BLOG #2

         I’d have to say that my personal principles came from my parent’s principles. You know, all those basic ones you’re taught as a kid. Don’t lie. Don’t steal. Don’t cheat. Don’t fight. If you have nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all, ect. I think everyone already has these principles embedded within themselves and tries their hardest not to disavow them. But that’s just scratching the surface. Deeper principles, regarding God and religion, sex, life decisions, acceptance, and forgiveness, are where it gets a little fuzzy. I can safely, and thankfully say that my parents had no involvement regarding most of those principles. Those are ones that develop as you grow up, with time and experience and mistakes and misfortunes. Those are the principles that one has to experience themselves in order to gain. They can’t just be told to you as a little kid and accepted without further questioning.

I can agree partly with Aristotle’s viewpoint, that a good life equals a happy life. And I think our principles have a lot to do with that, whether you choose to do the morally right or wrong thing will affect your happiness in the long run. However, I disagree with his whole idea of “pure contemplation” equaling pure happiness. In my own personal experiences, when I over think things and start obsessing, well that’s when things go directly downhill. And it’s hard to climb back up that hill once you’ve tumbled all the way down it. The philosophical idea that seemed to make the most sense to me was the Taosoit approach. In contrast, it also seems like the hardest one to accomplish. The whole idea of completely letting go, not caring and not over thinking seems in and of itself a miracle if it could ever be accomplished. Personally, I don’t think I’d be able to do it. No judgment, now that’s a good principle. I think too many people are too quick to judge something or someone, and therefore miss out. No judgment equals no suffering, I highly agree with that. It is an appealing approach though, and it does make perfect sense. Although most people don’t aspire to be average, once you’re at the top of the hill, the only way left to go is tumbling back down. 


-- I commented on Kyle Bay's blog: http://honor-is-better-than-honors.blogspot.com/.