Thoughts for today Jan. 20th, 2017

On By Swarn GillIn Commentary, Philosophy, Politics

Many of my friends have had great things to say today. I have felt fairly empty lately.  Empty of creativity, or anything wise to say.  A lot of intellectual energy has been focused on keeping down a background of feeling of worry and dread for what’s to come in this country I have made my home.

Watching this video gave me pause for thought. They are old words, which have relevance today. But what it made me think of is that there is much in this universe that is bigger than I am. The events that led to Trump being elected, and the events that follow…may well beyond my control. There are maybe only a handful of causes that I can be active in, and I will fight and stand up for those who may fall under oppression and to those who people in power are denying them their humanity. I will always try to be more than I am, but I’ve realized that what I am today is also important.

I am a scientist.  The scientific method is simply the best tool we have for knowing, and well humans utilizing it may make mistakes, it is more reliable than anything I know.  I will continue to re-evaluate my views, and defend my views through the vehicle of science.  Introspection and advocating effecting methods for discovering our universe is a way out of the darkness.

I am an educator.  The reason I became one is because I love learning, and I love thinking about things.  I need to make sure to continue to pass that on through my job.  Curiosity and learning are wonderful and fundamental human qualities.  It is a way out of the darkness.

I am a husband.  I have this amazing wife who is strong, capable, and compassionate.  She doesn’t let herself be guided by convention or rules placed on her by society.  I am simply better because of her.  She reminds me that whether we are different by gender, or by race, we are better together.  Humans survive through cooperation.  It is a way out of the darkness.

I am a father.  As I watch my son grow, I know exactly what humanity is.  We are affectionate, we are kind, we play, we learn, and we love.  As a species we have propagated over countless generations.  Everybody is part of a family.  And we are all the same species, thus we all share so much and spend too much time focusing on the differences.  Children are the future, and if I falter as a father, I am also not doing what I can to make the world a better place.   The beauty and innocence of children is a way out of the darkness.

The history of humanity is long.  The Earth much longer.  I live in a small point in time and space, and even in the context of human history there is only so much I can do.  And most important is that I do it well.  Throughout history there has been great suffering, there has been great inequality and those places of suffering and joys have moved around to different parts of the globe and it’s still happening.  It could simply be our turn.  But there have always been good people in the worst of places, because most people are good.  It is their nature to be so.  If a social species evolved any other way, we simply would not be here today.

Alone I would not be the person I am today.  If I am proud of who I am, and if I am considered a good person, it is the people along the way that have made me so, and I am grateful to you all.  Stay vigilant and strong and I shall do the same.

21 thoughts on “Thoughts for today Jan. 20th, 2017”

      1. Hahaha… true. My guess is that we will ALL be put through a vast spectrum of human emotions, some we never knew we had! 😛 Here’s another soothing one I’m listening to repeatedly. Victoria-NeuroNotes introduced me to them… and I’m so very glad she did! ❤

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      2. Yes! Brilliant song. And a superb post that rallies low hearts on this, of all days. Well said Swarn, stay smiling, and stay strong in the love that does surround you. Watch V for Vendetta too, I generally find that helps.

        – esme linking arms with Swarn, Victoria, H and Professor Taboo upon the Cloud

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  2. Swarn, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, and for your love and friendship. I am a better person because of our relationship — because of you. I resonate with what you wrote about feeling fairly empty lately, but I have not lost hope for humanity — for this country. I also disagree, to some extent, with the video. I don’t think the “United” States was ever a true democracy. A true democracy protects and maintains the principles of social stability, human rights, gender equality and economic prosperity for all. We were getting there. I also don’t think a true democracy would repeal itself if the aforementioned were genuinely realized and upheld by all citizens.

    Anyway, like you, I think most people are good — prosocial. I made this video 5 years ago when I was just learning how to make YT videos. You’ve seen it before, but it seems appropriate to share here, given the inspiring message in your heartfelt post. ❤

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    1. Thank you Victoria. And this video is wonderful.

      I agree with you that I don’t think we ever truly had a democracy, but perhaps Plato didn’t either. Because I agree with you that it’s not clear that a true democracy would do that to itself. I guess what the video made me realize is that these patterns are something that have been observed for a long time and the dangers is certain social patterns can re-emerge. But I do feel like we have progressed morally as a people over the long course of our civilization and so these patterns do get broken…but maybe it’s more like a damped oscillation…something that approaches a happy equilibrium over the long expanse of time.

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  4. Ahh, Swarn – you are Awake. And that’s all we can ‘do’ about so much of this. Just be mindful, awake, aware and yes, mindful of the collective, even if that collective is our family of three.

    “The events that led to Trump being elected, and the events that follow…may well beyond my control. There are maybe only a handful of causes that I can be active in, and I will fight and stand up for those who may fall under oppression and to those who people in power are denying them their humanity. I will always try to be more than I am, but I’ve realized that what I am today is also important.” Key, this.

    “Humans survive through cooperation. It is a way out of the darkness.” Again, Bingo.

    We need scientists and linear thinkers who are able to state and re-state what is obvious. To prove it to the disbelievers, though there will always be those who refuse reason. We need artists and ponderers of Mystery to push the boundaries of what is known on a nonlinear level. I think the marriage of science and mystery birthed Quantum Physics, for example. It also allows us to envision a world free from pollution and hunger, giving rise to sustainable solutions. But without science, these dreams remain as mist behind the eyelids, collecting into a pool of unacted-upon fantasies.

    Great post, Swarn. So much for stifled creativity 😉 Ya done good.

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    1. Thank you very much Bela, I appreciate it! I agree with you that a marriage of logic and reason must take place in tandem with creative thinkers pushing the boundaries what is possible. “Alternative facts” could be said to be creative, lying is nothing new. 🙂

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