Gabfest: And Thereby Hangs A Tail

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by Cimorene, Jan 9, 2017.

  1. Cimorene

    Cimorene Platinum IL'ite

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    Gauri has her eyes on those socks, but I will beat her in running to claim those shoes.
    Those booties are mine!
     
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  2. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Umm... This "Gabfest: And thereby hands the Tail" is on a mission to find the "Truth" - The fountain head. I recall Beatle's lyrics,
    "The best things in life are free
    But you can keep 'em for the birds and bees ......"
     
  3. Cimorene

    Cimorene Platinum IL'ite

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    Viswa, this topic is interesting!
    We should continue our trial on John Galt ...
     
  4. Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Agree, but we wouldn't invest time or money unless we derived something of value from the experience. If one is addicted to social media then the perceived value of the experience must be very high. Boils down to how big of a dopamine hit you receive from the 'likes'. : ) Not saying any of this is inherently valuable or good, but if someone provides a service people want, why begrudge them their gravy?
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2017
  5. Cimorene

    Cimorene Platinum IL'ite

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    I found the below explanation in one of the interviews very piquant.
    Are morals the smoke and mirrors enacted by the strong or the weak to control the rest?

    Callicles argues that morality is a cover in which the majority who are individually weaker but collectively stronger hide behind their invention of conventional morality in order to suppress and exploit the naturally stronger few, whereas Thrasymachus in the Republic says that the only test of strength is whether you actually possess political power, and those who have political power make the laws in their own interest, and then they say that obeying these laws is justice and conventional morality. In this way they hoodwink the populace into being conventionally moral: the people think that being ‘moral’ is a good thing to be when actually all they’re doing is serving the interests of the ruling party who made the laws in their own interest. Kerferd makes it clear that, whereas for Callicles morality is a device of the weak majority to suppress the naturally stronger few, for Thrasymachus morality is a device of the de facto strong — those who are in power — to suppress the weak majority. So, there are different kinds of cynical exploitation going on, there are subtle differences.

    Source: The Presocratics - Five Books
     
  6. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    @Cimorene

    I agree we should continue this discussion.

    "Austerity", "Simplicity" and "Humility" are age old tradition recommended to uproot evil qualities. However, it is packaged, they are welcome. Old wine in a new bottle as it is the sizzle that sells and not the steak.

    For example, jealousy is negative emotion that is derived from someone's success. How can one's success becomes another person's emotional drain? If one has "Simplicity", he or she can help someone from feeling jealousy.

    The question to ask ourselves is whether it is important to feel good about ourselves or appear to be good?

    Regarding morality, the real law is one what the collective wisdom of fellow beings feel as right. Neither hiding behind the law nor openly challenging the law is desirable. Morality prevails over anything else as long as it is the collective wisdom of the humanity and not the select few.

    I second @Gauri03's view that it doesn't matter what is the motive as long as we derive the opportunity to interact and freely share knowledge and learn from each other. Even we visit here only when we are not busy pursuing our profession.
     
  7. Cimorene

    Cimorene Platinum IL'ite

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    I am not clear if kaniths you meant why not make these books/techniques available for free as a blog to benefit a larger group if indeed these books will stimulate crowd's thinking and fall under 'social ideology' spectrum. Shouldn't such material be freely and publicly available instead of being profited and accessed by a privileged segment of the society.

    I am just trying to ascertain your point like certain 'intellectual ideas' should be privately funded rather than monetized if the individual/authorship strongly feels to reach out as a goal-oriented service. Are we biased and predisposed to decry any profiteering as self-serving with no real intention to redress the society of social illnesses?
     
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  8. kkrish

    kkrish IL Hall of Fame

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    HI @sokanasanah
    We watched the movie on hotstar or netflix - can't remember.
    Here is the website on the two young men - joshua and ryan
    The Minimalists
    Here is a short trailer
    Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things

    Oh, please don't scare me . I was worried when I read about the impending collapse. Wondering how many shores will become submerged.

    *****
    After I posted above, I wondered why I felt resentment at the end of the movie and accused them of overdoing it.
    I realized that my comparison to Feynman was only a camouflage to hide my true feelings.

    Why was it that I liked, agreed with, and accepted what they said while there weren't many folks to listen to them. But the moment they become popular I felt this resentment. Why?

    I know the answer - I am jealous of their success.
    I am jealous and kicking myself for not being able go out and say the same things they say, convince the people about what I believe in, and in the process make money. I was resenting my inability and taking it out on them.

    I know in my heart that if, throughout the movie, the young men did not show their success, instead showed that they were still struggling to convince folks to live minimally, I would've definitely felt different.

    I would have posted in this very section these lines perhaps, "see these two men are trying to convey to the world such wonderful thoughts, about minimalism, yet there is no one to take them. The world is deaf to good things" and so on ...

    There, that's the stark truth about me.
    (Cooped up @home in icy weather. Now i understand why great philosophers and rishis and munis go into seclusion :))
     
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  9. Cimorene

    Cimorene Platinum IL'ite

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    I am not sure if I was articulate in my previous post.

    I meant if we probe deeper beneath the textbook ideologies of "philanthropy" and "idealism" we might seek commensal virtues in marketing viles. Commercialism and merchandise make sense when we consider the society at large and review its working. Few do things because they reason it out, others do things because they feel others have reasoned out on their behalf: how people are influenced by social media. I am talking about this prevalent undercurrent where affections and pretensions somewhere might benefit and enrich lives regardless of avowed benevolence or lack thereof. Hope I am not talking something radical here, nonsensical might be a softer ring.

    You cannot impress or influence people if you say I am trying to keep my life simple. "Konmarie" and "Minimalism" are the snazzy buzzwords that have in-built rigour and appeal.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2017
  10. kkrish

    kkrish IL Hall of Fame

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    Appears that I certainly am. I must have been typing my response when you posted the above.
     

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