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Evolution
here doesn't specifically mean Darwin's version - it's the whole
"ever rolling stream" of time and the unstoppable march of
change in the physical world (and universe)
and the world of human thought and discourse as well. Bullshit in this
area can arise from being stuck with concern for things as they are,
with little thought on "where do we go from here". It can come from too
much concern with the short term, but also too much wishful thinking for
the longer term. The question of how a change can be managed, and over
what timescale, is often left unaddressed. Bullshit can also come from
over-emphasis on a single factor that contributes to a change, as if it
were the "sole cause". |
| We didn't choose to be thrown into this world and our only certainty
is our eventual death. We are wherever we stand now, and the only way we
can make a difference is in the future. |
| The circumstances that are outside our control are always changing;
what worked for us and others in the past may not work in the future. |
| The blame game is a waste of effort. But we find it hard to admit our
own failures, so we look for excuses and scapegoats. We also have to
recognize our natural emotions of regret, disappointment and loss - but
still face tomorrow. |
| Myths of life beyond death and re-incarnation may provide some
consolation, but they don't offer an argument against doing the best you
can in this life. |
| One myth I would personally like to kill off is that of 'cause and effect'.
Hardly anything other than a human-designed machine is so simple that
there aren't many contributing factors and side effects. All we can
observe without fully understanding the mechanism of a process is
correlation. |
| We cannot hope to reliably plan for the future without considering
risk and probability. We may need a Plan B for when things don't seem to
be working out. Most of us are not very good at this. |
| We should all be aware that change needs to be managed well. For
example, however urgent we all see the need for action on climate change, saying things like "Just stop oil" without considering
how the change can be managed without serious disruption and hardship for
many people seems like emotion cancelling good sense. Major transitions take time and effort, and humans and
their societies are unlikely to cope with too hurried a pace. |
| For a fuller, wide screen discussion, here's a link. |
