A Guide Back From The Depths Of Post-Modern Hell

Although technically all things are relative, we do not live in a "technical" world. The world of human beings is predicated on that which is objective, so if you get the relative thing wrong, you are doomed to an eternity of suffering. Just look at the millions of miserable people who have embraced this destructive meme as prima facie evidence.

Here, an analogy can be drawn between PM and Buddhism, the later having as one of its core beliefs the notion of the relative v. the absolute. Many a Buddhist student spends years in the same type of psychological Hell if s/he cannot realize the distinction between the two states of being.

Whereas the meaning of life might be construed as "finding oneself," this journey is one of only self where the subjective can and must apply [only until the point of transcendence]. Then the objective world becomes one's reality, as it is only the self that gives rise to ego [subjectivity].

A life consumed with the subjective becomes intolerably narcissistic as the individual attempts to make everything conform to his/her feelings, something which changes every moment. Is it any wonder that these poor souls don't know whether they are coming or going?

It is the objective world which gives rise to the human community by offering agreed upon standards. And whereas one may not concur with all of these codes, they do provide a framework where we can communicate and understand...and thrive.

Not only that, there is objective truth. People are drawn to those things who hold universal sway...in the arts, aesthetics, form, and meaning. When people allow the subjective to trump the objective, you end up with things like the Toyota Prius, a car designed to be ugly [so the environmentally hip could virtue signal on several fronts].

Those who decide that they are going to go it alone by sticking to their own reality will find themselves, first isolated, then alone, descending step by step to the land of eternal fire and damnation.

To cut to the chase, nobody cares about your personal reality. People only care about how you can help and what you can contribute...and you can only do this by accepting that Western society has come up with [over the centuries] standards which have given the greatest number of people the best life possible [up to this point]. Your job is to make it even better, and you don't do that by attempting to convince everybody that everything is about you...because nobody [really] cares.

Again, use your skills, talents, and passion to make things better, not to try and convince everybody that living in Hell is better than doing the work necessary to live a truly good life. Aren't you tired of complaining about how you feel?

Stop feeling and start doing. THIS is the way out of the Hell that you and millions like you were taught by the most cowardice among us in schools throughout the West. It's never too late to change course and enjoy your life. It will be the best move you've ever made.

Good luck!

 

Most of us know that car as the Toyota Pious.

 

Who is the intended audience for this pep talk?

 

The title might give you a clue.

 

My experience with Buddhists, as a former practicing one, is that they are less focused on "finding oneself" and more focused on recognizing that the we are all being who suffer in this world and should show compassion to the suffering of others and act accordingly.

 

Western society robbed and raped the lands buddhism came from for centuries, so I imagine many of them say "**** you, western society." Those "greatest number of people the best life possible" were certainly not located where buddhists live, unless they were one of the thugs taking kickbacks from the East India Company and friends in exchange for a sliver of the pie.

I guess I'm not sure what your rant is trying to say. Did a Buddhist piss you off?

 

That's it.

 

"A Guide Back From The Depths Of Post-Modern Hell"? Therefore, it is for those that believe they are living in a postmodern hell, I guess. You must give a unique definition of that "hell" and it is those that see the world subjectively. It, in your view, leads inevitably to narcissism? No, it does not lead to the individual attempt to make everything conform to his/her feelings. It is rationally seeing the world as it is because there is no objective social reality.
We live in a social world of myths. We all agree this piece of paper is worth five dollars, these words mean we are married and you can beat your slave because he is property (oops, no longer true). Humans organize themselves by agreeing on myths like a religion or a form of government we can believe in and if someone no longer believes in it and breaks the rules others who still believe enforce the rules. But these myths are subjective, they are made up, they change over time and circumstance. There is no objective social reality and there is no post-modern hell.

 

Everything social is objective, by definition. Only things that are personal are subjective.

Think about it.

And whereas all things personal are subjective, we do not live exclusively in our personal world. What we confront outside of our personal sphere is created by all people and is therefore objective [to each person], that is, it is the way it is no matter how hurt your feelings may be.

And yes, PM is the short road to hell if you believe that anybody could care less about your personal reality. Your personal reality is for your consumption only. Attempt to foist it upon another and you will find out quickly how much anybody else cares about your "stuff."

 

You obviously didn't understand what I wrote.

 

I liked my Pious, because I got substantially higher gas mileage.

Also, my current Rav4 hybrid is rated as having better acceleration than the standard model - PLUS it gets way better mileage.

People just get caught in their memes and forget reading the numbers.

 

Obviously.

 

My daughter has like her Prious too. I'd consider a hybrid but never an all elrctic

 

Let me help, No social interactions are objective. That is not influenced by feelings, opinions, ideas or ideals.

 

Great!

I don't know what the future will hold, but EV sales are soaring over much of the world - certainly first world areas, China, etc.

Right now, there are a lot of people who certainly do want EVs. And, that's been true even before all the price cuts and economies of scale.

My brother has a friend who has a plug-in hybrid. He says it has been a LONG time since she went to a gas station.

 

My own son owns a plug in RV, a Tesla. I don't care what he. or anyone else, thinks about all electric vehicles, I will never own one. I live where it gets very cold in the winter and I'm not going to charge my car for hours just so I don't have to freeze to death traveling a few miles. Thanks but no thanks.

 

Toyota is releasing a pretty amazing hydrogen vehicle and intends to have 200,000 on the road in the next two years and I think it said a million by 2030.



I find new technology and electric vehicles sexually exciting but not in a sexual way.

I would like to own an electric box truck and convert the back into living quarters so I can travel all over the place on solar power.

Ford has released an ev crate engine based on the mustang ev motor that is only $4000. I would that I had the skill to convert a box truck to use an EV motor. As solar panels become more efficient and high powered this is not so unrealistic.


I bought a brand new Chevy Volt, which is a plug in hybrid, back in 2016. I didn’t buy it to virtue signal. I bought it because I loved the tech, because, I could drive to work for $0.16 a day and because I just love the car. I still really love it to this day. It’s a great little car. I have worked from home since March 2020 though so I don’t drive it as much as I thought I would. My wife drives it a lot though.

 

That's no help.

Anything that is social is determined by the group. The group can be two or two billion people, but whatever the issue is, is determined by a social agreement between members. Being that this is the case, the issue is codified [objectified] and stands outside of any individual's control.

It is only when the individual has complete control over an issue that his/her can apply their subjective-ness and make it their own, e.g., an individual's reaction to a socially constructed issue can be "subjectified" if their personal feelings, etc. come into play.

 

We're nowhere near a time when there are EV models that cover all the uses and environments, that have the range needed in many areas.

Plus, there are far too few charging locations. CA has the most charging stations and has a workable number, but it still needs a lot more.

These factors are getting serious engineering attention, but it's not yet there for everybody's needs.

For those who mostly drive in urban areas, EVs can be a superior choice - costing less for fuel and maintenance. And, that's where air quality is unhealthy due to burning oil products in our city streets and neighborhoods.

 

Nope, rules, parameters, mores, laws, etc. are determined by the society through agreement, negotiation or edict and they are subjective, a matter of opinion. They are subject to change, amended, repealed or ignored. Being “codified” does not magically change them into an objective standard.

 

In my opinion, the world of human beings is predicated on that which fulfills our desires and needs. Look at religions, for instance. Are religions predicated on that which is objective?

Don't know about Buddhism, but maybe I'll be able to understand your point better if you define your terms properly. "Self", for example, has different definitions in psychology and philosophy.

Not sure why you would consider feelings subjective reality. I'd say that the way a person perceives reality - the subjective model of reality - is what makes that person feel in a certain way, but the feelings themselves become objective reality. Just like the subjective model of reality is what makes a person act in a certain way, but the actions themselves are objective reality.

While expecting the world to change in order to accommodate personal feelings is a source of frustration and unhappiness, I wouldn't say that we must dismiss feelings as mere whims. The world did actually change quite a lot during known history, so expecting it to change again is not unrealistic (although expecting it to change overnight is unrealistic).

 

Something being a matter of opinion doesn't necessarily make it subjective. Communism is a matter of opinion, but communist societies are frighteningly real in the objective world.

The rules, mores, laws, and etc. are emergent properties of human societies. Their content might be the result of subjective opinions, but their existence as properties of societies is as objective as it gets. The content might change, however rules, mores, laws, and etc. exist in the objective reality of all human societies.

Think about it. If everything pertaining to a human society is subjective, the concept of natural rights loses all meaning. A terrifying thought.

 

"Natural Rights" is a made up human construct and subjective. Not terrifying.

 

I think there may be some confusion about objective reality vs subjective reality. Objective reality is most often defined by what is not in your mind like a tree or a car and Subjective reality is in your mind, as in, do you like your car, do you follow the rules of the road because you are a good citizen and don’t want to get a ticket.

 

Only individuals can have opinions. Groups have collective agreements between individuals.

You are making the mistake of giving groups attributes only individuals possess.

Anything that comes out of a group is objective. How can it be any other way?