05/03/2024
It started as an answer to a comment, but like a weed it just kept growing. I had to plant it somewhere before it took over the wilderness I call my mind. Consider this when and if reading, it's a bit like one of those concrete levelling things which goes out of control and spins, endangering anything that tries to control it.
Moving on from the immediate i remembered a picture of a freeway in the US with something like 18 lanes each way. I couldn't find it again so here's a slightly less dramatic one where the individual cars are visible.
Anyway, I started thinking and of course it drifted into philosophy.
It seems that nothing will stop the ever increasing size of vehicles. It’s not helped by the EV battery, but that’s because the technology is still developing. Smaller cars are emerging, hopefully before we run out of parking spaces.
I’m not innocent of participation, but I am trying to cut back.
There are some factors that are difficult to compensate for. Having a dozen children, living in the countryside, needing wheelchairs or only shopping once a month will require more vehicular volume than a town dwelling singleton, especially if she’s working from home with a grocery store on the same street, but we seem to be blindly following the ‘bigger is better’ American trail, and, recognising I am quite ordinary really, I’m not really going to benefit from looking bigger and more dangerous when I go to the supermarket.
No I haven't got a dozen children, that's an example.
So if we are following the ‘American’ lead, why?
I'm not American. More to the point I don't come from the USA and can risk offending a few. Bear with me, that isn't my intent, but I'll have to be blunt to get my point across. One of those peculiar distortions is I think that those that call themselves American often forget that America is a lot bigger than the US of A. I can imagine the reaction if somebody born, raised and living in Peru stood up on US television and stated that he was a 'true American citizen.' However I think it might be that self centred viewpoint that gives them, and by imitation, us so many problems. It looks as though by declaring their home to be ‘America’ rather than The United States of North America or some such they give the impression of being a bigger country than they are. In reality none of us is the centre of the universe. No, really, not even you and though it pains me to say it, not even me.The main reason for the gigantic cars is that the drivers are selfish, and possibly a bit scared by the wide open plains etc. So they want to look bigger and think first of their own safety, not necessarily that of the pedestrian or the cyclist. Combine that with the romantic ideal of getting out into the wild and battling the environment, animals, predators and bandits and you can see something just short of a high-speed tank becomes attractive. How we copied that from the US without our government pointing out the inadvisability is beyond me, but nevertheless our roads are choked with behemoths. Like you, I'm not stuck in traffic, I am the traffic.. Often driven for or by ‘important people’ like politicians
Like everybody else of course I have particular and exceptional reasons for owning a very large car rather than a small one with an optional trailer or roof rack, so I’m afraid my reasonable excuse or excusable reason is cancelled out by everybody else’s. There’s no escape in this, we need smaller cars. Bigger roads will not help.So, ignoring the irrational desire to show off to people we don’t care about, buying stuff we don’t need and can’t afford, why are we are working rather than being at home for long hours at jobs we don’t like? It isn’t as if our boss is going to be impressed by our car. Being the biggest and most successful doesn’t make for more friends and just like the end of the British Empire (and various others) we found that having once been the strongest kid on the block our over-confidence and a lack of real friends makes for vulnerability when real problems emerge.
So getting to the root of it, how did we get here and what do we do about it? Our basic programming comes from thousands, maybe millions of years of culture and the first five years of childhood. Maybe eleven.So we’ve been listening to a bunch of dead people and some kids none of whom have had our education or walked in our shoes. That doesn’t make them wrong but is their advice enough? You can’t change much of what you learned very quickly, but it might be worth re-evaluating. Comparison of you then and now and what you would do with hindsight should and must always make you feel inadequate, unless you haven’t developed since then. Don’t you think you should have better judgement than a child? Most of us, given the chance to re-write the past would make some adjustments, but that’s hindsight, you cannot have the innocence of youth and the wisdom of experience. So leave the past, live now. The child is gone, the ancestors dead. The alternative is comparison, complaint or criticism, none of which will get you any brownie points and still won’t change anything. Also you are unlikely to be accurate in what you think you remember, the data maybe there, but the mind filters the memories every time you re-run them. I hardly ever remember what I actually did when I got it right, because that bit is now part of me, but while you will probably remember the pleasure of achievement, I mostly remember what went wrong. Getting something right first time is probably the worst way of learning. You won't know what the lesson was.
Left or right on the cliff edge is important. Left or right in a meadow is not.
The attics of the mind where memories are kept are important as well. It’s a Zen thing. If it is too cluttered it'll be blocking the flow of unconscious thought, so your vital subroutines will not work well and not find the needed memories. I'm probably the worst example I can think of. (Clutter of your living rooms will block conscious thought, but it’s a valid metaphor, empty rooms are easier to navigate but no good for storage) Ever wondered why the mystics keep banging on about simplicity? It’s not just because they don’t own anything and they tend to remember stuff.
I looked for a picture of a minimalist room, here's one. While looking I noticed a web page telling me how to design a minimalist room but decided it should be simple enough (ho ho). Just remove everything not used every day.
However, getting back to the philosophy...
Not much notice is taken of the unconscious, it isn’t thought (by the conscious) to be very important. Bit of a cheek when it cannot even walk consciously.
Moderation is the surest route though, a series of steps, even in a straight line, is more balanced than a giant leap as well as quieter, safer and it worries the cat less.
So that’s the maths, here’s the summary.
The past is a useful guide of how not to do it, and, apart from some pretty pictures, that’s about it, so don’t worry at it.
Keep your head tidy.
Ok you can go on to chapter 2 when you have answered this question to your own satisfaction. What do you want?
You are allowed only and exactly 20 words. Write them down every month and watch the answers change. These were mine a few years ago.
Challenges, companionship, conversation, health, security, and freedom from the control of others. Enough surplus to be generous, and a LandRover.
I have yet to remove the Land Rover as I can't find the keys.
Thought for the day about the thought for a day.
It took me, with some help, nearly half a century to work out that we can control our own thinking. I suspected it, but it isn’t until you set it out clearly and better still, write it down, that you really get a grip of it and the benefits kick in. I guess that most people know it, they just don’t believe it. If there is anybody out there who doesn’t believe me, just try this for me.
Change your mind about something, it can be anything, but I suggest you decide to like something unimportant that you previously did not but try to keep it positive. That way you can’t lose. Don’t listen to the chattering monkey we all have in our heads, better still, edit it. Change the actual words in your head. If you think “bigoted idiot” change it to “what’s frightened him?” Bloody noisy threatening kids become emerging young adults who haven’t even seen me through the haze of hormones and excitement. Make changes quickly and tell others. Immediate embarrassment is preferable to long term regret.
My apologies for rabbiting on to those who already know this, but bear in mind I’ve re-written this several times over several years and it isn’t at all like the first iteration. 5/3/2024 JH
