Beyond Reason
Why are there some things in life that seem beyond rational resolution? I can understand why some people like broccoli and others despise it. There must be a genetic variation in their taste buds. Mystery solved. Other unresolvable issues are less clear. Take hunting. Some people will spend a fortune to buy all kinds of gear and guns to traipse through the woods hoping to find a deer to shoot, preferably one with impressive antlers. Others, like me, prefer to walk without all kinds of gear and weaponry, and if I come across a deer with impressive antlers, the last thing I care to do is shoot it. Why the difference? I don't particularly think shooting a deer is cruel in that I understand most deer die a much more agonizing death---being ripped to pieces by a predator, hit by a car, dying slowly from diseases, etc. If I were starving I would certainly be willing to shoot a deer. Why is this even classified a sport? When is the last time a deer bagged a hunter? A sport to me involves a challenge in which sometimes you win and sometimes your opponent wins. Nevertheless, essentially there is some kind of basic emotional difference here. Maybe this, too, is genetic. It certainly does not seem to be anything which is arrived at by any simple logic. No one taught me to feel the way I do. In my own family my brother loved to hunt, my father was sort of ambivalent, and I never wanted to go hunting.
This whole gun control debate is a classic impasse in human nature. Some fear being in public space where everyone is packing a gun. Others fear being in a public place if they are not packing a gun. I taught university students for years, and I would sure change my teaching style if all the students were packing guns. There are many times in life when someone has to say some pretty harsh things to us before we finally are forced to think through a change in behavior. But again, logic does not prevail. Some love guns and are addicted to guns like addicts to heroin. They never change their minds. I guess they never will. And some think any guns carried outside the home is insanity run amok. I guess they will never change their minds either. Feelings rule. Eventually debate becomes inane and futile.
Some think as long as it is legal for them to smoke or drink alcohol as their recreational drug of choice it is ok for it be illegal for someone else to smoke pot.
Toxicity is never decided by science, but by politicians and majority culture. It makes no difference that many people end up with medical conditions from nicotine or alcohol which kill them, while no one we know dies of medical conditions from the use of marijuana. It hasn't made any difference for 50 years, although there is some movement these days to legalize marijuana. Even so, it is not because drug abuse is being turned over to the medical profession instead of the police, it is because the government needs the money from taxing it. Change for the wrong reason.
Some absolutely love motorcycles and will always love motorcycles. Others have no particular interest in motorcycles. I spotted a motorcycle the other day which made no noise, it just quietly cruised along. We never see that too often because most who ride motorcycles love that loud noise. Interestingly, If we were to play music in our car with the windows open or top down with the sound half as high as a motorcycle makes, we would get ticketed for being a public nuisance. If we let the muffler on our car be that loud we get a ticket. For those who don't have much interest in motorcycles, just wearing a helmet while riding and having limited opportunity to look around at the scenery along the road would be annoying. Those who love motorcycles will say they love the feel of a helmet as they ride along with wind face whipped expressions damaging their hearing with noise way above the safe level. If so, I wonder why they don't wear their helmets in the car to get that 'feeling'. There are not too many days when we can ride motorcycles and not feel uncomfortable from the temp, the wind, rain, etc. But even then, many enjoy the pain and their tolerance to the pain, much as someone who runs a marathon. The pain is open to all in both cases---the marathon and the motorcyclist---they can be any shape, weight, or physical coordination and still do both. I reckon the least talented in either get more pain and discomfort to enjoy. These comments are not made to be sarcastic in any mean sense, because I have already stated these are not activities subject to rational resolution. We like what we like. We dislike what we dislike.
Cars the same way. Some people value cars for a lot more than getting them from place to place. They will spend outrageous amounts of money on an expensive car with an endless thirst for gas. Others, like myself, could care less about a car. Every four years I buy a new car, and it takes me about 3 hrs of one day to do so. I find out what car is relatively inexpensive, gets really good gas mileage and just buy it. I don't feel any less comfortable in my Prius than I would in a Cadillac. Outside of my recliner, the car seat is going to be about the most comfortable seat I will be in all day, regardless of the make. I think the kind of car you drive helps determine social status. Well that is another thing I rarely give much thought to----social status, which is certainly an understatement. Except when I went into a classroom to teach, what good is social status? Some Professors make the egregious mistake of trying to be some sort of 'one of them'---"You can call me Hank" they say as they introduce themselves to the class in rumpled attire. I preferred to set the tone right off the bat, "Let me assure you from the start that I have no prejudice. I hate everyone." In general, if there is not a good reason to be in charge---DON"T. It is easier to be yourself, even if that means a rebel at times, and as long as your actions are for a good cause, not just personal gain, there is really little to lose. The key is to have someone or some group somewhere with the power to protect you from those who try to do you harm. As long as you are not trying to gain personal power or monetary gain for yourself, those involved in such endeavors for power and monetary gain will find you more a nuisance than any serious target for their hostility. They will never like you for forcing them to deal with issues they would rather not, but their real enemies are elsewhere---someone, from some direction, is gaining on them.
Golf. Now there is a sport that people either become real addicted to, and spend a lot of time and money on, or find it a total bore. I call it a good walk spoiled. And, they even watch it on TV. While I find this amazing it is simply another example of an activity which is beyond rationale discussion. It is not irrational to do something which you really like to do, and if it is not injurious to others, there is no fault to be had. We like what we like. We dislike what we dislike.
Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. The feelings that attend towards each of them are beyond rationality. The detractors of each have irrational emotions. If we dislike Sarah we consider her a mindless scatterbrain who preys on people's prejudices to stir them up. If this is true how would she ever get enough votes to get elected? If we dislike Obama we consider him the devil incarnate who would would challenge us with changes we fear or hate. How many people ever change their politics that much? Not that many. I am in the minority and have changed my politics and religion a lot since youth. But then, predictability has never been my forte. My father used to say to my mother, "Let Reid be Reid, he will anyway."
Nutrition. Never in modern American history has anecdotal medicine been so popular. And it is a good thing this is so. There are precious few American industries which prosper these days outside the military industrial complex, and the nutrition business is one. Rarely do these 'anecdotal' practitioners do any harm unless they fail to get their patients to legitimate medical personnel for obvious medical problems like heart conditions, cancer, etc. And sometimes anecdotal medicine can work. Other times, if we believe something can help us, often it really does. The point is, if someone believes, for example, that a particular herb is good for them, so be it. The worst it can do is waste their money. Most people seriously into anecdotal medicine eat healthy, watch their weight, and exercise. So they are not the big problem health wise in this country. It is those who pay no attention to their health, period, who are the problem. For the record, the U. S. does not lead the way in longevity, health care, healthiness, healthy eating, etc. Then again, we do continue to live longer and longer, mostly because with modern medical equipment and drugs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to die. What some people want to go through, or are forced to go through in order to die always amazes me. There simply is no logical rationale for it---if we have had enough, we have had enough.
Smoking. We all know that nicotine, for some people, can be extremely addictive.
No amount of reason will usually enable them to stop. Dying slowly from suffocating to death is not the most pleasant way to go. Many of these people who keep smoking are not dumb. They just can't stop.
Music tastes. Whenever someone says "I can't stand _________ (this or that kind of music) I wonder what that is suppose to prove? Arguing about music is just about the dumbest argument imaginable. We like what we like. Now why we like what we like is a bit tricky. In general, old people rarely like the music young people like.
And old people will always say, for current music, it is less easy to understand the words. When they hear the good ole "oldies" it is always so much more clear. Of course the words are clear, we are already familiar with them in our memory bank. My mother used to say, "Why do people mumble so much these days?" And nothing could convince her it was her hearing, that people were not mumbling. I grew up in the northeast where country music was not popular at all, but it was popular in my rural little neighborhood and while I no longer like modern country music I still love the oldies. I think environment has a lot to do with music tastes. I have a suspicion had I grown up in another neighborhood I would not probably like country music. People say, "How can an educated person as you like country music?" I have no answer, I just do. And I feel no pressure to pretend otherwise. It is ok to be 'low class' if it doesn't hurt anyone else.
Gay marriage---This is proving to be a most interesting bias. Interesting in that such a strong bias seems to be melting away at a record pace. The logic and ethics has always been there. If we want ourselves to choose with whom we marry, then it is illogical and unethical to deny others the same choice as long as we are dealing with adults. Of course we are entitled to feel or believe that God is opposed to that, but then God is probably capable of meting out any punishment. It is kind of silly for a married couple to believe their own marriage is affected by letting gays marry. I guess the argument is that the 'sanctity of marriage' is being tarnished. Really, when a preacher says during a marriage ceremony, "Let no man put asunder what God has put together" is kind of farcical. Half of marriages end up in divorces. I don't think God is that bad a match maker. God, by definition, would have a much higher batting average. Some issues are a matter of freedom for all, more so than one of right and wrong. If the government can decide who can marry who, then why can't it decide which sex acts are permissible? And finally, all of us have unique and strong emotional reactions to varied sex acts. That's just the way it is and it is rare that such feelings were acquired by some pervert luring us into the bushes. The bedroom is probably an excellent place to give up on logic and just make sure it is consensual sex. The best historical comment is still one of the best: "I don't care what they do as long as they don't do it in the streets and scare the horses."
Well the list goes on and on, but even for me this is enough. Life is good circus. Bring on the clowns. Never mind, they're already here.
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