Being For Others blog Progressive development of Ernstraud Philosophy
Ernstraud Trilogy contains all articles compiled through May 2024 and two additional books (original Ernstraud Magazine compiled, and Gems through May 2024).
Grocery product mislabeling handled amicably with merchant, not law enforcement
--Constructive
outcome: self-monitoring
--Resolution of differences; responsive
merchants
Promotion of permanent refugee settlements for the benefit of refugees and the host country Mexico.
--Significant research required before implementation
Positive relationships among empathetic people
--Diversity, pluralism over polarization (as in two-party system)
--Shortcomings (narrowness) of one-party system
--Rebellion against party is less damaging than rebellion against
state
8 Ranked Choice Voting (Instant Runoff) [3
Dec 2019]
Promote civility and give voice to minorities (third parties) without throwing away votes
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) counts the ballot for the highest viable choice if the first
choice on a ballot does not get the most votes. If your first choice cannot win, your second choice gets the vote and so on.
(1) no wasted votes
(2) no runoffs
(3) more official than popular polls, very influential
Hard-wired for cooperation, social value stronger than self-interest
--Geriatric suicide (not needed), struggling
father, single mom examples of others ahead of self
--Strength from will, not resistance--power of empathy
"Business in a box"
worked for someone else. You are different; now is different.
--Experience, including failures, leads to business skill.
--Chick needs to break the shell; understanding why is more important than obeying.
Chess goal = checkmate, not capturing pieces; clarity and focus bring us to a goal.
--Hypothetical measurements don't constitute success.
--Research lab, particle physics, and marketing review goals and act on them.
Material wealth is a
flawed goal; customers buy improvement; humans' needs drive human effort.
--Private funds are better directed than public funds -- no gridlock.
--Grandstanding income disparity and platitudes do
not help; society is a collaboration.
Mysterious dream allegory of life; awareness of others
--Sharing the light is part of the journey
--Dream succeeded in delivering a message; matching objects to
metaphors
Three major life theories: reincarnation,
resurrection, Ernstraudian -- states of awareness / elevation
--Others would have imparted their light to me if I were sensitive.
--who is teaching whom; patronizing or appreciating others?
Godhood is a future
state; pondering settings of limitless growth; applicable to atheism, too
--Not fallen state; positive view sees the future Buddha in everyone;
no terminal / ultimate state
--collective subconscious; man-made God or God-made man = viewpoints to ponder
--create own world and own heaven; individual progress through overlapping states
The blog is for discussion, tool of growth--we enrich each other
--Writing and action clarify understanding; try expressing what you do next
--no deadlines, avoid overwhelm; concentrate on the
doing, happiness follows
Bludgeoned by Bible as weapon allegory; divorce over crucifix; survival requires forbearance
The "good book" has burdened Western Civilization. Make something good of religious beliefs.
--Problems: Old Testament and Book of Mormon teach (1) depravity of fallen man (2) cleansing by slaughter (3)
racism
--Antidotes: (1) Be reverent (respect all people); (2) be vigilant against negative
mindset; (3) find positive replacement
Resolved battle with mother; do adults learn reconciliation?
--winning an argument or improving an outcome?
--examples from politics, business, engineering for de-emphasizing self
Private parties are more effective than government to meet Humans' Needs universally
--Humanity requires that wealth be applied as necessary to maximize the common good.
--Good management is necessary to complex
production and distribution.
--It is required of private parties to volunteer their means to address
the common needs.
Lighten up; view some dogmas and simplistic examples
--demonstration, money, laws, autocracy, tax, disability, education, minimum wage, healthcare
--applying the lesson to healthcare
--accept health as the goal; discussion about getting there
Happiness journey, not destination; indirect, like peripheral vision;
--largely determined by expectations
--links to more external references and nine previous blog articles
--likening to vigorous exercise: happiness is the desired byproduct of work
Ernstraudian way; uncomfortable differences; private more directly, effectively,
and personally applied than government;
--grab the flag and run; desire to be needed, controlling element
--Private or public contains support and control, private wealth, relationships
--who is controlling whom; price of liberty is eternal vigilance
Principle of fairness; social contract; stability; exceptions; faulty majority or
inconvenient minority
--election goes wrong? rights, sincerity
--historical positions, puzzles to consider but not consider solved
--right not to be bound by decision? list of examples
Independent of physical being; define eternal life
--what you eat becomes you; god made man--man made god
--A Poem about Generation -- homelessness, creation
for utility, spiritual elements
--see opposite of home, creating life of food substances, learning
prerequisites
Identity is unique, before and after this visible world.
--key question of immortality -- one magic word
--Stories from immortals eating mortal food to atomic structure and vibrations
--best
possible human experience you want to continue forever
No happiness if no sadness (contrast); two kinds of sadness
--being sad we failed motivates not failing; tomorrow is better
--There is a human note, an allowed present sadness.
--Our happiness shares in the sadness of others.
Five steps: energy goes down in the middle; cooperation descends
--Benefits go down as cooperation goes down
--Examples that distinguish agreement from disagreement
--WHY disagree? strong metaphor
Request v order; need commandments? Question God's intent?
--Nicer
term "best way"; would we disobey God's suggestion?
--Slothful servant is commanded; discipline children, not handicap
--Internalize the why = voluntary commitment
Realistic: professor used real-world homework, not nicely fitted examples
--Science expands by investigating what does not fit;
--Forbearance; yesterday's absurdity might be tomorrow's truth.
Eternal existence, not just physical resurrection; analysis to unseen (energy/matter)
--Key is sentience; do not limit to present imagination
--Stimulate new thinking, make room for tolerance (civil discourse)
Others ahead of self is collective advancement, aggregation from local to cosmic.
--We spend energy retreating into introspection, reap new strength.
--Sometimes we forgive, cannot retreat; even crows can benefit other individuals.
View the world as the combination of production and consumption; view both globally
--F.I.S.H. & Millennium Development Goals; on macro level there is enough --Direct resources to
the fundamental needs -> quality of life; no throw-away
people
Whose resources? Self as first
contributor. Interbeing poem loosens self-other distinction
--Think "we" as the new social order; cooperation is winning; we use our resources
--Higher orders are attained when we do not put our own benefits first.
We can produce
enough for everyone to be well fed. That obligates us morally to do so.
--Self over others is inhumane -- job shortage harmfully undercuts wages
--The law does not supply happiness -- voluntary good deeds lead to happiness
--Sub-minimum-wage jobs disappear because we create better jobs.
When unbelief is a good thing -- boasting is veneer over doubt -- neither true nor false
biblical content worthy of unbelief -- tolerate unbelievers -- welcome imagination
--Unbelievers must tolerate those who do not believe them.
Starting a fight does not garner favors. You are effective when positive.
--Disagreeing by fighting is ineffective. Good political paths lead to an outcome.
--Losing the vote is occasion to accommodate and assist someone else's path.
--Replace impasse by finding agreement; success comes from "we believe."
We get self out of
the way and then apply everything we have to what everyone needs.
--"Losing" the election merely changes our route to positive results.
--Cooperation results from giving support, not from screaming "ignoramus."
Outlook, PMA empower us to realize what could be.
--Fighting does not make the country beautiful. We make it look good.
--Imperfection--do we find fault, or do we improve the object of attention?
Discussing slave masters, foreign conquerors, exploited labor turned voter, demographic mobility
--American colonization and immigration into America -- human rights -- Switzerland, Russia
--American neighborhood and bongo drums -- micro level -- object of patriotism
--Efficiency and engineering equip us to produce more and work less.
--Frugality and skills obsolescence also reduce the labor need.
--We adapt to change and redirect individual labor appropriately.
--Realize = aware + achieve; one ant is small but not discardable
--If the project appears too big, rejoice that you are aware.
--Therefore it takes all of us ("ants")
--Avoid one universal overall clearing house; we all see different aspects
--Many roads to Dr. King's mountaintop; our diversity covers the ground.
--Light and sound are perceptions: what you make of it
--Evil world is not a creation; it disappears when light goes on.
--Buddhism suffering = "not highest state of being"
--Omit long list of ills in the world; Dr. Schweitzer and ice cream cone
--Materialism is not material to happiness. Satisfaction is reaching an expectation.
--Decide right goals; external circumstances. Mental states are material.
--Notre Dame, twin towers; personal relationships over physical objects
--Foundation: how we share our circumstances and efforts.
To want the cure, you must have the problem. Vendors see to that!
--Health, Religion, Business -- in EACH of these, we have
--Promise (the good), Problem (the bad) and Program (my resolution)
--Three stories this time, the paradox = cure makes it worse
Telling each other what to do: accepted in the family and close social circles
--Overboard in Germany -> Hitler
--Overboard in America -> slavery, nuclear weapons, torture, capital punishment
We Germans and we Americans find redemption in facing the past and improving on it.
Here a favorite philosophy is preciously brought to us by Dennis the Menace!
--Birth is a forgetting --
death is also; both are ascending to something new, not descending.
--No fall; Near-death experiences fit subject's expectations; parallel or sequential progress
--Why restart: no freshman experiences = no graduations
--Resurrected to a higher order -- long learning period like the one after birth.
Progress in moon exploration, interstate highway system, containerized shipping
Change disadvantages somebody. There is a price of progress.
Duty of those who benefit is to spread their advantage and alleviate that suffering.
We cherish uniqueness,
expressing diversity. Teamwork accomplishes more.
Value is the gift you give; sufficiency; responsibility for distribution
Natural resources are not private property (including land)
Grab the flag: individual initiative; channel coming generations (spread your unselfishness)
Only
you alone? OK, meditation is good. However, worth arises through relationships.
Somebody else is the other half. Strange bedfellows.
Learn outgoing kindness to your other half.
92 Think about infinity like a child [13 Nov 2020]
At the edge of the universe, what is on the other side? We learn space, then time, then relativity.
Broken bottlenecks don't break reality, they lead us to learning more about reality.
Similarly, rising above conventional spiritual thinking takes us to the promised land.
We stretched to infinity. Now we progress to a higher level--yes, there is something higher
than infinity. The "no end" game itself is infinite.
94 Spiritual boost from raw Brussel sprouts [20 Nov 2020]
Enjoying Brussel sprouts raw is one
reverent return to nature. Native American tradition developed
that capacity over the centuries. We lose it when we are
brainwashed with materialism. Good things satisfy; bad things
intensify craving. Overindulgence messes up our social order.
95 The peaceable dignity of understanding [24 Nov 2020]
We humans respond to each other. You have
great influence over how people respond to you. One word in
article 95 opens world peace to you if you apply it right. The
phrase "fight for" is obsolete because there is a better way to
get what you want.
Reliability is a satisfaction; human interaction is greater satisfaction; business is people.
Your ideal customer is you. The sharing of interest brings vendor and customer together.
Individuality matters; voluntary aspiration is stronger than assignment.
It matters to understand ourselves, other people, and our relationships.
97 Helpless, clever, enlightened -- which are you? [1 Dec 2020]
We are bound to familiar behavior patterns. Poor and rich alike have self-limiting beliefs
which stand in the way of realizing their potentials.
Sometimes wealth facilitates being clueless, without street smarts.
Understanding removes barriers, opens communication, and meets Humans' Needs.
Rising generation in regard to education, to wealth--no self-sufficiency
Prepare the way for others, the (macro) global family has adequate resources
What is above basic needs, you are holding for somebody else.
Do you want to go to the beautiful next stage of human progress? Not limited by any
theology, what would you like next? My reward is not an abstract
remote place. It is rather a condition I call joy.
Don't just long for relief from something unpleasant. Instead, increase what is
pleasant. Too much rest is boring. Anticipation and realization keep us alive--forever!
Let's walk over to the outskirts of heaven to sense the interface to that peaceful place. It is not
unpunctuated rest; our work ethic as it smoothly transitions to an eternal state of growth.
This article uses some teachings of W. Edwards Deming in a heaven-based
allegory. Labor and management are on the same side
of progress: namely, doing the best we can in all circumstances.
We should not expect this heaven to appear
instantaneously in this life or the next. It is worth our labor.
Beginning use of gender neutral pronouns: ze (s/he); zem (her/him); zir (his/her);
zirself
101 The new style for better education [15 Dec 2020]
Do you control your children? Do you feel
manipulated by them? The learning relationship is bidirectional:
each side teaches the other, learns from the other, learns how
the other teaches and learns how the other learns. Effective
teaching is enduring, including repeating, accumulating,
spiraling, distributing, and passing of time. Education is the
change that takes place in life, creating the better world.
This is a peculiarly Ernstraudian
perspective on goal setting. Self-other blending leads to
communal goals, especially the ones for a better world which we
share with appropriate sensitivity. I suggest meeting Humans'
Needs as the common starting point and allow generous room for
individual variety. We simultaneously help and tolerate each
other by balancing talents and balancing outcomes. This has
nothing to do with money, and everything to do with who we are
together.
103 Think abundantly to achieve your purpose [22 Dec 2020]
Do you think abundantly? Do you live
abundantly? Do you give abundantly? As God does? As humanists do?
What does all that mean? Value is enduring, not
artificial scarcity that raises price. Egalitarian often refers
to equal opportunity. Equal opportunity to grab enables the
aggressive to dominate. Empathy is the approach that can meet all
people's needs. The abundant mindset is not material wealth, it
is willingness to cooperate.
Some people invent solutions; some follow
when shown; some deny the problem. Protestors extensively use the
wrong tool because they have inadequate preparation and cannot
teach the detailed path. Asserting is not educating. Everyone has
a path through past, present, and future. The better goal is not
to pass a law; it is to improve behavior because we believe in
better. Helping the poor and needy requires unselfish
collaboration at the personal level.
Can we treat employees at least as well
as we treat cows? Farmers learn to keep their animals healthy. We
are capable of making sure every laborer is cared for.
Rich and super-rich people generally mean
to do well, but they are not adequately covering the above need.
Since THEY are the ones with the resources, THEY have the
responsibility to administer them effectively. We should be
respectful of millionaires (support their efforts to do right),
while they do well to respect the choices of us common folk, the
beneficiaries--after all, we don't feed cows sawdust!
Are you ready for an upbeat, witty
observation of happiness? Today's article is not scolding anyone
for anything. It is celebrating our mutual existence and thanking
you for joining me here. From a self-centered infant who tends to
be a self-centered adult comes a sincere appreciation of you, the
reader. My story encourages you to positive relationships within
the human family, where you enjoy the oneness of the
many.
Growing the future
includes laying the old behind when it holds us back. Today we
replace a big negative roadblock with a happier, more productive
mindset. The beacon points to better life based on good example
and positive expectations.
Mind games help us stretch our
thinking--out of complacency and pat answers. Today we study time,
space, and life forms above humans. The progress of the
individual is different from the progress of the species and
there is ever increasing complexity.
The article may be a bit poetic. At the
end, we feel small enough to think that we do not know it
all.
The country's pain is not a person. It is
anger. The pain will endure as long as the anger. Attempting to
get even and to override others is scripted discord. Triumph over
the other expresses selfishness, not completeness. Every
resetting of course provides some degree of fresh start. It was
so beautifully expressed in George H. W. Bush's emphasis on the
"kinder, gentler America." With a dramatic personnel change
underway, we have the perfect moment to institute that more
divine order. Our joy lies in being the new America where we
sincerely care about the least of these (our
neighbors).
110 How to enjoy Ernstraudian wealth [15 Jan 2021]
Continuing Tuesday's
discussion, we look at constructive tolerant action. Pacifism is
anything but passive; happiness is sharing. Love reaps peace in a
better society. Putting others ahead of self is the blessing I
aim to bring to my country's people. Parents who control their
children make themselves unhappy. Apply that to
government!
Until my persuasion
prevails, it is my duty to live peacefully in a country that does
not live up to my standards. It is not my place to overthrow the
government of the country when it offends me. Let's get along
peacefully with each other.
New arrivals will find here what they
found in their previous neighborhoods -- unless they expect
to finding better. The worlds we find depend on what we seek. Dr.
King would have us find the promised land by creating it from
within. I never met him in person, but he is my friend.
We have the opportunity, not a burden, to
find the good. The mountaintop provides positive perspective.
When I hear this hero speak, my heart beats quicker and my eyes
tear up. Enjoy today's tribute.
Happiness is not
something that is forced upon us. We achieve it by expanding into
our opportunities and improving our circumstances. The improving
we do, not the attention we are given, is the foundation of our
happiness.
The strength we radiate
will attract, not compel, the better social order we seek. Our
examples must persuade others that we are happy. Persuasion is
only one aspect. The bigger principle is that we improve
everything worthwhile by being nice.
113 How we improved the world by ourselves [26 Jan 2021]
Am I going to Hell? Some people think I
am. Are they brainwashed? Relying stubbornly on political dirty
tricks is a different kind of brainwashing. Journalists relax a
little now that objective facts are
admissible. Whether Hell exists is less urgent than
whether my neighbor loves me. I influence the latter condition.
Unhappy people are often pessimistic because they are upsetting
themselves with the attitudes they practice. The world is not
generally under my control. My worldview is. I will not
bring unhappiness on myself.
Work and exercise build muscle. Is that
the only reward? Might the exercise also be doing useful work?
Quitting exercise causes atrophy. Fortunately, being unable to
work does not mean doing nothing at all. We can substitute
activities. Increased happiness of others is not a result
of our happiness; it is the cause. Beauty and happiness
attach to health--especially mental health. Therefore, let us
increase happiness by giving it away. These stories show failure
and success of the process.
When my perspective falters, poetry
inspires and strengthens me. In this article, a David Whyte poem
provides the ideal metaphor for the glory that rises with the
day. We reflect on the inner core of Jane Addams and Dr. King,
who radiate from the genuine foundation within. We become aware
of what we think and say as evidence of what we are and the power
within us. Instead of complaining, we creators are fully occupied
with positive perspective that becomes our world. We direct our
energy, with our attention, from what is wrong to what is right.
116 Super motivation: rolled oats are goat candy [5 Feb 2021]
Goats eagerly respond to rolled oats.
Humans are inclined toward results they perceive as desirable and
reachable, and they cooperate with enthusiasm to achieve them.
Abundance depends on getting on a common track. Causes have
effects. Associating available resources with desired outcomes
promotes solutions. It matters how and where we ask the
questions. Demonstration is ongoing and more constructive than
admonition. Influencing is speaking to people's motivations.
Successful leaders are appealing. Am I winning you over?
117 How do you know when you are happy? [6 Apr 2021]
If you choose unhappiness,
that means unhappiness makes you happy.
[proof: you choose it]
Now we introduce the garden-variety
do-gooder who shouts, "these people are hungry!" Does
that make you sad? Much to the contrary, it makes me happy that
someone has caught the vision! Being oblivious to shortage is not
happiness. It is merely ignorance.
Wake up, world, and be happy that
somebody has cried out. That call to action is our only hope, and
hope is my greatest happiness. Going forward, we set in motion
all the positive feelings and energies that attend to the human
condition. (1247 words)
It takes keen insight to change only the proper things. Along with deciding what to change and how to change it, we must also ask who should change it. Decisions by individuals and small bodies have enormous repercussions, impacting personal and world peace. Anyone owns the problem who is aware of it, but it is all right to need help when we are overwhelmed. Nevertheless, we are never justified for using the magnitude argument as a reason for not caring. We must expand awareness to the community that can take action. We are all born to this responsibility and opportunity. (1236 words)
Government is not taking assets from one party and dropping them on another. However, when the parties realize equality makes them all better off, they develop tools for working toward that condition. Then government is an agent for accomplishing the common will. We must think in results, not slogans. When we wish for enough food, we must not add "for me." A worthy desire says, "for everyone." Equal is not identical; happiness is idiosyncratic. Sensitive, aware people don't look at "I want." Instead, they describe society as "we have." Moral self-regulation concentrates on meeting "our needs" ahead of "my needs." (1082 words)
We recover from wrong things we do and go on making progress. We should dispense with the concepts of sin and guilt. Teachers regarded me with dignity and accepted me for the educated individual I was becoming. Religious emphasis on sin and guilt holds its captives in a negative outlook. Effective motivation is healthy realization of self. Society does well to organize work meaningfully. We love bullies; it is the love that heals them. Remedial work is by nature difficult. Consistently loving is the easy way to make the world better. We can afford to be nice to each other. (1289 words)
Prejudice and misunderstanding are terrible. Do they call for action? Deciding that comes after deeply understanding underlying deficiencies. Misbehavers are not sharing happiness; they are acting out their insecurities. Sadly, even the victims of the most serious misinformation act on the premise that their information is correct. They are empty barrels crying for better substance. Empathetic sharing of truth is non-confrontational healing balm. Merely contradicting is inadequate to achieve progress. Confident indirection minimizes conflict by substituting higher thoughts in place of aggressions. We do not overcome offenders. We help them to grow. PS: The most opinionated voice here is mine. (1270 words)
If all humans are equal, how do I know my "understanding" viewpoint is correct? What appears to an aggrieved party as ignorant prejudice appears to the bully as progress. If I force my largesse on the other party, then I am the bully. We tolerate and survive our differences as we explore improving our lives together. Time is the healer. We look to history to sort out consequences. The biblical eliminate-the-opposition solution (like limiting voting rights) is blatantly cheating. We do not say, "I told you so." We say, "Let me help you find improvements." (1179 words)
123 How keeping calm creates a clear benefit [2 Jul 2021]
Doctors could conceivably feel disgust at the medical conditions that are presented to them. Reprimanding bad behavior such as smoking is not the most constructive way to build a healing mindset. If I cannot have genuine, nonjudgmental love for the recovering party, I have no business being the doctor. Today we examine positions of superiority and inferiority. Once you perceive that the other party is in pain, you are in the role of the doctor. In practicing your healing art, you are the one who lives and deeply experiences happiness. Yours is the lasting clear benefit. (973 words)
124 How discourse reduces anger and makes us happier [6 Jul 2021]
Contentious political sloganizing symptomizes the small minds that revel in thoughtless provocation. Adults are often not clear that their social exchange is harmless pretend battle. The root conflict is usually difference in assumed definitions. Misdirected enthusiasts reduce issues to buzz words and then condition the public into mindless reactions to those words. Intelligence equips humans to evaluate objectives and methods. Working through the difficult questions leads to realizing that there are common goals. We condition ourselves with the kindness that honors the dignity of others. Our happiness increases as we become a civil society. (1157 words) 1 comment
125 What kind of chameleon do you want to be? [9 Jul 2021]
Humans referred to as chameleons are usually being called shifty and accused of being untrue to their principles. Today's article views adaptability to the environment as a virtue. We remain ideologically distinct and differentiable, but adaptation makes us effective as we learn from each other. Protest adds to the noise in the world, making peace harder to achieve. Any tone of unkindness is a barrier to positive life force. Open channels of communication enable improving the world with love, kindness, and caring. "Fitting in" beneficially spreads happiness. (1182 words)
126 Parent and child: beginning in joy or ending in disownment? [13 Jul 2021]
At the birth of offspring, parents are unselfishly prepared and determined to provide perfectly for every need of the newborn. Commitment is total and permanent. The idiosyncratic child is not a completely blank slate. The parties and their environment must steadily remain in balance. A myriad of things can go wrong. Parents, having experience, carry the initial responsibility. By analogy, the populace gives birth to democratic government. Both sides grow within their respective roles. Neither can die or disinherit the other. Our legacy is a country that has had a new birth of freedom. (1133 words)
127 Which do you experience first, success or happiness? [16 Jul 2021]
Brian Tracy, a leading motivator and trainer, observed that successful people had positive mental attitude. We identify the high road and identify with it. The mystery is why-the capacity to learn, which is hopefully universal. Happiness is internal, intuitively sensed. Being abrasive deprives you of audience. Leading people to happiness is making the positive viewpoint more attractive, being likeable, modeling self-assurance in an assuring way. Happiness comes first; it is the most powerful tool you have for achieving success. (1041 words)
128 The power of love that is stronger than name-calling [20 Jul 2021]
When others are name-calling, it is all right to expect them to be human just as you are. They, too, contain the potential for good. You would never badmouth anybody, but consider: do you ever say to yourself, "those people just don't understand"? There you go! You have just called them ignorant. The best thing you can do for your country is to recognize the emergence of negative emotion and turn the speech off. Love (sometimes called God) requires us to extricate ourselves from hate and radiate love from our hearts. That quiet power (soul force) is irresistible. (1224 words)
129 How name-calling helps by letting off steam [23 Jul 2021]
A label can be a coping mechanism, a comfort, whether rational or not. The threats can be mental, physical, or abstract. A neutralizing label seems to disarm the unknown. Relief is not objective, but rather subjective or apparent. Temporary belief in the label can have a calming effect, much as a placebo has, to allow understanding to develop over time. Damage follows from pejorative labels or labels that are not eventually set aside as reality prevails. (1081 words)
Wealth does not accomplish goals; people do. Instead of waiting for the sky to drop resources on them, successful people assemble and apply their own resources, the first of which is skill. Cooperation is the preferred process. An improved world is the desired outcome. This article presents three steps you can take to be effective.
Good government is cooperation toward a shared goal. Authoritarianism is excess government, and gridlock is absence of government. In our diverse society, voluntary cooperation moves us forward. Because we are diverse, there is a skill appropriate to every need, assuring that nobody is left out. (1004 words)
Am I a preacher? Am I an atheist? My readers reside in and between both camps. I write to them all, trying to do so in their languages. My personal thought process combines more viewpoints than these. Existence is unitary; our descriptions vary. I write as a future god while I am writing as an atheist, recognizing that my value is not what I write but rather what you think after you read it. (360 words)
Today's article quotes scriptures about equality that contributed significantly to Ernstraudian philosophy, conflating spiritual and material quality of life. Heavenly benefits are available now to those who live the heavenly principles. The article goes on to liken the LDS doctrine of three degrees of glory to the three types of behavior we find on this earth: make things happen, watch things happen, wonder what happened. Theological and humanist expressions can be remarkably equivalent. (348 words)
The Old Testament exposes us to people's efforts to address society's problems. It is not a rigorous historical account of events. It is valuable for philosophical stimulation. Its negative viewpoint on the human condition is counterbalanced by deep discussions of enduring truths. The challenge is to recognize the meaning without bogging down in the painful details. The story of Noah's flood is today's example. Taken literally it is senseless carnage. As an allegory, it teaches the role of the nuclear family. (522 words)
134 Don't wait for a government order: do this now [6 May 2022]
Why is the Carter Center successful? Are you ready to apply your own initiative to making the world better? Here we think through applying your means to human needs. You are more empowered than you think. Taking these steps matches who you are with what needs to be done. You find your meaning. (376 words)
Sometimes freedom is reached by breaking barriers. This article identifies religious barriers, including the fallen-man perspective of the Bible, that hold back enlightenment. The epilogue traces one person's bombshell spiritual journey to freedom. (629 words)
When an atheist explained away God, a theologian responded, "I don't believe in that God, either." Humans have more than a shared planet in common. Typical conflicts are dissolved when people enlarge themselves to comprehend the bigger picture, enfolding each other. It is our privilege to increase happiness by respecting diverse viewpoints. Today's article lays a foundation for peace. (709 words)
If you care about social progress, human dignity, and kindness, I offer you a brief article that encourages humanity. Using today's news story about people and coal-fired electric generation, I take away a battle and create a common cause in which everybody is needed. Saving space here, please click through and read a proposal that urgently cuts our Gordian knot and elevates human dignity. (400 words)
Joe was not a habitual criminal. He was a shoplifter who did not understand how else to support himself. "Get a job" was not an effective order because of his self-limiting beliefs and inability to compete against others. A social safety net was needed to turn him into an appreciated, productive citizen. This article helps you think about your safety net and the role you play in somebody else's. Remember, never say "it cannot be done." (1482 words)
Individuation is shaking off the mold that does not fit. Integrity is clear responsible thinking. Is organized religion an imposed mold? Is there freedom from religion? Is fear ever productive? Do scriptures create the very problem they claim to solve? (552 words)
Why am I here? Where am I going? People ask religion for answers. It might be wiser to reform the questions-particularly, "Am I of value to others?" Happiness is cultivating my relationships rather than my self-appreciation. My meaning emerges from those relationships. This article defends me from a high-demand religion that provides an uncommonly workable platform for me to use in helping others. I don't seek rest; I focus on being helpful forever. (1874 words)
141 Chicago mayoral race impressions [23 Feb 2023]
People in Chicago are responsible for the quality of life in Chicago. Dedicated leaders help in the process according to how well their constituents support their positive directions. Leadership skill focuses the good, but the people carry it out.
142 The beginning of faith - my miracle story [15 Mar 2023]
Some concepts are best delivered in religious language that conveys awe and reverence. My humanism encompasses them fully within my ever-expanding intellectual environment. This story is uplifting without proving divinity of the subject matter. Let us accept life without raising objections. In other words, you don't have to believe in anything to be moved by the human connections.
"Are you sure?" is a useful question we ask of all our observations. Without an affirmative answer, acting on uncertainty is questionable. After an affirmative answer, acting on it is called integrity, living what we believe. Happiness includes putting our beliefs into practice. This article applies the principle to gender and sexuality. (407 words )
Healing calls for discontinuing that which is unhealthy without creating a vacuum. Growth is replacing, not purging. This article expands upon previously identified religious issues and prepares for positive replacements to be presented in the following article. (1461 words )
There are podcasts that criticize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because it teaches eternal human progression through which one becomes able to create worlds. Ernstraud Philosophy posits that we begin creating while we are in the present human state, here and now. From this beginning, our expansion is infinite. (1840 words )
Individual identity requires and therefore implies difference. What you do with that difference makes all the difference [#154]. This article clarifies melding self with other. (409 words )
Present good exceeds mythical future heaven. If my unique self can manifest in a future state, I am already on the road to eternal progression. My nature is forever emerging as I choose how I develop it. (395 words )
My reality necessarily reflects my perception and evaluation of my unique set of experiences. My authentic self is what I think, upon which I act. (664 words )
Described with arch diction, a behavior trait belonging to the simplest social graces is analyzed and found to be an element of momentous cultural significance. What starts lightly becomes deadly serious. (1058 words )
A humanist might recoil at the question "Do you want to be like God?" because of an understanding that being identical to one model might imply that people must be identical to each other, that is, be in unison. Personal belief must not destroy personal individuality. Instead, community requires being in harmony. (388 words )
This article lays out inventing and updating an organization, movement, or process, as illustrated with a Quaker setting. One refines the questions before attempting the answers. The model must be adapted according to current objectives and subject matter. (908 words )
Should we pass a law that requires everybody to be happy? Here are reasons that idea cannot work. Difference is part of happiness. Utopia by commandment is an oxymoron. (635 words)
This article goes deep. If it appears to be gobbledygook, read it again. It contains an ontology that links godhood (power to create) with fundamental existence. (488 words)
Mortal experience consists of people and an environment with infinite options and unlimited possibilities. Positive mind techniques optimize the results of our human efforts to grow individually and in community. (406 words)
Perpetuation of the group concerns both religious and secular institutions. This article expands Article 153 (using the same Quaker setting) to stimulate growth through invention. As we seek "truth," we tend to become stuck in it as if it were a place rather than a developing organism. (704 words)
158 Plato's cave revisited? disappeared? [31 Mar 2024]
Some restrictions are imposed by conditions beyond our control. Others are imposed by limitation of our perception. What we think matters even more than where we are. (675 words)
Let's step away from deep mental homework and turn to deep philosophical recreation: poetry. Below is a call and answer that reveals meaning only if you let go of logic long enough to feel contemplation of the imponderable. As in a koan, terms of ontology or cosmology are collected without the customary connections of logical syntax. (283 words)
Doing the right thing for the right reason characterizes humanists and religious believers alike and blesses all of us. Rainbow colored candles all give the same light. (351 words)
Last archived article is directly above. ^
Articles 161-169 appear on Medium.com. I am in process of moving them here into the blog.
