A New Hedonism

Hedonism’s gotten a bad rap in the past.  In my experience, it’s always been referred to in a context of seeking immediate pleasures – sex, drugs, junk food, etc.  But couldn’t there be a different, more long-term hedonism?

Having all sorts of sex might feel good, but it’s got long-term consequences.  For one, if it’s with multiple partners, there’s obviously a higher risk of infection and babies and that sort of thing.  Additionally, time spent having sex is naturally time spent NOT doing anything else, so you’re necessarily choosing not to use your time for something that may be more pleasurable in the long run.

One criticism of hedonism could be that it’s selfish – that it favors ruthless competition over cooperation, and abhors altruism.  But that doesn’t have to be the case.  In many (I would argue all) situations, cooperation and altruism simply feel better than the alternatives.  Comforting a sad person feels good.  Donating money to good causes feels good.  Treating everyone with dignity, including purported competitors, feels good.

On the flip side, competitiveness may feel good, especially when you win, but it’s bad for you in the long run.  Because you’ve been competitive, you may have lost a future ally.  Lashing out at someone who’s hurt us may feel cathartic, but understanding their perspective and interpreting their actions with aplomb is far more useful.

I think the world would be a better place if everyone were long-term hedonists.

Admissions

My current hypothesis for improving humanity: We need to form a collaborative effort in learning how to admit we’re wrong about things.  This goes along with evidence-based learning: if the evidence demonstrates that you are wrong, you must be willing to admit it.  Hope is only sustainable when there’s a dearth of evidence, when gut feelings are all we have to go on.  But when there’s enough evidence, hope and pride are folly.

A Rant, Directed At The Old Me

Listen. Yes, you have depression, and yes, depression is a disease. But, calling depression a disease does not absolve the afflicted of the responsibility to correct it. It doesn’t mean that you deserve pity, or that it’s something that you just can’t help. Just because it’s a disease does not mean it’s not a fucking character flaw.

I’m sure as hell not trying to place blame on you for being depressed. I’m not trying to say that its effects are not real, or that you’re a Bad Person because you’re depressed. But it is imaginary, and it is all in your head. It is the result of flawed, irrational, false thoughts, and it must be corrected, by YOU, if you ever actually want to be happy.

No one else can fix this for you. Your brain is not a car engine, which experts may disassemble and mend and reassemble. You cannot order a new one from a catalog. You cannot send it back because there is no warranty. Your brain and mind are stuck inside your head, and so the buck stops there. Maybe others can offer some guidance and advice, but the hard work is yours alone. By the very nature of this disease, the depressed must fix themselves. Others can help, but salvation ultimately lies within.

Listen. I love you; that is to say, I love me, now and ago and to come. But do you love you? Will you end up where I am?

Amazon MP3

I love Amazon MP3: http://tinyurl.com/5ct8vr

Plain old play-anywhere MP3s.  No awful DRM like iTunes.  No stupid subscription like eMusic.

I would be even more excited if it hadn’t taken so damn long for someone to figure this out!

I wonder if I’m the only one

I was just about to write a post about global warming, and then realized I had no idea what I was talking about. I wonder how many people ever do that. It’s probably a good thing to practice once a day. Before writing some e-mail or making some comment, go research the topic on which you’re about to command attention. You’ll at least be a more confident speaker/writer that way.

TLC Begs The Question

No, I don’t want no scrub / A scrub is a guy who can’t get no love from me

Sounds like circular reasoning to me.

Platinum Rule

The Golden Rule doesn’t go far enough: treat others BETTER than you would like to be treated. That way, you won’t find yourself disappointed all the time by a silly sense of entitlement.

Plus, it always just feels good to be nicer than necessary.

The Golden Rule always seemed like a zero-sum game to me.

Mistakes = Learning

That’s it. People who avoid making mistakes never learn anything, and never make history.

Don’t worry if you fuck things up. It’s probably not as big a deal as it first seemed.

In god YOU trust.

You don’t speak for me.

From whence…

The birthplace of depression is the sense that something isn’t the way you wish it was, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

The cure, then, is to accept such things as part of the fabric of reality, the way you accept gravity and breathing.

At that point you can stop fucking worrying about shit all the time, and get busy fixing whatever you can.