From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Mon Jun 04 2001 - 06:59:19 MDT
In a message dated 6/4/2001 7:42:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time, amara@amara.com
writes:
<< Mitch,
'hope' is a state of mind. A human could be in the most dire life
circumstances (ever read: Viktor Frankl's _Man's search for Meaning_ ?),
and still have hope for his/her future and carry a passion for living.
I think that you are devoting a lot of attention to looking for a
philosophical/scientific savior, instead of cultivating your own hope.
The world is what it is, what we have to work with is only ourselves to
follow our own dreams. If by accident we influence someone else,
then hallelujah, but otherwise why bother? >>
I have read Victor Frankels book and could not cull much meaning for it,
myself. More to the point, if we merely, "follow our dreams" then why not all
embrace religion, or some unsubstantiated, idea or philosophy? I fear that if
we pursue that, then, we end up as scientologists, or followers of pazzu zu,
or Applegate, or Jim Jones.
If my belief-system, is however, founded on what we can determine as reason
and science, then I am free to build my 'castles in the air.'
<<Once you have your own hope, the human brain will do an amazing thing:
it will filter for you all of the hopeful things that humans are actively
working at presently. Yes, indeedy, they are all around you.
Of course the world is a lousy mess, but it's a beautiful lousy mess.>>
Fair enough, but again, that hope, for me at least, needs to be built on
reason, and what we know scientifically, although I concede that scientific
knowledge does change, over time.
-Mitch
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 08:07:56 MST