Attack of The Super Duper Big Picture

[Bozo Erectus]

We started talking about this in another thread but its pretty OT, so heres a new thread. Basically what got it started was humility, and whether or not its a good thing. My position is that humility is the only reasonable attitude to have seeing as how we're nothing more than microscopic organisms eeking out an existence on a tiny pebble, drifting through an infinite cosmos thats filled with much more interesting, substantial things than us and our petty little conceits and concerns. Now of course, most people recoil in horror from such an idea: "Me? Insignificant? Thats not possible! My importance is obvious to me. People love me and I have a positive impact on their lives. Im making the world a better place. Im so important and God, the creator of the universe cares so much about me, that he even squeezed a tiny portion of himself into a little microscopic bag of fluids, just like me, and sent it to this pebble to die for our sins! So there! Youre a very very very bad man Bozo!"(waggles finger in my face indignantly)

But why does it have to be a negative thing, couldnt it be positive as well? Okay, so your life doesnt amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things, so what? In a way, isnt that freeing also? If our lives and entire civilization are all just an absurd, pathetic, meaningless game, kind of takes the pressure off doesnt it? We all eventually suffer misfortune, heartache, loss, death. Understanding that youre after all just a microbe crawling around on a pebble in an unimaginably immense, majestic reality can help you put things in perspective and deal with it. Hey, maybe I seem like Mr Negativity over here, but at least I've never shrieked "Why me??" in disbelief whenever tragedy has struck (I want to smack people when they do that). Why not me? Who the hell am I?

So whats wrong with the Super Duper Big Picture?

 

[Rambuchan]

Humility. Yup. Good thing. I agree with you. In this small picture too.

 

[IglooDame]

What's wrong with it? It completely goes against the fact that I am absolutely the most important person in my universe.

 

[The Last Conformist]

There's no objective standard for what's interesting. Too me, I'm more important than any old quasar, and so are the boobs of the girl sitting next to me in Latin class. If the quasar begs to differ, the more power to it - I don't care what it cares about.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

In your universe? Whatever happened to 'No man is an island'? Same here, whether or not Ive got mayo for my sandwich later today is infinitely more important to me than peace in the Middle East. Middle East, Schmiddle East, who cares? A bunch of microscopic fluid bags fighting over some sticky smelly goo they use to propel tiny little boxes that they ride around in? BAH! Its theater of the absurd! Now wheres that mayo?

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Humility is not part of my design. Look upon my works ye mighty and despair.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

There's no objective standard for what's interesting. Too me, I'm more important than any old quasar, and so are the boobs of the girl sitting next to me in Latin class. If the quasar begs to differ, the more power to it - I don't care what it cares about.

Thats the thing, to you, youre more important than a quasar. To me my mayonaise (and that chicks boobs) is more important than the quasar. But what does it matter what we think, about anything?

 

[The Last Conformist]

Thats the thing, to you, youre more important than a quasar. To me my mayonaise (and that chicks boobs) is more important than the quasar. But what does it matter what we think, about anything?

To us, it matters a great deal, and what more is there to ask for?

As I said, there's no such thing as "mattering" in an objective sense, things can only matter to someone. Whether your mayo matters to you is a meaningful question, but whether it matters in the big picture is not.

 

[punkbass2000]

Nothing matters.

 

[IglooDame]

In your universe? Whatever happened to 'No man is an island'? Same here, whether or not Ive got mayo for my sandwich later today is infinitely more important to me than peace in the Middle East. Middle East, Schmiddle East, who cares? A bunch of microscopic fluid bags fighting over some sticky smelly goo they use to propel tiny little boxes that they ride around in? BAH! Its theater of the absurd! Now wheres that mayo?

Hey, I've got just as much sense of perspective as the next guy, and probably a lot more. If you ever get a "Oh why me" then you have my permission to pound me into the dirt, because I don't imagine it happening. But, they can fight their battles in the Middle East, and I'll fight mine here. If the Middle East guys want to fight me, I'll be happy to oblige.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Nothing matters.

You don't honestly believe that.

 

[punkbass2000]

You don't honestly believe that.

Define "honestly" and "believe". And maybe "you" as well .

 

[The Last Conformist]

Define "honestly" and "believe". And maybe "you" as well .

Being an expert at playing the definitions game, I sense when it's brought in as a diversion.

 

[IglooDame]

Being an expert at playing the definitions game, I sense when it's brought in as a diversion.

Define "expert". Define "playing".

 

[Marla_Singer]

As I see it, humility is before everything the acceptance that we are fallible. Is this about lack of self-esteem ? Certainly not ! Actually, it's a strength, it's a sign of wisdom. We can be aware of our personnal strength and still recognize we are fallible. Both are not opposite. It's not because we accept our nature that it means we consider necessarily we are worthless or not valuable to anyone.

As I see it, true humility can grow only with experiments. That doesn't mean that we are necessarily humble when we are getting old, it simply means that as a kid it's a concept we can really understand because we don't have encountered enough things in our life. Well, all this to say that it depends from one person to another.

 

[superisis]

Nothing Matters

you atheist!!!

 

[Richard Cribb]

We started talking about this in another thread but its pretty OT, so heres a new thread. Basically what got it started was humility, and whether or not its a good thing. My position is that humility is the only reasonable attitude to have seeing as how we're nothing more than microscopic organisms eeking out an existence on a tiny pebble, drifting through an infinite cosmos thats filled with much more interesting, substantial things than us and our petty little conceits and concerns. Now of course, most people recoil in horror from such an idea: "Me? Insignificant? Thats not possible! My importance is obvious to me. People love me and I have a positive impact on their lives. Im making the world a better place. Im so important and God, the creator of the universe cares so much about me, that he even squeezed a tiny portion of himself into a little microscopic bag of fluids, just like me, and sent it to this pebble to die for our sins! So there! Youre a very very very bad man Bozo!"(waggles finger in my face indignantly)

I don't think you are a bad man, quite the opposite, but I think this manner of thinking is quite dangerous.

Okay, so your life doesnt amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things, so what?

Personally, I don't think there is a grand scheme of things.I loathe mataphysics.

In a way, isnt that freeing also? If our lives and entire civilization are all just an absurd, pathetic, meaningless game, kind of takes the pressure off doesnt it?

We can chose to regard our lives and societies in that way, but I for one would personally warn against it. If you are guest on the ball of life, I think it is silly and dangerous to sit and mope in a corner. Life has a meaning and a value, only that each and everyone of us are responsible to give it that. It doesn't hurt to do our little effort to make it better for others, either.

We all eventually suffer misfortune, heartache, loss, death. Understanding that youre after all just a microbe crawling around on a pebble in an unimaginably immense, majestic reality can help you put things in perspective and deal with it.

Or perhaps it will make me feel worthless, perhaps it will make me feel that everybody else is worthless and nothing matters, which perhaps will make me feel indifferent towards suffering, injustice, etc.

Hey, maybe I seem like Mr Negativity over here,

Unfortunately you do.

but at least I've never shrieked "Why me??" in disbelief whenever tragedy has struck (I want to smack people when they do that). Why not me? Who the hell am I?

Neither have I, but I fail to see a necessary connection between that and such a view on existence as you have outlined.That said I can understand that people can react that way if their loss is really big (losing a child comes to mind) and I can't see why that should anger me.

So whats wrong with the Super Duper Big Picture?

That it is, as far as I can see, a potential formula for conformism, indifference and misanthropy.

 

[The Last Conformist]

You're saying conformism is bad?

 

[punkbass2000]

Define "expert". Define "playing".

Define "define".

 

[punkbass2000]

you atheist!!!

Wrong on both counts.