I got into a discussion with a co-worker. He claimed that people like the Virginia Tech student who went on a rampage just need God in their life, and things like that wouldn’t happen.
Now, sure - I could go into reasons on why I disagree with the idea. Eh. Who cares why I disagree anyways?
I had a realization at the moment I started to disagree with my co-worker. I saw how my mind had reacted. If you see your own thoughts, who are you? Are you your thoughts? Or are you the one whose seeing the thoughts?
The realization I had was a pretty simple one, I suppose. But the realization was this: no one knows what another person needs. I don’t know what you need. I could make some guesses… but I don’t know. Likewise, you don’t know what I truly need. Nor do any of us truly know what Seung-Hui Cho needed.
I think we might fall into a little trap… we think to ourselves, “Boy, the fact that I do <something> has really helped me in my life. If everyone did it, then they would all benefit the same way I have.” This line of reasoning is false. Perhaps the very thing that has helped you greatly could harm someone else. Every person and situation is unique, and no one can truly know what someone else needs. We can make guesses - even very informed intelligent guesses - but they are still just guesses.
Perhaps I’m too philosophical for my own good :-P.
May 10th, 2007 at 1:03 am
Nay, your plenty philosophical for your own good, and you enough left over to be just philosophical enough for all of us too!
May 10th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
actually i heard that 2 people died before the rampage started, a man and a woman, isn’t it possible that the woman was his girlfriend? and possibly with another man? he would kill them, and then figure.. well.. im already going to hell, might as well kill everyone else who gave me dirty looks since i got here.
heh… might as well guess while i still can…
i apologize for this comment in advance
May 10th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Just a few days ago, my subconscious said, “You can only understand what you are.” It seemed random at the time, but it makes sense.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
“Just a few days ago, my subconscious said, “You can only understand what you are.” It seemed random at the time, but it makes sense.”
Just a few days ago, I said to my subconscious, “We need more money.” And he said “Amen to that.”
May 10th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
“If you see your own thoughts, who are you? Are you your thoughts? Or are you the one whose seeing the thoughts?”
Wouldn’t your thoughts be the production of your mind, which is “you?” To me this is almost like asking: “If I draw a picture and then look at it, am I the picture? or am I the one whose seeing the picture?”
Philosophically, you could say at some level the picture is a part of you, or at the least a representation of you. But really, I’m pretty sure your the one looking at the picture. Same with your thoughts.
May 30th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
well, reading this I asked myself…. what makes me know what I need… I got a goofy answer but it was something to the effect of.
“you never know, life is always changing, but our ingrained thoughts are like peanuts… You love them, but that guy up there could die just eating one. You cannot always say what you need, or what he needs”
Kinda fuzzy but it truly makes me think “wow… I love peanuts, but they’d kill him” so who knows what we all need
June 11th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
It’s interesting how you put it. I know your co-worker must have been well intended but once we find somethin that works, our mind sticks to it. It’s hard to break away from the ‘mental sets’ we’ve created through our experiences in life and it’s a double whammy when you don’t even notice the system in which you think about things and come to conclusions.
We’re the ones who see the thoughts though. *thumbs up*