doing on some level or another. Or, even more contrived, that baby could grow up to be "the next Hitler".

Which is to say, there is no absolute right and wrong.

There is, of course, better and worse.  ...At least from any given perspective. This distinction is key, because "better" and "worse" are quite obviously inherently subjective, relative terms.

So I think the question then becomes "which perspective(s) matter most?"

Another observation to make here is that in order to accept one's actions, one must be willing to make mistakes, especially given that perpectives change with time.

Focus

I've come to believe that the questions one is asking determines one's focus, and thus one's outlook and direction in life.  The questions we ask are very, very important, and we need to pay close attention to exactly what it is we're asking ourselves.

Today, it occurred to me that Zen has a question (well, at least one), and that it determines one's focus:

What is happening right now?

Skepticism in 14 Easy Steps!

Step 1: Wonder how so many people (meaning: non-Christians) can be so wrong about religion. Ask: if Christianity is real, why isn't it obvious?

Step 2: Wonder, if so many people can be wrong, perhaps we can be wrong.

Step 3: Wonder, can everyone be wrong?

Step 4: Observe wackadoo religious friends. Make powerful negative associations with them.

Step 5: Make atheist friends. Realize that not everyone is wrong: some people are just willing to change their minds in light of reason. Make positive associations with these discussions.

Step 6: Read Waldrop's Complexity. Discover Scientific Pantheism.

Step 7: Fall in with wackadoo Scientific Pantheists.

Step 8: Form powerful negative associations with "fellow" wackadoo SciPans. Stop associating with them.

Step 9: Watch Bullsh!t.

Step 10: Watch Mind Control With Derren Brown.

Step 11: Read Derren Brown's Tricks of the Mind. Develop total man-crush. Hear, for the first time, the term "skeptic" used to describe a subculture.

Step 12: Subscribe to the Bad Astronomy blog. Hear references to "skeptics" often. In particular, the "Skepchicks".

Step 13: Develop healthy crushes on (all of) the Skepchicks. Especially one.

Step 14: Change one's website, Facebook page, and taglines to mention "and skeptic" among one's traits.

Making the Friendship Grade

I was just wondering what criteria people use to filter friends from non-friends.

When I meet someone whom I consider a potential friend (as opposed to a passer-by), the very first thing I try to discern is if they are Republican. If they are, I move on. If they're Libertarian, I'm keeping my eye on them: chances are not good. Socialists are rare but acceptable. ; ) The next thing I try to find out is if they are Christian*. If they are, they had better be really subdued about it and open-minded to non-Christians, otherwise I'm already over them.

I should add: I don't do this by asking directly, but by looking for ancillary evidence.

Politics for me trumps religion… not sure why. Besides, most people on the right are also Xian, anyway.

Actually, I guess hygiene trumps both of them. I just don't like smelly people. Sorry, it's a personal failing of mine. So it goes.

I guess the next level of my radar would be geekdom. Do they recognize Firefly references? Do they appreciate my quote from Big Trouble In Little China?

If they pass those three (four, providing they don't stink) litmus tests, they've got a good shot of being a friend of mine. : )

(*Yes, specifically Christian. I haven't met anyone from another religion that bothered me. When I do, maybe I'll expand my list.)

"Appropriate" is my new favourite word.

I've begun practicing Zen is more earnest since my last trip to Massachusetts. I like to think of my practice over the years as being comprised of a series of hurdles (mountains?) to overcome. That is, revelations seem to come in waves, and only after chewing on some particular concept over time.

At the moment, the concept upon which my teeth are gnawing is "appropriate action". This is a term that came up in the context of being in the moment: if you are truly aware, you will take appropriate action. ...This was the promise, anyway! This seems counter-intuitive, perhaps, because being truly aware requires being fully in the moment, with your thoughts focused neither on past transgressions or future possibilities. In essence, it is action without "thought", in the traditional sense. And I don't believe we (humans) are predisposed to acting appropriately without thought. Or so I fear. Rather, so go my thoughts on the matter. : )

And yet my judgment is premature, because being fully in the moment is, itself, so difficult to attain. Most of my thoughts, I have observed, are "future thoughts". Mostly, potential actions. I like to think, for example, about what I will write on my blog, or what it would be like to be a spiritual leader, or how I would defend myself against some kind of abuse, or how enjoyable it would be to get back to college, or what I'm going to draw next... Sure, I also think about past transgressions and how I might have responded to them. But I think I spend probably 65% of my time thinking about the future. One might claim that potential is my vice. : )

So anyway, what I continue to work on is being present, and watching this "appropriate action" come of it. Or not. It will be interesting to see. But I feel this is one of the tallest mountains I've yet climbed!

Speaking of Choices and Happiness...

A wildly fascinating video about happiness. The conclusion (backed by scientific evidence) is that we manufacture happiness to suit our situation.

A lot more could be said on this subject (like the inverse effect for pessimists), but this is a great start:

Choices

We can easily be paralyzed by choice, living in our consumerist society.

It seems to me that the best path is to choose quickly, but not to be attached to your decision.  And that's not limited to being willing to change: it is--more importantly--not wasting your time imagining how much better the alternatives may have been.

That's very, very difficult.  It's extremely easy to be disappointed.

One of the benefits of zen, it seems, is an awareness that creates satisfaction.

[thoughts derived from a TED talk]