I Don't Want to be Right

[Archon_Wing]

Simplification is the only way to stay really sane. One's brain can't say, reinvent the wheel, every time it processes something, so it's only natural you rely on your preexisting experiences and learnings to make assumptions. Most of the time it does us good and often saves our lives, but I would definitely say society advances too fast for us to catch up. Unfortunately, the result can cause certain biases, prejudices and bad habits. For example, I skimmed the original post, and made certain assumptions on the tone of the discussion and how I would reply even before anything was done. As a more subtle example, I was going to say "the linked article" because I assumed from experience that it would contain a link to a website. But there's no such thing!

To say we are not too far away from cavepeople that just have way more toys wouldn't be that far off. I would definitely say the person you are is a result of numerous things outside your control. You had no say in where you were born, how you were raised, what you were born with, and what kind of culture you grew up in. If a meteorite lands from the sky and kills me right now, well, that's just that.

But such a conclusion is just an excuse for laziness I would say. If you are convinced that you can't do anything else, then you won't do anything else. And that would be an ideal situation for those in power waiting to take advantage of people like that. But it's much easier to live that way-- where everything is black and white, and all questions can be answered in a single sentence. Less anxiety and anticipation. Less uncertainty if the event plays out in one's mind as it does in reality. It would be the world as it should be, to you

So even if 99% of whatever one is made of is already predetermined, then the remaining 1% dictates their humanity-- what they can control. And while this seems like overly humanist cheerleading talk, I would like to remind everyone that if people did not try to reach for something beyond what they are, then we would still be living in caves. Someone decided that they shouldn't be another animal's dinner, and in fact it should be the other way around; natural order be damned.

It's pretty funny though. Humans are probably more advanced animals that are undeniably constructs of their biology and social upbringing. But is it really predestined that a species of puny mammals that have nowhere near the strengths, durability, reflexes, or senses of the other animals that populated the planet would establish their dominance over it? And establish that kind of arrogance that they know everything about said planet.

We really do take too much for granted. The fact that we're even having this topic is proof that things are a bit more complex. So, the way I see it is that there are many things you can't do. That's true. That's why you can only focus on things you can do.