What is good and what is bad?

 

Good is whatever keeps me alive and happy

Bad is whatever kills me or makes my life miserable.

Good is impossible without freedom. Freedom includes freedom of choice.

It may seem freedom includes the freedom to harm others but that is not true because harmed people will most certainly seek to harm you therefore restricting your freedom and hampering your quest for happiness and even jeopardizing your life expectancy…

What is a false claim for ethical behavior? A claim that whatever is good for the majority must be imposed on the minority – it’s a recipe for fascism, communism – oppression and extermination of those considered not useful to society and even those who may be considered useful but due to their convictions – unreliable. Judging that whatever is good for the majority is good for everyone can also be used to justify for example slavery. Slave labor in the USA before the civil war brought wealth to the nation yet the nation went to a fratricidal war to abolish it. So whatever is done for the common good but ignores the interests of the minority and the smallest unit of minority is the individual cannot be good.

That’s why freedom is important and also because a society of free people with various opinions and experience tends to be more knowledgeable and better equipped for progress and problem solving when needed.

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Who needs ideas?

All theories are just assumptions of cause and effect relationships that seem plausible and provide reasonably useful prediction for how things might work so we can plan accordingly. It is prudent to be always aware that even the most trustworthy theory might prove inapplicable in a particular situation which demands an innovative approach.

We act we act on our beliefs . We act on what we believe is our best interest and we do what we believe is the best way to achieve it. A prudent person will make every effort to gather all available relevant information and evaluate its reliability as objectively as possible. But ultimately people will be driven by their passions and desires and will act on what they believe is genuine knowledge about how things work. The strength of our beliefs and factored by the relevance of our knowledge will make our actions a part of reality. What is more important it will have more significant effect on that part of reality the is closest to us and affects us the most. Therefore faith is a substantial part of reality and the most important force and tool to achieve our goals. We live because we believe. Or more correctly - the way we live is a reflection of our beliefs.

Freedom, Talent and Happiness

Creativity and imagination are the most precious resources of civilization. They are the building material forming the basis for understanding and invention. Luckily it seems their seeds are spread widely and abundantly. At the same time they seem to easily wither and die without proper nurture and care.

A dead dream is everyone’s loss and people can’t follow their dreams if they are hungry, scared or oppressed. Need, fear, and ignorance kill freedom and with freedom the chance for understanding and prosperity.

Freedom doesn’t come free of charge. Precious as it is it must be cherished, earned, and defended. It’s not a goal but a process and indispensable first step towards good life and happiness. Freedom is not divisible. You cannot be partly free. Freedom can only reign supreme or else it dies.

You cannot be truly free if your neighbor is not. That’s even more so if you have special talents and in my opinion everyone has talents. Only some don’t bother to develop them. That’s not simple laziness that is a crime. By ignoring your talents you rob yourself and those close to you from the happiness and good life that you deserve.

Stupidity

There is an old Bulgarian saying: "Stupidity occurs to humans". Indeed it does. All to often. More often than we all would like to see. But what can we do. There is no stupid animal. Animals are just natural, so are trees. For people stupidity is natural too. In order to achieve something more than naturally occurring stupidity we need to make an effort and think. By making an effort I don't mean exert oneself. No, on the contrary, natural life is hard work and full of frustration and disappointments only the clever ones can leave a truly good lazy life in luxury or whatever you consider good life: might be devoting your life to yourself, your family, the advancement of humanity or science and invention. But alas good life doesn't come naturally. You must plan it, build it, and then enjoy it. And all that involves thinking. And thinking is a dangerous process always prone to stumble into the trap of stupidity especially if it is done in a stuck up self-conceited: ‘holier than you way’ .

We all now stupidity after the fact. Well most ot the time. That not a big feat. It's easy to notice when it hurts. It's harder to grasp it before the fact: Danger! Stupidity! Will get us into trouble! Will most possibly hurt! Probably a lot! Evade, prevent, desist, in one word: THINK!. Thinking may be painful and confusing and is not a sure antidote to stupidity actually stupidity is a one of the possible outcomes of thinking) still it is the only known remedy against the pains and frustration of stupidity.