When you imagine looking at people on earth as a spectator. Looking at mankind…
What do you picture as not looking pathetic? This idea runs deep. Because it seems to unlock how pathetic most things we think are important are… but why?
For sake of time, the only people I’d imagine not looking pathetic are those who are stopping to ask questions, those who are helping others, and most things that are selfless…
If we could I want to discuss this idea. We play god in this forum, we are gods looking at mankind and ourselves. Does the idea of what we find not to look totally dumb have any philosophical value?
I’m not sure I understand what you mean here, but I certainly have a vision of mankind that I would definitely not call “pathetic” - it’s more of an ideal, though, and not necessarily the way mankind actually is.
My vision is of a global culture whose approach to life is to live it as though each one, on his or her own, was playing the star roll in the movie about their own lives - that is, to approach life as though it were a drama. Of course, no one gets to simply “make it up” - as in, live in a fantasy world - every element in this drama, everything and every event that takes part, must be actual, must be real. At the same time, however, nothing is predestined for you. You are not “stuck” in anything. As the protagonist, you make things up as you go, but you make them up in the world that has been given to you - with the props, the backdrop, the special effects, and all the other actors. The perfect actor is the one who gets completely lost in the roll, and takes the drama to truly be reality and her character to be her true identity. You can call the director “God” if you want, or you can call it the “universe”, or as I like to call it (in this context, at least) the “other”, but he (she? it?) has no rules for you to follow - no script - all he (she? it?) demands of you is that you give a great peformance, such that if there were an audience of angels and demons watching you, you would bring them to tears. How you do so is up to you - its fully improvised.
What im’ discussing is if there is any truth or answer in imagining being a spectator of human life on earth. Of course thinking about this takes more than a quick glance, you have to ‘really’ think about it. Really think about the hobbies we find so important or our jobs. What things do you see that still hold dignity? Musicians, celebrities, people playing video games, people in work trances. If you came to look down upon human life what kind of person would you find intellectually worth your time? Who would seem the most respectable? I’m only wondering if this idea of perspective has any value to it. Maybe it’s different for everyone, but I have a hunch maybe it isn’t. Its as if you imagine an ant colony. Looking at the ants you feel you know something they don’t while their humbling working away at something that won’t even last. If an ant stopped and looked up it would seem more like it was being itself, and not a zombie. People can’t look up at the sky all the time and ask answers, we wouldn’t get anywhere. But as a spectator that activity seems to be the most respectful.
I’m curious on this subject. It would have been nice if I had gotten more people interested or if someone would mention that a philosopher had ever pondered this issue before. Looks like nobody is interested in this, shame.
People who know what they are. People who are proud of themselves, have confidence, and get what they want. They do not wallow in helplessness, they do not run in circles, they are not mired in neuroses. Although acting toward selfish goals doesn’t make one joyous, and lack of joy is also rather pathetic. People who think big and do big things are not pathetic. People who are even content but not doing anything special run the risk of being a part of the problem. Some other things that aren’t pathetic… health, strength, courage, and free-spirited acts.