Monday, November 08, 2010

A Few Questions

On what do you usually spend your time and your money?

Do you consider that as the best use of your time and your money?

What are your highest values? What makes you "glad"?

Does what you do on most days accord with your highest values?

Do you see a way to live more in tune with your highest values?

Do you want to live your values, but repeatedly fail? Does each failure weaken you from a belief in yourself that you can live a more meaningful life? Is that failure a failure of will-power or of circumstances?

Can you do something, each day, that is an affirmation of what you really believe in and want to do?

Are you living a rationalized life? Where what saddens you has been explained and argued away?

Can you start afresh?

13 comments:

charci said...

Good questions each and all. What constitutes the highest value? Is it such a relative question? Kant spoke of the categorical imperative. I must admire your long and persistent quest and pray you won't give up so easily or cave in to ridicule of philistines.

Anonymous said...

What do you seek?
Why do you seek?

Anonymous said...

dear harmanjit,

the universe is seems a cold and indifferent place, as modern physics and science has tried to demonstrate to us in their findings and reports.


i suspect for 'most' people, upholding a high degree morality
or values isn't first on their
priority on their list! Since.. the universe is deem meaningless and life and their mortality will eventually run out, their thinking and mindset would be, "since it's all gonna boil down to nothing, let's make merry while we can then. It's all for nothing, anyway! " Monkeying around commiting various good or bad acts now has an excuse.

this is the kind of danger
which leads to mass developed narcissism which you been warning and writing about.


Well, what is exactly is this universe about? i or others offer no answers except to raise more questions, which is the usual fashion since the ages. Laughs
this will be a continuity which will remain in fashion and never to go out in style.

the universe just perform its set of laws and operates perfectly with its own manner. it just does what it does. humanity isn't that much involved or included in the whole scheme of things, as much as we like to think of it so ourselves.


we are not the ends. we are not the last page in the storybook of life or universe.

Anonymous said...

Meta-question :)

If everyone becomes able to live in accord with their "highest values"[1] or live in a perpetual PCE, who would be there to do the everyday mundane jobs?

[1] assuming that, say, a janitor is not considering his job as his highest value.

Harmanjit Singh said...

@srid:

A job is a choice which only partly depends on one's values, and to a larger extent on one's skills, the economic climate, and the social setup.

One may want to have a better job, but that is not the same as wanting to live according to one's highest values.

On the other hand, if one of the values one practices is "doing my job to the best of my ability, and not cheating my paymasters", then that value is equally applicable if one is a janitor or a President.

charci said...

"..then that value is equally applicable if one is a janitor or a President."

How true.

samar said...

'Seeking'[1] enlightenment seems like a goal worthy(to live). Values derived from/to it the highest.

(Can absence of evidence be deemed/concluded as evidence of absence)

[1] http://www.english.upenn.edu/~mgamer/Etexts/kant.html

charci said...

@Samar

Seeking the enlightenment of one's race seems a higher goal than just one's own.

doesitmatter said...

Good questions. Atleast better than providing tips on sleeping better.

S. M. Rana said...

@doesitmatter
Sleeping better is as important as the mysteries of life and death. And dear doesitmatter, it does matter.

Susan said...

I believe it is easier to observe the irrationalities in oneself or explain the reasons for being unhappy. but to argue them away may be a difficult task. As long as the the contradictory desires and the conflict between one's beliefs (that one derives logically) and instincts (or habits or inclinations or desires) are present, starting afresh may not make much difference.

BTW, since you seem to have spent some time with these questions, i guess you must have thought about the answers as well??

Anonymous said...

First of all you need to figure out what you really believe. So far you come across as one of the most confused people in the world just slashing out defensively/aggressively without having any substance or direction as such.

Anonymous said...

>>>
conflict between one's beliefs (that one derives logically) and instincts (or habits or inclinations or desires)
>>>

Resolving the conflict can constitute 'the highest value' !