[lbo-talk] Re: Conflict is Good

Bill Bartlett billbartlett at dodo.com.au
Thu Oct 23 17:34:21 PDT 2003


At 4:18 PM -0400 23/10/03, BklynMagus wrote:


>Individuals will compete so long as they continue to believe in a
>model of human nature that accepts the proposition of the discrete
>individual (necessary for housing the soul). Such an individual is
>defined as a matrix of desires; the goal of this individual is the
>satisfaction of those desires: a bigger tv set, an extra week of
>vacation, living in a more spacious house, etc. We are successful
>when our desires are met and failures when they are not. Success is
>enhanced when the desire successfully filled is for an
>obscure/scarce/luxury item/object. The result of this bizarre
>misapprehension of reality is that we manufacture scarcity, conflict
>and competition.
>
>To paraphrase Descartes, we live in a society where the motto is "I
>want, therefore I am."
>
>My own corollary: "The more I want, the more I am."

But the more you desire, the less likely you are to be able to achieve success. The less you desire, the more attainable your goals and hence the more likely you will be to achieve them all. In fact that seems to be the logical option to achieve success. Ultimate success can be achieved simply by adapting your desires to what you already have, even if that is nothing.

Why do things the hard way?

Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas



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