Idealism (see also: Communism)
At what point is idealism just stupidity (being young and stupid) and why should the 2 be mixed at a young age? After all, what does true and false idealism have to do with each other?
(false) romanticism/glamour vs idealism
The extraordinary and the ordinary -- Mary, for all her blessings, being the mother of God, I think was probably just an ordinary person who lived an even more ordinary, mundane life. This, to me, is ironic, though Jesus himself was also just a carpenter.
Why do we not also associate God with the mundane? It's always with great beauty and awe and wonder, or in a crises, but most of life isn't like this.
Why does God make it so that some great people are in humble positions, and many people who are not great are world leaders? I realize that great people must be equally and randomly distributed in each subset of the population, but still, it’s ironic.
I don’t understand romanticism. It turns evil things into good things, in a way, and I don’t understand how that’s possible, though I see full well that it is possible. It’s not that romanticism is half good and half bad; it’s good in that it is bad, often times.
Is there really any such thing as romanticism in real life? It seems that it exists only in the imagination, and usually I’m disappointed by reality, but not always.
Why is the greatest commandment in PC cultures the exaltation of the minority, which really means, all that’s evil and bad in the society? (Note: Don't misunderstand; I'm not saying minorities are evil and bad, but that that's what PC cultures, ironically, believe and teach. Please continue reading for further elaboration.) And the only sin that one can possibly commit is pointing this out? (must see also the “peasantness” question, under Communism)
Just as the peasants in communist China somehow internalized all their problems and faults and fell into some sort of pathological guilt (that is, self-hatred) because of this, then projected this onto society at large and got everyone to pay homage to them (with the help and at the instigation of the intellectuals of course), so has the same happened in the PC cultures of the West. In the US it’s the minorities (mainly racial or homosexual), in Europe it’s the immigrants (cultural and religious). In communism it’s purely socioeconomic.
The minorities were OK at the beginning. Although yes, they could see they were lagging behind, they didn’t suffer from any kind of neurosis. Then the intellectuals told them that it was society’s fault that they were having it bad. A lot of them listened because it made them feel better. The rest of society followed suit. The most important thing to remember in all this is that this was all guilt driven, both in the minorities and the majority. Even though the minorities were blaming the whites/rich/etc for their problems, underneath it all they still felt guilty for having more problems than the rest of society.
This is what I mean by “all that’s evil and bad in the society”. The minority, with society’s agreement, has somehow internalized the belief that they are the representation of all the problems and flaws of the greater society (inwardly), but outwardly say the exact opposite (the projection). Thus, the guilt and then the denial. In this bizarre set-up, the minority masochistically volunteers to be society’s scapegoat. Society agrees. The minorities attempt to get rid of their “sin” (all the vices and problems, not only theirs but everybody’s) by lashing out and whipping at their own inadequacies by blaming (projecting) this on everyone else instead, instead of properly taking responsibility, admitting the problem and honestly seeking answers.
So how is this also “exalting” “all that’s evil and bad in the society”? Because the culture of the minorities that propagates their failures, and the minorities as the representation and scapegoat of all the vice and flaws, is exalted. They are exalted. Everyone else is put down.
I want to give some examples of all this. Someone once pointed out to me that as a celebrity in Hollywood, you can beat your girlfriend or do a hit-and-run in a drunken rampage, but make one politically incorrect comment and your career is doomed. Even if you’re not formally taken out, everyone will shun you out of a fear of guilt-by-association, that it’s the same thing. The worst thing you can be in America is a racist. Nothing else comes close. Even people who really are racist are ashamed to voice their true beliefs. Everyone’s keeping everyone else in check. So you see, society says this political correctness is the greatest commandment, and the violation of this is the greatest sin, not murder, rape, or anything else you can think of.
This person said the problem is so bad, that at the high school where they taught, being white is a sin, just like in communism being from the aristocracy or educated class made you inherently sinful and deserving of punishment.
A little while ago (from the time I’m writing this), we all heard the story of the baby that was taken away from his parents because they named him Adolf Hitler. The American government insisted that this had nothing to do with their decision, but do you really believe that? After all, whatever the reason, the story made headlines because of the baby’s name. Even though I disagree with the parents’ neo-Nazism, it’s incredible to me that the government now feels compelled to act as thought police because of this new commandment. It’s really grown all out of proportion.
So back to my original question – how did it get like this? Why is it like this? Why would it be like this?
What’s the difference between wishful thinking, false idealism and despair? All are forms of false faith. Wishful thinking and false idealism are similar in that there’s a sense of hope, perhaps even for a genuine good (although certainly something considered good by the wisher/idealist). While the deluded is in this state, they have a positive outlook. They are buoyed up. Some people are so buoyed up that they like to remain in this state even if they know, on some other level within themselves, that they’re deluded. However, nobody wants to be in despair. Even if one is in despair, even at the point of suicide, they certainly don’t want to be in that state. So here’s the crux of the matter: the wishful thinker/false idealist wants to be in their positive state, and this is to a certain degree, understandable. There is some good mixed in with this state. But why does anyone despair, seeing that no one wants to be in this negative state and there’s nothing good in it for them? You might argue that, well, even the one who refuses to forgive puts themselves in their own hell, and you’re completely right, but at least they can succor themselves with the joy of licking their own wounded pride. But the despairer, what do they have to comfort themselves? I can’t think of anything. So basically, why doesn’t the despairer convert to wishful thinking/false idealism? But I think it’s rather the opposite: given enough time, the wishful thinker/false idealist, if they do not repent, will slide into despair, and if they still do not repent, they will just remain there, with nothing good, not even a delusional goodness, but only a delusional evil.
I think I can safely say there is no real difference. Despair is only a later stage of wishful thinking/false idealism. Doesn’t all temptation begin with the promise of something good, otherwise, who would go for it? But it’s always a trick. However, I still don't think I can say I answered the heart of the question, which is, why would anyone despair if it's so unpleasant and there's nothing to redeem it?
Why does communism preach utopia? They're all going to die anyway. Why do they fight so hard and believe so strongly, to the point of sacrificing their lives, when everyone's going to die? The crux of the matter: people will end up dying for whatever they believe, whether it makes sense or not.
(false) romanticism/glamour vs idealism
The extraordinary and the ordinary -- Mary, for all her blessings, being the mother of God, I think was probably just an ordinary person who lived an even more ordinary, mundane life. This, to me, is ironic, though Jesus himself was also just a carpenter.
Why do we not also associate God with the mundane? It's always with great beauty and awe and wonder, or in a crises, but most of life isn't like this.
Why does God make it so that some great people are in humble positions, and many people who are not great are world leaders? I realize that great people must be equally and randomly distributed in each subset of the population, but still, it’s ironic.
I don’t understand romanticism. It turns evil things into good things, in a way, and I don’t understand how that’s possible, though I see full well that it is possible. It’s not that romanticism is half good and half bad; it’s good in that it is bad, often times.
Is there really any such thing as romanticism in real life? It seems that it exists only in the imagination, and usually I’m disappointed by reality, but not always.
Why is the greatest commandment in PC cultures the exaltation of the minority, which really means, all that’s evil and bad in the society? (Note: Don't misunderstand; I'm not saying minorities are evil and bad, but that that's what PC cultures, ironically, believe and teach. Please continue reading for further elaboration.) And the only sin that one can possibly commit is pointing this out? (must see also the “peasantness” question, under Communism)
Just as the peasants in communist China somehow internalized all their problems and faults and fell into some sort of pathological guilt (that is, self-hatred) because of this, then projected this onto society at large and got everyone to pay homage to them (with the help and at the instigation of the intellectuals of course), so has the same happened in the PC cultures of the West. In the US it’s the minorities (mainly racial or homosexual), in Europe it’s the immigrants (cultural and religious). In communism it’s purely socioeconomic.
The minorities were OK at the beginning. Although yes, they could see they were lagging behind, they didn’t suffer from any kind of neurosis. Then the intellectuals told them that it was society’s fault that they were having it bad. A lot of them listened because it made them feel better. The rest of society followed suit. The most important thing to remember in all this is that this was all guilt driven, both in the minorities and the majority. Even though the minorities were blaming the whites/rich/etc for their problems, underneath it all they still felt guilty for having more problems than the rest of society.
This is what I mean by “all that’s evil and bad in the society”. The minority, with society’s agreement, has somehow internalized the belief that they are the representation of all the problems and flaws of the greater society (inwardly), but outwardly say the exact opposite (the projection). Thus, the guilt and then the denial. In this bizarre set-up, the minority masochistically volunteers to be society’s scapegoat. Society agrees. The minorities attempt to get rid of their “sin” (all the vices and problems, not only theirs but everybody’s) by lashing out and whipping at their own inadequacies by blaming (projecting) this on everyone else instead, instead of properly taking responsibility, admitting the problem and honestly seeking answers.
So how is this also “exalting” “all that’s evil and bad in the society”? Because the culture of the minorities that propagates their failures, and the minorities as the representation and scapegoat of all the vice and flaws, is exalted. They are exalted. Everyone else is put down.
I want to give some examples of all this. Someone once pointed out to me that as a celebrity in Hollywood, you can beat your girlfriend or do a hit-and-run in a drunken rampage, but make one politically incorrect comment and your career is doomed. Even if you’re not formally taken out, everyone will shun you out of a fear of guilt-by-association, that it’s the same thing. The worst thing you can be in America is a racist. Nothing else comes close. Even people who really are racist are ashamed to voice their true beliefs. Everyone’s keeping everyone else in check. So you see, society says this political correctness is the greatest commandment, and the violation of this is the greatest sin, not murder, rape, or anything else you can think of.
This person said the problem is so bad, that at the high school where they taught, being white is a sin, just like in communism being from the aristocracy or educated class made you inherently sinful and deserving of punishment.
A little while ago (from the time I’m writing this), we all heard the story of the baby that was taken away from his parents because they named him Adolf Hitler. The American government insisted that this had nothing to do with their decision, but do you really believe that? After all, whatever the reason, the story made headlines because of the baby’s name. Even though I disagree with the parents’ neo-Nazism, it’s incredible to me that the government now feels compelled to act as thought police because of this new commandment. It’s really grown all out of proportion.
So back to my original question – how did it get like this? Why is it like this? Why would it be like this?
What’s the difference between wishful thinking, false idealism and despair? All are forms of false faith. Wishful thinking and false idealism are similar in that there’s a sense of hope, perhaps even for a genuine good (although certainly something considered good by the wisher/idealist). While the deluded is in this state, they have a positive outlook. They are buoyed up. Some people are so buoyed up that they like to remain in this state even if they know, on some other level within themselves, that they’re deluded. However, nobody wants to be in despair. Even if one is in despair, even at the point of suicide, they certainly don’t want to be in that state. So here’s the crux of the matter: the wishful thinker/false idealist wants to be in their positive state, and this is to a certain degree, understandable. There is some good mixed in with this state. But why does anyone despair, seeing that no one wants to be in this negative state and there’s nothing good in it for them? You might argue that, well, even the one who refuses to forgive puts themselves in their own hell, and you’re completely right, but at least they can succor themselves with the joy of licking their own wounded pride. But the despairer, what do they have to comfort themselves? I can’t think of anything. So basically, why doesn’t the despairer convert to wishful thinking/false idealism? But I think it’s rather the opposite: given enough time, the wishful thinker/false idealist, if they do not repent, will slide into despair, and if they still do not repent, they will just remain there, with nothing good, not even a delusional goodness, but only a delusional evil.
I think I can safely say there is no real difference. Despair is only a later stage of wishful thinking/false idealism. Doesn’t all temptation begin with the promise of something good, otherwise, who would go for it? But it’s always a trick. However, I still don't think I can say I answered the heart of the question, which is, why would anyone despair if it's so unpleasant and there's nothing to redeem it?
Why does communism preach utopia? They're all going to die anyway. Why do they fight so hard and believe so strongly, to the point of sacrificing their lives, when everyone's going to die? The crux of the matter: people will end up dying for whatever they believe, whether it makes sense or not.