Posted by alexandra_k on December 14, 2019, at 15:40:42
In reply to Re: hope and friendship, posted by alexandra_k on December 14, 2019, at 15:23:35
I remember being afraid when I chose to major in Philosophy. I chose to major in Philosophy because I had many questions... I wanted to know the answer. I thought that I could learn the answer. Or that I could learn enough to make up my own mind and be at peace that I had resolved things to my satisfaction. I had made an informed decision, I guess. On what to believe.
Things like:
Is there a God?
What (if any) meaning is there to life?
Why did I get associated with this body, why does it have to be like anything at all to be me?I remember feeling afraid. I thought it could genuinely turn out that there wasn't a meaning. That things were rotten to core through and through. Just a nasty pointlessness to everything at all.
Maybe discovering that my suffering was essential for greater joy for the sadist.
But I worked at things, anyway. Because I genuinely wanted to know. I had curiosity. Philosophy raised questions in the vicinity of things that I cared about / wanted to know. Primary readings showed me what genuinely intelligent people had to say about this, that, and the other thing. I came to make up my own informed mind.
I don't think that freedom for some requires oppression for others. Freedom (the concept) doesn't include the notion of 'freedom to opppress'. That is not something that is compatible with freedom.
If people think they are free because they are opressing others then I think they are reacting (rather than responding) to trauma. Their own incapacity / inability to find / work out a better solution.
They can be so focused on their trauma that they can't identify a better solution when they see it, though.
They should not be in the position where they can control others.
I guess it is hard because the freedom / opression thing is a matter of degree... When it comes to conflict resolution and who gets ones way. And the strategy one employes for getting things to go more ones own way.
Inhumane.
We have recently re-discovered that word in our vocabulary.
'But that is / would be inhumane'.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1106285
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20191212/msgs/1107256.html