The Unbearable Likeness of Being
What cannot be cured must be endured.
— Robert Burton (1577-1640)
Bearly Moderate, I Would Say!
The Unbearable Likeness of Being
What cannot be cured must be endured.
— Robert Burton (1577-1640)
The titled responsion plays off of bear and bearly in a way that borderlines on bad. And yet, this writer persists, engaging with the textual form in a way that makes the aforementioned alliteration almost annoying. There I go again, yet the underlying Praxis at play is FFA (like we need another acronym); a free-for-all of Free Form Association.
Pointing out the obvious, Smokey the Bear doesn't issue permits for forest fires, yet the reality of a fire season is becoming the norm for many communities, mine included.
What happens when it's no longer a "season" and burns all year round?? We inhabit narratives of the past, telling us what life should be like. When this likeness dominates the truth claim with no sign of humility, ignorance can be unbearable.
Personally, I think that a form of Universal Basic Income (UBI) is the first step necessary in solving the climate crisis. The only qualification for an individual to receive a basic income is that they must agree to report their carbon emissions and agree to try and minimize them accordingly. Heck, we could even gamify the carbon game, shifting the competition to one of self-governed austerity instead of top-down government initiatives with the same name.
Now, there are those out there that say UBI doesn't work and that it has been tried and has failed. I don't want to get into those conversations; I am returning to first principles and making the claim that individuals must have an easy alternative to the production-centric activity that is the origin of my God Hypothesis.
What is my God Hypothesis, and how does it relate to GDP?
Religious and secular populations can easily differentiate between a religion and the monotheism of Abrahamic religions. No one seems to recognize that our blind faith in production as a means to "the Good life" affects everyone. This is why I refer to faith in production-centric lifestyles as blind faith.
There is a God, a false manifestation of an all-knowing, all-powerful force in the universe, it's called GDP. This works as a unifying force right up until the time when we realize that our new God is a perversion and can not last forever.
Am I offering a cure? Do we have to endure? No, and yes.
I know I am leaving you hanging here, for I haven't explained the entire plan for all of this to come together. I am the first to admit that the ideal is inspired by Plato's Republic, and I am not referring to eugenics, Communism, or polygamy. Still, I am referring to an imaginative exercise of thought that puts the responsibility on the philosopher to imagine a universal worth striving towards.
Basically, it comes down to the fact that if the governments of the world are going to plunge civilization into a dark age of economic reckoning, they need to make sure that this war is fought with soldiers that have their basic needs met. What's beautiful about this reality is that we really don't need excess to be happy; we don't need opulence to have a feeling of abundance. All we need is a holistic society that is detached from the God of GDP.
Spoken Like a True Moderate
Men govern nothing with more difficulty than their tongues, and can moderate their desires more than their words.
— Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677)
The titled responsion plays on a center-of-the-aisle analogy where the prudent thinker is rewarded and the maxim of "all things in moderation" is applied nicely in a double meaning that just makes sense.
Thinking about what you want to say before you say it is an act of humility, a best practice for ideal interactions between humans. What you focus on and how you articulate your thoughts can dramatically affect anyone and everyone in earshot of your rhetoric.
Speaking of rhetoric, the speech I am giving may not be convincing. You judge whether or not the messages I am trying to convey sway your position or influence your thoughts. Chances are they will not, and that's okay.
Rhetoric can backfire as well; let's say that you deliver a bad speech, and the outcome could taint your credibility within an ontology of eusocial micro-dosing that wreaks havoc on the biochemistry within your brain. Then what?
Well, we climb back into social favor or remain on the fringe. The choice is up to you, my friend.
Shotguns are Bipartisan
Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.
— Mao Zedong (1893-1976)
The titled responsion is trying to highlight that the derivatives of Mr. Moe's doctrine don't care what side of the aisle your political allegiance lies. Violence beget violence. End of story.
Is there a slippery slope at play when it comes to economic prosperity? Do we, as a species, have to thrive to survive? Can we redefine what it means to thrive in a way we all value? Perhaps this is a shotgun approach without the barrel of any gun.
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Daniel Sanderson