"Religion is the opiate of the masses" - Marx
No.
"Religion is not the opiate of the masses, it's the placebo." - Gregory House M.D. (T.V)
Yes.
Try the real thing and then you can tell when someone is bullshitting you. Let someone experience life on their own. Allow them to draw their own conclusions.
Nature creates a person who is idealistic and pragmatic. Nurture creates a person that is idealistic but submissive (ergo Obama vs Bush).
The goal of human evolution should be to create a society of optimists who can see the whole picture and will recognize pain and misfortune but not dwell on it. People need to understand that a disagreement is an opportunity for discussion, not argument.
Cynicism is a plague that leads people to warped truths and talented orators.
A person should not have to commit themselves to an idea. Idealogical commitment closes so many doors. As a human it is your duty to think ORIGINAL thoughts.
I am not going to jump on any bandwagon. Especially not a bandwagon that is thousands of years old. This bandwagon is so old that the wheels and axles have rotted and now the only source of propulsion is a billion man march holding above their heads the golden frame of a wagon in which sits an empty throne. yea.
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Justin,
ReplyDeleteWhat is the bandwagon? I thought it was a call to arms, or a celebration, or people attempting to take a journey. Your quote really applies to the book in many ways. I personally agree with your comments about evolution, but I see a disconnect between the original thought thing- since I think all things are connected (ergo- that idea is not really isolated a pure or distinct from another). Last, as a cynic trying to be positive, I am not sure I agree with the idea that we are born into this world with pragmatism and ideals. I think those thins are taught to us. I am not sure what we really come into the world with, but it I would venture to guess it might be love and beauty. (A ridiculously old thought)
hmmm,
ReplyDeletethe bandwagon is the placebo. Building your own wagon is the opiate. If someone commits themselves to the interpretation of other peoples thoughts than they aren't being truly original. Hmm this is becoming increasingly existentialist...
So if im going to take the existentialist route then its ok to contradict myself because i also believe that every thought a person has is original because at any specific time it has been sparked by a situation that is unique. Every second is unique, regardless of how similar the action may appear to be from one to the next.
I guess the contradiction is my point. I don't think that people should think in a straight line. They should think in spirals. In my world their is no such thing as an argument, only discussions. 2 people can believe conflicting things and both be right.
Alllso, I guess I agree that people aren't born with ideals. People are born with pure pragmatism which is warped by the introduction of ideals from nurture.
The level of skewed pragmatism is directly proportional to the severity of idealism.
yea... thats totally right.
It seems like many times ideals get us into a large arguement we can never escape form. I like the ideas of spirals and agree with this (line) way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteHelix
after helix.