One of the things that has always annoyed me is the premise that all people are of equal merit. That may sound like a horrible statement, but think about it a minute - the people that you encounter on a daily basis, are they really and truly of equal value? Is a serial killer for instance of equal value as a altruistic paramedic that spends most of their time on call to help people at a moment's notice? Were the terrorists that piloted airliners into the World Trade Center of equal value to the firefighters that died trying to help people when those buildings collapsed? Yes they were, or at least this is what the Abrahamic religions tell us. I see things a different way though.
In my view, merit and worth must be earned. There is nothing intrinsically sacred about the individual life, this is apparent from even a cursory look at history and reality. People die all the time, even by the millions, and the world goes on turning without blinking an eye. Life, as a whole, continues regardless of the individual and the majority are only remembered by those few that knew them. Only those individuals who make something of themselves, who make a splash, who achieve something beyond the norm are remembered. As above, so below.
In this view of the value of human life then, it is our own merits that give us value instead of some arbitrarily vague standard. Our own strength, knowledge, drive, caring, zest, dedication, courage, spirituality, or whatever. Unlike arbitrary merit, which leads to uniform mediocrity, this view of life prompts the individual to constantly strive to better oneself. It is this type of virtue then that does us merit, and this type of virtue we must cultivate if we desire to go beyond this life rather than fading like dust in the wind if reality proves to be consistent.
That may seem an odd statement, but think about it for a second. In physics or in group dynamics the same principle applies - weak field effects or groups that are impacted catastrophically tend to disperse, while stronger effects/groups can weather the storm. If the individual soul is seen as a matrix of subtle energy (and there is really no plausible alternative if one considers the soul a real "object"), then if the Hermetic principle holds true only a strong soul can survive catastrophic impact. And what can be more catastrophic than death?
So nourish your strengths my friends...
2 comments:
You bring up a good point you know, the equality or lack there of amongst people's merit. While you have used rather extreme examples, I found myself comparing them to everyday examples I find:
1) The third generation welfare family whose child is raised with the attitude of "I want to be poor, people give you everything". (Yes, I've heard a child say this.)
Would this person be of equal merit to say, your altruistic paramedic? Perhaps, but perhaps not.
2) A crooked politician is an absolute disgrace to his office in one way due to his utter corruption. However, he also brings millions to his constituents, providing jobs and public service projects that better their lives. What is his merit in comparison, to again, say your altruistic paramedic? Is he of less merit due to his personality and characteristics, or is he of greater merit due to what he provides for the community?
Personally, my view, is that we are what we make of ourselves. Sure, God can have His hand involved, but ultimately, free will exists for a reason. We cannot let some entity spoonfeed us our entire lives, and expect it all to come to us easily. To paraphrase Tennyson, we must continue to strive, to seek, and not to yield, in our quest to better ourselves.
Of course, what do I know? I just happen to agree that an arbitrary standard leads to a uniform standard of mediocrity. However, I'm rather certain if we delved into your final paragraph, the debate could be quite...one sided. I'm not entirely brushed up on Hermetic principles; you would bury me.
-Ordos45
Pho/BG45 said...
We cannot let some entity spoonfeed us our entire lives, and expect it all to come to us easily.
Most definitely agreed Ordos. While it's nice to have contacts, ultimately we have to do the work of improving ourselves for ourselves.
However, I'm rather certain if we delved into your final paragraph, the debate could be quite...one sided. I'm not entirely brushed up on Hermetic principles; you would bury me.
Oh come on Ordos you know you want to :D I'm rather rusty in some respects myself.
Post a Comment