(no subject)
I just have to say, when Geoff took me to Schuler's and told me to pick one thing for my birthday I did not expect to find an autographed copy of William Gibson's new book. And because no one but me will care about this, I decided to tell you. *in a high pitched excited squeal* EEEEEEEE!
On a completely different note, while I was on the bus yesterday I realized something. I looked around at all the various faces and for one of the few times in my life, I realized they were all people. For some people, that might not be that important. I mean, who isn't a person? For me it's more difficult. I see people as webs of behavior and history that turns them into the being that does X.
I felt a sense of -connection- to them on some level. Which is rather strange, because I don't often have a connection with anyone. Then I came to the thought that everyone here was very lonely. Everyone on the bus. Because we were all disconnected. There was no sense of... community? Association? We were all autonomous beings with little to no connection. I grew sad by this as I thought it over. It led me to yet another conclusion. To understand one's own humanity and how it relates to others, it to care about them. When there is a problem of scarcity or issues of survival we all focus on smaller groups, and we care for those groups. But to identify with humanity is to include them all in -your- group. You want to help them, care for them and protect them.
It was a weird train of thought. But it's stuck with me. As I view each person around me not as a collection of issues and problems and as human beings the same as I; with stories, hopes, joys and problems I feel much more content.
I think it is also one of the base differences between the philosophies of the two major political parties. Republicans see other people's problems and go; So, what does their problems have to do with me? Democrats on the other hand say; I care about the problems of people and feel, as a society that allowing them to go on suffering is wrong.
Eh... I'm done with ruminations. Going off to pursue useless things on the internet.
On a completely different note, while I was on the bus yesterday I realized something. I looked around at all the various faces and for one of the few times in my life, I realized they were all people. For some people, that might not be that important. I mean, who isn't a person? For me it's more difficult. I see people as webs of behavior and history that turns them into the being that does X.
I felt a sense of -connection- to them on some level. Which is rather strange, because I don't often have a connection with anyone. Then I came to the thought that everyone here was very lonely. Everyone on the bus. Because we were all disconnected. There was no sense of... community? Association? We were all autonomous beings with little to no connection. I grew sad by this as I thought it over. It led me to yet another conclusion. To understand one's own humanity and how it relates to others, it to care about them. When there is a problem of scarcity or issues of survival we all focus on smaller groups, and we care for those groups. But to identify with humanity is to include them all in -your- group. You want to help them, care for them and protect them.
It was a weird train of thought. But it's stuck with me. As I view each person around me not as a collection of issues and problems and as human beings the same as I; with stories, hopes, joys and problems I feel much more content.
I think it is also one of the base differences between the philosophies of the two major political parties. Republicans see other people's problems and go; So, what does their problems have to do with me? Democrats on the other hand say; I care about the problems of people and feel, as a society that allowing them to go on suffering is wrong.
Eh... I'm done with ruminations. Going off to pursue useless things on the internet.