Human Nature
PAGE IN PROGRESS
What you see here is a page of my hypertext book Me, Looking for Meaning. Initially empty, it will slowly be filled with thoughts, notes, and quotes. One day, I will use them to write a coherent entry, similar to these completed pages. See this post to better understand my creative process. Thank you for your interest and patience! :)
What you see here is a page of my hypertext book Me, Looking for Meaning. Initially empty, it will slowly be filled with thoughts, notes, and quotes. One day, I will use them to write a coherent entry, similar to these completed pages. See this post to better understand my creative process. Thank you for your interest and patience! :)
Filled with paradoxes:
1) Anxiety from being seen (e.g., fear of public speaking), but the need to be seen (see Nonviolent Communication list of needs; example: my son checking if I have seen a particularly tricky dance move he has accomplished - the need for attention).
2) We know about better ways to act and recognize problematic behavior in others, but we fail to apply this knowledge to ourselves (e.g., golden rule: we know about the importance of empathy - “How to train your dragon” - but often fail to use it).
It is nature’s cruel joke that out human nature involves so much focus on individual experiences and so little ability to understand how we fit into the bigger picture of society, or an even bigger one of our species. But this “joke” is very logical from the practical point of view. If we want to survive as species, we must not focus too much on the overarching level of society. Our thoughts and concerns should reside on the individual level where we can contribute to society’s functioning by following its invisible rules while we see ourselves as autonomous being pursuing individual happiness.
About this project: Start page
1) Anxiety from being seen (e.g., fear of public speaking), but the need to be seen (see Nonviolent Communication list of needs; example: my son checking if I have seen a particularly tricky dance move he has accomplished - the need for attention).
2) We know about better ways to act and recognize problematic behavior in others, but we fail to apply this knowledge to ourselves (e.g., golden rule: we know about the importance of empathy - “How to train your dragon” - but often fail to use it).
It is nature’s cruel joke that out human nature involves so much focus on individual experiences and so little ability to understand how we fit into the bigger picture of society, or an even bigger one of our species. But this “joke” is very logical from the practical point of view. If we want to survive as species, we must not focus too much on the overarching level of society. Our thoughts and concerns should reside on the individual level where we can contribute to society’s functioning by following its invisible rules while we see ourselves as autonomous being pursuing individual happiness.
About this project: Start page
