Musings

Musings

DirtySciFiBuddha43 Comments

It seems that many people love learning about everything but their own faults and where they stem from.  This makes sense to me, because I believe that if you learn deeply enough about yourself, you may be forced to acknowledge that the romantic labels you’ve affixed to yourself are falsities, and no one likes to change or do away with those labels, as they are the very stuff which identity springs from.  But really, are there “true” labels that reside at the core of our beings?  

Maybe there’s nothing there at all, or whatever is there defies the very concept of labels.  Maybe it’s a concept that’s simultaneously thrilling and terrifying.  😉

43 thoughts on “Musings”

  3. Like an onion, you can peel away the layers. And then there is nothing left.

    Did you know that during gestation the human body goes thru the entire history of evolution? There’s even a stage where it has gills, like a fish. And a tail like a lizard. Nothing is ever lost, things are just laid on top. If you keep peeling those layers back far enough, you discover the origin of life.

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  4. I think the “romantic” labels may be a defense mechanism against facing the reality of our own situations, because let’s face it: “homemaker/blogger” sounds better than “chronically unemployed woman who is a terrible housekeeper and doesn’t know what else to do”. 😉

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    • I definitely agree with that sentiment. I’d like to think that we have some free will, but it’s obvious that we don’t have COMPLETE free will, as we’re heavily influenced by our childhood and environment, and those are beyond our control.

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  7. Thanks for the article! For me, the only ‘true’ label would need to originate from a source (God) who transcends this material universe; i.e. he marks you as his child or he doesn’t. “Child of God” is the only label that truly means anything to me.

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  10. I liked this idea of yours. The human mind likes order (romantic labels) especially thise easily adaptable to society. The thought of disorder by finding out that we’re not easily what we thought destroys us. And nobody wants that difficulty.

    As for what’s at the “core” Descartes, a famous philosopher, thinks we’re “thinking things” (Meditations on First Philosophy).

    I think we’re naked souls at our core. Defenseless and transparent. Easily read.

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    • Thanks! Yes, I agree—the human mind likes order (the domain in which a deliberate action produces an expected result) but we learn from chaos (the domain in which a deliberate action produces an unexpected result), though the downside is that too much chaos is overwhelming. I believe it’s a balancing act.

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  11. I think maybe we should keep these “romantic labels” as they help us to maintain a certain level of self-esteem. Also by labelling yourself something maybe you will work hard to truly embody the person that you believe you are – letting us live up to the ideal versions of ourselves. I say that I am confident and then I feel more confident. However, I suppose there is a difference between confidence and arrogance and that maybe when one needs a reality check.

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    • I am all about self-esteem…through functionality. I would much rather have self-respect (trust myself to handle adversity and accomplish tasks) than self-esteem. But if the way you propose leverages self-esteem into tangible results, then I support it. I have seen better results with myself by being as objective as I can with the evidence I’m presented with. This leads to better performance, more consensus and more effective group dynamics (as tangible results are the best arguments), and in the end…better self-esteem. If someone asks me to do something, I trust myself to be assiduous, pay attention to detail, and timely. So if I fail, I can present a solid case that I was overtaken by events. It may be a harsh way to live, or it may be unpleasant in the short-term…but I think that this is the best way to maintain self-respect, and a byproduct of that is self-esteem. However, this is just what works for me. 🙂

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  13. beautiful find. as I relate heavily with the belief that man invented disabilities to somehow thumb down the modern philosophers……criminal, udge…..same flows within each but what one did to get to the courtroom makes the difference……synchronicities and such, beautiful world though it is easier to look at a problem and not the solution…..labelsstunt potential to grow from all you know…..as parents only spend less than 18 years preparing their offspring for life but somehow guilts their seeds to think they owe them a ton more……thank you for manifesting a deep piece.

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  16. There are certainly some traits, or as you call them “labels”, that are inherited and are part of out genetics. It is though very hard to differentiate between inherited and adapted traits, since you can’t remember yourself from the time before you have received them.
    What I’ve found helpful, was to look at your own ancestors. The way they look in different situations, the way they approach certain problems, what drives them in their life.
    You will find very much in common. Many of these are most probably inherited (I am just talking from my own experience and I don’t like saying unfounded statements).

    Someone in my family tells the blunt truth and bad jokes? BAM! inherited.
    The other one is psychiatrist and philosopher, BAM! inherited.
    These are the “labels” I have already found. There might be many more, but these are the most prevalent.

    The adapted traits are very well disguised, but I think all of them solves a certain issue.
    I would call the issue “Discomfort”, but it might be different for others.

    For example, I have learned to be more polite, because all of the others were often offended.
    Offending others put me in uncomfortable situations, therefore I have learned to avoid it.
    Through-out the years, this process became part of me, that I don’t even think about being impolite.

    This is my formula: Problem -> Discomfort -> Solution

    I might got a bit off the track, but hopefully it will help someone take a better look at their “labels”.

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    • I think it all boils down to being strategic. Sure it may feel comfortable to have established labels and methodologies, and they’re a valuable starting point, but in any given context, I like to be very honest about assessing whether labels are useful or not. Sometimes tradition works and saves time…other times, not really.

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  19. Labels are comforting because they are easy. Ultimately, as you say, there very well may be nothing there. Sort of like road signs, they lead you and those around you towards or against you. But like anyone who’s gone on a roadtrip knows, there are often unforeseen sights and experiences that make the journey all the more enjoyable. So I guess what I am saying is that as comforting and convenient as they may be, they should not distract from making the best of it, and perhaps make a few unscheduled stops… The end isn’t always the destination!

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  20. I have never liked labels. People have preconceived notions of what that label should be, and if you dont fit that notion you suddenly become an outcast. With no intentions to offend, I will use the current hipster trend as an example. It seems to be a hipster you need the right hat, definitely a beard, the perfect cardigan and skinny jeans with leather shoes. If one of these items is missing, then you have failed at fulfilling the labels requirement. Not a perfect example, but I Hope you get the idea.

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  21. Labels are just short hand. If we spent our lives thinking of everything and everyone in totality we’d have to be Ents to live long enough for it to work. Labels are easily manipulated for rhetorical purposes and that is where the evil comes in.

    Is a dandelion a flower or a weed? By any other name it would look the same but the label describes your feelings about it. The label (as opposed to the name) may sum up your feelings about it and it may also sum up how you are trying to make others feel about it.

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  22. Of course there’s a self. We can touch it, see it, hear it. It’s just that in all realms it’s always changing so there’s nothing to grab hold of. Makes for an ever- evolving identity. Slippery to say the least.

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    • So in any given moment, yes there’s a self. But as linear time is a construct of the Big Expansion’s instantiation of gravity and space (don’t think they’ve proven the Big Bang yet), the occurrence of individual moments may not be a definitive truth and in fact an illusion. And in the paradigm of linear time, the self is, as you say, an ever-evolving identity. So from a non individual human point of view, which may be the definitive one, the self may be nonexistent. 😉

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