Parse and Prosper
Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.
— Pythagoras (570-495 BC)
Parse, Then Prosper — The Mountainous Terrain of Eudaimonica
Parse and Prosper
Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.
— Pythagoras (570-495 BC)
The titled responsion should make you think of the parsing function in the brain, necessarily coupled to our systems of linguistics and ultimately responsible for our ability to Prosper (in the ideal sense).
This parsing function in the brain is healthy and sharpens memory. The fiction of flourishing is absolute and to be experienced in degrees on a daily basis. So some, not so much, for others; a norm. Don't disrupt my homogeneity! That's not right. It's ignorance.
Pythagoras
Spend Wisely My Friend
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
— Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
The titled responsion reminds us that where we spend our time (and money) is something that we have control of. If we are at the mercy of the market, which it appears that we are, then we also vote with our money. There is no escaping the wisdom that emerges from thinking deeply about our spending habits and our habits in general. The perversion at work here is a society that values disposable products versus economies of scale that incorporate the resources of the planet and the energy output from said resources. This is not, as some would argue, a Malthusian trap, it is a fundamental limit of the physical world. What comes next is a collapse, whether we can "weather" the storm is largely up to the foresight of our species as a whole. Afterthought may be a posthumous excuse. For me, the silence is deafening.
Thomas Paine
Spendthrift contains the mustard seed of wisdom, especially salient in times of governed growth. Governed by whom? The problem of governance is a philosophically relevant variable in flux and contextualized across and through culture. Working within the confines of asceticism of labor, functionally and deliberate hardship will dull your sense of perception of the disposable.
Purge the Woes Me
Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
— Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
The titled responsion to Dicken's quote plays into individualism, which, I do agree is necessary. Up to a point, the degree to which individual autonomy plays a part in the future flourishing of humanity is largely left up to chance or as the woes me suggests, stop dwelling in the home of failures. Overcome the negativity in your life — engage your survival instinct and orient yourself towards prosperity.
Charles Dickens
Parsing is a valid cognitive function, necessary for a healthy mind. Flourishing aside, the baseline is biological. Expand on this necessity and the repeatability of the möbius in motion.
Long Term Depression (LTD)
Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify.
— Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
The titled responsion is referring to recent studies that suggest that the increased level of stress associated with depression may raise levels of glucocorticoids. This steroid can have harmful effects on the nervous system, damaging a region of the brain called the hippocampus that is crucial to creating long-term memories.
Elizabeth I of England
With a repetitive and revisionist approach to prosperity, I heuristically frame our habituating parsing function as circular, not in reason but in functionality. Maximizing lifestyle by minimizing excess consumption is a non-existent destination, yet the sojourn should continue; albeit much more frequently!
Eudaimonia
Intelligence flourishes only in the ages when belief withers.
— Emil Cioran (1911-1995)
The titled responsion is ancient in origin, Hellenic in the spread of its ideal, and endemic to the survival of our species on this planet.
Eudaimonia is a fictional place of flourishing prosperity, negating the utopia for it does not exist beyond the ideal. The Platonic form of Eudaimonica is rugged, yet beautiful, sustainable yet scarce in resources, abundant in safety yet unpredictably human in nature. Sounds attainable and sustainable.
George Eliot
I don't close the door to belief, and being skeptical isn't the right word. I actually feel sad for people trying to create new belief structures. Momentarily my sadness moves towards anger and then subsides in a mixture of frustrated melancholy when I see people trying to impose their beliefs on others. My vote is similar to Emil Cioran, wither away at your belief structure, polish it if you Will, and intelligence will flourish. For anyone that makes the claim that intelligence can not embrace and support emotion, family, love, and compassion I say, you are simply wrong!
Yet...
The debates continue. A new movement here, a cult figure there. What are we all searching for? When you think of work, what exactly are you doing? What are the people around you doing? Is this a reality or an idea? What happens with their alignment?
Anyways...
I have to get back to work. :)
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