existential dilemmas i cant escape
just in case, a trigger warning not to read if you are not in a good mental state.
this was put together in an hour from some notes i had lying around that i wrote to myself. it is an attempt to ease the pain.
the natural answer based on this input would be that the person is bad. but lets say the man provides some food once in a while, whenever he feels the incentive to do so (if ever). so in this sense the man provides the dogs with a sheltering "home" and food, and maybe other minor necessities or joys.
eventually, some of the dogs die in pain of their fighting wounds, and the man is praised for giving the dogs "asylum" and "taking care of them" and everyone loves him for it. you may be confused because you would still think the person that adopted the dog is bad even though im telling you everybody loves him. but this is the case! many people love god even though we know full well he is responsible for every situation in life.
its easy to take the ideas 5 year old you was taught and to base your whole existence upon, its easy to take it for granted without the slightest doubt or contemplation, nobody is to blame for choking on the ideology they were forced to adopt. but what does one make of it when they see what one human can do to another, and what harm one has to endure in a world they never chose to be in but have to accept. but one might say god never made the world this way, and maybe indeed he never did. but he sure made us make it this way. god may have never killed a dog, but he sure made some dogs vicious enough to kill others. he may never have brought darkness into the world, but he sure made the absence of light a possible circumstance. he may never have given a 3 year old cancer, but he sure made cancer a condition that humans could develop. but then you're insane for wanting to find a reason for it, you're wrong (even worse, immoral) for having a different entailment for the (possibly false) premise of a deity's existence.
many times kindness may bite back. what may seem as an inherently kind gesture that may have no repercussions could be something that causes a worse situation. one may think that it is often easy to tell when kindness is warranted and when it is best avoided, but it is often not that apparent to the eye.
so how does a person that is born into poverty supposed to escape it? perhaps through hard work? will hard work get you to pass an exam if you have no books to study with? will hard work build you a bridge if you have no wood around? will hard work get you water in the middle of the sahara?
how should he succeed? how could he sew a wound if he has lost his hands? the mind is another organ and it can experience injury, if the man hasnt the tools to heal these injuries, he may never recover, no matter how hard he tries.
this prison is life itself. a person could barely find any comfort in this life let alone survive its tragedies. a person is trapped in their own body and they could never understand why they have to endure it. they sure never did something so wrong that they'd deserve this for. but then people think suicide is inherently bad, it is simply not. it just might not be the right solution often, but that doesnt mean its inherently wrong.
on a positive note, this way of thinking properly places the blame on the circumstances instead of on the person themselves.
this was put together in an hour from some notes i had lying around that i wrote to myself. it is an attempt to ease the pain.
god
a man adopts a few vicious dogs, he places them in cages. in another cage he puts plenty of food and water. the dogs are constantly hungry and psychologically disturbed because of the relative (non-)proximity of food. moreover, given their inherently aggressive nature, the dogs almost tear each other to bits every day. i would ask a simple question: is he a bad man? or a good man?the natural answer based on this input would be that the person is bad. but lets say the man provides some food once in a while, whenever he feels the incentive to do so (if ever). so in this sense the man provides the dogs with a sheltering "home" and food, and maybe other minor necessities or joys.
eventually, some of the dogs die in pain of their fighting wounds, and the man is praised for giving the dogs "asylum" and "taking care of them" and everyone loves him for it. you may be confused because you would still think the person that adopted the dog is bad even though im telling you everybody loves him. but this is the case! many people love god even though we know full well he is responsible for every situation in life.
its easy to take the ideas 5 year old you was taught and to base your whole existence upon, its easy to take it for granted without the slightest doubt or contemplation, nobody is to blame for choking on the ideology they were forced to adopt. but what does one make of it when they see what one human can do to another, and what harm one has to endure in a world they never chose to be in but have to accept. but one might say god never made the world this way, and maybe indeed he never did. but he sure made us make it this way. god may have never killed a dog, but he sure made some dogs vicious enough to kill others. he may never have brought darkness into the world, but he sure made the absence of light a possible circumstance. he may never have given a 3 year old cancer, but he sure made cancer a condition that humans could develop. but then you're insane for wanting to find a reason for it, you're wrong (even worse, immoral) for having a different entailment for the (possibly false) premise of a deity's existence.
kindness
a caveman comes across a lion and it is an animal he doesnt recognize. the lion is on the brink of death and some water could save it. the man doesnt know that if he were to give the lion his water, the lion could take the chance to eat him as it is starving. what appears as a simple act that may save a life could be one that takes another.many times kindness may bite back. what may seem as an inherently kind gesture that may have no repercussions could be something that causes a worse situation. one may think that it is often easy to tell when kindness is warranted and when it is best avoided, but it is often not that apparent to the eye.
poverty
a man is put in a situation where he has no additional clothes, no home, no job, and no family. you may think this is a rare case but theres alot of that going around in the world. how would this man escape poverty? lets say he wants to find a job, but passing a job interview certainly would require him to dress well, shower, eat breakfast so that he may be able to atleast give some coherent replies to his interviewer. but this man has no home to shower in, has no clean clothes to wear, has barely (if any) money. the only path to salvation is through someone that might pity him enough to give him a chance, this someone has to come from the same system that failed the homeless man and caused his demise in the first place.so how does a person that is born into poverty supposed to escape it? perhaps through hard work? will hard work get you to pass an exam if you have no books to study with? will hard work build you a bridge if you have no wood around? will hard work get you water in the middle of the sahara?
depression
a man is depressed, he has no desire to get out of bed, he has barely any incentive to wake up in the morning let alone drag his mind and body through a whole day. perhaps he is grieving the loss of someone he loved, but grief could never bring them back. perhaps he has failed to find warmth in others, but has he failed thus far that he became so depressed surely he must've been burnt by rejection and there could be not much point in trying. after all, why should he try if what he seeks is out of reach? perhaps this man has been burnt by failure, and only success can bring him out of his misery, but if only success will get him to try in the first place, how is he supposed to try in the first place so that success may be achieved?how should he succeed? how could he sew a wound if he has lost his hands? the mind is another organ and it can experience injury, if the man hasnt the tools to heal these injuries, he may never recover, no matter how hard he tries.
suicide
a man is held in a prison. the man has committed no crime, he is placed there against his will by some authority. the man is overwhelmed with despair and is desperate to escape his prison. but he knows that if he escapes, something worse might be waiting for him, because in the eyes of the authority not only would he still be guilty of whatever he was originally held guilty for, but he is now guilty of escaping or trying to escape.this prison is life itself. a person could barely find any comfort in this life let alone survive its tragedies. a person is trapped in their own body and they could never understand why they have to endure it. they sure never did something so wrong that they'd deserve this for. but then people think suicide is inherently bad, it is simply not. it just might not be the right solution often, but that doesnt mean its inherently wrong.
on a positive note, this way of thinking properly places the blame on the circumstances instead of on the person themselves.