I’m
confused as to why people don’t opt to be logical. Let’s quickly
do away with the clichés and non-starters:
“People
aren’t logical, that’s just how it is. Thinking is hard and
people are afraid. You don’t understand everything, so you can’t
possibly make sense. Just because you think you’re so smart or
logical doesn’t mean that’s actually the case. Who says in their
own little way, they don’t make sense?”
I’m
not talking about any other context than reality, as far as it can be
discerned. I’m not culturally relative or sympathetic to feelings.
I’ve been known to say that logic is “cold” in this way. What
seems to be missed is that the more informed you are, the more
explicit in the hows and whys of your actions, the more you
legitimize your sympathies.
I
hope people will call me out when I don’t make sense. Drugs;
legalize all of them. Nothing about the legality will determine
whether or not I will choose to do them. If alcohol can kill you and
others you’re not smarter or morally righteous by opposing “harder”
things. Abortion; not remotely wrong if you’re not shooting for
late term. You “kill” more cells scratching your nose than you do
if you abort properly. Less we forget how often a woman’s body
naturally aborts. How about the death penalty? No one wants to see
more people dead than me, but how we run it and what it’s supposed
to do simply doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t deter crime and
doesn’t send the message that “killing is wrong.” Then there’s
sex. If it isn’t hurting anyone and you’re comfortable, keep on
fucking whenever you please. Religious and spiritual issues is as
simple as, if you become an incomprehensible or raving lunatic, I
have a problem with you. When you unjustly condemn people or pollute
knowledge, I have a problem with you. When you make shit up, I’m
less than a fan.
It’s
hard for me to call positions I hold as unreasonable. If you look at
the consequences of my views, they tend to lead to less stress, more
knowledge, acceptance, and freedom. They allow people to be honest
instead of make excuses. What about that sounds bad? Surely I have
been wrong on a multitude of issues over the years, but anyone who’s
even remotely followed my blogs, or if you pop over to tumblr right
now, you can see how once I learned more I changed and improved my
view. At present, it’s hard to imagine some “aha!” moment where
I need to revamp everything I think. It’d be great if it happened
in light of new evidence, but most of the way I conduct myself and my
thoughts on the world I would categorize as “oughts” of behavior
for most people of similar circumstances.
It
seems like most people’s biggest problem is lack of imagination.
The world as it stands had to come from the intention of people
before you. The changes I see happening, the role I want to establish
for myself, and the various veins in which I’ll feel accomplished
all stem from imagining the consequences of being rational. They come
from playing to cause and effect instead of how you or I may feel. It
bugs the living shit out of me when people pretend like there aren’t
consequences. As if absolutely nothing can be foreseen.
I
guess I just wanted to raise a flag for thinking. I’ve been
slinking back into reading things related to religion and arguing
again and it’s just sending my brain for a loop. There’s so much
“folk knowledge” or many “common sensibilities” that I just
wish people would check. Everyone’s dumb.
