After much work, I have finally finished my book. I am at the next step which
is find a publisher. I read that some books are rejected by 100 plus publishers
before they are published. I paid an editor 700 bucks and she whacked off
almost 10,000 words. Better less then more.
BTW, my book is non fiction and not really political but a look at the questions in our lives.
As this looks like book one of a series, I shall begin book
two as soon as I print out two copies to send out to publishers.
Perhaps the reason we are having problems is we are asking the wrong questions!
We ask the question, which economic system has private concerns do things because
it can do them, better, cheaper and more efficiently then the government?
We have answer that question with capitalism. But what if the question is wrong!
If we ask the question, which economic system is the fairest, most just, most equitable
economic system? Suddenly, capitalism is no longer the right answer. The right answer becomes
communism or some varation of it.
My books motto is a quote from Nietzsche,
“A very popular error: having the courage of one’s conviction;
rather it is a matter of having the courage for an attack on one’s conviction”
We must begin asking different questions because the answers so far haven’t
gotten us that far. And that is what I do, ask different questions. And because my questions are
different, I have a different conclusion for us.
“Peter Kropotkin: If we ask the question, which economic system is the fairest, most just, most equitable
economic system? Suddenly, capitalism is no longer the right answer. The right answer becomes
communism or some varation of it.”
Churro the Viscous: I’d like to see that proven.
I’ve never thought of communism as fair or just.
As a matter of fact, I’ve thought just the opposite.
But, perhaps it is."
K: It is not about the answer right now, but about asking the right question.
Are you asking the right question? Not just me, but yourself.
Peter Kropotkin or really Nietzsche:“A very popular error: having the courage of one’s conviction;
rather it is a matter of having the courage for an attack on one’s conviction”
Churro: In the context in which it appears, what does this quote mean?
K: I think the question stands for itself.
Churro: The willingness to accept that you might be wrong?
Or just the willingness to endure an attack without questioning your conviction?"
K: Might I be wrong, is simply another question. Are my convictions wrong?
How will I know? Only by attacking them, can you really know if you are right or wrong.
Questioning convictions is what he means.
Carleas: I’m impressed. I have bookish aspirations myself. How long did it take you?"
K: took about a year from start to today. I have no idea how long the publishing aspect of it
will take. I have a full time job, thus I wrote on my days off and in the morning when I had to work
in the afternoon. It is very hard to maintain focus when you cannot devote full time to the writing
of a book. You have to be very determined to make it work. You have to be prepared to put off everything
and everyone to work on the book. The book must come first, everything else second and that is tough on
your personal life. I am married and it was tough on married life. But I have to do what I have to do.
Peter Kropotkin: It is not about the answer right now, but about asking the right question.
Are you asking the right question? Not just me, but yourself.
Churro: My question right now is, “How pertinent is it to ask the right questions?
Or is it rather important that we’re asking questions at all?”
All of life to me seems to revolve around a few related things:
Increasing Pleasure
Decreasing Pain
Satisfying Drives
K: Your questions have lead you to your answers.
Churro: I have found nothing in human existence that is not related to those goals.
That being the case, I have a relatively pessimistic view of human life:
It’s pretty much meaningless, or at most it’s meaning is self-refferential, circular and tautological.
(That’s redundant, huh?)
K: So challenge your answers by challenging your questions.
Churro: So, from the premise that there is no objective meaning, and everything in life revolves around those three goals I stated above, I conclude that “asking the right questions” is both an ambiguous statement (what’s right?) and a superfluous goal; one instead should be asking, “How do I reach those three goals?”
K: You have changed your question and got a different answer.