On Anarchism and Content Creation
- Thread starter Phisto Sobanii
- Start date
I am not a racist. I hate all people equally.
Heh heh, reminds me of that Father Ted episode "Are you right there Father Ted".
"I hear you're a racist now, Father!"
"What's the Church's stance on racism? Should we all be racists?"
Sorry OP, I know we're getting a bit off topic here!
I think as a general theme that tends to be most interesting. At first people try to define themselves, figure out where they stand and what they want to be. Then people sort-of get there, feel comfortable and secure about themselves and their place in the world. Until their approach or view stops working, and the floor gets knocked out from under your feet. That is what makes moving away from home so interesting; it is easy to believe you figured it all out, that you know what is right and what is wrong, when you stay in the same area with the same friends in the same settings. Sitting in my cozy little bar in a cute Dutch village, telling people in Detroit via the internet how they could easily fix a crime wave by just adopting our policies. Or tweeting from a five star penthouse how free market politics would instantly fix the lives of Venezuelans, while opening another bottle of $1500 champagne.
Then you pack your bags, move to another continent for a bit on your own and suddenly it appears your one-size-fits-all solutions don't quite pan out all that well. And when you mentally connected your ideas and solutions with morality, it makes you wonder if your division of 'right' versus 'wrong' views really is all that solid...
When does strength of character become stubbornness? What if someone stuck to their beliefs through the experience you described? Would it be praiseworthy?
No, it would not. Strength of character to me means resisting invalid opposition, i.e. opposition based on invalid arguments. For example, when people expect you to change your mind because the president/pope/whatever told you so. But when there is a conflict between your views and reality, there is no strength whatsoever in denying reality. And history has shown (on both the left and right) that pushing through, expecting reality to adhere to your opinions, frequently leads to piles of dead bodies and other assorted horrors.
Strength of character refers, to me, to having a set of 'outcome objectives'. For example, believing that every child is entitled, by right of birth, to a fair chance at life including medical and educational services regardless of who their parents are. Exactly how you would get there is a technical question, and you should always revise the answers to those based on new information. This is especially important when it comes to economic viewpoints, where the goal is often confused with the specific approach taken having a inherent moral value in and of itself. Whether this is full-blown Stalinistic communism or ultra-free market ala Friedman; when you notice your approach leads to absolute crapshows a strong personality would admit their approach was wrong, even though they may not need to let go of their outcome objective.
Simply put: suppose I want to go to the beach, that is a fine outcome objective. When I realize that I am, in fact, driving the wrong way, it is not a sign of strength to just push ahead and expect the ocean to follow me. I should admit that, while going to the beach is still absolutely my goal, driving up the mountain may have been the wrong approach.
Since you can freely choose your beliefs (once when you become aware of them) it's up to you to decide if a belief is good and worth believing in. No one but you can (and should) do it.
"What's the Church's stance on racism? Should we all be racists?"
Sorry OP, I know we're getting a bit off topic here!
Oh! It's OK. What's your position on the question of cake or death?
Over the past ten years I've lived in Ohio, Colorado, Maine, Ohio again, and now Florida. Granted, it's all inside the same country but the United States is huge and has some dramatically different places inside it. Like right now I don't really consider where I live South Florida insomuch as North Caribbean. I rarely hear English when I'm out and about and have made friends with people from parts of the world I never have before. It's absolutely enriched my life.
I think we're both saying the same thing here. You've got to get out in the world and walk it a while before you really learn much.
I was generally surprised, and pleased that I remain 'on the left' here well into my 50's. It is noticeable how many of my contemporaries, and childhood friends have become so 'right-ish'. Time spent in the world can do that to you. That is something for people to consider, and potentially guard against as they experience the world.