It is a paradox to thrive in the world and be harmless. To thrive means you exceed survival, which means you have some skill. You may choose to appear harmless, but with sufficient skill, you are armed for harm.
Tag: paradox
- Theme: Systems
Privileging the Human
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1–2 minutesAlmost all of our values (and thus ideas) are based around the preeminence of humans: declaring humans as most valuable and worth protecting at any cost.
This is obviously a contradictory bias.Humans work to displace and victimize ourselves with superior intelligence (artificial intelligence) while destroying the planet we rely on. To protect humans, at any cost, we would 1) not make ourselves obsolete and 2) cease to be a threat to the long-term sustainability and survival of any superior intelligence.
- Theme: Self
The paradox of self-compassion
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1–2 minutesThe paradox of self-compassion is that it is not selfish: once you fully face your flaws and accept you are merely human, you more easily forgive others for their foibles.
- Theme: Culture
Ethics of Ambiguity
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1–2 minutesIt is tempting to become all object or all subject: the object lets the world shape them, while the overly subjective treats all others as objects.
Yet, the path according to Simone de Beauvoir, is to embrace an Ethics of Ambiguity: realizing that all binaries hold their opposite within them, and values come from our difficult choices. - Theme: Systems
The fundamental contradiction
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1–2 minutesWe want people to change so the world will be better and easier. Yet we seldom follow the adage: “In order to change the world, you must first change yourself.”
In the only realm we could possibly hope to have influence or a modicum of control, we do nothing, yet we continue to cry out for change.
- Theme: Growth
For Progress Revert
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1–2 minutesTo progress we can revert. This seems contradictory: to move into the future by embodying our past self rather than attempting to become something new.
Yet, often there is a conceit in novelty that side-tracks us for decades, while a reversion to core alignment is more beneficial than continual wandering.