I have sent out many variations of introductory letters, so these replies were most likely to letters that are different from the one you received, but all my letters have basically attempted to convey the same message.
Your letter sounds very determining. And after I read the first part, I thought "Oh, who write such a stupid letter?" But I read more and more and your letter became more and more interessting. And that's the reason why I write you back.
I think that you have very strict ideas about the humanity and religion. And so there are some parts and sentences in your letter, which I don't understand, or I have an other opinion: Do you really think that you are perfect? Why you don't know allegiances and bonds? And why you don't accept mistakes? Everybody makes mistakes and it's human.
Do you really think, that you have so good ideas or that you are such a perfect person, that you will be the next generation of humanity? And I don't share your opinion, when you say, that a billions of people on this planet have no goal or purpose.
Do you really prefer it to live unsocialized? And why? I would hate it to stay at home at the evening or at the weekend and to "play" with my computer or watch television. What I would say is, that my friends are very important for me to go out with them, to have fun, etc ... And I also think, that there are some friends who are very, very important, not only for entertainment. I think you know what I mean.
The questions, which you asked me, will be answered in my next mail. Because, first I want to think about and to find my opinion.
Maybe you are interessted to write me back. And please correct me, when I understand you wrong.
comments: this is a good example of a person who has accepted society; once you're content with this society, you will not make a difference; it takes effort to become the next generation of humanity, and if you have no desire to be part of that next generation, then there is no point in writing to me
First of all, I am replying because I said I would, but I have a question: Are you serious? You sounded like Magneto when you said "I, and those like me, will be the next generation of humanity. We will be the ones to eventually replace it's present aimless existence, to build a new society that will have none of the faults or aimless "freedoms" of the present one, as the idea of "freedom" as it is defined today is the chain that binds us to a pointless existence that will lead nowhere." Magneto makes a superior villain, but he's not someone I would want to email on a regular basis.
Second of all, If you were serious than I don't follow your "criteria." I do believe in God and Jesus Christ with all my heart. I have a testimony that Jesus did live on earth and that he died for us. I believe in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants. I believe that Gordon B. Hinckley is the true prophet of God also. If you read my profile on InterPals, I said that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or a Mormon. I am an active member of my church and have a testimony of it. So if you were serious about not talking to religious people, I wouldn't write back because I am. I take life seriously, but I do want to enjoy it. I also have goals like going to college and getting married in the temple (which is a big part of my religion).
Third, I really hope your joking about the whole killing, thefts, etc. stuff. Then I would be pretty sure that you are Magneto. Going on...I will tell you some "background." Some of it may be true, some of it may be a mix of truth, and some of it may be what my superior mind thinks is true. I was born in a small city called Wyagteera on my planet of Nadug. I was born into the royal family. I grew up among servants and was always treated wonderfully. I got everything I wanted. At the age of 5, I began my schooling. I was wonderful at school and would stand for nothing below an A. At the age of 8, I was baptised into my church. I went to a public school, but was always somewhat of a nerd - huge glasses, long hair, weird clothes, the works. I participated in local theater with his majesty my father. We were in two plays with at least 27 performances of each. My mother the queen was in another theater performance with me. I did theater at school in grade 5, but had a very minor part and was killed. Grade 6 of my schooling was by far the worst. My friends hated eachother and got into fights with other children. They always wanted me to protect them and I hated them for it. I was teased because of my perfect grades and I was more often than not very unhappy. This is when my parents (King and Queen of Nadug) decided to send me here: to Earth. Nadug is far away from Earth - thousands and thousands of light years, but I made the trip in 3 months earth time. I have become a member of a wonderful earth My parents want me to do some top secret negotiating with the President of the United States. When I got here, the President was William Clinton. I checked up on his background and decided he was not the President I wanted to negotiate with. So, I enteres Earth junior high school. This was far different than public school on my planet. I made friends quickly. I am still friends with every one of them, except for the one who moved to Germany. I have made friends (and best friends) since then in our school musical at the beginning of Grade 8. My best friend is funny, but has an overprotective and controlling mother. My other best friend is fun and definitely likes to talk. She is boy-crazy and has a HUGE crush on one of my other friends. My final best friend has a big family and his parents think that 4 girls, a boy, and a mom is a double date, but he's the funny one. You can email me back if you would like to, but I can't 100% promise that I will write back. I am 14 and a half and don't know if I feel comfortable talking to someone who is 21. Here are my answers to your questions: (1) Who or what is so important to you that you can't live without it? What things or people truly matter to you in your life? Why? (A) If I had to choose one thing that is so important that I couldn't live without it, it would be my family. They are my love and my strength and the support me in what I belive and in what I do. I would do anything for them and I couldn't live without them. I also couldn't live without my faith and religion. It helps me through daily trials and I know it is true. (2) What is your view of religion? How certain are you of your view and why? (A) I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (more commonly known as the Mormons). I know it is the true church and I have faith in all that we believe in. I believe in God and that Jesus Christ is his Son. I believe in Gordon B. HInckley and Joseph Smith and all of the other prophets. I believe in the things which they teach/taught and I know they were true prophets of God. (3) What values, morals, principles, and codes of conduct are most important to you? What if someone is in your way, or somehow interfering in the goal you are pursuing, would you consider killing them, given there were no consequences? (A) I think that the 10 commandments are very important to me. I also think that along the lines of values, morals, principles, and codes of conduct, people should follow all laws whether of the city or state. The morals, principles, etc. set in the Book of Mormon, Bible, Doctrine and Covenants, etc. should be followed. I think that people should be honest, friendly, morally clean, etc. I would never consider killing someone, even if I could get away with. I couldn't. My conscience and myself would never allow me to kill another human being. I doubt I would be able to consciously kill a deer or rabbit. I don't think ANYTHING justifies killing someone unless it is in true self-defense and you have ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER OPTION. (4) Do you prefer to follow your heart or your mind - why? Can you describe a time that you did something that went against your reason because of your heart? Did you regret doing it? (A) I follow both. I follow my heart unless I know that it is wrong. I do what I think is best. If I know someone could get hurt, I don't do it. I do what I believe is best and what I believe in. If I don't know what I should do, I ask other people or pray about it. Regular everyday things are like that. Even a thing like whether or not to go to a party or activity, etc. I do pro's and con's, think about it, pray about it, and then go with the feeling I get. Probably all-in-all, I would say I usually go with my heart. (5) Imagine that you are given the opportunity to live on an isolated island for five years with up to three people of your choice. Survival will be extremely easy on this island because you will be given plenty of food, shelter, and other necessities for life. The only difference is that you are isolated from the rest of humanity and have no technology. Would you go? Who would you take with you and how many would you take with you? (A) If I had a choice, I don't think that I would go. I like living with other people and associating with lots of different kinds of people. If I had to, on the other hand, and I could choose as many people as I wanted to, I would take my mom, my dad, and my 2 brothers along with my 3 best friends. If I could only take 3 people, then I would have a harder time. I have 4 people in my family other than me, so I wouldn't want to just take three of them. I suppose I would take my best friend, a parent, and either another friend or one of my Young Women leaders from church (they are just like a friend or family). (6) What do you think are you most likely to be doing 10 years from today? What would you most like to be doing 10 years from today? (A) In 10 years I would like to be ending or going to college. I hope to be either married or engaged. If I am married and have no children yet, I would like to have a job that I really enjoy, but if I have a kid(s) than I would like to be a stay-at-home-mom: either a homemaker or have a stay-at-home job. (7) How do you justify doing something for fun or enjoyment? (A) I think that if you want to do something for fun or enjoyment, you should do it as long as it's not at someone else's expense. If you already have plans, the thing could hurt someone physically or mentally, or it's something you know you will regret, it's not worth it. But if it's good, clean fun than I think you should go for it. (8) Do you see that there is anything wrong with the way people act, or with the way our society exists? What exactly? Can you imagine how it could be changed? (A) I think there is plenty wrong with society. I think that some people are corrupted. I think that the media has too large of an influence and the influence is mostly bad. I think that the media exposes pornography, premarital and early sex, bad language, and low morals. It teaches people that violence is OK in everyday life. I teaches people that if someone is in your way or you don't like them, kill them. It teaches teens that it's OK to kiss and have physical contact when you don't even know someone and that having sex is OK. It teaches people it is OK to do or experiment with drugs no matter how much they will hurt you and your life and family and friends. It is wrong and disturbing to think that the media can effect someone so much that they would do things like that. I think that it would be very hard to change anything because it has gotten to SO many people and they think that things like that are normal now. If the media had a conscious and started making more clean books, movies, TV shows and comic books stopped making all of the racy, ronchy crap they have now, the world MIGHT be able to change, but that's not going to happen. I guess people have to choose for themselves what they think is right. I personally am sick of all of the crap in modern day media. I think that those were some really good questions and I would like to see how you would answer them. I have a question for you though: (1)If you had a friend that was better than you in everything you do - sports, music, social, etc. - and you always felt that teachers, students, and friends liked them better than you: they sang better, they get as good and better grades, they looked better, they were nicer, and they are a HUGE flirt , etc. and you wanted people to notice you instead of them for once, what would you do even though you are happy for everything that they get and have done? P.S. I won't be able to check my email until Saturday or Monday. Sorry that this was such a long email.
comments: this e-mail disqualified for professing belief in a religion, but I included it here to show the variety of replies that I get
comments: this reply is not logical because engaging in communication doesn't mean giving anything up and there is no risk involved in sending electronic messages; furthermore, understanding isn't reached in a one-sided communication, it requires interaction because our differing backgrounds cause us to interpret the same words differently, which means we need to develop a common language, etc.
First of all, I've often pondered how little our daily actions really make any sense, as you mentioned. It's true what a circular pattern we end up in, going to work so we can produce enough money to pay our bills for a home or apartment that we're never spending enough time in because we're too busy working and running other errands outside of it. I've always had a hard time feeling any real connection to whatever job I end up working, and it bores me to death to know the real reason I'm working, and it depresses me to know that there's hardly a way out of it in this rigid society. We may brag of our freedoms, but there are still so many limits that few people acknowledge. It seems to me that the further we "progress" in society, the more the job market narrows to a small variety of jobs. More and more work is done on the computer, more jobs are customer service and retail, everything is narrowing to these few options. I simply can't acquire any attachment to these types of jobs and more -- it seems to produce no direct result for me, and the actions and duties performed on the job are completely unrelated to my life and my goals. The only people it seems to benefit are the few corporate whores sitting on top of their little nest egg, rolling in profits from the crap that we at the lower end perform.
You also listed parents as similarly performing an endless sequence of pointless tasks, or some such thing. But the thing that bothers me most about parenting is the reason for which most people have their kids to begin with. Everyone always hassles me for always insisting that I'm never having kids, and they always tell me, "You'll change your mind someday." As a woman, is my only purpose to become a housewife and mother? Should it be my natural instinct to do nothing but have kids all my life and be a parent? Should this be the requirement of all adults? Just because I'm in a long-term relationship doesn't mean that we're planning to get married someday (at least not in the traditional sense; our only reason for getting married is literally for the tax benefits, if even that). Even more, just because we're in such a relationship doesn't mean that we're obligated to have kids one day. It bothers me that everyone wants everyone else to fall into the prescribed pattern of finding a mate, getting married, having kids, retire, and die. This is not what I want to do. To me, being a parent is just as much a job as anything else, and that is honestly not the career path I want to choose.
Most people have kids just because it's the thing to do after getting married. Others have kids for selfish reasons, such as wanting to know what it's like to be a parent, or to experience the "miracle of life." People have children because they think it's fascinating or an obligation -- usually not because they think they'll make great parents and that they can actually provide something for that child. Some people have kids for the more selfish reason of possibly having someone around to take care of you in your old age. Or just to have the companionship of another human being in your life, even though parenting is more of an emotionally draining activity, rather than a mutual companionship, for the parent in the long run.
I do have a question for you though. You said, "There is nothing that scientists, activists, teachers, or parents do that makes any more logical sense." How do you think activists' duties or activities make very little logical sense? I fail to see how that could be true. Enlighten me, perhaps. :) Same with scientists. What do they do that makes so little sense? Are you thinking of particular scientists, or all of them?
I guess I could agree with you on at least some scientists, such as those that cure or try to alleviate diseases (this goes for the medical community too, obviously). It seems to me that plagues and diseases came about as nature's warning to us that we were overpopulating the earth too much (e.g. the bubonic plague resulted from cramming too many people in too small an area with unsanitary conditions), and that we better take heed and slow down. Instead, we continue reproducing and temporarily alleviate the problem by creating medicine and cleaning agents. And as medicine "progresses," we find that it's prolonging people's lives, creating more pressure on the problem of overpopulation. Newborn babies and their mothers are more likely to live through childbirth, and adults are more likely to make it to their senior years, etc.
As we cure old problems, we'll just create new ones in the process. I can't think of a good example from the medical/science community, but for stuff like the environment: cities start growing quickly, and people look to industrialization for the cure to all their problems (employment, resources, companionship, or whatever). But then industrialization brings with it many more problems, namely pollution and job displacement. Actually, that's not the best example either, but I can't think this late at night.
It seems silly to me how we always seem so eager to alter our existence in trivial ways. Think of lawn care, for instance. This is something that occurred to me while watching the stupid leafblowers at my apartment complex. The ironic thing is that they employ the use of these GAS-POWERED leafblowers....in order to "clean up nature," essentially! Nature is unnatural, in this point of view. When leaves and twigs clutter the sidewalks, people tend to think of this as "messy." When lawns become overgrown and untrimmed, it looks "untended" and "disorganized" and "neglected." This applies to our own bodies too. We're expected to trim hair here, shave that, put chemicals and creams here or there. It's strange that we encourage aging with our medical advances, but we despise any actual signs of age. For the "ailment" of getting old, they have "anti- aging" creams, facelifts, more medications, etc.
It's also completely idiotic to think it's beneficial to dump chemicals -- pesticides -- into our lawns, thinking we're immune to whatever effects it has. People are willing to pollute our water, just because they want a lawn that looks pretty. It's amazing how much our society concentrates on the appearances of everything, no matter how trivial. Anything connected to the self MUST appear tidy and well-tended, well-groomed.
Another thing that confuses me is our tendency to try to override some natural "disasters." For example, we have firemen to put out forest fires, even though this is a perfectly natural occurrence in some settings (sometimes forests need to "clean themselves out" with fires so they can start anew). The only reason we curb these fires is to selfishly benefit ourselves. Those people who are stupid enough to build homes in or near a forest should be prepared to face the consequences, just as those who live in tornado zones face THOSE consequences. It might make sense to take some necessary precautions (build a fireproof house if you really want to live there so badly), but to completely stop a natural occurrence like that is just plain selfish.
I'd also like to know why you think teachers' jobs make little logical sense? They do, after all, produce students who must be able to think for themselves. Unless you're criticizing the actual education system, I don't see how this applies to the idea of not making sense.
I have not been a student of logic and/or philosophy, by the way, so keep this in mind. The only logic I know is what I've taught myself, or tried at least. I've never taken a philosophy course yet, because they're always filled up when I get to them (amazing that I haven't found my way into them yet, and I'm already a junior). And since they never offered or even touched on philosophy in my high school classes, I've never had the slightest clue of where to begin if I were to search for the information myself. I guess high schools aim only to make you functional, rather than critical.
One thing I'm not sure I agree with you about is part of your "ideal society." You seem to be suggesting that humans should function solely on logic, renouncing the capabilities or necessities for human emotion at all, or for the most part. Is this what you're indeed suggesting? Other than that, I'm not sure I have much response at this point to your "ideal society" description. You certainly give me a whole lot to think about in those ideas, and it's honestly too much for me to process and analyze at this point. I can't come up with any definite arguments and agreements with either side (for or against your ideal society) at this point. I have been thinking hard about it though. I think my problem is simply a lack of knowledge in that field though, probably due to my lack of real education in philosophy and logic.
One thing I'm not sure about is eliminating "defective" children.... Questions for you: What would be considered defective in such a society? And who is given the right to judge that?
I don't think I quite agree with you on art of various forms being "aimless activities." Not everyone has the ability, motivation, or willingness to express themselves and their ideas in a more "logical" form, i.e. by buckling down to study and communicating their ideas in proper English, written form, or whatever. Art of various forms can be a valid outlet for some very good ideas. Another benefit is that, expressed creatively, it challenges the rest of us to pick apart the meaning and challenge our brains to figure out what is meant by the lines and curves in visual artwork/paintings, what is meant by a strategically placed punctuation mark or an unusual use of vocabulary. To me, there are many forms of art that seek to challenge both the creator and the audience. Who's to say that creating or admiring art is not a valid objective in life? Creativity in thought is very important, especially if you're advocating such a logical society. My interpretation is that logic can't exist much without such creativity, otherwise where would the logic come from? Without creativity, we'd end up simply recycling the same old logic, without pursuing new lines of logic. I think we'd otherwise end up studying the same old logical arguments and simply come up with new ways of stating them, rather than learning to interpret them and take them to a new level. Creativity through art is a valid way of keeping logic and creativity in direct correlation with one another, if used properly. I'll get into more of this later, I think.
You and I have one other thing in common, in terms of personality. I have been extremely shy all my life. My mother was born the same way, so I am certain that a lot of genetics must be involved in this case at least. As a child, I was so shy that I couldn't dare convince myself to ask a simple question of a teacher sometimes, and every time I was interrogated by a stranger (even simple questions like, "How old are you?" or "What's your mother's name?"), I would completely clam up and absolutely could not speak a word.
I never really had friends at any point in my school years because of this huge problem. I had an easier time talking to people my age, but really not much -- if asked a question, I could only give very general, short answers, and I could never bring myself to initiate a conversation myself.
In the recent past, I've become a lot better and can at least pretend to hold up my side of a conversation at a bus stop or wherever, and I've gotten over most of my fear of using the telephone and other stupid things. But I still have a long way to go. Part of me doesn't want to let go of my shyness, however, since it is, after all, a natural trait of mine that I was born with, and it's something I've almost become attached to after so many years of dealing with. But at the same time, I'd really like to get over my shyness so I can make some long-term, deep attachments to other people, without the use of pen-palling and Internet chat rooms and such.
I might have missed it in your first email, but how do you think your carefree upbringing has affected you in the long-term? Having almost everything you wanted being given to you when you asked your parents for it, and not being forced to do anything you didn't want to do -- how have things like that impacted you in your life as it is now?
Your idea of indulging in fun and pleasure until you get sick of it, which you said you indeed put to work in playing video games and soccer (at least I think that's what you were implying) -- do you feel that this tactic has really worked for you, to abolish your need for fun? I imagine this would be an extremely difficult, if not impossible, objective to attain...
Given that you "do not consider fun, love, or happiness to be valid objectives in life," to quote you directly, I have been wondering about your purpose in writing to me and possibly others. Are you looking for a friendship, or are you instead looking for someone to just share ideas and opinions with?
I'll be more specific on the difference between the two, if you need it: my definition of friendship here is simply a relationship in which each individual shares not only ideas on logic and the purpose of life, but also more mundane events, such as general interests or hobbies, politics, social issues, or even daily happenings (I usually don't talk about boring daily happenings anyway, unless it's something that will greatly impact me, piss me off, or whatever). The other option, I define as skipping all the mundane things and only talking about these logical ideas as you've described and whatnot, as well as outlining possible courses of action against the society we both obviously disagree with.
Or are you seeking something else altogether that I'm completely missing? I have been writing more aimlessly in this email because I wasn't sure what exactly you were looking for in this correspondence. I love the sharing of ideas and courses of action, but I also love friendship, so I guess either option or whatever else would be fine with me.
Also, if we as humans possess emotions, wouldn't it be more logical to allow those emotions to develop, rather than overcome it with the assumption that love and happiness are illogical objectives? Not everything in life has to be black and white -- in fact, very few, if any, things are. Perhaps it would be more natural and logical to follow the course that nature has given you, by allowing your emotions to guide you as much as you allow logic to do so. While I do think it's important to recognize and practice a good amount of logic in everyday life myself, I don't think it's necessary to let that one factor rule my life. Emotion is just as much a part of the human being as the ability to reason. Do you disagree with this? Even if we were to evolve beyond feeling emotion as we know it, there would likely be something equivalent to take its place. Emotion is probably necessary to balance out having too much logic.
May I ask what organization you have begun working for that seeks to create the world that you described? I'd be very interested in hearing about it, if you don't mind. Me, I'm unemployed at the moment....nobody wants my lower-class inexperience. Until the new semester starts at my university, that is.
I hate to even bother applying to entry-level office jobs, but I know I have to -- I hate it because I don't own enough clothes that look "nice" enough for that kind of job, but the conundrum is that I need that job to afford such clothes to begin with. Although, given our financial situation, I'd be more likely spending that money on rent than on "appropriate" clothing anyway.
I hate the corporate workforce, in those regards. But there are few options that I know of for people with no resources like myself.
It sounds as if you have lived a very privileged life overall. I hope that doesn't discourage you from writing me, as I know that some of the more privileged tend to view me as useless and unable to perform tasks as effectively just because I was raised in a working- class environment with few privileges. I hope this assumption doesn't apply to you as well, as I feel we could both learn a lot from each other in many types of discussions.
Before I proceed to answer your questions at the end of this email, I might as well list some of the other things that are important to me. Since I have already written plenty, I will only list instead of explain each and every thing.
My interests include the following and more: goth/industrial music, reading, writing, learning, thinking, politics/current events, history, animal rights, feminism, environmentalism, exchanging opinions and ideas, fantasy/sci-fi, poetry, vegetarianism/veganism, pen pals, gay/lesbian/bisexual rights, etc. I'm tired, otherwise I could list more.
Now your questions answered:
(1) What is your view of religion? What are the most important arguments that you have considered, and what ideas and conclusions have you arrived at related to religion?
My view of religion in general is that it is unnecessary for basic purposes. Spirituality on its own may be an enriching experience, but religious doctrine tends to get in the way of political and logical thinking. A big flaw about religion is that it is based on BELIEFS, which are harder to change than opinions and are not always based on facts. Thus religion's flaw is that it fails to change with the times, instead adhering to the same old biblical laws that eventually become outdated. Even introducing new interpretations to such religions cannot solve the problem, as that creates more in- fighting, and often results in the religions splitting into different factions (e.g. christianity is hard to pin down as anything more specific than a belief in one deity and the son of god, jesus christ, because everything else branches off from that into different factions).
This characteristic of non-change of religious doctrine, as well as the in-fighting within and without a specific religion, contributes to much unnecessary violence and argument. There is no sense in trying to argue atheism or agnosticism against christianity, because christians try to "prove" their god's existence by saying you can't DISprove god's existence. Furthermore, too many religious folks are so convinced that THEIR god is the only ONE TRUE GOD that it is ridiculous for them to argue amongst themselves either.
It also annoys me to no end that christians in particular must take it upon themselves to convert the masses -- the most dangerous form of arrogance and obnoxiousness. This is what helps to create a lot of disillusion, anger, and hostility against such religions -- the assumption that if you're not involved in that religion, then you are a sinner and/or that you SHOULD be involved in that religion in order to be considered a valuable human being.
Most of what I've said here is obviously about christianity in specific, only because that's what I've come into contact with most of my life. I also have to add that I think christianity has far outgrown whatever purpose it might have had -- it is only serving to hold us back in whatever progress we want to make now. christians involved in politics, of all things, never stop trying to keep change from arriving. Any form of change takes forever when the church is involved, and even then there is more protest and uproar than there should be.
I guess my conclusion about religion, personally, is that I don't need it OR want it. I have never gained anything from religion and never wanted to. To be as basic as possible, I would probably be considered an agnostic. I don't completely rule out the possibility of a god existing, but I also don't feel the need to create a god in my mind to get me through the days. I generally feel that there is no god, simply because I don't feel the presence of one, unless god is something we haven't even thought of and that actually appears to us every day without us even thinking about it.
If at any point you feel that I haven't answered your questions all the way, or I've left gaps or you want to know more, etc., feel free to ask more in-depth questions. I am very tired and wanting to get this email finished at long last, as I have a few other things I need to do in the next couple days as well.
(2) How do the things that you do in your day to day life differ from the things that you'd like to be doing in your day to day life in the future?
My day-to-day life now is much like what I'd like to be doing in the future, except for the fact that I hardly have any money to rely upon, so I am constantly worrying about the rent at the end of the month. Since I am without a job at the moment, my day to day life consists of much reading (newspapers, books, magazines, literature, history, criticisms of media, a tad of philosophy, studies on paganism, and whatever else I find). However, I would like to be able to read much faster than I do. I either have a low comprehension level, short attention span, or am simply a slow reader, because I don't find myself reading as much as most other people could. This is unfortunate because I love to learn through reading.
When I'm not reading (and even when I am), I'm thinking about what I've read, or thinking about whatever else triggers my thoughts around me. I like to twist ideas around in my mind, until I've examined every possible side I can think of, and then I come to my own conclusions about it, or study up on it some more.
If only I could get paid to think and read and write all day. A lot of the time I wish I could be a lifetime student, or even get paid to be a student, instead of me paying to be a student. I'm already defying convention by being a college student at all, as I'm the first and only in my family so far to have gone to college. I'm certainly not saying I can afford it, but at least I'm doing it. And I'm glad to be doing so.
When I talk about being a student, I don't necessarily mean in the university/classroom environment, although group learning is beneficial in certain circumstances and with certain readings, but I am also including being a student on my own, as I am doing during the summer. I read on my own and process the information myself, perhaps writing my thoughts in a journal or whatever, to help clarify what I'm thinking.
I would like to be a student in terms of experience, reading, communication, etc. Not just book smarts but applying it as well, when necessary or possible.
I would also like the opportunity and resources to be able to volunteer for an organization. Right now, my lack of adequate transportation and lack of money affords me no way of getting to a volunteer job and being able to keep it up if a paying job finally does come along. If that makes sense.
(3) What values, principles, and codes of conduct are most important to you?
This is a tougher question... I value education and learning, relationships and friendships that gain me insight into varying ideas and opinions, and recognizing and retaining ties to nature and artistic creativity. I don't know about principles and codes of conduct though. Just about anything goes for me, as long as it involves some rational thought and/or doesn't negatively effect others. Principles and codes of conduct imply restraint, which is an irresponsible way to deal with humankind. Resistance will pop up anywhere you look, and it should probably be dealt with on an individual basis. Regulating human behavior is almost always ineffective. Even if forced to choose some principles that I think are important, I honestly can't think of anything. I'm not very creative in this aspect I guess. What would be your reply to this question? I'd also like to hear your response on your own question about religion as well. This should be very interesting.
(4) Imagine that you are given the opportunity to live on an isolated island for five years with up to three people of your choice. Survival will be extremely easy on this island because you will be given plenty of food, shelter, and other necessities for life. The only difference is that you are isolated from the rest of humanity and have no technology. Would you go? Who would you take with you and how many would you take with you?
Isolation from technology would probably be a blessing, so yes I think I'd go. A lot of the time I hate living in this society so much that I wish I could travel to some unconquered land that hasn't been pillaged and plundered of its resources and food supplies already. It would be a blessing to be able to start over on another planet by myself (with other individuals of course), just because I hate the thought of all the chemicals we're putting in our air and water. There is no place I could go where the water supply, air supply, earth, food, habitat, ecosystem hasn't been tainted by our irresponsibility. It bothers me that few people realize we are all coexisting on this planet, and whatever we do in one place will inevitably effect every other place in the long run. The selfish, invented "need" for gas and electricity in "developed" countries does negatively effect the larger picture, everyone else in the world.
But anyway, I often find myself wishing for a return to nature and more basic things. In this instance of the island thing though, I would choose the allotted three people because variety would be essential in such a drastic change of surroundings and a return to more basic things that we're not used to. I would bring my boyfriend since we think very similar on a lot of these issues, and we have very open lines of communication, so there would be few, if any, conflicts on the island. The other two would be females, but I don't know of any specific people, dead, alive, well-known and distant, or local to my life. Female because it's much easier to get along with females, and thus few conflicts would arise. They'd of course have to be intelligent females, not overly concerned with the loss of shopping malls and useless crap like that. It'd be interesting if they did disagree with some of my ideas, just to get some interesting debate going as well. I really don't know much more than that though.
(5) How do you justify doing something for fun or enjoyment?
We do things for fun because it relaxes us. We can't be putting ourselves to work all the entire day. I mean, I greatly enjoy AND benefit from learning and reading and communicating my ideas to others, but that doesn't mean I don't want some rest from it. The brain needs a break once in awhile, and yes, even I turn to mind- numbing television to provide that break. Things like TV don't require you to think, which gives you rest. Although most of what I watch is previously recorded on video, because TV doesn't have very many entertaining things on anymore (I get too pissed off and overanalytical when watching most blatantly stupid shows, and that doesn't provide my brain much rest because I'm too busy criticizing it...), and I can't stand sitting through commercials.
It is relaxing, to a point, to be able to release a burst of creativity and energy in drawing, writing poetry, reading easy literature, or whatever. Also to know that you've created something as a work of art is satisfying, so you can go on knowing that you've produced something at the end of the day, which might also be enjoyed by others.
It mostly depends on what one considers "fun." Sports and physical activity can be fun, but it also benefits the body and stimulates the brain to activity as well. The art described above can be fun, but it also nurtures the necessary creativity that may lead to creative ideas and arguments. Television may be fun, but it also provides a rest from the other hectic hassles of the day and allows the brain to rest. We do "fun" things to help us wind down at the end of the day, or to energize us to prepare for the beginning of the day. Various other reasons, of course, but I won't get into anymore at this point.
(6) Give me a criticism of today's prevailing educational systems. What are the key flaws and why?
Well, in my experience, it's just that the teachers don't tell you why it's important to be learning what they're trying to teach you. They're teaching to you because they want to and because they're getting paid for it, but all the student knows is that they're being taught because you're breaking the "rules" by not showing up for school. The students don't know why they're learning and why they SHOULD be learning. It's just assumed that it's the thing to do. You need a diploma to get a good job, and that's the most they'll tell you as a student. Even that doesn't sink in to most kids in this society, because peer pressure dictates that it's cool to be stupid and uneducated. It's not fun to listen to adults tell you what to do, so students instead decide that a lack of education is more fun than an education.
Also, there are few options that exist in the classroom environment. You MUST show up to class in order to learn anything, but that is not an effective way of learning for every student, for a varying number of reasons. Just like some people are visual learners and others are audio/aural/whatever learners, so can people be classroom learners vs. individual learners. Some people benefit from discussions, others benefit from individual thought or writing.
Another problem, and this was a problem for me, is that the pressure to conform can become too much of a distraction in school. It was bad enough that I didn't have friends due to my shyness, but things were made worse when I was made fun of for dressing different, thinking different, and acting different from everyone else. Preoccupation with what everyone thought of me came to prevail over getting an education. I felt like I was on guard too much at school, so it interfered with my learning. Sure I got mostly straight A's and did well in school, but once I graduated, I realized how little of it I retained, which is a real statement considering that I have a near-photographic memory in most other situations. I feel like I was too preoccupied with my shyness and all my other differences from everyone else that I had no opportunity to retain all the information throughout all my schooling.
(7) Show me you best writing to date, the one that expresses your most important ideas.
I decline to follow this request, as I generally don't feel comfortable sharing my writing with anyone until I've known them and trusted them for awhile. Sorry, but maybe in the future.
By the way, I have a trivial question. I'm assuming from your name -- Ryan -- that you're male, although you didn't specify in your email. It doesn't make a huge difference, but I'm just wondering. I had a (female) roommate once that was named Ryan, so it's wrong to rule out the possibility. I just wanted to make sure.
Did I tell you more basic stuff about me yet? I can't remember. I'm a 21-year-old female from California, in case I didn't specify before.
Another trivial question -- where do you live?
Have you ever studied the theory and practice of anarchy? If so, what conclusions have you drawn from it?
I'm sure I've given you plenty to read for now. I hope you decide to write me again. It doesn't have to be long or anything, I'd rather know rather quickly if you were even planning on continuing corresponding with me because I hate suspense, so if you have time after you receive this, can you email me back within a week just to say you're interested or not interested in pursuing a correspondence with me? That is, if you don't email me back an entire response right away.
If you have any other questions, I am open to anything you want to know. Hope to hear from you soon.
comments: This person exhibits some admirable qualities. The letter is long and required a substantial amount of effort to compose. The ideas presented are not all generic. The person spent a significant amount of time coming up with the ideas, thinking about them, and then presenting them in clearly understandable English text.
The key problem with this person is that she is too easily influenced by her environment. The ideas she expresses are superficial and lack substance. She says our society pressures us to follow a particular pattern in life, which means getting a job, getting married, having children, and so on. This is not a good criticism of society because the fact is that we are quite free to do what we want. I've literally heard hundreds of people make the exact same type of criticism about society. They are all agreeing with society on what is good (freedom, equality, morality, etc.), but are trying to depict themselves as nonconformists.
One strong underlying idea of her thinking is that humans should not interfere too much with nature, but let nature be. She also makes quasi religious arguments in saying that emotions are given to us for a reason. This type of thinking demonstrates a severe lack of understanding of the basic idea behind natural selection, and the evolution of memes and genes. Everything in today's society, every part, aspect, idea, and person has a lot to do with the way memes and genes have evolved. Any philosophy or way of thinking that ignores many of the competitive principles that are relevant in this world will never be able to change the world in a relevant way. We must start out with an understanding of what adaptive evolution really is and implies, and then build on that.
Just because she is starting off the wrong track, by itself, doesn't mean that she doesn't have potential. However, she is too well integrated in society. She is content being in the long-term relationship she is in and shows no signs that she wants to be any more than a random individual who is controlled by random stimuli in a random environment, following random wants and emotions, all in the name of individual freedom and identity.
If science is humans thoughts, opinions, and theories, and with their understanding of the purpose of life, what can they accomplish for the GOOD of mankind, instead of destroying it day by day, because they are imperfect? How many more lives can be spared because of not discovering a solution sooner than they should have?
Not only science that needs improvement, but also the government. How can they support these scientists that can't solve the world most essential problems like contamination and poverty?
I am a very devoted person when it comes to certain areas in life, and I can help you in any way to accomplish a certain goal you pursue, I would like that chance. Just tell me what you would like to do. Until then.
comments: This individual doesn't show any understanding of my letter to her, doesn't present any interesting ideas herself, and doesn't show any unique potential. Of course, the fact that she didn't answer the questions is reason enough for me not to respond.
I could go on and write a whole book, but I would probably waste my time - which is the most scarce of my resources - as even a good book is not enough to convince a person if his experince has not made him ripe for those ideas.
Now let me present myself. I imagine you already know something about me, as you probably found my name on a pen-pals list. I live in Italy and so happen to be Italian. I have twice your years, a wife and a daughter. Work as a reasercher in economic and social matters at a non-profit institute. You don't mention the organization you are committed with. I can guess. I have avoided labels in my exposition, because labels can be divisive. But we all cannot invent new ideas from nothing. We are forced to build our ideas on traditions and ideas of the generations that have preceded us. We do it even if we are unaware of it. You have probably already understood that I use marxist concepts and methodology. You are probably suspicious of this label because many others have used this label - but not this method and theory - to support other class intertests. I refer to the former USSR and other so-called "socialist" countries, where I never thought there was any sort of socialism, and to various forms of state-capitalism and social-democracies. But if you are interested in seriously continuing this discussion, I will gladly find the time.
comments: This response uses the tactic of not disagreeing with anything I say even though there is plenty of disagreement. You cannot easily emotionally appeal to me by saying nice things or repel me by saying offensive things.
I think there is a single most logical view for everything. It doesn't matter whether I come up with it or you, whether I correct your thinking or you correct mine.
As soon as we accept each other's differences just because, then we have destroyed the only foundation on which human advancement and logical collaboration can be based.
If you are more intelligent than I am maybe you will dominate the discussion and I won't be able to do much more than agree with you. Equality by itself is a useless ideal.
Yes, I have studied a little bit of history, and my view is that everyone in the past has been unable to arrive at and agree on the most logical views. We can do so now, for the first time, and it is remarkably easy for something in which everyone has failed so far. Just try to be perfectly impartial. There are many who have emphasized logic (objectivists, for example), but they all followed their wants. There are many who have had no wants (certain religions), but they didn't do what was logical. Combine the two, and you will be one of the first to do so.