If you have lost possession of a world, Be not distressed, for it is nought; And have you gained possession of a world, Be not overjoyed, for it is nought. Our pains, our gains all pass away; Get beyond the world, for it is nought.
When dreaming we are free from worldly restrictions So abstract, So creative, not what we can think of when awake We wake up, and think "How did I think of (dream) something like that" We've been bombarded with so many outside stuffs since birth Even our imagination is getting limited But, What a relief we can at least partially free from the limitation when dreaming! ( Side note: That's why I don't try lucid dreaming When lucid dreaming, the dream is limited to my conscious imagination and creativity Our consciousness is somewhat limited I am really satisfied when I dream about the whole different things that I couldn't imagine with my conscious mind )
It applies to even the most interesting game, which is life Milton H Erickson said "Life will bring you pain all by itself. Your responsibility is to create joy" Creating joy... ... ... (By the way, it is very wise that he used the word 'create', not 'find') When we play a game for the first time, (Assume it as a PC game) we are not good at it, but we just have fun playing it But as time goes by, we devise all kinds of methods to make the game enjoyable because the way we played in early days cannot bring the same enjoyment anymore We becomes good at it, but we becomes bored at it It's kind of pathetic to see that an old game remains played by a few old users (For example, 'Starcraft' in South Korea) with all kinds of gimmicks, ideas, methods, or whatever being used to make it enjoyable Creating joy is nothing more nor less than that Life is much more complex and has more possibilities and options than any other game Nonetheless, life becomes boring like any other game When they are infants, just moving arms and legs is pleasing When they are 7, just riding a bike is pleasing just watching an airplane fly is amazing just watching a train move fast is interesting As they get older, they don't find pleasure in them They devise more sophisticated ways to make life enjoyable The situations here is the same as the situation of the old game I exemplified above Even though life has infinite possibilities unlike any other game, the more you play, the more you devise new ways to overcome boredom, the more difficult 'creating joy' becomes And, some people stop to devise new ways, giving up, feeling the futility of life Is that not "constructive"? Is it the right thing and the way to go, to try to create joy forever? Answer, Milton Erickson You command that I endlessly try to create joy until I die? Maybe he is right, I don't know I'm not sure (By the way Milton H Erickson is among the few figures I sincerely respect) Anyway, (whether I agree with him or not) The pathetic feeling I feel when I see the old game users' efforts, is undeniable, and I kind of feel the same pathetic feeling when people have to devise new ways to make life enjoyable I wonder what would make a man happy if he is 1000 years old Think about it Even if he becomes the king of the world on his 1000th birthday, still I think he would not be that happy I'm starting to repeat, but... Even though life has infinite possibilities the more you 'consume' ways to create joy, the less the number of remained (new) ways to create joy becomes (Digression: The 1000-year-old man's joy (if it's possible) would not be compatible with normal people (Raising children, Having families, Involved in relationships, etc.) I am curious to know what it would be) Imagine that the 1000-year-old man followed Milton Erickson's advice For 1000 years, he became bored and found new ways, and became bored and found new ways... And let's assume he lives forever So horrific and daunting One more thing to mention: The ways devised earlier (to create joy) are more natural and better than the ways devised later It's a mixed blessing that I am a very fast consumer
I am so surprised and almost disgusted that people even not at the top of the ladder want to consolidate their position, (affirm the idea of the rank system) rather than denying or destroying or revolting against the whole ladder 'matrix' They are willing to serve people higher than them as long as they are served by people lower than them How pathetic and laughable if it is viewed from people at the top Slaves want and support slavery! Story: Once upon a time, one person at the top didn't like the whole idea, denied the ladder and treated people equally And guess what happened He was not supported by anyone Moreover he was treated as in a lower position
Death is just the reverse process of Birth Death is just return to the state of "before Birth" When born He cries while others are happy Maybe because he instinctively feels a hard life in this world When dying He is calm but others cry The world are concerned about less death It is considered a 'good thing' to help Africans It is considered a 'tragedy' that people die But at the same time they are not interested in more birth (I hope you are smart enough not to raise a question related to 'promoting childbirth for economic purposes') Maybe it originates from the asymmetry of [ Plus from earning something : Minus from losing the same thing ] It is kind of natural because without that tendency, human being could have not survived the history of evolution How can a species thrive if that species is uninterested in living? But, that's just an evolutionary thing It doesn't impel the way an individual should think (asymmetrical view) Anyway, Birth and Death are symmetrical but the world seems to refuse, or be ignorant of that idea
Life is so complex Of course it is an understatement
How much have I been influenced by the virtues, values, 'answers', what's right or wrong, or arbitrary standard the world has established and coerced! Now I realized that those are just not-reliable No need to follow I have to evaluate and judge those things myself one-by-one from scratch That's the hard part Before the realization, we can just follow those 'answers' (values, virtues, standard, whatever) without thinking too much, because those are what the world said (so-called accumulated human wisdom) After the realization, he has to determine on his own Nothing/No one to rely on but himself Newton said about "Standing on the shoulders of giants" But in this case, the giants are not helpful Actually the giants in this case are hindrance Unlike Newton, he has to carry on alone Even there's nothing like "Finally people would appreciate my effort" Don't expect that (That likely would not happen)
I'm a bit afraid of a start because there must be an end someday And I'm hardwired to be sensitive to farewells, nostalgia Someone might say "You're such a coward. You're so afraid of the end that you don't wanna start, how foolish!" Maybe that has a point My excuse: But I feel grief very very painfully in farewells even if the person leaving has not been that close to me. It's so unfair. And I don't forget. I always reminisce. So unfair. Recently I feel like I'm 60's or 70's (Looking back is a characteristic of 'has-been'! How pathetic!) But (on the other hand) how fortunate I am that I think in my 20's what others would think in their old ages I would finally find a solution (mind set, philosophical thought) to this reminiscence and grief, if not now, because I am the greatest philosopher of all time (Of course, the solution could not be about 'positively overcoming') But think about it that a person falls into reminiscence and grief in their 60's or 70's! So-called "Looking back and nostalgia syndrome" Then that person has no way out No escape Anyway Finding that solution is the most philosophically challenging thing in my life for now (recently, nowadays, whatever)
is the situation where you're being attacked but being unaware Even Nazi's concentration camp was not this kind of danger It was a very obvious danger But it may be that I'm saying like "Women have always been the primary victims of war. Women lose their husbands, their fathers, their sons in combat", which is nonsense
Those who can't differentiate Diamond from Graphite don't deserve the former