Freedom of choice is what you got
Freedom from choice is what you want
Posted on 05/20/2012 5:49:12 AM PDT by knarf
I dunno - the quality of thought itself seemed to be better back “in the day” when we didn’t have a million little distractions. People today don’t seem to be able to concentrate and think clearly, much less want to to do so.
I started this thread because I wanted the input of others and I'm not being disappointed .. again.
Thank you all.
ping
Freedom of choice is what you got
Freedom from choice is what you want
Free Republic has a great collection of unique and creative people from all walks of life.
Artists, writers, professors, doctors, factory workers, cops, soldiers......
Would that be something like Hanlons Razor ?...
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity ...
Good thread. Thankful you took the time.
Stay safe.
I wonder why I why;
I even wonder when I wonder,
why I wonder why.
And so you thought you'd post this.
*half though-out bump* - great thread. ;o)
Once upon a time men thought and the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted and enacted. The history has been what our history has been. Today, in the present, those who lead us seek to rewrite and revise the documents of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in thought and deed as has been throughout history. The only thought I have is, Will those who lead succeed? Now don't take what I say wrongly ... Many good things have happened because of revisions for our nation. In addition many terrible things have happened and more terrible things could happen if another hope and change comes.
Perhaps I do think too little, or too much. In any event may the jury say ... guilty.
I think they really want to go back to times when one didn't have to think about and twist issues in order tojustify themselves. There was a time whjen society KNEW things like the difference between right and wrong and was able to put pressure on those who strayed. Stigmas were attached to faulky behavior and those who were so inclined either felt shame or fear which made them hide it rather than flaunt it. I ache for a return to those times.
There is an interesting and practical theory about thinking, or really, the incessant talking to ourselves that we call thinking, and why we, as a species, began doing this.
It has long been known that the first thing a person needs to do to meditate is to “clear their mind” of chatter. The reason is that when we *don’t* talk to ourselves, our minds can move into a state of strongly focused attention, ignoring the distractions around us; or it can become very unfocused, allowing our creative mind to come into play.
Unfortunately, both a very focused and a very unfocused state are not good in a survival situation, say if you are being chased by a tiger. So way back, humanity figured out an interesting trick.
When you talk to yourself, it tends to keep you centered, bouncing your attention back and forth between focused and unfocused. So since then, we all talk to ourselves, and unknowingly even teach our children to talk to themselves.
However, there aren’t so many tigers around these days, which means we are losing out on a lot of the benefits of a more focused, and more unfocused, states of mind.
But we have learned a bunch of trained techniques to learn how to get control over our talking to ourselves, so we can shut up. And the more you do it, the better you get.
In practical terms, say you want to take a very difficult written examination. If you could totally focus on it, ignoring all the distractions around you, it would be like adding another 10-20 IQ points.
Likewise, if you wanted to paint a creative picture, if you could go into an extended state of unfocused concentration, it would come uninterrupted from your most creative mind.
But it goes even beyond these benefits. Some people are so good at talking to themselves that they can barely complete a sentence without getting distracted. And bouncing back and forth consumes a lot of energy, over time making them mentally tired and frustrated.
Those who try the various techniques to get more control are generally happier with the result of being able to turn on or turn off their internal chatter at will.
We each have our own unique thoughts and we want to express them. The internet pulls all those thoughts together and we go into overload...
We want to consider each view and contemplate on whether or not it meshes with our own point of view. Mostly they don’t mesh, and know we are faced with the daunting task of finding a place in our brain to store and lock away all those hideous thoughts and deeds of others.
So yes, I too want to go back or should I say (move forward) to a new type of Norman Rockwell Era...
Have you seen in how many places that the Left has tried to debunk and discredit this piece? It’s astonishing; the level of scorn shows how accurate this model truly is.
As an amateur historian, I tend to shorten these horizons to something more manageable in my imagination.
1012AD: With my ancestry, the majority of my ancestors would have been yeoman or serf-equivalents in a feudal and theocratic world of northern Europe. The daily routines of farming and household were little different from previous centuries and there was little to see changing in the future. Very little decision making was needed for the average person.
1262AD: Very, very slight changes have appeared with the knowledge gained from the returning Crusaders in the individual’s world-view. Still almost no change in everyday life for the average peasant.
1512AD: All of Europe has been roiled with the changes forced by the waves of the Bubonic Plagues that have done much destruction to the Feudal World as well as the monolithic Church. Society is far more mobile in both potential for travel as well as change in cultural position. The Mediterranean Renaissance and the exploration voyages are starting to echo in northern Europe. Individual lives are far more tied to external and distant events than ever before in their past millennium. Real decisions by individuals result in real outcomes.
1762AD: Europe and now North America are where my ancestors reside. Europe bears almost no resemblance to its image of 500 years ago with the total replacement of feudalism by nation-states. The monolithic Christian Church has been replaced by Roman Catholicism and a myriad of Protestant and other churches. In North America, individualism is sparked by the concept and reality of the frontier where no government rules. Even in the very real cities of the nascent United States, the freedom of individual liberty provokes reaction to statist doctrines from old Europe. Individuals have power and knowledge far beyond the wildest imaginings of earlier philosophers. This is the start of our modern world.
So what are my conclusions from this very brief outline of visualized history? I believe (nothing original to me) that there are two very differing philosophies at work in our modern world, i.e.. NOW! There is a very real desire by many for a calm and orderly world where there is equality of outcome and everybody has a secure place and comfortable living. To me this resembles the Medieval world of 1012AD when there were good crops and no plague or wars. Frankly, to me this is the view of the left with all of its scattered views, to have government be the ultimate parent and provider.
For me and I think my fellow FReepers and conservatives, it is the chaotic and uneven world of individuals making the best of a world deriving from an equity in opportunity, one where no government or organization can dictate outcomes. A world that permits new industries to spring from garage inventors who may violate OSHA and EPA regulations designed to mitigate large corporations but applied bureaucratically to the smallest as well. A World where one-time millionaires are later in poverty while former ghetto residents are millionaires. A world where the quality of character and perseverence means far more than skin color or perceived societal standing!
re: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Matthew 6:27
Remember, the Lord is referring to “worrying” when He says, “taking thought”. In other words, Jesus isn’t saying not to think and reason - but, not to worry about our sustenance because God will take care of us just as He does the “birds of the air”. He wants us to place our trust and faith in Him regarding our future and our daily needs.
Also, in regard to thinking and reasoning, He also said:
“He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your MIND’ (my emphasis) ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Luke 10:27
Loving God with our minds means to use our mental resources to the best of our ability to learn God’s Word and to learn to reason with the lost about God’s truth - to learn how to be good ambassadors for Him and, as the Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 -
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,. . .”
The problems we face today have occurred again and again in history. They are nothing new.
I think what we see as so distressing, is that at one time our nation held common ethics and general beliefs about right and wrong, patriotism, self-defense, economic prosperity, handling money properly, role of government, parenting and discipline, marriage, work, duty, the ideals of America as a source for good in the world, and honor (and many others).
But now, all these issues/views/beliefs that we commonly held as true have over the past 70 years been questioned, re-defined, reviled, ignored, etc. We are constantly bombarded with denials of everything we believed and held dear. As the scripture says - what is good is now called evil and what is evil is now called “good”.
It is tiring, oppressive, and depressing to have to constantly defend and attempt to restore correct thinking. It can feel like trying to swim up stream.
But, like many of you have said, we are not alone. God is not mocked. He has already won the victory. Evil can thrash about all it wants but it is to no avail. It is like the last gasps of a dying animal.
All will bow the knee one day to our Lord. “Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” - Hitler will bow, Chairman Mao will bow, Osama bin Laden will bow, Nancy Pelosi will bow, Obama will bow, Barney Frank will bow, Stephen Hawkings will bow, all the nations and all the peoples of the earth from all history until now will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.
One day we won’t have to struggle with our own personal fight with sin, we won’t have to bear the fatique of aging bodies, all hurts physical, mental, and spiritual will be healed. I look forward to that day. In the meantime, God will give us strength to face each new day, one day at a time.
A recent rendering of the old gospel song, “One Day” has been reworked by the contemporary Christian music group, “Casting Crowns” and renamed the song “Glorious Day”. I recommend listening to it. You’ll be encouraged by it.
bfl
Thank you.
My belief is we can easily think too much, then act too little.
Forgive my brevity, and may all have a blessed day.
I always thought David Crosby must have known my Dad.
“And the reason that she loved him
Was the reason I loved him too
And he never wondered what was right or wrong
He just knew, he just knew.”
HERO - David Crosby
You got only half a razor there, son -
“Don’t attribute to malice that which can be explained by ignorance - but don’t rule out malice”
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