I tried writing yesterday and didn’t succeed. I’ve been doing this for almost 19 years and that has not happened often. I’m having issues that are making writing difficult. I’ll feel better if I write so I’ll try again.
I get so frustrated at anti-intellectualism. Someone on a Mets group posted this, “The 1969 Mets sang, You gotta have heart. They didn’t sing you gotta use your head.” Another word for not making decisions rationally is prejudice. When I teach there are always students that don’t want to think to solve problems; they want a mechanical solution, or they want to guess. When their intuition is wrong, they can’t accept the proof that it’s wrong. They would rather believe their gut even when they are shown it gives the wrong answer. They accept that the answer is wrong, but they will do the same thing next time. This is why we have climate deniers, and presidential advisors that speak of the “reality-based community.” It’s how we can now have a president that has supporters that know he’s not being factual; he’s saying the “facts” that they want to hear.
I’m going to look at this from a more positive angle. Instead of complaining about how people act, I’m going to make a short list of ways each one of us can act that will make the world a better place. These are commandments. I’m not a god or even a prophet. I’m just some guy, but a guy with a good heart and a good brain. Let’s call them suggestions. Some are quotes.
- When in doubt err on the side of kindness.
- Err on the side of forgiveness.
- Believe in the facts, not what you want to believe.
- Empiricism and logic are more reliable than your gut.
- That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow. – Hillel
- Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
- When deciding on public policy consider how it would affect if you were a random person, with a random background and abilities.
- Accept that your judgement of people will always be faulty.
- Be just and good.
- Happiness is a virtue.
- The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy – I mean that if you are happy you will be good. – Bertrand Russell
Now I have to do things I don’t want to but must do. I will also eat and watch The Good Place, two things I very much want to do.
Wise Madness 