Quad Sum Eris

If money brought real wealth into our lives, would we as people have access to it? If nothing else, currency should be viewed of as a tool, to navigate through our environment. Because there is an association with money and freedom, more aspects of our lives have become associated with a cost of some sort. Most media outlets are showing these fabricated versions of existence, that is not only dangerous, but unrealistic. So how much time will it take before the essential functions in our lives become unaffordable?

There has been a reward and punishment system ingrained in the psyche of society, that makes free will obsolete. It is as if we have become the adolescents trying to defy the rules of our elders. When society romanticizes about the idea of free will, the idea that is being discussed is not being accountable for their actions.  Over time there has been a growing debate about free will and the concept of fate. Often people would like to envision dynamics that allow for the lack of accountability and ownership, in their lives. However, there is also a cause and effect that make it impossible to have no responsibilities for the actions of others. Since there are a cause and effect that takes place for every action or for the actions that are not taken, is there an opportunity for free will?Share

"The idle mind is a dangerous place to be left in"-Anderson. Paak Only when we listen to our thoughts, only then will we understand how powerful we truly are. In the hopes of understanding the world we live in, unintentionally we find ourselves setting obstacles. These hindrances later become the lessons we identify by. Is the discomfort of man the only educational advantage we possess? Some would argue that pain is an incentive, which assures a lesson learned. As the inhibitors and creators of our reality, those that display the most control, show the patience and discipline necessary to learn, as well as progress in the many avenues of life. People become dependent on pain of ignorance; it’s then later disguised as our world, which in turn becomes what we pass on as reality to future generations. If we are the architects, and what we want is a better world, then why advocate for things that don’t better our thought?

Those who seek power are not worthy of that power. -Plato A large part of what people have witnessed recently is the mask of democracy unveiling, for some the very first time. This veil has had the unfortunate pleasure of concealing a very meek, withered, and outdated ideology. An ideology that justified the genocide of entire civilizations while the only recompense offered was the abandonment of identity, and silent death. Only told that blind subservience is and will always be the greatest contribution of its citizens. The biggest gamble that takes place lies between the impairment of government and its citizens. It is this extreme level of negligence that not only allows for the return of historical travesties but, also allows a resurrection faithful to the nature of man to respond accordingly.  

It is hard to persuade others in a way that would promote an intellectual Renaissance when all we see is the wealthy criminals and the sub-par. The desire for intellectual dignity that was able to help define, cultivate, and distinguish ourselves, is now bombarded with the ideology of the bare minimum.     Media outlets have now taken the place of a leader’s role in our society to the point that we no longer have to think for ourselves, for fear of not being a part of the norm. It has become more important for people to fulfill roles instead of searching for a purpose in a world that was created by dreams and ideas. A concept to consider is that a sleeper mindset does not require effort.     In a society that requires compliance, subservience is essential. Why should someone work for something that doesn’t possess a direct impact, when it is easier to follow? In this country, there is a consistency of every leader who has ever fought for a greater good, ideology, or against corruption, finding themselves transitioning into a martyr, usually without prior knowledge.     As a collective, not only have we successfully killed our leaders, we will then wonder why no one is willing to stand up for those greater goods? Why is no one ready to pick up where he or she left off? A bigger question we have to ask ourselves is what are we doing as a whole that is worth saving? What ideas are worth preserving?     Everything in this world comes with a price, but not everything in this world is obtainable through purchase. Coincidentally everything in the world that ensures actual value is not able to be directly deposited in a bank. Health, Morales, and Time are just a few of the things that as the years have moved on; humanity has attempted to establish its net worth, with those attempts has met failure.

The biggest misconception is that as people, we’re not replaceable. However,  we are submerged in a rotation of that very constant.  The changing of the seasons, for example, makes that point very effortlessly; yet we’ve managed to find the very beauty and purpose in it.  Somehow, along with the way, we have forgotten to enable that same ability of in ourselves. We’ve stopped being able to find those things that give us our beauty and our purpose in this life, and instead, put it in the place of others. If something is replaceable, does it still have value? If so how would one go to measure it? If not, then why? How is it that the foundation of our morality can be based on things so fickle, and yet our gratitude for the irrelevant be so high? How is the love of others (which can directly influence your surroundings) be put aside, for the things that frankly don’t matter? The time and energy put into supporting lust, greed, and sin over the love of your family is a plight all too well told. The concept that people play with more in their lives as of recently is more so deception or a state of delusion. We want to have, but don’t want to work, and wonder why it is that we have nothing.

Throughout the history of man, there has always been those with separate views from that of their immediate influences. The differences that we can grasp, in addition to the direct, are the social, individual, and environmental. In any case, these are all things that over time we will hold value to; whether it’s the result of conditioned responses, trials, tribulations, or the over exposure to the elements we are in. Our thoughts possess the ability to tear us down and build us up together as people, and it is within the common interest of these ideas that we not only hold dearly, but will ultimately direct the course of all goals between individuals, organizations, and societies. In light of the opportunity to share and express these various views, thoughts, and ideas, there are more times than most a virtues standpoint. This perspective more times than none will be the result of an internal desire to either benefit an individual or a large group of people, with whom shares a similarly common interest or goal. When we as a group are forced with the dilemma that our morals both internal and social base goes against the series of implicit freedoms that hurt those around us, and start to benefit the select few, the monster in which we’ve grown becomes that corruption. Corruptions characteristics take on that of a parasite. Usually, there is only one person that benefits. The grand despair of having to endure the second and third order effects of corruption has implications that lead to depression, among other psychological measures. Understanding what it is that we’re combating is equally as important as the fight itself; but what steps do we take? To what action do we take to ensure success? And at what point do we as people limit us before we’ve fostered the same monster we set out to destroy?

History has been and will always be written by its victors.The concept of a victory or a defeat plays more into a conditioned minded set one places upon them self, rather than ones end state as long as we're on this earth, we'll forever be put in the ever permanent role of the student. As turbulent as that role may be, to some it remains one of the most consistent and rewarding parts of our lives. It's important never to forget that the real aim of our lives lays not in its victories nor its defeats, but in the perfection of the character of its participants. Eventually, our participation of our crafts become the very image of who we are, so before asking yourself how to become better in your passions, remember to start looking inward on how to become a better person.

I was recently involved in a conversation with a person I hold in a profound and significant regards in my life. At one point she asked me, "How do I end up like you?...peaceful and Zen".  My immediate thought was if you only knew me in my early twenties. However, my response was, "It's a lifetime process.  Forme, I had to change my priorities, my standards, and my values had to be reestablished for myself.  My view on life had to be fixed to where I had goals and passion."  A pause had taken place after several minutes, and the follow-up question was, "We're you ever angry and jaded?"  After a few moments, my response was as followed "Yuuup! Because I'm human.  Those things will always come in your life.  It just understands the overall influence we have over OUR environment.  An excellent question I asked myselfwas, do you love yourself?  Like actually love yourself?  Are you done settling for fleeting things in your life? How much absolute value do you place on yourself not money value, but actual value?  Because we all have these wants, needs, and real love for ourselves and one another. The trick is you have to work for it, you have to sit down and evaluate the principles in which one guides themselves by, and stack then next to your plans. For example: are you a hard worker?  If not do you want to be?  Are my dreams aligned with my purpose?  How do I get them aligned?  Am I accepting of others input?  Do I have a wealth of resources to make me successful?  What did success mean to me?  And most importantly do I love myself enough to work up the courage to follow my dreams?  I essentially had to ask myself the same questions and give myself honest feedback.  I didn't like the answers, so I made a change because at the end of the day I need to love me and realize that I have to search for an absolute value and purpose.  Having given that insight to someone gave me an ambiance like a reflection upon what it was like to conquer one of the biggest hurdles in a person's life, discovering ones own self worth.   At what point do we ask ourselves, is the life I'm in worth living for?