JJ's World Views

Tag: #philosophy

  • Philosophies of a Humanist

    Philosophies of a Humanist

    As a self proclaimed Humanist  I do not believe in a God or gods.  I believe in the power of humanity in and of itself.  I have been to many churches and they all seemed strange to me, even the Catholic Church in which I was loosely raised in.  The whole sit, stand and kneel ritual was quite irritating along with the sermons and the Bible.  They all just rubbed me the wrong way.  When I got in to my twenties I read the Bible from front to back and the contradictions within it drove me nut as well as the whole lineage stuff.

    It was when I was introduced to Bruce Lee and his philosophy of martial arts  that I started developing my own system of beliefs.  I liked how he took the best parts of other martial arts and combined them together to create Jeet Kune Do.   I liked this and wondered why no one had thought of doing this with religion or faith.  So, over the years I started developing my own philosophies.  I did not just stick to the ideas of religion though I also took from themes within fiction and movies where religion lacked.  I try to live by a code that promotes peace and harmony without being hypocritical to my beliefs like many do with in religion.  Some may think it is naive but I see the world as it is and I aspire to make changes with in myself, so that I may help change the course of humanity in a positive way.

    I strive to eliminate hate from myself, for to hate I feel is to give power to that person or group over me.  This is no easy task.  I may get angry at someone but I will not hate them.  Anger will only last as long as I let it.  I do not hold grudges anymore, for this only hurts me.  It darkens my heart and breeds discontent in those around me.

    I remind myself fear can be both a good and bad thing.  Fear can keep me safe from the dangers of the world.  Remember not to let fear control me, for if I allow it to have control it can hinder my journey through this life and lead to hate.  When fear becomes too strong I must face it by putting myself in uncomfortable situations, this way I understand what I am afraid of, henceforth stifling hate.

    Be kind to those around me.  This is can also be hard to do especially if I am angry.  I am not perfect and will not claim to be.  We all make mistakes so, we must own up to them and learn.

    Love everyone no matter the race, religion, sexual orientation or any other way society deems to separate us.  I have come to the realization that I may not be able to love in a romantic sense,  because my heart is filled with love for all humankind.  I am fine with that.  In some ways it is lonely and I crave the affections of someone but this may hinder me from the mission I have taken on.  I vowed to not be with anyone until I have finished my Bachelor’s Degree that was almost 3 years ago.  I have almost allowed myself to fall back into the old routines, of mistaking sex for romantic love.  I do not wish to do this again.

    I put my heart into my goals.  This is why I think I am so good at being an Educational Assistant and why I will be a good teacher.  I put the kids I work with first, this is how I am.  I want to make sure that children no matter where they are where they are from.

    Do no harm is another principle I try to live by as well.  This means I will make sure to exhaust all methods of nonviolence.  I would rather die than to physically harm someone.

    These are some of the principles I try to live by.  But, I am not perfect and I will never claim to be.  If I do please call me out on it.

  • Economics, Government and Bruce Lee

    Some people may think this strange but when I think about big issues like economics and government, one philosophy I think we should take comes from an unlikely source, Bruce Lee’s Philosophy on Martial arts.  To me Bruce was one a person who understood America better than most American did or do.  His Philosophy in the martial arts was to take what he took the most useful parts of other martial arts and add it to his own style Jeet Kune Do, the way of the intercepting fist.  This meant that the art was ever evolving.  This same philosophy can and should be when it comes to the economy and government.

    We should see what policies are working in other countries and start testing and adopting them over in the United States.   This way we can start building a better country.  The U.S. is set up like a large social lab.  Testing different policies and adjust them to accommodate the citizens of the country.

    For we are each part of a bigger organism called society.  We are all trying to find a place where we belong.  We are all atoms trying to stabilize.  With global warming happening we are being warmed up and ever volatile.  Running around bouncing into each other. Sometimes we stay attached for a while, other times we split or touch for a second and never see each other again.  During these periods we must learn from one another.   To make each other better people.   Look at what we are doing with marijuana legislation.  Each state is learning from the other to which ones work best.

    With all the changing in the economy we must do this.  Otherwise society will fall.  To much of it in one area or another will destroy the economy.  It is like a water balloon, you fill it up in a single area it will burst.  There has to be a balance to it.  the rules for the economy should be set out nice and clear so most people will understand them. There should be a cap on how much a single person or family can make.  We are always talking about a maximum amount earned.  This way we no one or few persons have too much power.  That is how we get to the economic problems that we currently have in our societies. Those at the top have to remember money is a resource not speech.  Do the tax what come out of your mouth.  No that is absurd.   Speech is pretty much unlimited.  Money is not.  The more we print the higher the prices go and stay.  Not giving society a chance to keep up if the top 1 percent has too much.

    Some of the rich say that it is class warfare and we the citizens are the aggressors.  When it is the obscenely rich have been doing class warfare on the poor for most of civilization’s existence.  This time they have an entire world to plunder and not just a country anymore.  For this reason from time to time we will need a redistribution of wealth from time to time, in order that no few people have too much power.  everything in nature has limits why should currency be any different.

     

    Peace be with you all.