Hi there,
So this is something that has been bugging me for a long, long time and I've never really gotten to the bottom of it. Perhaps philosophers can help.
I am a privileged white male, in a wealthy first world country, that throws most of what he consumes on the garbage heap and has a tidy disability payment to pay a meagre tithe on. But something doesn't add up. I did nothing to earn this privilege, literally nothing. The whole kit and kaboodle has been handed to me with no verbal expectation made of any kind of commitment on my part to being anything other than slightly below average intellectually, as far as my madness is concerned and even then I frequently come across people who are quite stunned that they are considered saner than I am (I drink a lot of water, so I am quite fluid in my tolerance of other people).
And you know what? I think it gets worse. I think the reason I am writing this now, in this way is that a part of me wishes I could keep it, forever. I mean I wish I could always just wake up whenever, eat whatever and throw away whichever and not ever have to think about what people need or why or to what extent or anything. I mean the more I think about it, the more spoiled my thoughts about it become.
Yes, I am grateful, that's the part I'm holding back. I go to Church, I thank God. I know there are people who benefit from my tithe and what not and I am not deliberately ripping the system off, I don't think... but surely... surely there is some price tag to all this, the use of energy, the fact that someone has to work for the pension - actually a lot of people -, the waste, the entertainment, coffee at the shop. I mean in one way, its really modest, but in another sense I've been retired at the paltry age of 35 with nothing to do but pontificate and conjure up obscure philosophical problems for people to think on, if and when I can actually make sense enough to communicate it - which granted, I've found harder than the average guy.
I mean it just seems like all the people around me have missed the fundamental point that everything is supposed to have a purpose! The docs say the treatment is indefinite, I've got almost no reason to complain (except my conscience!), people on the internet largely ignore you if they can't make sense of what you say, the world dreams on - where O where is the sense in it all?
You know what I'm saying?
I mean when Jesus says "one's life does not consist in one's possessions" He literally means, no matter whether it's all given to you or you work for every last bit of it, none of it will give you life - either way. In other words, if you are going to be stuck there, don't even let people give it all to you!
So yes, if you are ever in Melbourne Australia and you can refrain from abusing me like people seem to think God approves of on the internet, I will probably shout you coffee, at the very least!
Thoughts?
So this is something that has been bugging me for a long, long time and I've never really gotten to the bottom of it. Perhaps philosophers can help.
I am a privileged white male, in a wealthy first world country, that throws most of what he consumes on the garbage heap and has a tidy disability payment to pay a meagre tithe on. But something doesn't add up. I did nothing to earn this privilege, literally nothing. The whole kit and kaboodle has been handed to me with no verbal expectation made of any kind of commitment on my part to being anything other than slightly below average intellectually, as far as my madness is concerned and even then I frequently come across people who are quite stunned that they are considered saner than I am (I drink a lot of water, so I am quite fluid in my tolerance of other people).
And you know what? I think it gets worse. I think the reason I am writing this now, in this way is that a part of me wishes I could keep it, forever. I mean I wish I could always just wake up whenever, eat whatever and throw away whichever and not ever have to think about what people need or why or to what extent or anything. I mean the more I think about it, the more spoiled my thoughts about it become.
Yes, I am grateful, that's the part I'm holding back. I go to Church, I thank God. I know there are people who benefit from my tithe and what not and I am not deliberately ripping the system off, I don't think... but surely... surely there is some price tag to all this, the use of energy, the fact that someone has to work for the pension - actually a lot of people -, the waste, the entertainment, coffee at the shop. I mean in one way, its really modest, but in another sense I've been retired at the paltry age of 35 with nothing to do but pontificate and conjure up obscure philosophical problems for people to think on, if and when I can actually make sense enough to communicate it - which granted, I've found harder than the average guy.
I mean it just seems like all the people around me have missed the fundamental point that everything is supposed to have a purpose! The docs say the treatment is indefinite, I've got almost no reason to complain (except my conscience!), people on the internet largely ignore you if they can't make sense of what you say, the world dreams on - where O where is the sense in it all?
You know what I'm saying?
I mean when Jesus says "one's life does not consist in one's possessions" He literally means, no matter whether it's all given to you or you work for every last bit of it, none of it will give you life - either way. In other words, if you are going to be stuck there, don't even let people give it all to you!
So yes, if you are ever in Melbourne Australia and you can refrain from abusing me like people seem to think God approves of on the internet, I will probably shout you coffee, at the very least!
Thoughts?
