Infinite Inquiry #3

If there is one thing that people of all stripes seem to have in common, it is their opposition for the concept of a “one world government.”

Why?

I have come to the conclusion that the only argument for why people feel this way is: they’ve been told that it is wrong, even evil.

Why?

I imagine that those who have advocated for a single world government in the past have done so violently and to their own ends.

Why?

People are inherently selfish.

Why?

It’s a primitive survival tool.

Why?

At the most base biological level, selfishness allows for increased personal gain, but only to a point.

Why?

Selfishness is limiting, and prevents a species from the greater overall success achieved by social interaction.

Why?

A group can achieve more by working together than the sum total of the individuals, had they worked independently.

Why?

It’s honestly far too complex for one sentence, but perhaps the biggest factors are division of labor and specialization.

Why?

People are largely the same, but they can be molded to do different things with education, training, and other forms of socialization.

Why?

People are largely a product of their environment, especially as children.

Why?

I imagine it increases survival, and is perhaps humanity’s strongest adaptation.

Why?

Being prepared for many different environments allows us to flourish.

Why?

Through ingenuity – which is often derived through painful trial and error – we have been able to overcome even the rigors of space.

Why?

When large groups of people work together as a whole, greater things can be accomplished than when individuals or even small groups work in isolation.

Why?

Groups are more productive and more efficient, so more wonderful and more terrible things are possible, but the risk of gain far outpaces the risk of loss.

Why?

There is ample evidence in the form of tribal people who are still living stone age lifestyles that progress is not a given, that advancements are not accidents, and that large social structures are every bit as responsible for the accomplishments and horrors of modern society as the individuals they produce.

Why?

The more ideas pooled and people enfranchised, and the fewer people who are deemed unimportant outsiders (i.e. “foreigners”), the better society functions.

Why?

Creating differences with our vocabulary and identity erects barriers which only pen us in like animals, and even fails in their intended purpose of protecting us from the feared outsiders.

Why?

Competition is overrated, and cooperation leads to limitless potential.

Why?

Competition requires vast expenditures of time, energy, and money on frivolous and often deadly activities.

Why?

In competition, might makes right, but in cooperation, all are in heated debate over what is right.

Why?

This is the nature of these two systems.

Why?

Competition is inherently animalistic, down to simple reptiles or even amoebas, while cooperation is a later, more complex adaptation of higher organisms (especially present in mammals).

Why?

Competition can exist without cooperation, though cooperation cannot exist without competition.

Why?

Even when organisms cooperate, there is competition, though it is usually mitigated by restraint.

Why?

I don’t know.

Infinite Inquiry #2

I dislike the south.

Why?

Where to begin… let’s start with Jesus billboards.

Why?

I found them patently inappropriate, especially the one that suggested I might die at any minute.

Why?

I shouldn’t be told I’m damned for eternity just because I wanted to take a drive and a church wants more asses in the pews.

Why?

Christians bitch and moan about atheist billboards, and they even vandalize them, leading me to believe I need to vandalize their billboards.

Why?

Christians believe that we should do unto others as we would have done unto ourselves.

Why?

I’m assuming when Jesus said that, he assumed people wouldn’t take that to mean, “Be rude to other people in my name.”

Why?

The Jesus as recorded in the gospels is not that kind of jerk.

Why?

There are not many things attributed to Jesus that are very offensive.

Why?

Probably a little artistic license.

Why?

It’s not like the people who wrote the Bible ever met Jesus.

Why?

It’s just a well established fact that the earliest New Testament writings were done long after the fact.

Why?

The earliest are the works of Paul, who admits to having never met Jesus.

Why?

I guess it’s easier to explain the inconsistencies that way.

Why?

Well, if Paul never met Jesus, that would account for why he has a very loose interpretation of Jesus.

Why?

It’s not enough to read about a guy based on his fans, because you cannot truly understand someone until you get to know them personally.

Why?

Human beings are not objective witnesses.

Why?

Primarily, our memory is imperfect, and we also have a tendency to lie or exaggerate.

Why?

We humans often let emotions get the best of us.

Why?

We are beings of chemistry, and emotional responses are chemical signals that influence our thought process and behavior.

Why?

Humans are merely bags of chemicals, not puppets controlled by flawless and perfect souls.

Why?

I don’t know, I guess that’s the best life could offer.

Why?

Several billion years isn’t enough time to create the perfect sentient being through natural selection.

Why?

I don’t know.

Infinite Inquiry #1

This is an exercise I do from time to time in my head, and I figured I’d write a couple down. The idea is, I start with a statement or question which I answer briefly, and then I keep asking myself “Why?” until I can’t come up with a succinct answer. I also call this the “Virtual 3-year-old” game.

I have to move to the south.

Why?

My wife got a job as a professor at a university there.

Why?

She worked very hard for years, studying people.

Why?

I guess she’s just kind of nosey, and has to know everything.

Why?

For her, it’s not enough to just pretend you know what you’re talking about.

Why?

Probably because she’s not a Republican.

Why?

She doesn’t loathe women’s rights, gay people, or foreigners.

Why?

She’s not a complete prick.

Why?

Her parents may have been mean at times, but they did a decent job of making her tolerant.

Why?

I bet it comes from being raised Jewish.

Why?

Jewish people are technically outsiders, even though I know people claim this is a “Judeo-Christian” culture.

Why?

Apparently accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is a big deal to Americans.

Why?

Maybe because Americans are so fat and unhealthy, they’ve given up on their bodies and are trying to save their souls.

Why?

It’s miserable to have nothing going for you, so I’m sure imagining one’s spiritual self as apart from this filthy, sweaty, smelly, leathery bag of meat that we trudge through life with is appealing.

Why?

We’d all like to believe there’s something more to us.

Why?

Most of us aren’t that impressive.

Why?

Probably a combination of people being difficult to please and the sheer number of us means we have some interesting abnormalities with which to compare ourselves.

Why?

Never being happy with what you have is evolutionarily beneficial, as it drives us to improve.

Why?

Those who are content will not change, while those who are discontent are apt to innovate.

Why?

Those who are happy have no interest in changing things, while those who are unhappy have something to gain and nothing to lose by trying new things.

Why?

People like to be happy, but they don’t like to be unhappy.

Why?

Most people are pleasure seekers, not masochists.

Why?

Honestly… I have no idea. I know I prefer pleasure over pain, but I can’t exactly say why.