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HUMAN NATURE AND THE HUMAN CONDITION

2538. Those who seek to alter the nature of human nature have millions of years of evolution to contend with. Some realities may be unpleasant, but have the obduracy of the intrinsic.

2533. The perfectly harmonious egalitarian society requires a change in human nature. The futile attempt creates misery -- a permanent winged monster in the ointment of achievable human happiness.

2519. Youth is too quick to hope; age, too ready to despair.

2512. The great benefit of youth arises from a desire for change. The great failure of youth is an inability to understand the obduracy of human nature, and the danger of unattainable ideals.

2476. Excellence demands an element of ruthlessness.

2474. Bad ideas -- once established -- are common-sense resistant. Logic struggles in the battle against self-satisfied ignorance. 

2468. The only certain virtue is wisdom -- but that "certainty" is deceptive. Wisdom can never be determined in the present -- only in retrospect, with a knowledge of outcomes.

2465. It is a paradox that "social virtues" are subject to the law of diminishing returns. Thus --"tolerance" is a virtue in matters superficial - but tolerance of honour killings is evil. Compassionate reduction of some inequalities may be beneficial -- but the attempt to manufacture "equality" itself, offends the need for hierarchy in competitive matters of competence and function.  The paradox arises because "social virtues" function in co-operative relationships in society. When co-operation is impossible or unwise -- competitive values -- the need for survival -- must come into play. What is virtuous in co-operation becomes destructive in matters of personal or tribal survival. This principle would appear to apply to "social virtues" such as honesty, love, charity, generosity, trust, inclusiveness, kindness, respect, friendliness, etc.   

2464. We are bound by the principle of necessary inconsistency. One the one hand, we must hold that human life is "sacred" -- in order to deter disregard, ruthlessness, and casual murder. On the other hand, abortion, euthanasia, war, and the evidence of the natural world --all these tell us that life -- human or otherwise -- is ordinary, uncertain, and expendable.

2456. The most dangerous oppressors are those who claim virtue of intent -- for few wish to proclaim opposition to "virtue" -- and many welcome the opportunity to do evil in the self-congratulatory guise of good. In this category, we must put the religious, the socialist, the egalitarian, and those proclaiming new world orders. These latter new societies will be seen to be socialism thinly disguised -- with a vast populace constrained as "equal" ant-like workers managed by royal experts who, alone, have agency and freedom of choice.

2424. Those who seek societal crystal palaces will not succeed. There is no simple answer to removing the conflict between self-interest and the common good. It is a characteristic of humankind to yearn for perfection -- but reality dictates an acceptance of imperfect -- but workable -- mud huts.

2411. The human condition is not, finally, fixable. That is because the dreams of an egalitarian nirvana can never be squared with the need for challenge, competition, and the invidious distinction between success and failure.

2410. More harm is done by trying to create an ideal social "crystal palace" than by accepting the mud hut limitations of human nature. That is why egalitarian socialism never works -- but hierarchical capitalism -- a mix of inextinguishable jungle self-interest and necessary human co-operation -- does.

2407. Civilizations decline because of forces external, internal, or a symbiotic combination. Just as the rise is marked by assurance, and the enthusiastic overcoming of obstacles, so the decline tracks dependence and a yearning for predictable tranquility. It represents a shift in emphasis from the justice of function -- a celebration of competence  and excellence -- to the justice of being -- an acceptance of dependent mediocrity. The terrible truth is that human beings thrive on the cruelty of challenge, fail on the compassion of ease.

2406. Progressive policies lead to disaster -- but -- excused on the grounds of good intentions -- outrageously -- persist. Gullibility is the great enabler of stupidity, the reliable precursor to disaster. 

2399. Multiculturalism is a failed ideology. Human beings are co-operatively tribal. Co-operation requires trust, and trust arises from a commonality of values.

2387. The more numerous the arguments for virtue, the more suspicious one becomes.

2374. Progressives succeed because of the inexhaustible supply of human gullibility.

2360. If men tend to ambition, and women towards content, is there a gender gap when it comes to capitalism/socialism, the justice of function/the justice of being, bellicosity/pacifism, conservatism/liberalism?

2359. Men tend towards ambition, women, towards content.

2358. Just as the universe expands with constant acceleration, so, as we age, does time, in our perception, hurtle towards the senseless dark.

2357. There are always some infected with SFS -- Silly Farmer Syndrome. Upon discovering a supply of golden eggs, they feel compelled to call for the death of the provident goose. 

2355. The human condition -- like the universe which cradles it -- resists tidying.

2351. The desire to eliminate the cruelties of economic disparity is entirely understandable. But to do so by limiting net worth is fraught with danger, for it would curtail freedom, impede human achievement, and crush the spirit of initiative and enterprise intrinsic to our species.

2348. Utopian schemes assume the perfectibility of human nature. New world orders and great resets are doomed. The societies that work will always justify complaint -- because they reflect the insoluble muddle of competing forces: self-interest and the common good.  

2347. Human nature is not perfectible; there is a necessary, irreducible core of self-interest which cannot be erased. That's one reason why capitalism works, and socialism doesn't.

2346. We are condemned to walk the tightrope of optimism over the abyss of gullibility.

2345. Perhaps necessarily, there is an optimistic bias in human perceptions; like all virtues -- it contains the seed of vice -- the stumble into gullibility.

2323. To err is human; to punish, divine.

2322.Those who leap to conclusions often regret both aim and agility.

2318. Lies often sound better than truths -- but they are liable to sudden rot and hard landings.

2290. No trap is more certain than perfection. It's where the possible chooses to die.

2289. It is important to understand the limitations of human nature; pretending that silk purses can be made of sows' ears leads to ugly purses and deaf pigs.

2287. The best intentions can lead to the worst outcomes.

2281. Old age is the torture chamber of persistent disillusionment.

2254. Stupidity is difficult to fix because, so often, it arises from the innate human desire to sugar-coat reality.

2246. Playing by the rules works quite well -- until you encounter a rules - breaker. 

2245. It is helpful to expect the best in people -- but foolish not to be prepared for the worst.

2244. It is necessary to believe in one's immortality to thrive -- while recognizing that life can't go on forever.

2242. Life doesn't make much sense until you realize there is paradox at the core.

2234. The greater the certainty about one's virtue -- the greater the evil that can be justified in its promulgation and defence.

2233. Ideal virtues invariably fail the test of practicality. That is because they are absolutes -- and the real world is changeable, uncertain, and untidy.

2221. It is the task of the curmudgeon to tell people that what they want they can't have -- or shouldn't want.

2215. Procrastination, once inhaled, is as habit-forming and tenacious as tobacco.

2210. Human variability is the untidy fact; equality of result is the fanciful ideal.

2200. Life requires contradiction: a belief  in ideal virtue -- and the diminished, practical version of it.

2189. The antidote to despair is to create, within oneself, a cheerful Sisyphus.

2188. Human variability, cultural incompatibility, general unpredictability -- and the fact that every ideal virtue contains the paradoxical seed of practical vice -- all these ensure the permanent untidiness of the human  experiment.

2187. The easy answer is that there are no easy answers.

2181. "Righteousness" is never more comfortable than when wearing a jackboot.

2180. The more liberty, the less equality. Human beings are inherently unequal, and, given liberty -- will choose what is best.

2179. The paradox which many cannot grasp is that civilized "virtues" -- like the egalitarian impulse -- carried to extreme -- lead to dysfunction and disaster.

2174. People only choose equality if there is nothing better available.

2173. Liberty does not lead to equality. People chose what is best, not what is equal.

2171. For the young --nothing is more alluring than the infinite future; for the old -- nothing is more marvellous than the finitudes of the past.

2170. The tribal animal model -- and the history of mankind -- both suggest that dictatorship is the default form of human government. The tendency to worship tyrannical, all-powerful gods is entirely consistent with the autocratic principle. It would seem that evolution has favoured tribes with few leaders and many followers programmed for sheep-like acquiescence. Democracy is a recent attempt to interrupt the gravitational force towards the concentration of power. But it is more fragile and difficult than most would like to admit.

2169. Evolution works through a combination of the random and the rational. A mutation proposes; the environment affirms or disposes. It seems likely that the creative brain operates in a similar manner: novel possibilities are suggested -- then are confirmed or rejected according to suitability by the arbiter of the conscious mind. The creative process is neither arbitrary nor deliberate -- it is a combination of the two. We are not the predictable machines of the behaviourist -- nor do we magically escape the logic of causality. 

2163. Religion is often socially powerful, but factually incorrect. That reveals much about human nature.

2154. Evil is most successful when it parades as virtue.

2152. Virtue-signalling is always an exercise in self-congratulation.

2149. Feelings are powerful -- but, by definition -- subjective -- vulnerable to the kryptonite of facts.

2146. Lies are like cockroaches -- if you find one, there are more where it came from.  (This observation was derived from a personal experience in 2023. But the general idea -- with slightly different wording -- has been expressed before. E.g. “Lies are like cockroaches, for every one you discover there are many more that are hidden.” (Gary Hopkins)  "[L]ies are like cockroaches — if you see one, there are others." ~Nelson DeMille, Night Fall, 2004 (Courtesy Terri Guillemets of The Quote Garden) We prefer our version because it more clearly suggests that a single lie proves the persistent and ineradicable dishonesty of the source.

2141. Human beings are only rational utilitarians at a distance. Many decisions are primarily emotional -- tribal, or personal. The purveyors of utopia -- call it socialism, world government, or the new world order -- imagine solutions for problems they do not understand.

2140. The difficulty in accepting the dangers of idealism ensures constant disillusionment. The human condition appears to be, inevitably -- psychologically -- Sisyphean.

2138. The occupants of a small lifeboat may have the virtuous instinct to welcome onboard hundreds of other survivors of the sinking ocean liner. But too many will reduce the freeboard and ensure that all will perish.

2137. Self-preservation has cruelty at its core.

2126. Life -- at its core -- is competitive. Human history is marked by the rise and fall of civilizations. Now that we have nuclear weapons, the evils of violent nationalism are clear. But to believe that competition is somehow outmoded, and that it can be discarded in favour of sentimental egalitarianism is to misunderstand the nature of reality. The next great task for mankind to avoid the destruction of civilization through violence -- while also avoiding its destruction through idealistic folly.   

2120. There are a great many stupid people in the world. University degrees appear not to alleviate the essence of the condition; sometimes, they seem to exacerbate it.

2066. The great problem of the human condition is that life is inherently unfair. Further, while attempts to remedy inequities are noble, and often socially useful, they are subject to the law of diminishing -- and ultimately negative -- returns.

2049. Those who recognize the competitive necessities and hierarchical realities of the human condition also acknowledge the societal need for balance -- co-operation and compassion. Egalitarians, convinced of the virtue of their absurd  beliefs, are more doctrinaire: they would banish competition, discourage initiative, and disparage success -- even though the inevitable and necessary result is the mire of mediocrity, the paralysis of defeat.

2045. Feelings represent emotional truths -- they are aspects of our consciousness. They are part of the real world we inhabit -- but large swathes of reality don't give a damn. 

2044. Those whose self-esteem is reliant on group membership may find greater reward in accomplishment than in lament over social disparities. Cultural dissonance is eroded more quickly by achievement than by complaint. 

2043. Respect is more easily earned by accomplishment than compelled by complaint.

2039. The human condition denies a complete resolution of the opposing claims of competition and co-operation. Our survival instinct is competitive, our social instinct is co-operative.

2034. We are condemned to seek the unattainable.

2030. Life is scarcely possible without some disregard of the facts -- some degree of illusion. But some need a great deal more than others. 

2029. The ideal moment is seldom recognized in the present. It seems, most often, to beckon from the future, or to reproach from the past.

2028.  He who waits for inspiration misunderstands the distinction between the bus and its driver.

2027. He who waits for inspiration to begin a project fails to understand that beginning comes first.

2026. Inspiration is the child of industry, not idleness. 

2025. A life without deadlines is an invitation to idleness.

2011. The wise realist does well to ignore the scorn of those who seek only perfection. They will eventually be humbled by reality.

2010. Fortunate is the man who has learned to be content with achievable goals.

2009. Humankind is condemned to imperfection -- an irresolvable conflict between the ideal and the real. Like Sisyphus, we are condemned to struggle -- to raise our burden to the welcoming peak -- which will deflect the relentless force of gravity -- but never achieve that goal.

2007. All virtues -- all ideals of perfection -- are subject to the law of diminishing returns. What is imagined to be perfection eventually reveals its terrible consequence.

2006. Variability -- both individual and cultural -- ensures unequal outcomes.

2005. The stupidity arising from unexamined good intentions is probably the most dangerous: it claims moral superiority, assumes infallibility, and proceeds with the impenetrable arrogance of sacred mission.  Politicians seem especially vulnerable.   

2000. Competition -- with its unkind distinction between winners and losers -- is the cruelty at the heart of all existence. It can be modified or restrained -- indeed, that is a requirement of civilized society -- but not eradicated.  Eradication implies the "virtue" of equality, but that is an impossible ideal, a perfection consistent only with finality -- the death blow of stasis. Competition may be cruel, but it is inevitable -- it is implicit in change and a function of the  pulse of life itself.

1997. Those who complain that the world is screwed up fail to understand that turmoil is in the blueprint. Every society reflects the conflict between the competitive evolutionary reality of living creatures -- where function is all -- and tribal attempts to modify it -- by reducing competition and supporting the less competent. (We have noted the opposition between the "justice of function" -- which rewards competence --and the "justice of being" an egalitarian concept which -- in its extreme form -- rewards all equally -- just for "being" there.)  The conflict is profound and fundamental. Neither can triumph -- neither can be utterly dismissed. Nor can either can be seen as inherently virtuous. If virtue lies anywhere -- it is in the acceptance of a middle ground which, while always appearing unsatisfactory, will give reasonable, viable recognition to each element. 

1992. There is an essential cruelty at the heart of existence -- competition for survival. Human beings -- and other tribal animals -- modify competition with co-operation -- and this engenders kindness, compassion, and respect for individuals. But co-operation is still a competitive strategy -- not an end in itself. To exalt co-operation over competition may appear noble -- but there are consequences: those who don't survive can't co-operate.

1991. Competition is in the blueprint of nature; cruelly, it declares winners and losers, and requires constant adaptation on pain of death. Human beings yearn to build crystal palaces of serenity and egalitarian happiness. The  disparity between blueprint limitations and architect aspirations explains the structural defects of the human condition.

1990. The truth is necessary for understanding, but understanding has no pact with happiness.

1989. In a world of necessary opposites, answers are seldom simple.

1988. Love, in fact, is not the answer. It will not help the gazelle in the jaws of the lion.

1987. No memories more cruel than those of happier times.

1983. Wishful thinking is a short term comfort, a longer term disaster.

1957. There is an inherent justice in mediocrity -- what it seeks, it invariably attains and invariably deserves.

1952. The dream of perfection is the curse of mankind. The reality is always less.

1950. Tribal thinking -- call it co-operative assent if you prefer -- when it accords with reality -- is our greatest strength. When it embraces fantasy -- as is too often the case -- it is a debilitating weakness.

1939. Happiness lies in the ability to reconcile great expectations with actual results.

1917. We are urged to grasp and cherish each moment -- to make it "count" -- as if life should be an anxiety of tabulations. What we actually cherish -- in retrospect -- are the times of oblivious content and happy inattention.

1912. The inarticulate nincompoop is never a threat -- he is easily identified and dismissed. Far more dangerous is the articulate, plausible, virtue-signalling nincompoop -- who may convince you to share in his stupidity.

1911. Life is a jigsaw puzzle with many pieces missing and the configuration subject to change. The answer is neither to despair nor pretend -- obsessively -- to a solution which is not there -- and try to coerce others into belief. It is necessary to be satisfied with modest improvements that provide clarity in the moment.

1899. The great Catch - 22 of the human condition: a casual approach to the achievement of ideal virtues is condemned -- but ideal virtues are unattainable -- and an eager pursuit leads inevitably to oppression and moral failure.

1892. In the end, the world values competence over victimhood. Only in a perverse alternative universe would all creatures seek failure and death over survival and success.

1889. Multiculturalism and socialism are both examples of radical innovations which cannot survive the environmental test of tribal realities. They require a complete re-engineering of human nature.

1888. To understand human societies we need no lessons beyond those which evolution provides. Change is the essence of life, and change is a competitive process -- equality is unknown because it requires stasis. Evolution achieves radical change with incremental steps which are the result of the interplay between innovation and conformity. A mutation is tested against the conformity demanded by the environment. Those which pass the test may be adopted if they are competitively advantageous; the rest fail. As the environment changes, so does the viability of any particular innovation. So it is in societies. All tribes are essentially conformist -- for too much diversity would be chaotic and destructive. Against this conformity progress is made -- not by achieving equality -- but through small changes -- ideas which arise and are tested for survival in the social climate. Once again --as the tribal environment changes, so ideas -- once impossible -- may become embedded in a new conformity.

1887. Human society invariably contains notions in constant opposition, dichotomies not ultimately amenable to resolution. The first notion is the desire for a co-operative egalitarian harmony; the second notion recognizes an obdurate truth: the essence of life is competitive change -- the pursuit of unequal outcomes -- and some things, ideas, and people will always be considered better than others.  Nor will there ever be unanimity in such judgments.

1884. The human condition is sufficiently imperfect that calls for revolution will always get a sympathetic hearing. Those who favour evolution may be disdained for their caution -- but their strategy has an impressive track record.

1883. A modest proposal for the grand scheme: Try to make it seem that the human race is worth preserving.

1882. Too many are ready to signal virtue -- when the real, viable choice is a lesser evil.

1878. The vulnerability of compassion is the failure to distinguish between genuine misfortune and dangerous stupidity.

1871. Multiple Cake Syndrome -- the desire to have one's cake and eat it, too -- to pretend that things mutually exclusive are actually compatible -- may be considered a reliable constant in the lexicon of human psychology.

1855. Those who seek to destroy one hierarchy will invariably create another. The form is vulnerable -- not the concept; hierarchy is intrinsic to all existence.

1854. It's a disappointment to egalitarians -- but there are actually three certainties: death, taxes, and hierarchy.

1852. The human condition will always be unsatisfactory -- since the battle between pleasant fantasies and hard realities can have no final resolution.

1850 The price of  tidiness is eternal fussing.

1847. Happiness is an elusive target -- it can be hit only unexpectedly -- with arrows aimed elsewhere.

1846. To aim for happiness ensures failure; happiness is not a target, but the by-product of interest, purpose and engagement -- the achievement of some other goal.

1842. We live with monsters, dream of angels. The monsters are change, inequality. competitive struggle, and capitalism. The angels are perfection, equality, ordered ease, and socialism. The monsters can -- to some extent -- be tamed for social respectability -- but not slain -- since they are inseparable from the energy that is life. The attempt to breathe life into angels may appear noble, but it creates evils greater than those we already bear.

1839. Belief in nonsense can be a powerful force. The lack of facts and logic requires an over-compensation in steely stubbornness and desperate determination.

1831. We yearn for meaning -- but all we get is experience.

1830. Man yearns for freedom, knowledge, and wisdom. Wisdom is the most elusive -- a recognition of the attainable -- a river of quicksilver running an irregular course between the unsatisfactory and the ideal.

1824. Be optimistic -- and hope for the best -- for, as Dr. Johnson observed, "Hope is necessary in every condition." That's the easy part. The hard part is avoiding the abyss of gullibility -- being alert -- and knowing when to switch to plan "B." If you don't have a plan "B," you've already slipped over the edge.

1823. There is an unbridgeable gulf between utopia and the here and now:  Here -- the man with no legs will never win the footrace -- and no compensation will meet the demands of ideal justice and perfect mercy.  

1822. There is an indelible wound in the human condition: In the reality of struggle -- with the fact of intrinsic disparities -- we dream of perfect ease and universal equality. To settle for less suggests a pact with the devil -- but the determined pursuit of unattainable perfection leads -- paradoxically but inevitably -- to oppression and moral failure.

1804. Hatred is now so widely deplored that we must conclude that it has become unnecessary -- since perfection of the human condition has now, at last -- thankfully -- been achieved. Either that -- or a great deal of evil is, with deliberate intent, being scandalously ignored.

1803. If the path to the Palace of Wisdom were clear and unequivocal, there would be less echo in the corridors.

1787. The natural world is cruel and competitive; the ideal world merciful and egalitarian. The civilized world is a utilitarian compromise. The key word is "utilitarian:" civilization cannot survive either extreme: the imperative of competition, or the fantasy of equality.

1778. We live in a world of sows' ears, and should strive to make serviceable wallets. The silk purse is the song of Sirens -- it promises delight, but delivers destruction.

1777. The bad news is that neither mankind nor society is perfectible. The good news is that improvements are possible. The moral is that we should focus on the useful, rather than strive for the impossible -- which invariably makes things worse.

1773. High intelligence often overlooks the lowdown of common sense.

1772. Knowledge and wisdom are often very distant relatives.

1771. Everyone should be required to play squash. Any fantasies about the egalitarian nature of existence would be obliterated. The cruel competitive realities of failure and success would become evident -- and the utter ruthlessness bred into the human heart would become abundantly manifest. This would lead -- in many -- to a sobering re-assessment of the underlying realities of the human condition. (Compulsory military service might be an acceptable substitute.)

1770.  "Diversity" is strength only when there is a uniform conception of truth and justice, and a common devotion to pursuing them. Otherwise, it is debilitating, divisive, and destructive. Diversity, unbridled and untethered, is a steed called chaos.

1766. The human condition guarantees trouble. Sometimes you will get into trouble for lying; at other times you will get into trouble for failing to lie -- outrageously ignoring the expectations of the times.

1765. Every dream of Utopia is subverted by the nightmare fact: some things are better than others. Inequality is the bite of every paradisal apple -- it ensures that community will be diluted by competitive struggle, and that contentment will be marred by the cruel but inevitable distinction between failure and success. 

1764. There is no success without struggle; otherwise it's called good fortune.

1761. Every virtue is subject to the law of diminishing returns.

1758. People would rather run with the herd -- even if it is wrong -- than risk getting trampled by championing the truth.

1755. Human beings yearn for moral perfection -- you can call it "social justice," if you like. But reality insists on compromise -- the equivalent of moral failure. This explains why frustration and disappointment are ineradicable threads in the fabric of human existence.

1752. The problem of socialism is the problem of human gullibility.

1745. Creation involves destruction: you cannot have a new world without losing something of the old. Choosing a new world should be done with care.

1734. People who oppose the hanging of gays, the death penalty for blasphemy, honour killings, and the assumption of gender inequality as a foundational cultural precept, are often, nonetheless, enthusiastic proponents of "cultural diversity." If they are politicians -- with the least hint of encouragement -- they are likely to proclaim such diversity as a source of strength. It would appear that political correctness and the compulsion to signal virtue are effective agents in turning the human brain into mush.

1729.  The nobler the intention, the more nefarious are the enablements which it may excuse. That is why the effects of virtue -- rigorously pursued -- are indistinguishable from those of vice.

1726. Competition is the seed of efficiency. It also forestalls the inevitable abuses of monopolistic power.

1725. Failure is baked into every cake destined for the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

1723. When the inmates are in charge of the asylum, the sane man must choose between speaking the truth and claiming to be the King of Siam. Speaking the truth will ensure confinement in a padded cell; the King of Siam has a good chance of running the ward for the aspirationally delusional.

1722. As Margaret Thatcher observed: "The facts of life are conservative." It is perhaps not surprising, then, how often the fantasies and feel-gooderies of life turn out to be liberal.

1721. Evil is deliberate; stupidity, oblivious and optimistic, often lays claim to good intentions. The results are often indistinguishable.

1720. A benign dusting of good intentions seems to justify an avalanche of bad results.

1705. Successful self-reliance builds confidence; dependency erodes the soul. Socialism -- assuming that men would rather be dependent than confident -- erodes the soul.

1701. Altruism -- despite its claim -- is still, ultimately, the handmaiden of competitive societal advantage; the society which believes that competition -- with its callous distinction between failure and success -- can be replaced with egalitarian loving kindness -- will not survive. It will be superseded by those with a better understanding of reality.

1700. Wisdom lies in the acceptance of the perfectly correct amount of imperfection.

1697. Socialists do not realize that the essence of life is the struggle for unequal outcomes -- that the lifeblood of the human condition is the freedom to achieve success by overcoming adversity. They believe in a perennial perambulator of "equality" -- a doled-out baby formula of "security" -- and a level route designed to avoid the hills and valleys of reality. The effect is to ensure passivity and dependence -- to build a cage of incompetence and failure.

1692. There is a natural tendency to seek tidy solutions to the difficulties of the human condition; the first step is to realize that there are no tidy solutions. Simple answers and ideal schemes are examples of the difficulties.

1687. The curmudgeon may not have satisfactory solutions, but he appreciates -- instinctively -- the dangers of excessive enthusiasm.

1686. The purpose of co-operation is to gain a competitive advantage.

1680. Human beings are happiest with groupthink: they would rather be wrong with the herd, than be right, but stand alone.

1659. Both the terror and beauty of life are the function of impermanence.

1657. A humorous cynicism is best --  when mindless cheerfulness has given way to guarded optimism -- and that, too, has failed -- it is better than the alternative of despair.

1652. Those who attempt to transcend the prejudices of their times will not be hailed for their heroism.

1631. Arrogance always implies superficiality -- a lack of awareness -- a blindness to proportion -- a failure to think things through.

1602. At the heart of the human condition there is an unbridgeable divide between the ideal of social co-operation and the practical necessity of individual competition -- the conflict inherent in change and improvement.  Moral inadequacy is assured. Too determined a pursuit of ideal social virtues such as "equality," "tolerance,"  or "harmony" -- and oppression is the result -- since "equality" is unattainable, "tolerance" cannot be extended to evil, and "harmony" is both vulnerable to change and inconsistent with hierarchy. But a failure to pursue such virtues carries the stain of moral turpitude. It is the existential problem of assured damnation: damned if you do -- and damned if you don't.

1598. The thunderstrike of awe: from matter, the shining thing of consciousness, the dark thing of death.

1593. Between the glacier of cynicism and the abyss of gullibility, lies the difficult path of prudent judgment.

1592. The danger of skepticism is cynicism; the danger of trust is gullibility.

1591. Good intentions should always be subjected to to the Stupidity Test: Will the practical result be seen as undeniably noble or monumentally moronic?

1582. Without failure, there is no success.

1581. Religion has traditionally dealt with the dichotomy between what is real and what is imagined by placing the ideal world at a convenient distance -- after death. Socialism -- and the new secular religion of political correctness -- attempt to transform the real world by imposing ideal, egalitarian principles. Both are doomed by the bedrock reality: the essence of life is the struggle for unequal outcomes.

1580. Imagination is essential to improvement -- just as mutations are essential to evolution. But both imagination and mutations must -- ultimately -- defer to the utilitarian dictates of the environment.

1579. What sounds good and what works inhabit different universes.

1578. The ideal and the real are inextricably intertwined threads -- they are the Gordian knot of human existence.

1577. In the ideal world, the lion lies down with the lamb, and they discuss how the brotherhood of creatures may best be expressed and enhanced. In the real world, the lion cannot philosophize before dinner. At the heart of the human predicament is the need to make a reconciliation -- always imperfect -- between the the two worlds.

1575. The struggle gives success its savour.

1574. The art of life -- balancing necessary lies with necessary truths.

1573. The labyrinth of life -- passages of lies, passages of truth.

1571. The great tragedy of mankind -- clever enough to be dangerous -- not enough to be wise.

1569. The amount of hypocrisy in any endeavour may be seen as directly proportional to the distance between the proclaimed ideal and the underlying reality.

1559. Utopia -- whether secular or religious -- is not attainable. That is because at the heart of every society there is a need for co-operation and a need for competition. It is a conflict of necessary opposites which ensures things will always be a muddle. The proper goal of mankind is pragmatic idealism -- the best muddle possible. (But the idealists will remain dissatisfied.)

1554. The brain constructs a "reality" from whatever is there. That allows us to function in a utilitarian world of apparent cause and effect.

1553. We dream of eternity -- but are condemned to a lifetime.

1552. Condemned to a lifetime, we dream of eternity.

1548. Greed and ambition may also be referred to as competitiveness and initiative. Realism or euphemism -- it's a matter of choice.

1545. Dictatorship -- in government, business, or education -- is both dangerous and necessary; like a wilful child, it requires careful and constant supervision.

1539. As a species, we seem fated to pursue ideal perfection -- in a world where the only constant is change -- and what works is always a compromise.

1535. The human tendency is to justify with evidence -- but to select only the evidence that is convenient.

1530. Modest improvements to the workable are better than radical transformations to the ideal.

1528. Some are so intent on creating paradise they ignore the hell they are constructing in order to achieve it.

1527. Sometimes stupidity is just as bad as evil.

1526. There is a terrible awe at the cruel transformation of the quick to the dead.

1520. The essential angst of human existence arises from the unyielding disparity between ideal conceptions and harsh necessities.

1516. On the world-wide sea, there are many sinking vessels, and a number of fortunate lifeboats. Virtue requires that the lifeboats rescue desperate swimmer-survivors -- but an overburdened lifeboat becomes a deathtrap. Rescue, then, is not a matter of principle -- but a matter of numbers; the cruelty of rejection is not an option, but a necessity.

1510. China plans to rate, punish, and reward citizens according to their obedience and loyalty to the state. It appears to be a significant step towards the ant colony model for the human species.

1501. Those who think that nationalism can be wished away are dreamers – tribalism is in our hearts and bones. We are not islands, entire of ourselves, but pieces of the continent, and parts of the main. We hope our country will prosper, our school will win the trophy, and the home team will crush the visitors. Our challenge is not to eliminate nationalism, but tame it.

1499. Our attempts to regain Paradise must fail in the realities of the fallen world, where change is the colour and inequality the thread of the existential fabric. The related, immutable principles are "adapt or die," and -- "the fittest survive." 

1488. There is no such thing as perfection -- only the warring of complementary opposites.

1486. Life is never quite satisfactory. If you can't find something to complain about, you must be dead.

1481. Change is at the heart of all things; "Equality" implies and requires stability -- and is an unachievable fantasy.

1480. When "Equality" shakes hands with "Change" -- only one will disintegrate in a regretful puff of smoke. It's not "Change."

1472. Those who dream of equality should remember that, after the big bang, matter triumphed over anti-matter -- and -- without slight variations in the density of the distribution of matter -- galaxies would not exist. Once again --"equality' is not in the blueprint of nature.

1466. Compassion in one direction may represent cruelty in another.

1465. The human condition assures moral failure: too earnest a pursuit of perfection -- which is ultimately unattainable -- involves a degree of heartlessness -- the zeal of puritanical oppression; a lax or less committed approach suggests complacency in the face of evil -- the lack of a moral compass.

1463. The human condition will always be difficult -- because attractive ideals will always be at war with practical necessities.

1456. Every improvement represents a triumph of function or concept; every flower of success has, by definition, a competitive root.

1454. Sometimes it is necessary to choose between ideals and survival.

1455. What is most desired is often unattainable, foolish, or both. (Cf. # 1137)

1453. We have to make our own humanity, our own morality; there are no prescriptions.

1441. Making light of tragedy -- celebrating birthdays after forty.

1434. The bad behaviour of demonstrators is usually judged according to the virtue of the proclaimed cause rather than the evil of the actual effect. 

1433. The scent of fine words is often used to disguise a foul deed.

1432 Hellish results are seldom criticized if they have the pedigree of good intentions.

1431. There appears to be an inherent gullibility in human nature – a willingness to praise noble intentions rather than deplore ignoble results.

1430. Haunted by the ghosts of dreams --
          We lose the day in might-have-beens.

1429. "What might have been" -- the fine dust of failed dreams.

1428. Morality has no need of Gods -- it is socially derived -- a clause in every social contract. There is no practical morality for the lone castaway on a desert island -- for he can neither be sinned against nor sinning.

1423. Life comes with a guarantee of muddle and uncertainty: there is no chart for safe passage between the lure of the ideal and the demands of the real.

1422. With enough dedication and perseverance -- success is assured; you may not achieve your goal -- but you will discover what is achievable -- and hence the difference between fantasy and reality.

1418. It is not surprising that democracy is so difficult to establish and maintain: it represents a radical modification of our instinctive tribalism.

1416. The persistence of religion and the continuing popularity of dictatorships suggest that the human brain has developed with a strong bias towards tribal hierarchy -- conformity and an acceptance of authority. At most important turns in the road, tribalism trumps thought. 

1415. We are born hierarchical, and long for equality.

1414. Dreams, with their bizarre and jumbled versions of reality, suggest the magical, creative powers of the human brain.

1413. Calls for "commitment" and "working together " are often the response to social tragedies. Vagueness is the comfortable refuge of those anguished but essentially clueless.

1409. Fear and greed are the great motivators -- the bribe and the bogeyman the preferred tools of every politician.

1406. If morality is a function of tribalism -- we might ask further -- why do creatures form tribes? Probably for the same reason that single-celled organisms chose multiplicity -- the life-force -- competitive advantage.

1400. Faith is simply hope wearing the mask of certainty.

1399. Certainty can be motivating and persuasive; in the absence of evidence, it skirts the abyss of absurdity.

1398. Optimism is both useful and natural; it is also the nose-ring by which the masses are led to folly.

1397. Many a strength is weakness in disguise.

1396. Instead of becoming obsessed with abstract notions such as "equality," we should focus on what our uniqueness can contribute to the greater good.

1393. The music of our youth defines our taste; it establishes that meaningful height from which all that follows represents, if not abject failure, much lamentable decline.

1392. A rose garden is never enough; the stems must be thornless, the blooms perpetual.

1363. Homo Sapiens: Animal facts, angelic aspirations.

1356. Appeasement: postponement -- not avoidance.

1355. Appeasement: short term harmony -- longer term chaos.

1340. It's hard to complain too much -- at least theoretically -- about death. It is, after all, simply the string attached to the gift of life. It is difficult to reject any gift outright -- just because it has a time limit.

1335. The pursuit of ideal perfection in human affairs is based on the flawed premise that the quick can be transformed into the dead -- without the unfortunate consequence of mortality.

1330. The human condition might be significantly improved if foolish ideals were abandoned in favour of attainable goals. Some reduction of inequality may be both beneficial and attainable; equality itself is a fantasy, and the attempt to create it is invariably destructive. 

1329. The universe abounds in mysteries -- of origin, of the transformation of inanimate to animate matter, of consciousness, and of quantum perversities. True humility is shown by those who accept the mysteries. and await enlightening evidence. It is the arrogant who claim -- not only that the solution to the mysteries is "God" -- but that they are privileged to know his opinions, feelings, and intentions. It is the babbling of an idiot pretending to wisdom.

1328. Death and violence -- necessary constants in the equation of existence.

1327. Violence -- a necessary constant in the equation of existence.

1324. 'Virtuous' leaping captures the imagination; prudent looking is tiresomely dull. This accounts for the frequency of premature virtue signalling.

1323. It is one of the great follies of mankind to be seduced by ideal notions, and to give no thought to how they might, in practical terms, be put into effect.

1320. The great weakness of youth is idealism; the great weakness of age is cynicism.

1319. The universe "just right" for life is often considered proof of a "divine plan." But it could also reflect the principle observed in the process of evolution. This universe is simply the "successful" version -- among many other "failed" universe experiments.

1318. It seems unlikely that nature -- having hit upon the wonderfully effective utilitarian process of evolution -- would abandon it on a whim. Thus it seems likely that the brains of living creatures reflect the same process of "brainstorming" which created them. The brain's existing database of information is augmented by spontaneous random suggestions which are -- at a subconscious level -- constantly proposed and judged. Some part of the brain -- a utilitarian gatekeeper -- decides what will be of advantage to the organism. This explains both the "creativity" and the "logic" needed for the success of an organism. (See also # 1075)

1317. The process of evolution may be likened to a "brainstorming" in the natural world: mutations are spontaneous suggestions thrown out for approval or rejection by the environmental committee. It is a process of random creativity controlled by a "logical," utilitarian gatekeeper -- the environment. It gives the appearance of purposeful movement towards a goal -- but its essence is a multitude of small utilitarian alterations.

1311. As we age, the body tells truths which the mind resists.

1302. Those who seek self-esteem through government-enforced pronoun usage reveal a pathetic inadequacy. Such deference -- compelled -- is empty: it rings hollow at the core; substantial self-regard can arise only from accomplishment.

1298. The universe has a significant design flaw: our desires and our realities are galaxies apart.

1297. The fact that morality is socially derived explains both the similarities and differences in moral codes. Casual murder is not likely to be condoned in any society -- because it is, universally, too dangerously disruptive. On the other hand, one society might favour human sacrifice in order to obtain a favourable harvest, while another would consider that immoral, and choose instead, the creation of an efficient system of irrigation.

1294. Avoid giving clear, simple, and obvious advice; no one wants to think his intractable problems have easy solutions.

1293. Those who confide their problems are usually seeking sympathetic commiseration, not simple solutions.

1282. Those blessed with celebrity are often unjustifiably emboldened; they think celebrity confers authority.

1281. The world is full of circles, and people who, affronted, are determined to square them.

1274. The endless protection of feelings -- a cultivation of fragility -- is unwise. It leads to the seeking of validation, not through competence and the overcoming of obstacles, but through claiming increasing degrees of passivity and insufficiency – the "triumph" of victimhood.

1273. It is not surprising that, in an era of approved infantilization, so many seek validation, not in accomplishment, but in victimhood.

1272. The infant assumes he is the centre of the universe -- but eventually must encounter the reality. The failure to say "no" -- to enhance self-esteem -- ensures a prolonged infancy, and a consequent failure of competence.

1271. Self-esteem is not bestowed, but earned through accomplishment.

1269. When does lying to people in order to protect their feelings show respect -- and when does it show condescension?

1263. Determining the difference between the achievable and the simply stupid is something we have not yet figured out.

1262. Damnation is inevitable: a failure to engage in the struggle for perfection suggests moral delinquency; but too determined a struggle for the impossible invariably brings not virtue, but vice. 

1261. Human aspirations for "equality" are cruelly mocked by the unaccommodating reality: some ideas, behaviours, and attitudes are more useful than others. 

1260. Not only are human beings not perfectible -- the point at which apparently desirable virtues are transformed into practical vices comes much earlier than most people think. 

1259. It is surprising how many people trade in their bullshit detectors for illusion receptors.

1252. One of the great -- but largely unacknowledged -- sources of human wisdom is the simple, lowly, bullshit detector.

1232. The home improvement store -- the local lumber yard -- should not be seen as prosaic purveyors of paint and plywood -- but as hymns to the creative spirit.

1220. Seeing the faces of others enables empathy; the masking of faces creates uncertainty; it suggests and encourages hostility.

1219. Age does not attenuate -- rather it accentuates our eccentricities.

1217. The face enables empathy: it is easier to insult someone at a distance -- in writing -- than in person. This is another reason that cultural face-coverings are to be deplored.

1212. Human beings respond to incentives; they are inherently competitive. Just as the competitive spirit cannot be allowed unfettered reign, neither can it be extinguished. Those who attempt to do so -- under the banners of virtue and equality -- are not merely foolish; given sufficient power, they become dictators -- and murderers.

1210. Stupidity is easy to implement, harder to fix.

1195. The road to infantile incompetence is paved with exaggerated sensitivity.

1188. The truth will not win any popularity contests. It cannot compete with comforting illusions.

1179. The great trouble with fools -- they are so easily transformed into knaves.

1178. The great trouble with fools -- they so easily become the tools of knaves.

1175. The Genie of power is notoriously reluctant to return to his bottle.

1173. Contempt -- as an occasional sauce added to a final dish of factual triumph -- may be difficult to resist; as a main course -- served reflexively and repeatedly-- it indicates a woefully impoverished larder.

1169. Everyone knows that people are not equal. That is why it is necessary to keep insisting -- with such vehemence and conviction -- that they are. That is why we are always willing to give socialism one more chance.

1168. Socialism pretends that men are equal, interchangeable, nitwits -- imbued with all the aspirations of a working-class ant.

1163. The attainable is always at some distance from perfection.

1162. The concept of necessary complementary opposites is the key to understanding the difficulties of the human condition. The attainable always lies at some variable distance between the desired and the reviled.

1146. The road of the ideal never reaches the imagined heights; after a few blocks of well-defined enthusiasm, the track becomes muddied, reality floods over, and the path disappears in the treacherous quicksands of gullibility.

1138. With age, reduced expectations follow diminished possibilities in an increasingly narrow circle.

1135. The notion of complementary opposites is the key to understanding the limitations of the real world. It is not a question of choosing, irrevocably, peace, freedom, love, tolerance, and equality. All of these ideal conceptions imply their necessary opposites. Conflict, restriction, hatred, and inequality cannot be wished away with pious incantations, however heartfelt, or with determined imaginings, no matter how fervent.

1134. Paradoxically, choosing "ideals" -- such as peace, tolerance, and equality may be counter-productive. Every virtue, carried far enough, transforms into vice.

1133. The great intellectual failure of the left is to assume that ideal conceptions represent viable alternatives in real life. It is easy to proclaim virtue by being on the side of peace, tolerance, and equality. But peace may entail self-destruction, tolerance of evil allows it to spread, and equality -- if it were actually attainable -- implies mediocrity, stasis, and the cessation of progress. Choosing -- in the real world -- usually involves determining the lesser evil. 

1114. Most animals participate in a ruthless scheme of  murder necessary for survival, but the claim of moral superiority for human beings is specious. It is simply that we are adept at disguising our involvement with well-run farms, discreetly placed slaughterhouses, and plastic packaging.

1107. We need a complete explanation of the meaningless of existence. Or -- We will not be satisfied until we have a complete explanation of the meaningless of existence.

1092. Victimhood likely has its limitations. It requires certain awkward mindsets: continuing self-pity and resentment -- and unstinting affirmation and accommodation.  

1090. If you are determined to be an oppressed nail, you will find -- or manufacture -- the necessary hammers. (A variation of #803)

1088. Evil is the distillation of self-interest.

1087. Thoughtless human beings have it so easy! (An irreverent addendum to #1086)

1086. To determine what is true, and what is false, to judge what improvements are achievable, and what dreams are idle or even dangerous -- these are the difficult tasks which challenge all thoughtful human beings. 

1083. The appeasement of bullies serves as an encouragement  -- it shows that they have embraced a successful strategy.

1082. The road to nonsense is paved with unthinking, untroubled acceptance; the truth is less accessible -- often found only at the end of a steep, questioning path of challenge.

1078. Disorder and order are the yin and yang of all progress.

1077. Progress is the result of a necessary taming of a necessary disorder.

1076. Without disorder, there is no creativity -- only inevitability. Without some limiting order, creativity descends into chaos.

1075. We imagine that the brains of sentient creatures reflect the evolutionary process. Evolution makes random alterations which are approved -- or rejected -- by the constantly changing environment -- giving the impression of orderly progress. So the brain may make random suggestions which must meet the changing requirements for the survival and success of the organism -- giving the impression of reasoned, orderly decision-making.

1073. As instinctive tribalists, we are programmed for herd-like thinking.

1072. Separating truth from lies is a never-ending task. Generally speaking, anything disappointing and unpopular is the truth.

1070. Persistence is often more important than aptitude.

1067. Stupidity can be just as dangerous as animosity.

1066. A tone which is consistently jeering does not suggest superiority, but weakness. Those confident in their arguments do not feel the need to antagonize their opponents.

1057. The success of strategic victimhood is always somewhat tenuous: the pool of necessary and enabling pity can evaporate in the wind of whining.  

1055. Conclusions should not be drawn until the canvass of evidence is complete.

1050. Morality has nothing to do with God -- and everything to do with social interaction. There is no "morality" for a lone castaway on an uninhabited island. His decision to eat poisonous berries instead of coconuts may be considered unfortunate, or foolish -- but is neither moral nor immoral. It affects no one but himself. With the addition of another castaway -- or a troop of monkeys -- the potential for morality -- or immorality -- is introduced.

1048. The more ancient the grievance, the more likely it is to become a raison d'être, incapable of being appeased.

1042. Spending money is an affirmation of one's worth and worthiness: it lifts the spirits and soothes the soul.

1040. The future is prone to perversity; it delights in mocking its eager predictors.

1033. Death is the final mockery.

1030. Multiple Cake Syndrome: The desire or requirement for two or more conditions which are incompatible, contradictory or mutually exclusive.

1016. Happiness is not designed, but discovered.

1015. Capitalism works because it recognizes and gives scope to the competitive instinct. Socialism doesn't work because it pretends that people want to be equal. It's the distinction -- once again -- between what works and what sounds good.

1013. Tribalism -- instinctive and essential -- depends upon conformity -- and conformity implies some degree of tyranny. There is always a penalty for failing to think with the herd.

1004. Experience tempers enthusiasm. (The short version of # 1003)

1003. The older we get, the more we realize that things often go wrong. Thus the impetuousness of youth cools to the caution of age.

997. God is the great Jester: into a hierarchical world of cruel competition, he has thrust his favourite creature -- cursed with unquenchable and unattainable dreams of justice and equality. 

995. That morality is best which allows for the greatest liberty of citizens which is consistent with the well-being of the society of which they are a part.

992. Morality is not divinely revealed, but socially derived. It represents an adjudication between the desires of the individual and the requirements of the tribe. That adjudication may have some universal elements essential to survival, but it may also vary according to beliefs and circumstances. The moral values inspired by the belief that a good harvest depends upon the appeasement of the Gods with human sacrifice differ from those which arise from a belief in the efficacy of a well-designed irrigation system. The values of the tribe under constant threat of attack are unlikely to be identical to those of the tribe which co-exists peacefully with its neighbours. Morality is, essentially, utilitarian rather than holy.

989. A world without nuclear weapons is not feasible: Science has not yet devised a bottle of forgetting into which the genie of scientific knowledge can be safely stuffed.

986. The difference between what is believed and what is known accounts for a world of stupidity.

984. Those who seek "victory" by claiming victimhood need, for their success, the collaboration of the competent.

980. No life is without the hardship of regret.

975. We all have an inner sheep. Possibly an inner lemming.

967.
Sometimes – in a quirk of happiness --
Lost love leaves scarce a scar --
But oft its wound of neverness
Bleeds long past reason’s bar.

965. To escape the tyranny of reality, we flee to the ideal -- only to discover that even velvet gloves hide similar fists.

964. Hate is a human emotion; it may, perhaps, be tempered by reason, dissuaded from violence, or cajoled into mere antipathy. But the notion that it can be banished entirely is, quite simply, Canutian.

961. Success is a target most often hit when the aim is excellence.

959. "Free will" suggests a "rational chaos." It supposes that we are not automatons -- our decisions resist the near-universal workings of the laws of cause and effect. Those workings are interrupted, however -- not with randomness and chaos -- but with something equally as orderly, logical and rational as those laws of cause and effect which are supposedly being ignored. It looks awfully suspicious.

935. Pretentious displays of virtue suggest either deception or atonement.

933. Sometimes the road to hope runs through the valley of despair.

932. In a world yet to be discovered, the truth is seen without distortion -- and without despair.

924. In the long run, evidence trumps belief. (Sometimes the run is surprisingly long.)

921. The confidence of youth is a green shoot of optimism rooted in ignorance; the prudence of age is the fruit of experience -- an awareness that things often go wrong.

920. It appears that humankind requires both truth and illusion: the truth is necessary, but often harsh; illusion is protective and inspiring, but potentially dangerous. No easy recipe is available.

918. Ingenuity is the child of challenge.

917. An obstacle is not a roadblock -- it is an inspiration for creative detours.

904. We are caught between the desire for security, stability, and equality -- and the reality: the inevitability of change and the necessity of competitive struggle.

903. Vague threats are always a sign of weakness: they are an admission that no believable specific threat is adequately intimidating.

899. The universe is not an ethical machine, but a utilitarian one. That is one reason why successful dictators are not more reviled: the successful end overshadows the dictatorial means.

883. The best remedy for hurt feelings is not complaint, but accomplishment.

882. Appeasing a bully is like trying to douse a fire with lighter fluid.

875. It is possible to accept, philosophically, the ultimate futility of existence, while, at the same time, recognizing that existence is its own philosophy: it matters.

871. The human tendency is to live by myth and illusion when possible, by facts when necessary.

869. Everyone seems to agree that hatred is a terrible emotion; no one seems willing to admit that there are terrible things worthy of hatred.

868. "Legacy" should defer to the here and now: the judgments of history can bring neither comfort nor shame; they are based on the unforeseeable perceptions of strangers in a strange land.

866. The meek shall inherit the earth -- providing, of course, that their meekness is a clever ruse -- an artful ploy designed to outwit their more apparently aggressive rivals. Otherwise -- we're afraid -- they're toast!

864. All life flows in a sweeping deliberate curve -- in the inevitable arc of tragedy.

863. Every time you think we’ve touched bottom in the abyss of human stupidity, another deep crevasse seems – as if by magic -- to appear.

857. Inequality is the bite of the apple -- the original sin -- both necessary and deplorable -- at the heart of all existence.

856. Residual sin: you can take mankind out of the muck of its past -- but never the muck out of mankind.

855. A long life combined with eminent success is indeed desirable -- but when we read of the famous and accomplished dying young -- we find ourselves content with a long life of unremarkable obscurity.

851. There is an inherent contradiction in human affairs: no approach to society can be considered "rational" which does not take into account the essential irrationality of the species.

850. Man will always be unruly, for he is only partly rational: he is also dreamer, survivalist, and tribalist.

844. Old age: haunted by the past, daunted by the future.

838. Some days, we think that the world has gone completely mad. On other days, we are absolutely sure of it.

820. To discriminate is to be human. The great difficulty is to classify discriminations: what is the capriciously personal and legitimate,  what is the reasonably justifiable, and what is the capriciously personal, but illegitimate?

819. Life provides the possibility of euphoria and delight against a background of necessary murder and ultimate demise. We might be inclined to see it, remotely, as impossibly bizarre -- a mere drama of the absurd. But we are involved participants; as prisoners of our consciousness -- we are forced to take it seriously.

808. The truth is no pushover -- in exchange for each hard diamond light of reality -- you have to give up a soft pearl of illusion. At some point -- it's different for everyone -- people prefer pearls to diamonds.

803. There can be no innocence where a feeling is determined to be hurt.

797. Much is suggested about the nature of existence by observing the number and scope of the lies needed to make it bearable.

790. Life -- the diagnosis is always terminal. Timing is everything.

787. Creativity is simply the willingness to experiment.

786. How does man's imagination arise? Surely it is but a reflection of the creative process of evolution itself -- which is constantly throwing out new ideas seeking the approval of the environment.

780. From the awkward fabric of existence – the threads of our human legacy of competition and co-operation – must be fashioned the best garment of civilization possible.

778. Appeasement never deters -- but always encourages -- aggression.

773. There is no cure for age.

764. The human condition is difficult. As a species we must journey between the Scylla of despair in contemplating the blind, destructive, indifference of the universe -- and the Charybdis of necessary, protective, but potentially dangerous hopeful illusions.

747. Whenever people attack not the idea – but its source -- you know they’ve hit the brick wall of their intellectual limitations.

738. There is an inevitability to nostalgia: the past is not burdened – as is the present – by apprehension -- the uncertainty of inconclusivity.

736. Life challenges each of us with an enigmatic and unyielding alchemy -- making sense of the human experience.

728. To say that love is blind understates the case; surely only perverse incompetence can account for the fact that it so often chooses the hopelessly unattainable, the maddeningly unresponsive, or the manifestly unsuitable.

724. Speak now of your dreams, and beat loud the drum of your ambitions; the great silence waits.

718. Political correctness is the despotism of everyday life; it pretends that perfection is the natural state of the human condition and thus makes universal guilt --and a concomitant cowering silence --the zeitgeist of the age.

716. The ratio of dreaming to doing varies inversely with the rate of accomplishment.

708. We are the temporary achievement of relentless change and ceaseless striving; yet, like the flower that disdains the supportive soil and forgets its roots, we yearn for unwitherable bloom, and a quiet, unhurried garden of equality.

707. The twentieth century provided adequate evidence of the destructive potential of competitive, aggressive tribalism. It is interesting that, in the twenty-first century, some of the more enlightened tribes have concluded that the appropriate remedy for tribal aggression is self-destruction.

696. Roadblocks beget detours.

693. Certainty is saving grace or dangerous delusion -- depending on its foundation -- in fact  -- or fantasy.

692. Just as the old, looking back, idealize the past, so the young, looking forward, idealize the future. Illusion is at the heart of hope -- and memory.

684. Every thinking person seeks a coherent, rational, comprehensive philosophy of life -- something which will give meaning to the human condition, and solace to the human spirit. That is why thinking people are more frustrated and disappointed than the rest of us.

681. Globalism is theory; nationalism -- which has its roots in instinctive tribalism -- is practice.

675. Happiness is the charlatan whose disguise is always perfect.

674. Happiness is always the serendipitous result of looking for something else.

665. It is admirable to maintain that tribalism is a barbaric element of our past, and that all cultures are equal; practical difficulties arise from the fact that some tribes are still more barbaric than others.

661. Logic permits two explanations of our behaviour. First, our decisions are the inevitable result of the laws of cause and effect -- since only one effect can arise from a single set of causes (the brain in a particular state responding to the environment in a particular state) -- at any instant in time. Second, chance -- to a greater or lesser degree -- interferes with that inevitability, making our choices unpredictable, arbitrary, and meaningless. Sanity requires us to reject logic, and believe we are the masters of our fate.

646. If man is instinctively tribal, and tribes are instinctively hierarchical, egalitarian and multicultural societies are at some distance beyond the horizon. He who would tame the lion of instinct must be ever-vigilant; nor should he belittle the magnitude of his task.

643. Intelligence is the wide beam of light -- but determination is the narrow focus, the lens by which the darkness is transformed, and new trails are blazed.

631. Sometimes the ends do justify the means. A lot depends on whether the ends are mine, or yours.

618. The impossible is so often desirable; the desirable, so often impossible.

614. Why haven't we received radio messages from advanced civilizations elsewhere in the universe? The answer may be quite simple. At about the same time a species discovers radio waves, it acquires the technology for blowing itself up -- which it promptly does.

612. The trouble with brains is -- they are so easily washed.

610. The human brain is essentially tribal in nature: Ninety per cent imitation, ten per cent contemplation, and two percent initiation.

577. Virtuous Exemption Syndrome: An affliction which leads the sufferer to believe that his clear and undeniable virtue exempts him from observing normal conventions and rules of behaviour. 

563. Human beings are defiantly real, rather than conveniently conceptual. That is why attempts to create an ideal society invariably involve bullying and oppression -- and why they ultimately fail.

560. In the hotel of the human psyche, emotion owns and manages the building; science and reason are occasional guests.

558. The miraculous – dazzling and fantastical – cannot be denied: the transformation of matter from inanimate to animate – the expanding labyrinthine complexity and the extraordinary variety of life forms – the mysterious development of consciousness. Yet the process itself seems automatic and reactive rather than planned and deliberate. And nowhere is there even a breath of benevolence – except in the yearning of the human imagination.

551. Hope is essential; but it doesn't hurt to expect disappointment.

550. No mourning can heal the wound of neverness.

546. The contradiction at the atomic heart of human matter: electrons of comedy circling protons of tragedy.

540.  Life is absolutely wonderful -- but utterly ruthless.

502. The universe is a great mystery. You can make up as many happy and flattering stories about the mystery as you want. They are still just stories, and the mystery is still a mystery.

499. The distinction between arrogance and confidence is determined by what happens next.

485. The victory -- or defeat -- of the home team is of infinitesimal consequence; what is significant is the passionate engagement of the crowd -- for it is that which suggests the rôle of tribal instinct in human affairs.

484. Of all tribalism, that based on religion is most dangerous. When faith -- the fever borne of factless fantasy -- unleashes, with aggressive certainty, its unreasoning, rabid dogs of war -- negotiation is not possible.

483. If tribalism is the natural state of mankind, we should not be surprised at the presence of great swaths of mindless conformity, and the scarcity of threads of independent thought.

482. The great virtue of tribalism -- co-operation -- contains the seed of its great vice -- unthinking conformity.

481. Religious tribalism is based on nonsense -- which is not necessarily a disadvantage -- for faith never defers to facts.

476. Leopards do not change their spots. The bleach of wishful thinking can never erase the stain of original deficiencies.

474. The gloomy notion of original sin has been replaced with the happy presumption of original goodness. During the process, human nature has remained unchanged.

465. We are not, essentially and intrinsically, rational. The difficulty is to find the least harmful expressions of superstition and primitive tribal emotions. Rooting for the home team and religions without fangs -- reduced to ritual cheering for the home God -- might be acceptable.

464. In a world so often chaotic and unpredictable, it is no surprise that order and certainty are highly prized. Doubtless this accounts for the success of dictators, and the popularity of Gods.

462. Certainty is most passionate in the absence of evidence.

445. That any adult could believe in Scientology is a testament to the tragic and dangerous gullibility of humankind.          

436. The persistence of religious beliefs suggests that men need myths to live by. The weakness of any myth is that it is not true, but, to be taken seriously, must pretend to be. Great assurance in the pretence inspires confidence in the believers -- but concomitantly fuels the fires of contemptuous piety, and provides holy sanction for the oppression of others.

(It may be observed that this applies to belief in catastrophic anthropogenic climate change, as well as to other, more conventional, myths.)

415. Co-operation is much admired, and is helpful in getting things done; competition is cruel, and often despised -- but it works to get the best things done. There is a similar relationship between tolerance and intolerance.

405. The central problem of mankind: How to satisfy the craving for meaning without succumbing to the addictive effects of nonsense: fervent certainty wedded to intellectual paralysis.

404. The necessity of illusion is the curse of mankind.

400. Appeasement of those making unreasonable demands -- whether from fear or from a generous, empathetic sensitivity -- invariably leads to further unreasonable demands.

398. Admitted ignorance is better than a false certainty.

393. Self-delusion: short term self-protection in exchange for longer term self-destruction.

391. Our judgments are visceral, immediate, and naked.  Only later are they decently covered -- in the respectability of persuasive logic and the faultless tailoring of reasoned opinion.

387. The paradox of certainty: Certainty is asserted with most assurance and confidence in the absence of  facts.

384.  A certainty divine is what men crave --
         That they, with conscience clear, may misbehave. 

379. True self esteem is earned -- and is rooted deep in the soil of accomplishment. Thus it can withstand the storm. "Esteem" bestowed -- without reason -- from above, is mere painting, the insubstantial decoration of a seed without roots. It engenders a superficial confidence most likely to be perceived as arrogance. In a light rain, the seed, the gloss, and the "esteem" are like to be washed away.

378. It is a sobering thought that madness – either of hope or despair -- may be a near necessity of the human condition. One either embraces the false hope offered by religion, or one despairs because life is only what it is –a   short burst of meaningless sentience in an indifferent universe. The only escape would appear to be a mirroring indifference, the refuge – whether natural or deliberate – of a complacent mindlessness.

364. "Groupthink" suggests certainty where there is none. (Cf. Voltaire: Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.)

360. Often the greatest "certainty" seems to arise from the flimsiest evidence. Those with weak arguments "yell like hell." Those whose opinion is supported by fact can encounter contrary opinion with an even tone.

358. Those mired in ancient grievance are likely to ignore present opportunities, and thus forfeit future compensating rewards.

357. The road of righteous certainty has a powerful allure, but it usually ends at the cliff of comeuppance. 

343. People are often wedded to their illusions; any petition for divorce is likely to be met with a degree of shock, and a measure of hostility.

353. Tolerance is not an absolute virtue; it is laudable -- or not -- in context. Tolerance of thievery suggests an intolerant hostility towards the robbed. 

331. Loyalty and logic live in different parts of town.

330. The paradox of perversity is that it is as often admired as condemned. It may be seen as a folly in defiance of facts, but also as a virtue of loyalty in the face of adversity. In sports, the determined loyalty of the fan devoted to a consistently losing team is revered rather than ridiculed. In religion, the more absurd the belief, the greater the faith that is required; the greater the faith, the more virtuous the believer.

329. There is always a tendency to ignore those facts which contradict a favoured hypothesis. The price of complacency is often paid in the coin of absurdity.

326. Those who stridently claim the moral high ground always risk a tumbling into the pit of self-righteousness, where the end always justifies the means.

320. The promise of paradise is a rose with many thorns.

310. Too much of a good thing is always a bad thing.

304. The more irrational the belief, the more spirited and indignant defence it requires.

291. Disappointment is as inevitable as hope is necessary.

285. While perfection may be desirable, it is never reasonable.

284. All virtues contain the seeds of vice.

282. An exaggerated sensitivity is an invitation to the mischief of mockery.

280. Laughter and piety do not make good neighbours.

279. Most will give up an acre of freedom for a closet of security.

275. The propensity of porkers is to pan pearls. (Variation: 'Twas ever the propensity of porkers to pan pearls.)

272. Hopefulness should never venture abroad but that it be attended by wariness as a helpful and faithful companion.

266. Magical Thinking is a steadfast belief in a cause and effect relationship, where the validity of that relationship has not been established. In scientific thinking, the absence of this validity is considered fatal; in Magical Thinking, it confers sanctity, and garners both respect and reverence.

260. The less one knows about a subject, the easier it is to pronounce upon it with an air of assured confidence and untroubled authority.

259. There are plain fools, and fools who recognize the advantages of knavery in the commission of their folly.

251. True respect is earned, not wheedled, demanded, or coerced.

250. The red lips and rouged cheeks of certainty have more allure than the plain unvarnished face of doubt. (The tarted-up version of #249)

249. A false certainty may yet persuade the hesitation of reasonable doubt.

248. Much of what people proclaim is fraudulent; much of what they do, stupid. The price of sanity is a skeptical vigilance.

244. Appeasement of evil is seen as folly by the realist, as a stop-gap by the strategist, and as a solution by the fool.

240. There are few easy answers; most "easy answers" invite more difficult questions.

235. Elephants, though unrecognized or unacknowledged, may yet continue to poop on the carpet, eventually rendering the room uninhabitable.

231. Every human being must make his own peace with reality.

228. Man's imagination is enterprising, but not entirely trustworthy.

222. When Goliath is slain, do not be surprised when David tries on his shoes.

216. Purity of intent does not guarantee purity of result.

214. The amount of worrying done by an individual is determined by a "worry quotient" fixed at the time of birth, and is independent of apparently causal circumstances.

212. Benevolence wary is like to lose both name and reputation; benevolence blind and pure in heart may yet nourish the seeds of evil.

210. One seldom knows one’s true opinion until one has expressed it.

209. Rational analysis is the camouflage for visceral response.

208. Opinion is informed by emotion, not logic.

204. Sentience can only thrive in the unreasonable expectation of its own permanence.

201. It is easier to punish evil than compel benevolence.

200. The little rituals of death serve to tame the chaos of our puzzlement, soothe the denial of our hopes.

198. The human mind, too divine for death, flatters itself with expectations of immortality.

197. Life is not so much like a novel, in which each chapter informs the next, and the hero is wiser at the end; rather, it is like a series of echoing but enigmatic haiku, with the last no more revealing than the first.

196. All that glisters is not gold:
        Let caution reign where freedom’s sold.

193. Mankind cannot abide a mystery: it must be dispersed with a causal narrative. Many seem not to care whether the explanation is rational, and scientific, or imaginative and religious.

171. Great expectations bring inevitably in their train disappointments of equal magnitude.

167. Beneficial change is much desired; it is especially attractive when thought to be obtainable without altering established habit or custom.

164. One man's deeply held conviction is another man's bigotry.

163. Exceptional aggressiveness is rooted in exceptional insecurity.

160. Try to look on the bright side of things; if the bright side is not immediately evident, keep looking. It is better to be busy than depressed.

133. The man who sets out to please everyone is on a fool’s errand.

121. We always take comfort in opinions which echo our own; thus is achieved much harmonious bleating, and the happiness of herds.

120. An opinion agreeable to one’s own is always given safe harbour and an easy rest; a contrary view is left to founder on the jagged rocks of its perceived insufficiency.

115. Human Nature is neither inherently good, nor intrinsically evil. As with many things–it is a muddle of potentials.

101. Tolerance is like alcohol: in moderate amounts, it softens hard edges, and lubricates the machinery of social interaction; in excess, it leads to foolishness, incoherence, the annihilation of principle, and the destruction of the essential self.

99. After the striving, the fine talk, and the grandeur of dreams – all that remains is an elegance of bones.

95. In every human relationship, in every human interaction, there is suggestion of a balance, or imbalance of power. Those interactions suggesting balance are most congenial, but they are not nearly the most common.

63. Adversity and failure are woven into the fabric of existence; without them, there can be neither test of mettle nor triumph of success.

16. There is, in human nature, a strong desire to control others; it is evident that, in modern societies, this control is achieved most successfully when it can be linked to some moral imperative. Thus the medical profession is hell-bent on lowering your cholesterol; the bicyclists want to disrupt traffic and take over the expressways; the Suzukiists want you to return to the cave, shiver in the dark.