Equanimity?

[Kumar]

I was trying to imagine the people who live a harsh existence - how they find their center. Maybe you didn't understand me. For them, nature's balance is the malaria mosquito, the drought, the bug-eyed children with swollen bellies. Their mere existence is a testament to equanimity in its severest incarnations.

When imbalance prevail disparities or odd conditions also prevail. People you are indicating are on lesser side of imbalance so to achieve balance they would have to try to improve themselves by adding the means.

[wynn]

To be equaminious, I think equanamity should have an absolute & gernalized sense instead of selfish or one sided sense.

Such "absolute and generalized" equanimity would come at the expense of the wellbeing of the one trying to have that equanimity.
That kind of equanimity would be a kind of insanity.

[elte]

Kumar, I've been experiencing too little "Live and let live" a lot lately, so thanks for mentioning it.

[Kumar]

Such "absolute and generalized" equanimity would come at the expense of the wellbeing of the one trying to have that equanimity.
That kind of equanimity would be a kind of insanity.

Whatever to balance. Truth will remain truth.

[Kumar]

Kumar, I've been experiencing too little "Live and let live" a lot lately, so thanks for mentioning it.

Good. Do regard every live being as you do to yourself.

[sigurdV]

Good. Do regard every live being as you do to yourself.

Hi Kumar how are you doing?

Elsewhere I made the trivial observation that
succesful communication presupposes three components:

1 A shared medium.
2 A shared logic
3 A shared manner.

I think eastern philosophies is under developed as to medium and logic,
and are almost exclusively concerned with manners.
Its nothing intrinsically wrong with that,
but the border between religion and philosophy may get fuzzy.

So, tell me , why should we adopt a certain manner?

[wynn]

Whatever to balance. Truth will remain truth.

And a useless trusim is a useless truism.

Good. Do regard every live being as you do to yourself.

Note that some beings do not want to be treated the way you want to be treated.

[wynn]

I think eastern philosophies is under developed as to medium and logic,
and are almost exclusively concerned with manners.

Now that's an interesting observation!

I agree that some Eastern philosophies/religions are characteristically less intrusive than Western ones.

I don't think they are "underdeveloped" as to medium and logic; if anything, their use of the medium and logic shows a much greater regard for others and their personal boundaries than typically Western religions and philosophies do.

For example, traditionally, a Buddhist teacher would not impart lessons unless one requested him for such.

In the West, the situation is reversed: one gets preached to, even when one hasn't requested the lecture, and not rarely especially when one doesn't want to be preached to.

In the Western tradition, a person's spirituality, their values and beliefs seem to often be considered fair game 24/7.

[sigurdV]

Now that's an interesting observation!

I agree that some Eastern philosophies/religions are characteristically less intrusive than Western ones.

I don't think they are "underdeveloped" as to medium and logic; if anything, their use of the medium and logic shows a much greater regard for others and their personal boundaries than typically Western religions and philosophies do.

For example, traditionally, a Buddhist teacher would not impart lessons unless one requested him for such.

In the West, the situation is reversed: one gets preached to, even when one hasn't requested the lecture, and not rarely especially when one doesn't want to be preached to.

In the Western tradition, a person's spirituality, their values and beliefs seem to often be considered fair game 24/7.

Take "our" definition of truth for example: "x" is true if and only if x
When you ask an eastern philosopher what "truth" is he will not show awareness of this basic quality of truth, he will point only to circumstantial evidence for truth. Eastern philosophy (sorry Kumar) is essentially psychoteraphy.We have it in our philosophy as well, but we seem to grow out of it, leaving the field to science.
PS Sorry if I interrupted anything.(Bad manners you know.)

[sigurdV]

2. Might is right. (non-equanimious/im-balanced/not-ideal state)

3. Survival of fittest.(result from no 2)

I dont understand this:"result from no 2"... Shouldnt it be survival of the mightiest instead?

[Kumar]

Hi Kumar how are you doing?

Elsewhere I made the trivial observation that
succesful communication presupposes three components:

1 A shared medium.
2 A shared logic
3 A shared manner.

I think eastern philosophies is under developed as to medium and logic,
and are almost exclusively concerned with manners.
Its nothing intrinsically wrong with that,
but the border between religion and philosophy may get fuzzy.

So, tell me , why should we adopt a certain manner?

Hello sigurdV,

I am doing well.

Will you make your above thoughts in more detail?

[Kumar]

And a useless trusim is a useless truism.

How? But however you can say by this universal truth that, Sun is said to rise from east and set in west, but fact is that Sun never rise and set.

Note that some beings do not want to be treated the way you want to be treated.

For example?

[Kumar]

I dont understand this:"result from no 2"... Shouldnt it be survival of the mightiest instead?

Is there a difference between mightiest and fittest?

[sigurdV]

Is there a difference between mightiest and fittest?

Yes indeed! The fittest catches the mightiest in a trap and kills him.
The mightiest just kills the fittest on first sight!
Generally the fittest win because its not so easy for the mightiest to recognise him on first sight. Example:

The Mighty: Hi there weakling! Whats that youre doing?
"Weakling": I just invented the knife. Come closer and Ill demonstrate!

[wynn]

And a useless trusim is a useless truism.

How? But however you can say by this universal truth that, Sun is said to rise from east and set in west, but fact is that Sun never rise and set.

Think about truisms. How helpful are they really?

Note that some beings do not want to be treated the way you want to be treated.

For example?

For example, if you like meat, then going by "Do regard every live being as you do to yourself." you would offer other people meat and assume they want it, just like you want it. But not everyone likes meat.

[wynn]

Take "our" definition of truth for example: "x" is true if and only if x
When you ask an eastern philosopher what "truth" is he will not show awareness of this basic quality of truth, he will point only to circumstantial evidence for truth.

Too bad the Easterners tend to think you're a person, eh! How lowly of them.

[sigurdV]

Too bad the Easterners tend to think you're a person, eh! How lowly of them.

I can tolerate that. Im somewhat stoic, but not exlusively so.
Otherwise I would not bother correcting their thoughts.

[Kumar]

Think about truisms. How helpful are they really?

I shall think about it later.

For example, if you like meat, then going by "Do regard every live being as you do to yourself." you would offer other people meat and assume they want it, just like you want it. But not everyone likes meat.

But at first place if you are following equanimity, how will you like meat? Will you not consider those animals as you do to yourself?

[sigurdV]

I shall think about it later.






But at first place if you are following equanimity, how will you like meat? Will you not consider those animals as you do to yourself?

Im not sure what you mean by "equanimity" can you explain or define?

[wellwisher]

Equanimity has to due with time scale perception. The more in the moment one is, the more one is subject to the momentary ebb and flow. If your time scale perception is longer, this same short term ebb and flow gets averaged into smoothness. The short term tends to use emotions while longer uses the mind.

A good example of this effect, is looking at a graph of the stock market since it began to the present. It looks like a relatively smooth curve with some ups and downs near the end. If we zoom into the long term curve and look at it day to day, we notice much more movement within the graph, that you will not notice from the longest term perception.

Often the wisdom of age and/or wisdom of the ages (religions) brings the mind into a state of longer term perception, where short term ebbs and flow are simply special cases of repeatable trends. There is no big deal. But if you live in the moment, each blip is uniquely excitable without sense of long term context.