Friday, November 22, 2013

Ignorance is Bliss

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                               


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                         


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          


                                                                                                               


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                       

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

"Everything Will Work Out How it Should"

Why does anyone say this phrase? What does it really mean?

Assigning order to future events gives us comfort, even if these future events are inherently unknown.

Order and predictability allow us to build and test models in the real/current world. The known eases people.

Fear is rooted in the unknown. But if we convince ourselves that the future is taken care of, it turns the ephemeral to the quantified.

This phrase doesn't even guarantee overall positive outcomes is the interesting part - but we can still draw comfort from it. Even if the future is meant to be dark, the idea of it being understood is just as important.

Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, a gang-banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan". - Batman's Joker

Does being told that "everything will work out how it should" change anything? Does it allow us to release our anxieties and go with the flow? Does it make us passive and accept the fate lined up for us? Maybe its a bad thing to tell ourselves these things in some situations. You have to take care when telling someone this - because inherently you are telling them to just let things happen. If you would rather advise or experience change, do not tell yourself or others this.


This phrase also plays into the idea of the Metanarrative: a narrative about narratives of historical meaning, experience or knowledge, which offers a society legitimation through the anticipated completion of a (as yet unrealised) master idea.

People prefer to be a character in a story, no matter that character's circumstances, rather than to be an unknown with an unwritten (though potentially brighter) future.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Finding Yourself in an Archetype

Take a step back and think about what your life looks like. Think about all the people in a similar circumstance. Think about your social circle, your family life, your work, your play, all the things that make you, you.

Do you fit into an archetype?

Common archetypes in high school are jock, nerd, etc. but considering adult positions there are many as well. I won't name them as I don't know them, but that's not what this is about.

This is about the discovery.

When and if you ever found that you fit into an archetype, what would your reaction be? What path should you take from there?

Initial Reaction
Initial reactions are jarring. People just living their lives without introspection might suddenly realize they act/feel/want the same way as many others and those they consort with. Realizing you've fallen into this pathway where so many others have already been can be confusing.

What do you do with this new-found information and introspection? Choices boil down to two general pathways: acceptance or rejection.

Acceptance
Do you see what others do?
Accepting your archetype maybe other people who you recognize to be in a similar archetype are involved with some things that you aren't. Maybe those things would make you feel more fulfilled or have some other benefit associated with the archetype. Diving in and getting involved with others in a similar archetype may be the next logical step in your life.

Try and predict your future?
Accepting your archetype may actually afford you a unique opportunity to not only get involved with what people in a similar situation are doing, but also allow you to predict your own future. Speaking with your elders you can most likely put together a likely path you will fall into.

Rejection
Try and diverge?
Maybe it upsets you that you've been pigeon-holed into this likely pathway. In this case you can try and diverge to become something else. This is debatable as your archetype may be successful in its whole and threatening that may threaten your livelihood as it stands. Hybrid archetypes may be possible but this would require individual research and decision making. Broadening your horizons is always good, however you may find your comfortable present-day lifestyle threatened.

Try and forget it?
Maybe this new-found knowledge is threatening in itself. Trying to forget that you are on a one-way train-like ride may be needed. This may be advisable for people wanting to but unable to escape their archetype. Actively trying to forget an item, though often impossible, may be the most desirable outcome in some circumstances like these. Suppression might be a better word for it, but the end-goal is the same.

Escape?
Some should run. Those who've identified their archetype and found that their future is undesirable should escape and start over. Those with power and without responsibility should recreate themselves in the best light they can. Though this is unlikely because power and lack of responsibility would be a difficult description to have if you disliked your archetype as with these things you've probably already changed your situation.