(no subject)
I'm formulating a theory. Basically, I do not believe that there is any conceivable human emotion that is so fully inappropriate that it should not exist and furthermore, I think we give negative emotions too little room. Of course there's the argument that by denying something it only grows stronger, but even if I were to get into the logistics of that potentially very flawed argument, negative emotions do have a place. I remain a paladin for rationality if for nothing other than to get as many Christians to hate me as possible (get the historical pun? Get it?), but I maintain, if you feel an emotion it probably has some relevance.
Hence ... I'm totally okay with things like fear, anger, hate, loathing, revulsion, concern, sadness ... as long as they have rational uses and applications. For instance, people often say that the best revenge is to live well. I will say living well has it's benefits, but only if you're very in the face of whomever you want revenge on. And the only way you really "let something go" is by swallowing that pain yourself. Now ... if the slight was imagined or the first offense against you, letting it go is a little easier. But if its a real thing or the billionth time something awful has happened, then get on with the hate. Bad people never learn, but they do occassionally feel small twinges of regret or at the very least embarrassment. That's not going to stop them from doing it to someone else or make them apologize to you and it won't magically change them into a decent person, but it will put them in an uncomfortable and awkward position. If that's all the justice you can get ... go for it. Of course it means you better be damned sure you're right about it or the embarrassment is all on you, but hey, it's better than suicide. And no. I'm not kidding.
Being angry is far better than being depressed and often the anger is justified. Anger is energy and power that can be harnessed, directed and used. Depression is lethargy. It's good as an indicator of when you've screwed up, but that's about it. If you are depressed at the hands of society or what someone did to you then you should be angry: not depressed.
But those veiws I've already related. What I really want to explore is an efficient method of using hate. This one's harder because ... it's hate. It's cloudy and amagolous and often misdirected. When I truly hate someone I want to wipe them out or delineate them as entirely evil. But also remember I'm an ethical nihilist. There is no such thing as good or evil. And even if you're down with morality you probably don't designate anyone as entirely evil. Even the most conventionally evil figures in history you can find something good about. At the very least they were ambitious. I HATE my father and I am entirely justified in doing so. He did try to kill me after all. But for me to entirely mentally eliminate him would make me hateful too. As much as I detest it I am his offspring. But, I can eliminate his psycho-social personhood. His actions and behaviors nullify his claim to humanity and so I don't have to respect or acknowledge him. Furthermore, what little good he did do is credited not to him but to the general humanity. I do not talk to him, I do not acknowledge his existence, he is not a person to me, but I and his scientific accomplishments are free of him because we belong to the greater good. This is easier for more abstract or removed individuals. For instance, take human medical experimentation a la Nazi Germany and Tuskegee. These events were horrible people died truly nasty deaths and the survivors spent the rest of their lives struggling with the experience. Because of the human expense you can take little or no good from it directly. But there were results. Those from the Nazis are very hard to deal with for obvious reasons, but you will note, that after Tuskegee we started having ethics committees, review boards, and institutional oversight when it comes to human subjects. We should condemn those who saw fit to callously and horribly maim and kill, but it's better to punish them by not acknowledging their contribution rather than disregarding the results. So allow the person to pass into anonymity saddled only with their atrocities, but keep what good they did do and accomplishments they did make as the purview of humanity as a whole. It's basically the complete opposite of "don't hate the player hate the game." You should hate the player because they bought into or created an unequal system. Let them fall with it.
Hence ... I'm totally okay with things like fear, anger, hate, loathing, revulsion, concern, sadness ... as long as they have rational uses and applications. For instance, people often say that the best revenge is to live well. I will say living well has it's benefits, but only if you're very in the face of whomever you want revenge on. And the only way you really "let something go" is by swallowing that pain yourself. Now ... if the slight was imagined or the first offense against you, letting it go is a little easier. But if its a real thing or the billionth time something awful has happened, then get on with the hate. Bad people never learn, but they do occassionally feel small twinges of regret or at the very least embarrassment. That's not going to stop them from doing it to someone else or make them apologize to you and it won't magically change them into a decent person, but it will put them in an uncomfortable and awkward position. If that's all the justice you can get ... go for it. Of course it means you better be damned sure you're right about it or the embarrassment is all on you, but hey, it's better than suicide. And no. I'm not kidding.
Being angry is far better than being depressed and often the anger is justified. Anger is energy and power that can be harnessed, directed and used. Depression is lethargy. It's good as an indicator of when you've screwed up, but that's about it. If you are depressed at the hands of society or what someone did to you then you should be angry: not depressed.
But those veiws I've already related. What I really want to explore is an efficient method of using hate. This one's harder because ... it's hate. It's cloudy and amagolous and often misdirected. When I truly hate someone I want to wipe them out or delineate them as entirely evil. But also remember I'm an ethical nihilist. There is no such thing as good or evil. And even if you're down with morality you probably don't designate anyone as entirely evil. Even the most conventionally evil figures in history you can find something good about. At the very least they were ambitious. I HATE my father and I am entirely justified in doing so. He did try to kill me after all. But for me to entirely mentally eliminate him would make me hateful too. As much as I detest it I am his offspring. But, I can eliminate his psycho-social personhood. His actions and behaviors nullify his claim to humanity and so I don't have to respect or acknowledge him. Furthermore, what little good he did do is credited not to him but to the general humanity. I do not talk to him, I do not acknowledge his existence, he is not a person to me, but I and his scientific accomplishments are free of him because we belong to the greater good. This is easier for more abstract or removed individuals. For instance, take human medical experimentation a la Nazi Germany and Tuskegee. These events were horrible people died truly nasty deaths and the survivors spent the rest of their lives struggling with the experience. Because of the human expense you can take little or no good from it directly. But there were results. Those from the Nazis are very hard to deal with for obvious reasons, but you will note, that after Tuskegee we started having ethics committees, review boards, and institutional oversight when it comes to human subjects. We should condemn those who saw fit to callously and horribly maim and kill, but it's better to punish them by not acknowledging their contribution rather than disregarding the results. So allow the person to pass into anonymity saddled only with their atrocities, but keep what good they did do and accomplishments they did make as the purview of humanity as a whole. It's basically the complete opposite of "don't hate the player hate the game." You should hate the player because they bought into or created an unequal system. Let them fall with it.