Archive for December 14th, 2009
New way of raising your child?
Posted by: adonis49 on: December 14, 2009
“Adon’s World”: A new way of life; (Dec. 12, 2009)
Start with the premise that your child is a special beast, behaving worst than a pet animal, with the full right to becoming an entity different from anyone else, and has the right to develop his full potentials, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Then, close your eyes and imagine how your child should be raised. I am offering the following experiments:
One, “Indulge your child in the entire sensory material world (that does not kill him or maim him will strengthen him) and repeatedly, till the age of puberty; then, desist indulging on sensual pleasures to the bare necessity.” The rationale is that, at that early age, the brain gets connected and trained to perceive the world from repeated signals and impressions from the outside material world, nature, community, and interactions. When we are born, our brain has only 20% of the potential neurons to be developed. Thus, your brain is learning to perceive the world as a “coherent entity”, a world that seems to be governed by activities of cause and effects. After puberty, the brain is mostly engaged in re-structuring and maintaining what has been stored and registered. Thus, overindulgence after puberty is the ruin of health, confusion in the mind, and proliferation of worries and problems with no return for the brain development.
Two, “Exposed your child to all kinds of pains (that do not kill or maim him) till the age of puberty and then, let him flee any pain like the plague”. Rationale: your developing brain has to be trained to control mechanisms in order to guide your well oiled “common sense” practices; your brain will be better equipped to guide your decision away from rash decisions and to plan for the longer term pleasures of the mind. After puberty, we no longer have to suffer pain or try to endure it if we have treatments to alleviate it, because pain is totally counterproductive in all mental or physical activities.
Three, “Do not impress on your child to fear the Gods or the animal kingdom.” If you survived till your brain was properly trained and adapted to reflect, study, and control your behavior then, your well-developed “conscience” is a good moral guidance to rely on.
Four, “Do not worry about death and show your child that death is around the corner.” You are already a happy reflecting independent mind and you will adapt to happy philosophies that do not dwell so long on what happens after death. Fight against the “valleys of tears” teachings. Since it is a matter of belief then pick the positive and pleasurable belief.
Five, “The individual is a whole and integral microcosm of the universe and he is holy.” Struggle for the dignity of the individual, his well-being, and equality in human rights. The more you repeat these rights to your child the better he is ready to raising high the flag of human rights. We were all born to be free from oppressions and crimes against humanity and we must enjoy opportunities to be freed from oppressive environments.
Six, “Spirit and matter are one entity; the world of ideas and the material world are perception of our brain.” Our brain has learned to unite these two worlds as a “coherent whole” and he may also dissociate them at will if necessity for survival arises. Once the brain is dead then the world is dead. Your friends will remember your good deeds and keep your memory alive. Thus, every individual created a world as he perceives it; there are as many worlds as living human beings. Listen to the other point of view carefully: his world is as real and viable as yours.
Seven, “If you are an introvert then enjoy your seclusion in good conscience. If you are an extrovert then go into politics with good conscience.” Do not fight your naturally acquired behavior; what was not rectified before puberty has no chance to be corrected. Your job is to investigate the best alternatives that extend and express your behavior.
Eight, “Do not worry about your neighbor until he asks for aid; then, extend a helping hand with all your might and energy”. Respect your neighbor’s sense of dignity and his individuality. Your neighbor might be your best resource to re-structuring your brain.
Nine, “Constantly work on improving your body, mind, and the pursuit of continuing education.” You have to learn to enjoy physical exercises, mental problem solving, and living in nature.
Ten, “Refrain from over indulgence in everything”: it is an ugly sight dying looking constipated. Moderation is the optimum strategy for a happy and durable comfortable and healthy life.”
Eleven, “You are a perfect atheist if you failed believing in the dignity of your own soul”
Twelve, “Never shirk the concept that you may once experience a fusion with the “cosmic spirit”, the “cosmic consciousness”, and feeling one with God.” Keeping the highest expectations in your mind and working on viable solutions will bring the best results in health, comfort, and pleasurable activities.”
Thirteen, “Refrain from extreme positions unless your goal is to reach a consensus for a working resolution.” Dialectical processes of thesis, antithesis and then synthesis of extreme concepts work in the long-term; time for reaching a consensus can be shortened commensurate to world knowledge development, and universal political institutions with executive power. Thus, if you encourage the middle ground then, do not discourage extreme positions (unless violent actions are witnessed): the necessity of survival will select the appropriate period for social development.
Fourteen, “Once a grown up individual dies then an entire universe vanishes.” Nothing is lost, the interactions of the dead individual played the catalyst to changing many lives and transforming views on the universe. Knowledge is propagated and developed.
“Sophie’s World” on Hellenism
Posted by: adonis49 on: December 14, 2009
“Sophie’s World” on Hellenism; (Dec. 11, 2009)
After Alexander of Macedonia defeated the Persian Empire around 335 BC, the entire region in the Middle East and Egypt became Hellenistic; which means the elite and public servants learned to speak and write in the Greek language and to study Greek philosophies.
Athens got a new life as center of philosophical schools, and the newly built city of Alexandria in Egypt flourished as the center of sciences and medicine.
Four major philosophical schools captured the interest of the people and had repercussions in Rome till the year 400 AC, as the Christian Church got established as the State religion after the defeat of the last Germanic Emperor in Rome.
1. The Cynics school was founded in Athens by Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates in 400 BC. The frugality of Socrates was the guiding idea as he wondered before a stall: “So many things that I never used or needs”.
The dogma of this school is that happiness is learning to feel independent (detached) from external advantages such as material luxuries or political power.
Happiness is in the reach of everyone if he so desired, and it can be lasting. Suffering and death should not be disturbing events. Feeling concerns for other people should be overcome.
Diogenes is the best representative of the Cynics; he lived in a barrel and carried no belonging but a stick. It is reported that he asked Alexander to step aside for he was blocking the sun rays as he was asking him what he can do for him.
The Church of Rome coined the pejorative term “cynical” referring to individual who exhibits a sneering disbelief in human sincerity, with penchant insensitivity to people’s plights: The Church was competing with all the Hellenistic schools of philosophy and religions.
2. The Stoics school was founded by Zeno in Athens around 300 BC. Zeno was not Greek by origin but from the Phoenician city of Sidon, and he studied in Alexandria before he landed in Greece following a shipwreck. Socrates and Heraclitus were his favorite philosophers and he used to teach under a portico (stoa).
Zeno dogma was that each individual is a complete microcosms reflected in the macrocosms.
First, there was a universal rightness or natural law based on human and universal reason that didn’t alter with time or place.
Second, there is no conflict between spirit (ideas) and matter; this concept was coined “monism” in contrast to Plato dualism of the two worlds of ideas and matter.
Third, sickness and death are within the natural law phenomena and must be accepted since everything happens out of necessity.
Fourth, happy events and moments should be received in natural composure with no undue exhilaration.
Stoics got involved in politics and social problems.
Cicero, the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca were staunch stoics. Seneca wrote “mankind is holy”; thus, considering individual dignity and well being as goal for improvement and care.
The Roman Christian Church coined the connotation stoic for individuals who do not let their feeling take over.
3. The Epicurean school was established by Aristippus, another disciple of Socrates. Epicurus founded this school around 300 BC in Athens. He developed the pleasure ethic of Aristippus and adopted the “atom soul” theory of Democritus which says that after death the soul disperses in all directions.
The story goes that Epicureans lived in gardens (safe-harbors): a notice hanged at the entrance said: “Stranger, here you will live well. Here pleasure is the highest good”
The dogma of the Epicureans was:
First, pleasurable results of an action is always counterbalanced with side effects that we need to mind of;
Second, short-term pleasurable results should be analyzed compared to the potential longer-term alternative pleasures if we control our actions;
Third, pleasure is appreciation of values in friendship, art, and self control in sensual tendencies. Epicurus summed up his doctrine in 4 “medicinal” treatments: first, the gods are not to be feared; second, Death is nothing to worry about since when we die then we no longer exist; third, Good is easy to attain; and fourth, the fearful is easy to endure.
Epicurus advice was to learn to live in seclusion. Epicureans had little concern for politics and community services. The roman Church coined a bad connotation such as “Indulge in or enjoy the moment”
4. The Neo-Platonist school was founded by Plotinus (205-270 BC) and he was from the Near East and studied in Alexandria and settled in Rome. Plotinus doctrine was influenced by Plato.
The world span two poles:
The One that constantly shines and the World that does not receive the light. The immortal soul (concept of salvation) is the world of ideas that is illuminated by the One (or God), it is “a spark from the fire”. The material world has no real existence until the light reaches it. Plotinus experienced mystical moments of fusion with the world of spirit.
The Roman Christian Church had a hard struggle with this powerfully competing school of Neo-Platonism and ended up adopting most of its concepts.
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