Marie PhD
  • Home
  • Politics
  • #OccupyCongress
  • Overview
  • Domestic Violence
  • Food

Ethics and Blame

1/9/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
I might seem kinda flakey to some. Its not out of malice or bad intentions. I am the scientific equivalent of an artist - I'll be eating dinner with someone and we'll be discussing something and I'll suddenly have a eureka moment and say out loud: oh that might just work! at random about some problem I've been thinking about for a few days. Or I'll be swimming and I'll be debugging code in my head. I can't tell the difference between left and right and I was one of those kids at school who never learned how to do calculus - I just knew, it was easy. I really wouldn't characterize myself as a 'mad' scientist, I just need a Pepper Potts.

In this universe, I don't assign blame. It seems to me that circumstances may be beyond our control especially when there is no intention to do bad. I believe out of pretty much anything some good can come of it. I pretty much believe it'll always work out in the end and even then I think there are worse things than death.

I started reading The Tibetan Book of the Dead and got half way through, thought, yes I understand this is the truth.

Therefore I have lived my life thinking no action performed by a person was ever so bad that no good could come of it, that there are worse things than death, and that means I am less afraid of dying than somethings; and necessarily there is life after death.

Because I believe in a no blame universe, I believe we shouldn't go out of our way to hurt anyone. Do unto others... seems to be enlightened self-interest. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law, love is the law, love under will. Milarepa is one of Tibet's favorite saints. He went on a revenge rampage killing people with his black magic.
Despite his misdeeds after serving his karma he achieved enlightenment.

Milarepa 'intended' to hurt people. I guess I have intended to hurt people too, when I have felt hurt. But did Wall St intend to hurt thousands/millions of people when they were doing their subprime loaning? Probably not, they just didn't care. Don't get me wrong, those crooks deserve all they get. But the system was set up to let them get away with it and while it is set up that way we can only expect it to happen again because they have no incentive to behave better.

Some people are big on assigning blame. And I am sure my flakiness drives people insane. Could I be a lot less flakey? Definitely but then I'd be a lot less like me and there are many things beyond my control. Things don't always turn out the way they were expected too. I try to plan as best as I can.

Recently a friend was given some rope he could've leveraged to my benefit but he didn't and now I realize he didn't see the opportunity. I guess I should've pointed it out to him but I assumed he would see it. I was furious. I blamed him for everything. I wrote the nastiest emails to him. But it didn't make me feel better. My long suffering friend started blaming me. In the end the opportunity was lost and no one feels better for it and the assigning of blame turns out to be futile, although perhaps it clarified for me I should never assume what another person realizes.

I was once offered a job on Wall St. I didn't take the job for a number of reasons, including the application is boring. It doesn't help anyone but the gamblers on Wall St. Its one of the most futile things I can think of. Money is nice, but in itself its really uninteresting. What interests me is learning about the universe, being with people I love and care about.

When do we assign blame - when people don't care that they've hurt people and will likely to it again. When people hurt others but really don't want to - they probably need love or help. When people make mistakes based on what was beyond their control - do we blame them, did they want to make the mistake? Could they help it? Then they still just need your love and help.



1 Comment
bornanew link
9/27/2013 06:45:21 pm

Was browsing through Weebly when I stumbled here

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I am interested in progressive politics, women's rights, science & art. I believe the only way we'll survive is if we help each other.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Categories

    All
    Abortion
    Anarchy
    Animals
    Atheism
    Austerity
    Banks
    Bodies
    Caitlyn Jenner
    Charity
    Children
    Communication
    Community
    Conservative Christianity
    Conservatives
    Conspiracy
    Constitution
    Corporation
    Corporations
    Deficit
    Deregulation
    Despotism
    Disenfranchised
    Duggars
    Dylann Roof
    Environment
    Equality
    Facebook
    Feminism
    Food
    Foreclosure
    Gender
    God
    Gop
    Gop Primaries
    Government
    Guns
    Hastert
    Healthcare
    Hierarchy
    History
    Humans
    Independence
    Kindness
    Knowledge
    Law
    Libertarian
    Libertarianism
    Limited Liability
    Loneliness
    Love
    Mating
    Medicare
    Men
    Military Industrial Complex
    Motherhood
    Nature
    Obama
    Obesity
    Occupy
    Orwellian
    Pedophilia
    Politics
    Power
    Powerlessness
    Premium Children
    Prostition
    Punishment
    Rape
    Revolution
    Richard Dawkins
    Sanity
    Sex
    Slut-shaming
    Status Quo
    Stock-market
    Suicide
    Teachers
    Transgender
    TV
    Us Corporations
    Violence
    Vulnerability
    Welfare Queens
    Women
    Women's Work
    World Domination

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.