To be clear; I don't hate. I just recognize the underlying sub-conscious motive that drives people to do things like this. I know a lot of people deny it now-a-days, but very few of us want to look like everyone else. The individualist-consumer culture defined us as entities that obsess over individualization. We want to be "The man..." or "That man..." but not simply "A man." We want to be known for something unique such that our identity is unique. Its the same reason I wanted people to pay attention to my macaroni art.
BTW the terms I'm using are from formal psychology, but these lengthy descriptors can be snipped if translated into Christian or Buddhist philosophy. It just makes them all the more difficult to understand and accept, because many are contingent in some respect on the domain of religion, either through a positive-affect or negative-affect. Those with a positive-affect are likely to disagree because it challenges their cherished interpretation and those with a negative-affect association with religion will find ways of rejecting the translation because it does not accord with the interpretations of religious texts which they despise. Odd as that is, it is true in my experience that even presenting good evidence against the orthodox interpretation of the Bible to atheists, they respond with "Yea, but that's not what most people who call themselves 'Christian' believe."
I'd prefer to keep it as free of positive-negative-affect associations (contingencies of self-worth) as possible and unfortunately the convoluted and wordy field of academic psychology is as good as it gets. In Christianity the functional aspects of identity that are contingent on comparitive domains is called the "sinful nature". Whereas in Buddhism it is referred to as the sub-human, lower realms. Both have as their aim a dissolution of the divisive mis-identification that is carried out through contingent and comparitive domains which promote an environment attractive to enmity and strife.
This principle is up-held to its most extreme in Amish cultures who bar even the slightest individualist modification to the communities' mandatory attire. Although this seems to deprive us of our "individuality" and our "freedom" it is considered to be quite the opposite. The freedom gained by the Amish way of life is the freedom-from the desire to be someone special, and not the freedom-to-be someone special as it is in contemporary American culture. In the past this has proven an effective means of mitigating culture-wide neuroses that culminate as the destruction of the society.
To some extent the founders of the United States, in particular Washington and Jefferson were wise to the sub-conscious neuroses that affect a populus within a certian culture. Of course, they had fled such a society and dreamt of starting something different, warning us repeatedly against these positive and negative-affect attachments on the individual level, the level of political parties and on the level of foreign national interests (See: George Washington's Farewell Address 1967).
You are welcome. With regards to human psychology we tend to dwell on the surface. We are unaware of the processes underpinning the most salient of our phenomenal experience. As a result, many neurotic processes dwell beneath that veil.
Quite often when we reflect on a proposition we look to our self-hood and evaluate the validity of the proposition by how it makes us feel. If the proposition induces negative feelings we engage in ratiocination for the purpose of justifying ourselves. If the proposition induces positive feelings we tend to engage in rationcination supportive of the proposition and ourselves.
Often whether the proposition induces positive or negative effects directly correlates with the intensity with we identify with the contingent domain within which the proposition pertains. For example; if you from Poland and I make the proposition "Poland's culture engenders selfish behavior." the proposition is likely to induce negative affect and trigger ratiocination for the purposes of justification (rationalization).
The above is why I make such a big deal out of contingent domains of self-worth and the functional aspects of human identity. There are experimental results which compliment this view. Too many to detail on neatorama. Instead, I'll share with you this neat-o song about Cognitive Bias
Interesting, I got a low score, but I'm also not American and not that well affiliated with these particular quotes. If there was anything from Washington's farewell address or Thomas Jefferson's Bible I'd be sure to pick it up.
I do know that it wasn't called "The White House" in Washington, Jefferson, and Adam's time. It would have been called the President's Mansion. I have read that it was named the White House after the Burning of Washington (1814; part of the war of 1812). The story goes that it was painted white to cover up burn marks.
The only problem I have with ads on this website is that occasionally as I'm scrolling down I see an ad for Snorgtees and my scroll-wheel stops working.
I think it is also becoming wider known now that bovine flatulance is a big contributor to green house gas emissions. I mean, I think it is more significant than concrete.
On another note, one of the first entrepreneurial product ideas I had was pants sewn into the underwear such that a small portion of underwear would be showing and the pants wouldn't fall down. I thought it would be popular with teens. Within less than 2 weeks of having that idea I was shopping at Wal-mart when I saw something to that effect hanging on one of the racks. They were girl's sweat pants with a half-inch of pink or blue (what looked like underwear) sewn along the top. The first product I saw like this was a bit subtler than the girl is wearing in this pic (http://www.walmart.com/ip/14648917) but pretty much the same idea. Since then I've moved away from big money making ideas and started to question my motives and morals, which consequently disapproves.
Ah zip ties! I can never pick up a pair of pants that continue to fit, I fluxuate a lot in waist-size I guess. I cannot wear a belt because the metal used to make most buckles causes a rash on my skin. I never thought of using zip ties. That would have saved me a lot of problems at school
I suppose age may have something to do with it. When I was a teenager I used to have dreams - nightmares - a lot. I never had a wet-dream though. I would go to sleep some-what in anticipation and end up dreaming about getting gang-beat and dumped in a ditch for dead.
I'd prefer to keep it as free of positive-negative-affect associations (contingencies of self-worth) as possible and unfortunately the convoluted and wordy field of academic psychology is as good as it gets. In Christianity the functional aspects of identity that are contingent on comparitive domains is called the "sinful nature". Whereas in Buddhism it is referred to as the sub-human, lower realms. Both have as their aim a dissolution of the divisive mis-identification that is carried out through contingent and comparitive domains which promote an environment attractive to enmity and strife.
This principle is up-held to its most extreme in Amish cultures who bar even the slightest individualist modification to the communities' mandatory attire. Although this seems to deprive us of our "individuality" and our "freedom" it is considered to be quite the opposite. The freedom gained by the Amish way of life is the freedom-from the desire to be someone special, and not the freedom-to-be someone special as it is in contemporary American culture. In the past this has proven an effective means of mitigating culture-wide neuroses that culminate as the destruction of the society.
To some extent the founders of the United States, in particular Washington and Jefferson were wise to the sub-conscious neuroses that affect a populus within a certian culture. Of course, they had fled such a society and dreamt of starting something different, warning us repeatedly against these positive and negative-affect attachments on the individual level, the level of political parties and on the level of foreign national interests (See: George Washington's Farewell Address 1967).
You are welcome. With regards to human psychology we tend to dwell on the surface. We are unaware of the processes underpinning the most salient of our phenomenal experience. As a result, many neurotic processes dwell beneath that veil.
Quite often when we reflect on a proposition we look to our self-hood and evaluate the validity of the proposition by how it makes us feel. If the proposition induces negative feelings we engage in ratiocination for the purpose of justifying ourselves. If the proposition induces positive feelings we tend to engage in rationcination supportive of the proposition and ourselves.
Often whether the proposition induces positive or negative effects directly correlates with the intensity with we identify with the contingent domain within which the proposition pertains. For example; if you from Poland and I make the proposition "Poland's culture engenders selfish behavior." the proposition is likely to induce negative affect and trigger ratiocination for the purposes of justification (rationalization).
The above is why I make such a big deal out of contingent domains of self-worth and the functional aspects of human identity. There are experimental results which compliment this view. Too many to detail on neatorama. Instead, I'll share with you this neat-o song about Cognitive Bias
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RsbmjNLQkc
I do know that it wasn't called "The White House" in Washington, Jefferson, and Adam's time. It would have been called the President's Mansion. I have read that it was named the White House after the Burning of Washington (1814; part of the war of 1812). The story goes that it was painted white to cover up burn marks.
I used to try spider-boarding, it rained a lot.
Aum Poornamadah Poornamidam Poornaath Poornam Udachyathe Poornasya Poornamaadaaya Poornameva Vasishyathe
But, a part of me thinks this is God's way of telling us not to eat onions. Maybe that is the more superstitious and irrational part though.