TOPIC: what philosophy you live by

What is YOUR philosophy on life?

In other words, what do you live life by? Do you follow the Jedi Code, Sith, Grey? Do you have your own personal set of principals? Are they static, or are they living, breathing evolving concepts? et cetera...

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Here are my own:

I don't make anything too complex in my life. And at their very foundation, my philosophy is quite simplex...

I practice the interdependence and the balancing of 3 aspects: mind, body and spirit.

Mind
Mathematics, logic, reasoning, etc. I pursue the study of various sciences, and the study of the visual world. It means being rational about the things I can see and touch. It must be measurable an reasonably quantifiable.

This is mostly seen in what I do for my career, as I am a CAD designer, often working on consumer electronics.


Body
Athleticism. Pushing and growing my physical body to its limits. My body is the vessel used to navigate the physical world, It is my responsibility to keep that body in check, and making sure I can defend and protect it.

I study Krav Maga, and join local workout bootcamps to compliment that. It's fun, keeps me in shape, and I am learning to defend myself in this crazy insane world. I am also beginning my training in firearms, and now I want to get back into studying Kenjutsu techniques for swordsmanship. It will also help my saber combat skills!

Spirit
Art, creativity, imagination, intuition and feeling. I do my best to be an artist, and love to push my creativity to the limits. Creating cool looking designs for new products has always been my thing and is why I am an industrial designer.

Also, meditation and practicing mindfulness is important to me. I am selfless and help others the best I can, but I do not sacrifice my own happiness when doing so. I am inspired by things like the Tenets of Taekwon Do: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit.


This balance forms my foundational triad. ▲
there are also 3 secondary "mixed" aspects (Much like a color wheel).▼

I'm only explaining the foundation here, but it follows a geometric structure.


Anyway, that's it for me. Other than that, I'm just your ordinary nerd.

Cool question.

I am Libertarian.

I believe people should learn to control themselves, not others.

In Liberty, there is choice.
in choice there is learning.
in learning there is growth.
In growth there is happiness.
In happiness there is peace.


In Compulsion there is force,
In force there is cruelty.
In cruelty there is inequality .
In inequality there is slavery.
In slavery there is rebellion.
In rebellion there is war.
In war there is misery.

I am almost 50. A father of 3 sons. A Husband to one wife (25 yrs) I am religious, Christian, and Mormon. I have a few degrees, but the degree I am most proud of is my degree from the school of hard knocks. Pain has been my teacher. I had the freedom to choose to be bitter or learn and grow. I also believe we can find truth anywhere if we are looking. The key is to lift your head and look for it. My favorite SW movie was Empire strikes back for the awesome, powerful lessons Yoda taught Luke, but Luke wasn't getting.

Hmmmm.....that's a tough one. I suppose I live a philosophy of blunt brutal honesty tempered with empathy, and a desire to help others. I always let folks know that if they don't want to know what I think then don't ask. I have a natural way of seeing what's wrong and helping to fix it. If burned I can eventually forgive, but I will never forget.

Shiz wrote:
Well said, Shiz. I'm all about that.

Simply:

Remember,,, there is no spoon!

Basically... Science or GTFO.

By that, I mean follow the data. Go with what works. Whenever possible, test or measure instead of guessing. Get rid of beliefs which aren't backed by evidence, and make the strength of each belief proportional to the strength of the evidence. Quantified uncertainty via Bayesian rationality.

Being wrong isn't a thing to avoid or feel bad about. It's an opportunity to learn. We should constantly seek evidence which contradicts our beliefs, and update those beliefs based on the new evidence, because it can help us be less and less wrong over time.

Results matter more than intentions... except in matters of love.
Edit (clarification): I mean, on a personal level, good intentions are good enough. But on a larger scale, what matters is that you get the job done.

Instead of asking everyone to swim upstream and be better people, I'd much rather take a systemic approach and redirect the stream to flow in the right direction by default.

Time is a limited resource, to ideally be spent in ways which are effective instead of wasteful. So, it's not very useful to worry about one-in-a-million chances when we have plenty of more common risks and opportunities to handle. Not much point spending time on things which are unlikely to work. But playing is a worthwhile activity, and that's why I'm here -- because what is the point of life if we don't enjoy it?

As a guide for ethical matters... I find inherent value in sentient beings, and in the things sentient beings care about. I think we're all in this together so I consider all sentient beings to be part of my "tribe". There isn't an "us" and a "them"; it's just us.

I have a green saber because I'm a peaceful sort who greatly prefers to learn and negotiate instead of fighting. I respect the straight shooters who use a blue saber, but personally am more inclined toward the occasional application of a purple saber style -- getting things done quickly even if it involves questionable tactics. Of course, this is all arguably more about aesthetics than meaning, and many other colors look cool too. I enjoy a full rainbow.

Jaden Korr wrote:
THE BEST!

I live by a philosophy which is best summarized in a quote from The Flash, Vol. 1.

"Life is locomotion... if you're not moving, you're not living. But there comes a time when you've got to stop running away from things... and you've got to start running towards something. You've got to forge ahead. Keep moving. Even if your path isn't lit... trust that you'll find your way."

So in essence, don't allow yourself to become bogged down by the mistakes of your past. Always look ahead and build a better future for yourself. Or as my small nieces like to keep reminding me.. "just keep swimming."

Just like a Circle.

I live my life based on logic. If it makes no sense, either change your ways, or get out of my way. I find myself frustrated by the overwhelming amounts of idiots in our society today who can't just stop for a few seconds and think before they let any piece of nonsensical garbage fall from their lips. That being said, I am also a firm believer free speech. Everyone has opinions. It's human nature to form them. If you don't like something about me, fine. I don't allow anybody's words to offend me. I know that they have their own opinions and I respect that. I only take issue if one acts on their opinions in a negative way. Think what you want, but as soon as you harm someone because of your opinions, there is a problem.

I guess mine is pretty simple
Don't always look toward the dark for the light shines
Or more simple don't look at the negative all the time or you will never be happy

My entire identity is Christian. Everything else I had put hope and/or faith and/or love in would fail at some point or another: knowledge, money, human relationship, things, science, etc.. All of those would eventually leave me wanting more and more and would not fulfill me. Others may have found a psychological, philosophical, or theological justification which satisfies their yearning, but I could not find that end outside of my beliefs.

I strive to be at peace with all men/women where I am able and also extend love and kindness to anyone I come into contact with. I believe taking care of one's body is undervalued greatly in our society (look to any food advertising; salads aren't easy to sell like ice cream or McDonalds!!), and I also feel being thankful for what we do have is better than focusing on what we don't have. Some of the most joyous and fulfilled individuals I have come into contact with aren't living in mansions; the simpler life seems to leave less room for distraction and more room for laughter, relationship, adventure, and love. I am not a hippie, but I feel we as individuals should draw boundaries on what we will spend our time on/with since time is the only resource we can't get back. I am not figured out or put together at all and some would say my life is a mess, but that's why I love Christianity; God invites, loves, forgives, restores, and transforms messed up people to be a part of His plan and that is pretty beautiful.

Any who, those are my two cents.

I live based on freedom and self-reliance, free of corruption. If you want something, you have to go out there and work for it. If I've earned something that you covet, I'm not giving away what I've got to you because you ask nicely. You'll have to work to get what you want yourself. I've put blood, sweat, tears and actual spirit into where I am now, and if I can barely deal with my own problems, then I have no business dealing with someone else's.

I also believe in free will. Liberty is man's God-given right. All people deserve freedom and the ability to make their own decisions. I'm not talking in a corrupt, extremist way. People deserve to have a say, but when they become corrupt and their ideals become a dogma, leading to fanaticism, then they become a problem. Liberty is good. Corrupt liberty is evil.