💾 Archived View for tilde.pink › ~bencollver captured on 2022-03-01 at 15:04:53. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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I might try to describe or explain who i am and where i am coming
from. This can be taken as a deeply metaphysical and philosophical
topic, but i will try to keep it real and stay grounded.
As an "accident of birth," my ancestry is neither a source of pride
nor of shame. My ancestors were Puritans. One nice thing about having
puritanical ancestors is that they left a paper trail. I can read
what my ancestors wrote. Another positive inheritance is their
idealism and zeal, which shows through the writings of their
transcendentalist offspring.
"Accident of birth" explanation
On MB tests i consistently score either INFJ or ISFJ. I spend a lot
of time reading, so literature has a huge influence on how i view the
world. I seem to fit in well with people who self-describe as
"aspies." Learning is prominent in my hierarchy of values and i view
it as my saving grace. This helps me to be open to people who are
different from me, and to avoid getting stuck in pitfalls such as
addiction. Another prominent value is self-determination. Another
prominent value is nature. I view nature as right and good, even the
parts that we may judge to be harsh.
One friend tells me that attachment to wonderful ideas will form
beliefs, and over time beliefs solidify into identities. In my
opinion beliefs are natural, and therefore good. However, we CAN
have too much of a good thing. The key is to find an appropriate
balance, to stay centered with our inner self, and to stay grounded
with our planetary existence. This does not happen automatically!
Nobody else will do it for us, so we must maintain our practice along
with other personal practices such as oral hygiene.
My ethics go something like this:
1) Don't try to harm others. Avoid causing pain.
2) Do try to help others. Seek the greater good.
3) Be honest. Remember that there are many levels of honesty.
4) Be prepared to learn. Learning is worth more than money.
5) Work within your sphere of influence. Don't worry about the rest.
6) Assume responsibility for yourself, but not for others.
7) Be careful what you wish for. Your thoughts and words are powerful.
My politics are complicated. I intensely dislike propaganda and
groupthink because i value dignity, freedom, and intellectual
honesty. I believe that i, and the people around me, have a
heightened awareness of our differences. In other words, yes we are
different, but our differences don't mean what we think they mean.
When we make mountains out of molehills, we hurt more than we help.
When we obscure our own vision with imaginary mountains, we lose
sight of a more universal Truth. This narrow vision can subvert even
evidence-based policies, because we are the ones who decide which
evidence is worth considering. So in my politics it is crucially
important to build self-trust. This will enable you to remain true
to yourself even while learning where others are coming from, and in
spite of misinformation and secrecy.
I'll skip religion and deal instead with my spirituality. I am a
mystic. This is synonymous with what inspires me, what my internal
essence resonates with, what brings me joy, and what makes my life
worth living. As you can probably guess from my values, i enjoy
learning, nature, and reading. But what really makes my life worth
living is connection with family, friends, and with the source of my
being. This takes many forms, but my "love language" is quality
time.
Well, that covers ancestry, personality type, values, beliefs,
ethics, politics, and "religion". If you would like to know me
better, then i warmly invite you to email questions to me.
Email: bencollver at riseup dot net
Earth-Planet, Universe
