Philosophy break is over.
Who am I?
Can I conceal myself for evermore?
Pretend I'm not the man I was before?
And must my name until I die
Be no more than an alibi?
Must I lie?
How can I ever face my fellow men?
How can I ever face myself again?
My soul belongs to God, I know,
I made that bargain long ago.
He gave me hope when hope was gone,
He gave me strength to journey on!
Who am I? Who am I?
I'm Sam Valjean!
2-4-67-0-1!
So, it's been a while.
In my last post here I wrote that in my next post (which is now this one) I would have defined myself clearly and that I would explain my new wisdoms and everything. It turns out that defining your beliefs and values is really hard, so for a while I've just been putting it off and not fully knowing who I am. That's (obviously) not great, but I haven't actually faced many issues because of it; Of course there is the issue of not being able to post my next blog post (which is now this one) because I said that it would be about my new values, which I don't know, but that's fine because now I have a lot to write about.
Anyways (if I can keep some semblance of a through line in this post), I think I have a sort of idea now of who I am and what I want to be. Not a rigid, Kantian set of fundamental laws; but a fluid, changing, human set of beliefs and aspirations.
This time I've taken as a rest from philosophy has helped me to come to a healthier expectation of what I 'should' do. Now I don't absolutely need to uphold several unforgiving tenets, I can use my wisdoms to help me.
Ideals that I try to live by:
The product is less valuable than the process.
I don't like the public school system. It's pretty good, but also deeply flawed; I keep seeing the same mindset there, that one's grades are more important than their participation or enjoyment. This is false.
I also don't like AI.
Not for practical reasons like water consumption or stealing jobs, but because AI reduces human creativity to nothing more than the products of our efforts (this is explained really well by Brandon Sanderson).
I don't think AI is the problem though, neither do I think that overachievers who flipp their lids when they get a 97 instead of a 98 are the problem. Instead, the problem lies in the assumption that the end is more valuable than the means.
Follow your passions.
Another problem I see around me is social media.
People will sit and scroll and feel no true joy, only a feed of dopamine and a numbing of the mind.
A lot of people I know don't seem to have any interests or hobbies or anything they do beyond video games and social media. Video games can be a hobby, and social media can be useful occasionally, but passive consumption of content is not a passion.
It is important in life to be truly interested in things, to find what makes you happy and to pursue it, to seek fulfillment.
Kaua e mate wheke, me mate ururoa.
I learned this one from my camp counselor last summer, he told me "Don't die like an octopus, die like a hammerhead." Bradon was a very cool and very wise person. He also said "You can be cold and wet, or you can be cold, wet and miserable." I try to live by this wisdom because strength is important. Not physical, muscular power, but the ability to do hard things. The message of these quotes is to keep fighting until the end, to be strong even in times of hardship.
My other problem with social media is that it's too easy, and too comfortable. Just as legs are strengthened by running, minds are strengthened by thinking, and social media numbs the mind and lessens thought.
There's a JFK quote that I like too, he said "We choose to go to da moon, and to do de otha things, not because dey are easy, but because dey are hahd."
As humans, we need challenges to learn, to grow, to become stronger.
You will find yourself not in comfort, but after you have been shattered.
This also connects to my thing with "authenticity over belonging" authenticity is harder, but more valuable than belonging.
Death is not good.
This one is exactly what it says on the tin.
Balance is good.
Too much rigidity is bad, not enough rigidity is bad.
Too much activity is bad, not enough activity is bad.
Too much hardship is bad, not enough hardship is bad.
It keeps going.
Also, it's important to protect your spoons.
That's all for now.
Goodbye from Sam.