Monday, March 23, 2009

Nurtured Nonsense 3/23/09

Woe to the thinker who is not the gardener but only the soil of the plants that grow in him.

Nietzsche
***************
Good spring day to you.
-------------------------
Check below for the answers to the WINTER QUIZ. You'll find them fascinating.
____________________________________________________________
A former colleague of mine, Gregg, used to refer to some people as vacuum cleaner brains, going around sucking up all the scrappy, dusty thinking that is lying around and not paying any attention to right, wrong or value.

It is indeed a woeful state of affairs for the human race that so many people are willing to take what comes along as truth without really thinking about it. Furthermore, it often happens, too often in fact, that the same people will convince themselves that the garbage that exists in their minds are they're own thoughts and ideas. But worst of all, and a product of that kind of lazy mentality, is the fact that those same people won't do any mental planting of their own. Mental mimicry is the rule.

Along with life we have been given the wonderful gift of human consciousness, the matchless ability to observe, ponder, compare, evaluate, reason and imagine. Why do people refuse to use it? Who turned out the lights?

We are faced daily with so many images, expressions, beliefs and contradictions it is very perplexing for people to sift through everything and find something to believe in, so they would rather have some simplistic doctrine to hold onto like a stick of wood in a flood and not bother their busy little heads about figuring anything our for themselves. Ask the doctor, ask the pastor, ask the mechanic. Or find out what everyone else is thinking. A school of fish is a very interesting thing to see as it swims and turns like one creature. Until it swims into a net. A flock of birds is a fascinating thing also until it flies into an airplane.

One of my favorite wise cracks comes from Isaac Bashevis Singer who, when asked if he believed in free will, said "We have to believe in free will, we have no choice." We have no choice because we have been given the ability and right to it. Furthermore, I think we have the obligation.

A good philosopher doesn't tell me what to think. He tells me what he thinks and then asks me to think for myself, So does a good teacher, a good pastor and a good politician.

You wouldn't want people to move their excess, dirty furniture into your home, so don't let someone plant their ideas in your mental soil. Exercise your natural right to pull up the weeds of nonsense and plant only what you want to see blossom.

Vagabond Journeys
--------------------
Today's assignment:
Watch spring come,
**************************

7 comments:

Big Mark 243 said...

This grabbed me, because you quoted one of my fave's!

Some smart cat said that one of the most difficult things a man can do, is think for himself. When you hear about all the stuff that congress signs without reading, it is like what were they thinking!!

But that is it, they weren't.

Joyce said...

I've always had a mind of my own and some would call me opinionated...and I'm OK with that.
Hugs, Joyce

Beth said...

What great advice. I know I'm guilty of gravitating towards those who share my opinions, but I do try to read plenty of analyses and opinions on various topics.

Hugs, Beth

Ken Riches said...

Why garden if you cannot choose the harvest :o)

Anonymous said...

That was beautiful DB. I wish I had said that. That is what I always preach about free will.

Judith Ellis said...

"A good philosopher doesn't tell me what to think. He tells me what he thinks and then asks me to think for myself, So does a good teacher, a good pastor and a good politician."

I really like this, DB, very much. It reminds us how to both give and receive. Thank you.

Connie said...

I have never-ever let someone tell me what to say-think-or do...one reason I hate commercials--they talk to us like we are bumbling idiots and have to be told this is what we need to do-use or buy to have a good,life,house,relationship etc....LOL