Thursday, March 29, 2007
means and the end
"Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at;.." Henry David Thoreau.
This quote is found in the Economy section of Walden. This passage really encouraged me as i was again pondering if i was going crazy. I ask myself questions like why are people's work and their lives so separate. I believe it is a negative result of seeking the end of "happiness" instead of joy. In other words the pursuit of an easier life becomes a higher value than doing what is right. I know some are reading this and saying "what is right? it depends on the person." The belief that right and wrong are relative are not new but have recently gained popularity. I am not sure if it is a symptom of seeking happiness as our chief end or the cause. I mean are we rationalizing absolute truth out of the equation so that we can seek happiness guilt free, without the nagging "important things" getting in the way? Or is our belief that there really is no right or wrong the presupposition that logically leads to our selfishness?
This quote is found in the Economy section of Walden. This passage really encouraged me as i was again pondering if i was going crazy. I ask myself questions like why are people's work and their lives so separate. I believe it is a negative result of seeking the end of "happiness" instead of joy. In other words the pursuit of an easier life becomes a higher value than doing what is right. I know some are reading this and saying "what is right? it depends on the person." The belief that right and wrong are relative are not new but have recently gained popularity. I am not sure if it is a symptom of seeking happiness as our chief end or the cause. I mean are we rationalizing absolute truth out of the equation so that we can seek happiness guilt free, without the nagging "important things" getting in the way? Or is our belief that there really is no right or wrong the presupposition that logically leads to our selfishness?
hd 8:31 PM