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My Changing World View
redhammer
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
I currently feel as if I am struggling inside myself and I'm not sure which side I should join.
On one side I feel a deep anger at the world. I see all the racism, ignorance, homophobia, religious intolerance, bigotry, wars, and hate as something that should be crushed. People are so worthless and inhuman I shouldn't bother caring about others or caring about what's going on in the world except that which effects me. I should be selfish and only care about what benefits myself. I should be ruthless and merciless in life and my career. I should believe that there is no Good or Bad or Good and Evil but just that something either benefits me or it doesn't. There is no true morality. I can build a better world through getting things my way with power, conflict and manipulation.
On the other hand I sometimes feel the complete opposite. I feel that I should feel sympathy for soldiers and people that suffer and not laugh at them. I feel that I should feel compassion for veterans and people who think differently than I do. I feel that I shouldn't hate ignorant people and bigots but instead pity them and work to educate them properly. I should show greater kindness to others and understanding. I should focus on using my career to make the world a better place for all humanity. There is such thing as True Morality and Good and Evil. I will have a better life devoting myself to building a better world through peace rather than through conflict and aggression.
I just feel torn in half with each one. I'd like serious advice. Thanks ahead to anyone who helps.
On one side I feel a deep anger at the world. I see all the racism, ignorance, homophobia, religious intolerance, bigotry, wars, and hate as something that should be crushed. People are so worthless and inhuman I shouldn't bother caring about others or caring about what's going on in the world except that which effects me. I should be selfish and only care about what benefits myself. I should be ruthless and merciless in life and my career. I should believe that there is no Good or Bad or Good and Evil but just that something either benefits me or it doesn't. There is no true morality. I can build a better world through getting things my way with power, conflict and manipulation.
On the other hand I sometimes feel the complete opposite. I feel that I should feel sympathy for soldiers and people that suffer and not laugh at them. I feel that I should feel compassion for veterans and people who think differently than I do. I feel that I shouldn't hate ignorant people and bigots but instead pity them and work to educate them properly. I should show greater kindness to others and understanding. I should focus on using my career to make the world a better place for all humanity. There is such thing as True Morality and Good and Evil. I will have a better life devoting myself to building a better world through peace rather than through conflict and aggression.
I just feel torn in half with each one. I'd like serious advice. Thanks ahead to anyone who helps.
redhammer on
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Looking at a career, for instance: you are going to have to play "the game" a little to get ahead, but at the same time you should let "the game" consume what it is you are working toward... don't let the desire to get ahead overwhelm your own sense of ethics or morality.
As for your world view in general, the easiest way to rationalize what you feel is to ask yourself: why does this stuff happen in the first place? Why are people ignorant? Bigoted? Racist? This isn't "compassion," it's empathy. Look at their world through their eyes.
A huge part of these problems are that people are unable to look at the world from a different cultural mindset. And I'm not necessarily talking about foreign countries or that sort of thing, but I mean basic cultural values and views. A military person versus a shopkeeper look at the world differently. Someone who grew up in a big city looks at the world very differently from someone who grew up in a small town.
That's the hard part, really. It's extremely difficult for most people to step completely out of their shoes and into someone else's without judgement or bias. I've spoken to tons of people who think they're good at it, but they're not. They go into it already expecting to see something so they automatically see it, even though it may not have really been there, or they are passing judgement without even being aware of it.
The easiest example is between two foreign cultures or two socioeconomic groups. Try it. Why are these people different? What makes them who they are? I think if you are able to do this, it will really ease your mind a little, because you will at least be less frustrated with how some people can be. Then you can expand it, and help yourself understand WHY people are racist or bigoted.
Plenty of times, education fails as a solution because the people doing the educating have no real clue why these people think this way in the first place. There is no empathy, and thus, no efficient information sharing. Think about it: are you going to learn more from someone who is just lecturing words at you, or are you going to learn more from people who can relate to you and put things in your terms, using analogies you understand?
Your second paragraph is idealistic, and there's nothing wrong with that as long as you are honest with what you can actually handle. You can't cure the world's woes, and if you expect to you will come away bitter, jaded, and disappointed. So bite off what you can chew. If nothing else, be proud that you are willing to recognize what is happening and that you feel enabled to fix it.
This is my own opinion, but I personally believe that the solution to a lot of the world's conflicts rests in true empathy. The problem is that the vast majority of humanity is too self-absorbed or ethnocentric to bother even making an attempt at it. This is frustrating for me, but I manage it simply by picking an issue that matters to me most and focusing on helping in what ways I can in that issue, with a demographic I know I can reach. Trying to go farther than that is shouldering far too much, and all that does is dilute the help I COULD have given a smaller group of people, thus leading to a larger impact.
Essentially, then, you kinda need to figure out where your line is. How far will you go to get what you want? How far will you go to help someone? And be honest. There is no right answer here, all it is is a definition of what kind of person you really are.
First off, I am an atheist and therefore I do not believe in the afterlife. Because of this belief, I can't hope for a heaven to go to after I die, so I try to enjoy my life as much as possible. To do this I can't simply focus only on myself or only on short term happiness. I have had a good set of morals instilled in me and I gain happiness from helping others. I also try to balance short term satisfaction and long term fulfillment. Being happy right this instant is always the best way to go. Essentially, I live to be happy and enjoy life.
It seems superficial, but the root of my happiness often stems from more meaningful things. I don't really worry about the meaning of life, or the proper motives I should have in life. Do what you think would make you feel the best. If it means being selfish, then I suppose that's just who you are and there is no way to change that. That comment isn't directed at you, but is instead directed at the general population. From your post I would assume that you are a standup guy.
EDIT: I guess in summary, your view is to absolute. It doesn't need to be one or another. Do whatever you think would satisfy you the most.
How you go about doing this is up to you, but I think the two best ways would either be "think harder" or "read more." You might end up gravitating to Option C, "ask the Internet," but there's never any consensus on this stuff and personally I think it's better to decide for yourself instead of just adopting what someone else thinks.
Also, you kind of make it seem like veterans are retarded or are this weird "other" category of person in your post, that you should pet their head and say "It's ok, buddy! Who's my bestest pal"
What am I saying? I suppose that the point is that we, as humans, often seek solid moral and ethical footing in order to stave off chaos and nihilism. While we create positions of absolutism and "black and white" morality, this very concept is an illusion caused by subtle and unseen progress which modifies our positions ever so slightly as we move forward. For example, a strong moral stance against torture was inherently different in 1999 than it was during the more recent "waterboarding" incident, and both attaching car batteries to genitals and simulating the act of drowning now have a place in a fuller, more relevant view on the subject and each modifies the other and the overarching theme of "torture" in ways which change and shape a viewpoint.
Flitting between extremes shows that your mind is in the process of identifying and resolving conflicting concepts of morality. You understand and empathize with both sides and can understand the arguments brought forth by both.
Just understand that where you begin is hardly ever where you end, and even when you believe you stand on a slab of granite that will provide stability, the earth is always moving and always shifting beneath your feet. Act and react as you feel the situation warrants, and keep in mind that the firm position you hold can evaporate into the complete opposite overnight.
It is maintaining a consistency that you are able to pull all the disparate pieces of oneself together into a whole person. Your approach above in the OP shows a base-level compassion for the people and problems of the world regardless of how it is manifested in your mode of thought. If the world deserves scorn or pity is a loaded question.
Anyway, the point is that I don't think your position is as polarized as you believe. You show compassion and care for the world, you're problem is reconciling the conflicting expressions of that belief.
Anyway, I think the best way for you to gain some perspective would be to do some volunteer work. And not only are you going to learn a lot doing it, but you may find it's just a better outlet for helping people than trying to find a career that fills that need directly.