Do you know your own self-interest?

Should you think about your duty, or about the consequences of your actions? Or should you concentrate on becoming a good person?

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SpheresOfBalance
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by SpheresOfBalance »

Walker wrote:Could be people are rigged, via conditioning … and other reasons.
Or it could be that some would prefer to believe such as it surely serves their desires at this particular time.

Fact is, and Progressives take note because this may be difficult to face in oneself, but Clinton’s popularity is empirical evidence that corruption is now cool.
Better that than being an idiot, which is what you get with trump! I mean could being an idiot ever be cool?

Or perhaps her popularity is an ironic commentary on the system and therefore, cool.
Or perhaps you can pull a rabbit out of a hat if it suits your needs.

Such would suit a fundamentally deconstruction mentality that prioritizes chaos as a benefit, and encourages emulation from those with displaced religious tendencies.
Screw both theism and atheism as neither belief can be proven, It's just a bunch of archaic fearful humans either seeking shelter in their mysticism or seeking freedom from those that would dictate their particular brand of mysticism. Sure we're all going to die, get used to it, nothing's gonna save your weary ass!

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1116/colon110716.php3

And don’t worry about deportation. There are no crosschecks for citizenship at the voting booth. Of that you can be assured, from what is now the highest power in the land.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQKAz7l5Es4
You're just pissed because your idiot boy is losing. You believe he means money and you're a money grubber. I was in the military and was taught how to live off the land, I don't need no stinking money. When all falls apart, and it shall eventually, whether in our lifetime or not is debatable, people like me will survive and people like trump and his followers won't know what to do! So they'll probably end up as someones meat. You'll find me in any particular cave somewhere smelling like a mushroom, as survival is what I know best, thanks to my father practically suffocating his 4 your old son, becoming the youngest black belt in my style, earning a sharpshooter medal as well as learning various military tactics. I attended SERE school when the USN ran it and they still used the water board, not one of the 30 some men from 18 to 50 some, all branches including special forces (no seals in my class though) didn't have tears running down their cheeks when the signal that the class was over was sounded, not one, no exaggeration, as I was facing them all, as one of the two chosen honor students that also had tears running down their cheeks. I had no idea that SERE school would have every swinging dick, regardless of their particular level of badassedness tearing up with it's conclusion, my minds eye was opened.

Just the facts, nothing but the facts!
Walker
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by Walker »

I thought the word choice and structuring reflect tranquility and peace, not piss.

A vote for Clinton is a vote for corruption.
Plain and simple.

Live off the land? I thought you were a sailor. Fishing ain’t hard. You throw a hook in the water, you get a bite, you pull something out. One day I saw a bum by the river near an Obamaville. He was digging roots and he had a pretty good pile, enough to fill a couple of buckets. Odd sight in prosperous US of A. More common when most of the population kept a kitchen garden or two and canned for the winter, back in the olden days. Things come around, corruption leads to more corruption.

Your boy? Dramatic. :lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSzCbJVTxDY
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SpheresOfBalance
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by SpheresOfBalance »

Walker wrote:I thought the word choice and structuring reflect tranquility and peace, not piss.
That's your problem, you tried to think. At my age and experience one can smell desperation a mile away, and your words reek.

A vote for Clinton is a vote for corruption.
And then you woke up, talk about corruption, your boy has played with the mob, can't get any more corrupted than that, my son.

Plain and simple.
Yeah you are that!

Live off the land? I thought you were a sailor. Fishing ain’t hard.
Nope, I was an airdale. You should have looked up Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) school to be educated.

You throw a hook in the water, you get a bite, you pull something out.
Nope, in survival school you learn it all, snares, fishing, edible plants, solar still, etc, etc!

One day I saw a bum by the river near an Obamaville.
All a matter of perspective, my friend.

He was digging roots and he had a pretty good pile, enough to fill a couple of buckets.
Not as dreary as some pampered infants might assert, hey?

Odd sight in prosperous US of A.
All a matter of perspective, my friend.

More common when most of the population kept a kitchen garden or two and canned for the winter, back in the olden days.
Yep, those were the days.

Things come around, corruption leads to more corruption.
I'm sure you mean to say that corruption is everywhere. Any place there are humans that is.

Your boy? Dramatic. :lol:
Well he's obviously no man yet, and I doubt he'll ever make it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSzCbJVTxDY
Walker
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by Walker »

That smell is probably the last bicycle seat.
Got your nose too close again, Son of Survivor.

The tone belies the resume and although still obnoxious, apparent fissures in the armor likely indicate some civilizing associations are in play.

Trump was always an owner. That could be why other owners understand him, and employees don't. Different view of the world when you're an owner. For one thing, more responsible.

The Peter Principle applies to employees.

Post-modern Peter Principle:
Corruption rises to the top like curdled cream.

Now, you have the opportunity to do other than the usual. If seizing the opportunity is choiceless then you avert the inner violence of suppression, the balloon rises, the horizon recedes, a truth greater than ego reveals to again manifest at the next opportunity to shed the protection racketeer persona, thus you evolve and are fit to take places again.
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SpheresOfBalance
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by SpheresOfBalance »

Walker wrote:That smell is probably the last bicycle seat.
Got your nose too close again, Son of Survivor.
Yeah, just keep on telling yourself that, soon you'll actually start to believe it.

The tone belies the resume and although still obnoxious, apparent fissures in the armor likely indicate some civilizing associations are in play.
Tired, can you say tired?

Trump was always an owner. That could be why other owners understand him, and employees don't. Different view of the world when you're an owner. For one thing, more responsible.
There are only ever renters, never owners!


The Peter Principle applies to employees.

Post-modern Peter Principle:
Corruption rises to the top like curdled cream.

Now, you have the opportunity to do other than the usual. If seizing the opportunity is choiceless then you avert the inner violence of suppression, the balloon rises, the horizon recedes, a truth greater than ego reveals to again manifest at the next opportunity to shed the protection racketeer persona, thus you evolve and are fit to take places again.
Again, you can only actually know that, which you yourself, exemplify! That's why you know it so well! But watch out, sometimes it's just a cigar! ;-)
Walker
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by Walker »

"Again, you can only actually know that, which you yourself, exemplify!"

That's merely the first layer.
:lol:

Take a nap.

Got the beer.
Got the popcorn.
Superbowl tonight.
Who will win?
Good, or Evil.
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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

Knowing what and who is in my best interest, my self-interest, I voted today.

For Trump.

He's a vulgar pitbull and that's fine by me.
Walker
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Re:

Post by Walker »

henry quirk wrote:Knowing what and who is in my best interest, my self-interest, I voted today.

For Trump.

He's a vulgar pitbull and that's fine by me.
:)

I have a sense that the presidency will make Trump a great man, and that will make him a great president.

What an amazing system of governance.
The people spoke.

The people were heard
by a principle that transcends
the time it manifested
on the physical plane
as the constitution.

The meaning of the election?
It’s a total repudiation of the last 8 years.

First on the agenda will likely be a cleanup of the excessive executive laws that were put in place with a “pen and phone,” for the purpose of subverting the legislative process.

With total control of Congress, Trump will likely work closely with Paul Ryan, who is a numbers wonk, just the type necessary to retool the tax system.

Wouldn’t that be something.

That would be a true legacy. Hear that?

The world can ride the coat-tails of prosperity.

Good luck, USA!

:!:
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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

I'm not all that concerned with a refinemrnt of Trump's character. My interest is in seein' do as he promised.

Make the southern border less porous.

Restore balance to trade so the US doesn't get the short end all the time.

Kill those who'd kill us.

Apply discretion and consistency to the process by which the US accepts refugees.

Rebalance the tax system.

Revisit old agreements and insist all parties abide.

Dump the ACA.

Do those things and he can play grab-ass all he likes.

He has a repub congress, will have a rightish supreme court...get to work, Donald.
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GreatandWiseTrixie
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by GreatandWiseTrixie »

SpheresOfBalance wrote: Tue Oct 25, 2016 9:19 pm
Knowledge is power my dear Trixie! You just don't have enough of it! Though I'm with you, I would vote another party if they had half a chance. Check the polls Trixie, unfortunately they don't stand a chance in hell.
the noble samurai knew they would lose but would rather die fighting than fight for the enemy.
Viveka
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by Viveka »

prof wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2016 9:49 pm What is in your self-interest? Would a world to live in with less poverty and with more ethical people be in your self-interest? Would it reduce the threat to your health and safety? Would it enable you to not merely survive, but even to flourish?

Would you not flourish more if you gained value in your life? If yes, then let’s investigate: what is this thing called “value”? And how do we gain more of it?
If I start describing a rug on the floor, and I go on and on about it, giving it so much attention, you are justified in inferring that I find value in that rug! Each adjective I use to describe it attributes another property to the rug. If I asked you to describe to me your mother or your best-friend, you wouldn’t know where to begin – because, for you, there are so many properties there! It turns out that “value” is a function of properties: the more properties an individual finds in something, the more likely that it has some value for that individual. To get more value, we add properties, we go in the direction of Life. And when we subtract properties we go in the direction of death. No properties, zero value.

Everybody loves a bargain! When we speak of a bargain, we call it “a value.” So why not optimize the amount of value we get in our lives? Why not’ squeeze every drop’ of value possible out of life? How arrange this? What can we do?

One way is – in our personal interactions – to make everyone involved feel like a winner. Let the encounter be one in which you create value, and have it be mutually beneficial: you boost someone up, make someone smile, offer a sincere compliment, show heartfelt appreciation, give the other person recognition, listen intently, show courtesy, offer respect, etc. On a larger scale we take steps to reduce poverty and misery, we help people find meaningful work to do if they are out of work, we volunteer to serve by taking on a responsibility, and we are ready to be accountable that we aimed for excellence in our performance.

In every situation we look to see how we can add value. And that is in our true self-interest. A better world is in our self-interest. Thus the question arises: What actually is your conception of ‘a better world’? And if I, along with others, agree on that ideal you have, what are the steps that help us get there? If we arrive at a consensus on what we all concur is a worthwhile goal, then what steps lead to it, and how do we implement those steps with a minimum expenditure of time, energy and capital? How do we efficiently begin the process? Those are the relevant questions, the ones of top priority. So let’s get busy on it. 8)

One more observation…. Selfishness is not in our self-interest. Neither is impulsiveness rather than long-range consideration. It is in our best interest to think long-term as well as short-term. Being selfish violates ethics. When we have a “me-first” attitude, and we worship money as a god, we are being selfish.

Ethics makes for harmonious interactions, while selfishness causes friction and hard feelings. In my life I must be careful to avoid selfishness! In the popular media self-interest is often confused with selfishness but they are polar opposites.

It is in our self-interest to employ means compatible with out ends-in-view.
If we want love in our life, use loving means. If we want peace, use peaceful means, that is, live peaceably. Harm no one intentionally.. On a personal level, maintain serenity; on a social level “sign non-aggression pacts” so to speak, with everyone. Call no one your “enemy.” Regard every stranger as a friend – until you understand that there are no strangers. Seek to understand the other person. Consider each individual as highly-valuable. That is what it takes to be ethical. Those who believe that "the end justifies the means" and the means they will use are morally-questionable are just deceiving themselves. They will inhabit a world that they cannot fully admire. Their progeny will not be proud of the mess their forebears left them.

The content of this link, entitled SUCCESSFUL LIVING: How to have a quality life (2016), made me think and reflect on ethics and morality, even though I could not find either of these words in the brief paper. Can you? Here is the link:
http://www.myqol.com/wadeharvey/PDFs/Su ... 20life.pdf
After checking it out, let's hear your feedback !

What do you think? Do you have any comments or any questions relevant to this post?
I completely agree with all of this except I don't plan on reading the book.
prof
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by prof »

Viveka

You wrote, in the previous post, "I completely agree with all of this except I don't plan on reading the book."

If you agree with all this, you don't need to read the book. You already have an enlightened wisdom.

More power to you!
Viveka
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by Viveka »

prof wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:16 am Viveka

You wrote, in the previous post, "I completely agree with all of this except I don't plan on reading the book."

If you agree with all this, you don't need to read the book. You already have an enlightened wisdom.

More power to you!
Aw. Thanks. :)

I must ask you a question though: Does desiring good make for a selfish person? Or does desiring good for goodness' sake make an unselfish person? You can't become unselfish by being selfish, right?
Viveka
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by Viveka »

As long as I am a moral person, I know my own self-interest in that it is tied with others self-interest. Interdependence is key to this, as not only my morality depends upon thereof, but everything in the universe is interdependent. Cause and effect are the key to this along with IAO: Isis, Apophis, Osiris: Life, Death, and Rebirth. Thus, Time and Cause and Effect are both key to Interdependence. And this is true of all be-ings and cause and effect, they must live, die, and be reborn in another sense. This is what I derive my morality from and my own self-interest.
prof
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Re: Do you know your own self-interest?

Post by prof »

Viveka wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2017 8:54 pm
prof wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:16 am Viveka
More power to you!
Aw. Thanks. :)

I must ask you a question though: Does desiring good make for a selfish person? Or does desiring good for goodness' sake make an unselfish person? You can't become unselfish by being selfish, right?
Formal Axiology, devised by Robert S. Hartman, directs thinking people to specify: good for what? or good as what? In other words, when you say " desiring good" do you mean 'desiring to be morally good', or are you referring to "a good meal"? What makes a person selfish is explained in some detail in that Kindle book: HOW TO LIVE SUCCESSFULLY: New knowledge in human relations (2017)
https://www.amazon.com/LIVING-SUCCESSFU ... B01NBKS42C
See Ch. 2.

An earlier edition, available to Forum members here free of charge, is to be found at this link:
http://myqol.com/wadeharvey/PDFs/HOW%20 ... SFULLY.pdf - See pp. 6-8 for the reasoning in re 'selfishness.'

Being good for goodness' sake [or, as I would translate it: being morally good by devotion to living in practice the Principles of Ethics] will tend to make a person less selfish than otherwise. {To be 'morally good' is to rate high in an index of Moral Health.}

I agree with you when you say, "You can't become unselfish by being selfish" To even attempt it, would be to violate The Means-End Relationship, which I explain in some depth on pp. 45-47 of the book, HOW TO LIVE SUCCESSFULLY. It is actually a book on Ethics.
Check it out; and let me know which was your favorite chapter?

.
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