Philosophy is the study of associations. The only way the physical world around can be understood and communicated is through comparisons. If someone speaks about a tree or the color green, an image comes to our mind. It works the same way for behavior and self-image. No one wants to repeat bad experiences and we all want to repeat all of the good experiences we can. A mind when it thinks is pulling up images for us according to fears, fantasies, creativity and problem solving. At night our minds can bring images in the form of involuntary dreams that are sometimes pleasant and at other times unpleasant. In order to live a good life it is important we make correct associations and consider the right things good and bad, do-able and impossible, and of course timing issues. Philosophy can be used to address numerous areas of associations applicable to science and behavior.

Religions, politics, friendship and all other associations we participate in will form their own common images that appear to be ideal. The trouble with third party images is that there is always the potential for the image to be shifted by the third party to take advantage of us. A person can lose their own self in these associations. A person who claims to be in a search to find themselves is really looking for a new unique image to acquire; some kind of character they want to be. To start over means closing out the the standards of the past to form a new image for the future. The image of this new ideal person will have to stay in the forefront the mind. Letting go of the old person isn’t always easy.

This ideal person can change depending on the period of life a person is in. A young person isn’t interested in becoming a grandparent but a parent. Through time, goals become completed and ideals are adjusted to meet the realities. A crisis occurs when there isn’t a new image to meet the new realities and new goals need to be made. It can get frustrating when the changes we want aren’t materializing and dramatic changes don’t solve the problems.

The best approach is to have a personal image that is based in good character rather than basing it on pursuits. Change is natural to life, but if someone asks what it takes to be a good wife, husband, friend or Christian, the answer should always be the same; having good character. For instance, telling the truth is always a good habit that everyone considers desirable. Being kind and courteous should apply to the image of a person you want to be. The new image should be associated with good behavior such as encouraging others more or being a better listener. The past cannot be remade but the future can. Now is always the right time to start over and shake off the past. Ask yourself each morning what your image is of an ideal life and then go after it. The steps may start out small but we all have an exciting future out there waiting for us.

It is hard to find leaders that live up to everyone’s expectations. In the business world, leaders are held to contracts that both the customer and the contractor have agreed upon. This keeps everyone honest. In the United States, rather than being run by fleeting personalities, we have ordained and established a constitution that limits the scope of each leader. The first obligation of an executive leader isn’t to the current whims of public opinion, but to the contract that the people have agreed upon. The presidency exists as the executive branch (execute = put into effect) to enforce the laws that were made according to the constitution. A person who is good at enforcement is a good president for the people. It is important to keep the areas of enforcement, law making and courts separate since combining any of the three will cause abuses to happen. Picture a world where a traffic officer can make up his own traffic laws as he goes and set penalties according to his own whims. Fortunately we have people who perform studies to determine local speed limits and courts where the particulars of each stop can be considered objectively.

Willing lawbreakers always say the same things. They are experts at reversing roles by presenting themselves as victims and those who have been violated and want their laws upheld as bullies. To them, the enforcement branch is overbearing and violating their rights unless it concerns confiscating goods from earners for distribution to themselves. They break our laws and then hide behind the skirts of a maternal society. Those in law enforcement that lack the will to do their jobs have a narrative too. To excuse their incompetence they say that our laws are wrong and need to be reformed. Our chief law enforcement officer is obligated to enforce the laws our congress passes. It appears to me that the current political climate is based in this struggle. People want what their representatives have passed into law enforced. They don’t care as much about the political leanings of the enforcer as long as they can be confident he will his job without wavering.

It is important to remember there are other leaders who are up for election in the U.S. who’s express purpose is to make law. They are the ones who represent the desires of the people. Those who are good at crafting reasonable laws and working with others to get the bills the people want passed are the ones we should vote for. Here is a site for what is happening in that area throughout the U.S. https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Congress_elections,_2016. State legislatures are also up for election. The decisions made by them are closer to home. In Michigan we only vote for representatives during presidential elections. https://ballotpedia.org/Michigan_House_of_Representatives. It is good to be informed and also to rise above the hype. Strongly opinionated people come out of the woodwork and can be annoying at times. Conflict is always a test for everyone’s consideration and patience but exercising these areas will sharpen us up. Considering what other people think can help us clarify our own positions on things and broaden our perspectives.

The first biography I read as a kid was on Albert Einstein. The way he rose above current knowledge and used thought experiments made an impression on me. It gave me an appreciation for the gift we all have of a rational mind. I read about Thomas Edison, his work ethic and determination to try new things. It stays with me today. The ordered thought process of Aristotle appeals to me also and I enjoy the perspective of the Greeks along with their passion to form civilized societies. Then there’s Thomas Jefferson and the other founders of the United States too. Here are a few short thought exercises that can be the start of long discussions. I might just add a few down the road.

I spend a lot of time on this blog concerning philosophy since it is the means we use to determine how to apply ideas. It is good to have dreams and to have passions, but when people come together they don’t always agree. Philosophy helps us reason things out and come to agreements on how to apply these things and whether ideas have merit. It is like shelling sunflower seeds. Personal opinions and passions can be like hard shells that are tough to crack but good things can be found when you get to the heart. We throw unfounded things away and keep the good stuff.

There is a struggle between the Ideal and the actual in politics. Politicians are standing in line to prove their theories, convinced they know the best way to manage their fellow human beings. But people do their best work when they are free. It is like a young bird in a nest. The leap out into the world is scary and dangerous but it is unreasonable to expect the parents to keep bringing worms. Although it might seem ideal in some ways for the young bird to stay safe in the nest, his life’s purpose would be fulfilled far better by showing a little independence, taking the risk on his own and jumping. It is the only way for birds or people to soar.

Concerning religion, the nuns at St Cecilia in Clare along with the aunts I had who were also nuns had a tenderness and love about them that made me think that God must be that way too. Reading the Bible all the way through seemed a worthy goal and so I did it the first time when I was eleven years old. I worked my way through numerous doctrines in other churches later in life, saw people who were spiritualists and those who feigned authority over people’s lives. Some were good at disguising worldly ambitions as callings. I saw fear mongers who made a living selling peace of mind to the very people they had just instilled with fear. It came down to two conclusions for me: either God created love or he is love. I believe the latter. He wouldn’t be a broker who is trying to help us beat the odds of something bad happening if we pay up. He would be present in every act of love that we do. To know his love’s depth is the only thing worth pursuing beyond the physical realm. It has to be heaven’s only currency. What every person needs is something stable to fall back on when all else fails so they can have peace in their souls. Peace is what brings longevity to our minds and bodies. The concept of a God who always loves us is one way to obtain it since people and things have the potential to fail us.

Having a good grasp on descriptions and word associations helps us in two ways. It allows two people to share how they feel with good descriptive language. We can present the results of experiences we have in life either precisely through science or loosely through conversation. Descriptive language will put the same picture of what one person perceives with their mind into another person’s mind using word associations. The more skill one has, the better they will be at sharing these impressions. It is similar to what an artist would do on a canvas only the canvas is in each others minds. There are times when people exaggerate or give outright falsehoods. Knowing how categories and associations work gives us the ability to examine what is being said to either savor it, take it as a grain of salt, or outright reject it. We hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater and it is unfortunate to throw good statements away because of hysteria or pride. It is also important to know when someone is giving a line and not being honest. No one wants to be gullible.

The way to be free from outside influence is to be objective. A person becomes free from drama by rising above claims using a certain skill to sort the sense from nonsense. Some things are fact, others are possible, while some things are outright false. It becomes pleasurable listening to people and their opinions if it is approached with an objective view. This is not to be confused with a cynical view, one in search of finding fault. A person who is objective gives everything and everybody the benefit of the doubt and yet they also examine everything that is said. Confident people aren’t after finding fault to make themselves appear smarter. They will value input from others, be respectful and then lay aside the input that isn’t applicable or true. This should be a lifelong study. It gets tedious sometimes yet it is similar to music theory. Music may be enjoyable to listen to, but playing is even more. You always have to go through the tedium of study and practice to achieve worthwhile goals. We can always afford to sharpen up during any period of of lives.

Categories are the foundation of logical thinking. If someone told you that a chicken has four legs, you would immediately recognize a few points. The drama side would ridicule the person. The objective side would recognize that chickens exist and they do have legs. Everyone knows chickens have two legs yet for some reason this person thinks they have four. Using an objective approach one would ask, “Why does this person think this way?” He could have seen two chickens together and mistook them for one. He might just be trying to make a joke. Maybe he needs glasses. If the person is passionate about it, you might want to pursue the matter further and try to help them out a bit. If you are skillful, it is much easier to make good points with tact. Rather than throwing everything this person says out, being objective rescues the conversation and treats the person respectful. The use of categories that examine objects and their descriptions properly are the foundation for this.

Currently we are meandering through Aristotle’s work on classifications. I have recently been taking a meteorology course. Coincidentally, Aristotle’ work gives us the origin for the word since he did a study on weather by that name. A meteor in Greek means everything that falls from the sky. We now use the word for things that fall from outside the earth.

Statements can only be true and false when they contain at least two things, an object and a description. The characteristics used to describe things such as color are simply standards we agree on such as blue. Sitting down is sitting down; there is no true and false involved. Objects will either exist or they don’t. True and false statements have to do with applying characteristics to objects. Of course the standards we use might be different and we have to make sure we are all using the same standards when we make descriptions.

Some characteristics have to do with quantity. The two things quantities describe are divisions and areas. Some quantities get meaning by comparing them with other objects while some are standards. A line or a plane is a general area we try to describe that can have infinite dimensions. Divisions can be made between two points on a line or a plane can be given dimensions for a certain area. We make divisions with sounds to make speech and use numbers for setting divisions when counting. Anything that is solid will have a description that indicates position and is therefore describing a solid will always be dependent where another object exists. When we use some terms for size they are relative to something else. An orange can be considered large compared to a grape but the world is larger than an orange.

Time exists in the abstract. Although it has the order of past, present and future, it isn’t relative as far as position in space is concerned. It is only relative to the past. It is the same for speech, the words are formed but don’t take up space. Vowels and consonants describe certain sounds for communication. We write and draw to make images of what we see or imagine at a certain time. Rules are followed to make them understandable and better representations of what is being communicated.

In music and poetry we recognize patterns that are numerical and for some reason always make sense. Yet certain music does something for us. Some people just hit it off. There are theories for all of this. We try to describe what makes things that way but in some areas it just takes two people agreeing. Less description is needed since they share a common view. Watching a sunset sometimes doesn’t need a description or a picture, just two people enjoying it. Yet a book is much better when the person has good way of giving descriptions. When the emotion and view is described in a manner we agree with, we enjoy it and say true..true.

Don’t you hate it when people characterize you wrongly? It is a part of human nature to use comparisons and groups to make points and form conclusions. Sometimes the study of language and philosophy is presented as a rigid and disciplined study, but it sets boundaries so we can do well at presenting reality and recognize fallacies. There seems to be two current philosophical views. One is that of a relative nature; the people who look at everything in comparisons and see the world through snippets and snapshots. But I agree with those who look at things from a romantic view, one that sees everything as fluid; where everyone has hidden potential that they can use to improve the world around them. Sometimes it is difficult because romantics are mischaracterized.

When looking at world events, I despise ideals that turn free people into subjects. An example would be a religious order that puts people in fear while woman are covered up, beaten, and treated like slaves. Under these conditions, all the potential for accomplishment that is possible for each woman has been effectively stifled, most of their choices taken away. But this happens in every case where self appointed minders feel they know what is better for another group or individual. When I see videos about feeding the hungry, I see the potential in every individual and it seems diabolical to throw food at them just to make oneself feel better. Feeding people in a society to make oneself feel better seems selfish and superficial to me. There are ministries and social programs that exist solely to instill a need in people to constantly use them as props. It is like a doctor rebreaking a person’s leg instead of setting it in order to keep them as a patient. The objective for any kind of help should always be to stop the cycle even if it is painful at first.

Those who ascribe to a relative view thrive on comparing the rich with the poor, the strong with the weak, always condemning those who happen to be on the side of reaching their potential. Everything is static to them and no one could possibly have a mind to improve their own lot. And yet hardships make us learn and grow. There are times when people need a hand up but that should be the exception. Whenever a person receives something without an exchange for effort, they owe something more. They owe obedience and become a subject. This is good for control freaks but it is a disgrace to receive assistance to those who are motivated and have self respect.

My son and I ate at a Taco Bell once that had the fastest person at making tacos that we had ever seen. We bought extra just to see her work. Sure, it was a low paying job but she was excelling at what she was doing and we walked away inspired. To this day we talk about the experience. That is what I mean by being a romantic. Some of the best stories, ancient or otherwise, begin with someone in need or in a disaster. To see how they pull themselves out, excel, and thumb their nose at the world inspires awe. I hate it when associations step in and take credit for what individuals do. It is disgusting when politicians take credit for economies and the accomplishments of a nation’s citizens. I am inspired by the stories of everyday people who rise up out of their circumstances and make a good life for themselves.