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Philosophy For Life.

George J

George J

Herefordshire member
One:

We are all born the same and we all die the same - equal in mortality.

Two:

The only thing that marks out one person as better than others is that he or she treats complete strangers better.

Three:

Make someone smile and it it is a good day. Make two people smile and it is great day. ...

Four:

Grace and respect cost not a penny, but are more valuable than any coin.

Five:

Revenge is a meal meal best left unserved.

_______________

In other news, Lu the Patterdale is nowadays so sweet that I am humbled by her wisdom. The kindest sentient creature I ever had the privilege to meet.

Best wishes from George
 
Dear Blossomchris,

Possibly a disappointment, but I grew up on a farm in the 1960s, and though I probably eat some meat once a week, I am not a vegetarian. I recently found out some very old photos of my various animals over the last sixty years, and though some of them certainly went to slaughter, they certainly had a good life in the meantime.

Really, the world's problems are mostly about the way humans treat each other, and how so many have become addicted to consumerism and a value system that equates success with having lots of money and stuff that you can buy with it, rather than something less ostentatious..

Best wishes from George
 
George J said:
Dear Blossomchris,

Possibly a disappointment, but I grew up on a farm in the 1960s, and though I probably eat some meat once a week, I am not a vegetarian. I recently found out some very old photos of my various animals over the last sixty years, and though some of them certainly went to slaughter, they certainly had a good life in the meantime.

Really, the world's problems are mostly about the way humans treat each other, and how so many have become addicted to consumerism and a value system that equates success with having lots of money and stuff that you can buy with it, rather than something less ostentatious..

Best wishes from George
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I hear you George, I have always lived by the rule of treating people how you would like to be treated yourself.

The trouble at the moment is that thanks to the cost of living crisis peoples standards of living are being squeezed like never before. I know our disposable income has shrunk a lot and although we’re okay, many things have taken a back seat, like going to live gigs etc. I see fuel prices are quickly creeping up again, no real reason it should be, other than profiteering and greed!
 
The simple facts are that people are not born the same and they don't die the same. We celebrate privilege and entitlement earned through birth and/or war.

Any philosophy of life has to address those, and other unpleasant realities
 
ks.234 said:
The simple facts are that people are not born the same and they don't die the same. We celebrate privilege and entitlement earned through birth and/or war.

Any philosophy of life has to address those, and other unpleasant realities
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Dear Ks,

If you read the post, and especially the second point, I think you will find that your realities are covered.

Best wishes from George

PS: When I say everyone is born the same, I mean that parturition from a woman occurs. Nothing to do with privilege, and we all die the same in the sense that we stop breathing and brain death soon follows ... and I do agree that privilege is entirely unfair, but what I wrote is my approach as I enter my last decade of life. It is not Bertrand Russell level brilliance of course.
 
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Del monaco said:
I’ve pretty much always lived by these principles, but since being ill a few years ago I’ve been much more pro-active in securing these values in my life and the feedback has been truly fulfilling.
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Dear Del Monaco,

In reality that is the best most people can do. Most of us are not moving in the high echelons of the ruling elite, so doing the possible is the best most can achieve.

Best wishes from George
 
George J said:
Dear Ks,

If you read the post, and especially the second point, I think you will find that your realities.

Best wishes from George

PS: When I say everyone is born the same, I mean that parturition from a woman occurs. Nothing to do with privilege, and we all die the same in the sense that we stop breathing and brain death soon follows ... but I do agree that privilege is entirely unfair, but what I wrote is my approach as I enter my last decade of life. It is not Bertrand Russell level brilliance of course.
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Apologies in advance but the biological reality of birth and death is not a philosophy for life; for what happens in between.

I am fully in support of the idea that people should be treated equally, with kindness, justice, compassion, and try do do so in my personal life and interactions, which is, I think, the point you’re making. Despite being an atheist I try to live my life by Christian principles.

However, any philosophy for life has to extend beyond the personal and that is where certain realities have to be recognised.

For example, while I believe in the Christian principles of all people being born equal, when Christianity forms itself into an institution, it embeds, justifies and celebrates inequality and certain people being born into wealth an privilege because their ancestors conquered, decimated and subjected other people across the globe.

While Christian principles of love and kindness should improve life for everyone, the reality is that Christianity (other religions are available) as an institution enacts and sustains hatred, acquisition and social and economic division
 
ks.234 said:
The simple facts are that people are not born the same and they don't die the same. We celebrate privilege and entitlement earned through birth and/or war.

Any philosophy of life has to address those, and other unpleasant realities
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Not that easy. My dentist is a beautiful woman whose father was himself a successful dentist, she could have had a leisurely life dating rich men, and of course she will inherit. Nevertheless she became a dentist herself, and a very good one at that.

Her kids will inherit millions and have a privileged start in life. Is this now unfair ?
 
George J said:
Dear Del Monaco,

In reality that is the best most people can do. Most of us are not moving in the high echelons of the ruling elite, so doing the possible is the best most can achieve.

Best wishes from George
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The philosophical has to also be political in order to spread love and kindness from your and my personal interactions to something more inclusive.

We don't need to move in the higher echelons of the ruling elite (itself the very opposite of kindness and equality of opportunity) to vote according to our conscience, we can vote for love and kindness. If we profess love and kindness but vote for more inequality, more social injustice, more hatred, then we are part of the problem
 
I think if we all, as a species, adopted the sort of principles George advocates, we’d live better and more harmoniously. I’d like to think we’d have more opportunities to explore human creativity and scientific discovery if we weren’t diverted into so much negative behaviour, but I fear that what has ‘advanced’ us most quickly through the ages has been responses to war. It’s kind of how we roll. Which is not to say we shouldn’t try harder.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
I think if we all, as a species, adopted the sort of principles George advocates, we’d live better and more harmoniously. I’d like to think we’d have more opportunities to explore human creativity and scientific discovery if we weren’t diverted into so much negative behaviour, but I fear that what has ‘advanced’ us most quickly through the ages has been responses to war. It’s kind of how we roll. Which is not to say we shouldn’t try harder.
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I think the problem is that everyone already does agree with George’s principles, and everyone probably does try to live their personal life by those principles….and yet….and yet….
 
ks.234 said:
I think the problem is that everyone already does agree with George’s principles, and everyone probably does try to live their personal life by those principles….and yet….and yet….
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The real problem is that those who take advantage of people living by these principles are the ones who thrive and get to the top. Being unscrupulous and unprincipled is a strategy for success. It’s no good most people living by these principles, we all have to, and to deal robustly with those who don’t.
 
ks.234 said:
Apologies in advance but the biological reality of birth and death is not a philosophy for life; for what happens in between.

['''].
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Oh Ks, you really an argumentative one!

What I am saying is that biologically we are all humans and start as morally equally fine potential beings. I am not going to debate with you the undoubted fact that some humans are gifted more privilege by dint of who their parents happen to be ... I would simply end up agreeing with you and that is simply wasted bandwidth on the internet.

In point two, which you again seem to have missed, I said that only thing that marks out one human as being [morally and ethically] superior to another is that he or she treats a total stranger [from whom no favour can be expected to be returned] better than some other human. The action and kindness is the pure form of altruism.

I am not sure why you are trying to grind the axe on this. Mind you I can say this much. It is precisely posts such as yours in this thread that have caused me to almost entirely give up posting on the PFH. If that makes you happy, well carry on.

George

PS

You also wrote lower down:

"The philosophical has to also be political in order to spread love and kindness from your and my personal interactions to something more inclusive.

"We don't need to move in the higher echelons of the ruling elite (itself the very opposite of kindness and equality of opportunity) to vote according to our conscience, we can vote for love and kindness. If we profess love and kindness but vote for more inequality, more social injustice, more hatred, then we are part of the problem."

I never discuss politics on the internet, but I can say that I voted on Thursday, and I am active in the political field as a volunteer, mainly distributing leaflets for election campaigns and so on. If I were to mention my affiliation, I am fairly sure that you would heartily approve, but I am not here for that sort of thing.

I'll not virtue signal by posting the details, as essentially I find a political discussion with total strangers as being as distasteful as it is fruitless.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
The real problem is that those who take advantage of people living by these principles are the ones who thrive and get to the top. Being unscrupulous and unprincipled is a strategy for success. It’s no good most people living by these principles, we all have to, and to deal robustly with those who don’t.
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My current reading is around the 1066 and the Plantagenets, and it seems to me that we have been ruled by psychopaths and madmen ever since.

First we put up statues to our beloved psychopaths, then we elect them.

What do the statues around our Parliament tell you about love and kindness?

Maybe the revolution needs to start with statues?
 
Apparently shame is a powerful motivational factor for personal change. It does seem to follow that people who feel little or no shame are able to take advantage of their fellow men in a way that those of us who feel shame cannot. Sociopaths and psychopaths get to flourish and, as you say, get statues erected. Just look at our current crop of politicians, especially the tories but actually there are significant examples on both sides of the house. The utterances they come out with would cause most people to curl up and die with shame, yet they do it on a daily basis. How do we deal with this behaviour, if one of the more powerful social mechanisms doesn't work on them?
 
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