Stranger Secret (eBook)

Terry Lee Murphy (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
132 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-8026-4 (ISBN)

This is Volume Two of The Ant Matrix Series, a tetralogy that navigates the intricate landscape of moral science, serving both as an analysis of moral philosophy and a prequel to personal development. This installment challenges conventional methods and encourages a deep reflection on our ethical understanding. Questions the assumptions of all perspectives, diving into passiveness, trust, and the consequences of detachment from social struggles. Here, we explore the notion that we can achieve not through conquest but through the recognition and encouragement of higher thoughts. Looking deeper into the consequences of competition and the generational effects of our collective actions. The idea is to bridge philosophy with psychology, religion, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology. Moral science seeks not just to understand how we make ethical decisions but also to guide us toward making better ones.

I was born in the United States and grew up in the Midwest. My youth was plagued with teaching and examples of lives lived with poor philosophy. One where self esteem and confidence were seen as a threat to those around you. Inevitably, I begin to follow the path of my inherited predecessors only to sense that life held greater meaning. Fortunately, I got in just enough trouble that people intervened and I discovered a new world. My mind still carried the trainings of poor philosophy and often found myself afraid to try. Encouraged by watching those who seem to have it figured out, I eventually would gather the strength to make the effort. I lived a life free of choices that would bring more problems, yet, I found myself a victim of misplaced pride. The kind that seems to leave most people trying to figure life out themselves, when the answers are there if they would just look or ask. Reaching a point where there were some successes, most the reward went to someone else. I had always been curious about the differences in social classes and humans themselves. Through a series of circumstances and a victim of someone else's imposed self importance, my confidence taking a major blow, I began to wonder what I had missed. My search led me to those who teach personal development. Unveiling two powerful statements 'We become what we think about, most of the time' and 'If you don't have plans for yourself, you will fall into someone else's plan, and guess what they have planned for you...not much.' These statements and continued research into the Law of Attraction and Cause and Effect created an overwhelming desire to become a student of the Moral Sciences. Compelled to find the answers the problems that seem to be a human condition and have existed within humanity as far back as we can see. There are answers, they are there. Unlike anything else that follows a natural order, humans feel they have a choice and not unlike myself are determined, sometimes defiantly, to prove their freedom in those choices. Those who follow a path without much resistance seem to do well. They don't see choice or discipline, more that is what needs to be done and just do it without much thought. This research has become a quest and I am enjoying the freedom of thought that comes with it. Obviously so much so that I can't even write a bio without it become philosophical. So here is bio: I was born in Des Moines , Iowa in 1968. My family moved to a small rural town in Southern Iowa when I was very young. I have three brothers. I can start to remember my youth living in the country a long a gravel road, starting school and making friends. Eventually, we moved from the country to a town of around 5,000 people called Chariton. This new exposure to more people is when life seemed to bring a new awareness to the world around me. When I was around 5 years old my mother had some kind of a nervous breakdown, was institutionalized and I never really saw here again until my late teens. My dad eventually remarried and with her came 3 additional step siblings. We were quite poor and my dad didn't work much. As we got older there were lots of problems and everyone one of us had some level of accountability to the legal system. I can't recall any of leaving home on our own accord. Most all of us, except for one brother who went into the army to avoid it, left home in the back of a police or social workers car. On our way to some sort of juvenile detention center, jail or prison for a few. I was sent to a youth drug and alcohol treatment center at age 17, ending up in Ames, Iowa. Surrounded by different things I saw a new freedom and built a life unassociated, with little exposure to my immediate family. In spite of struggles, with some mentorship I secured a spot in the middle class. I got married and had 3 girls and am grateful that I could be the father I hoped to be. This leads me back to where this started and on to where it goes. I'm excited for this journey.

Competition

How many times have you lost, and at what cost? How did you feel? Did it make you a better person? Loss doesn’t sit well with most people. Infuriating some. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “An eye for an eye makes the world blind.” Seeking revenge hinders our ability to see the truth and make wise decisions. Blinded by emotions like greed, jealousy, hate, love, and ambition, they can blur our perception. Who would want a society driven by them? Yet, look around, or are you blinded by one of them too?

Competition amplifies these emotions, creating pressure to win and fear of losing. It leads to constant comparisons and distorts our judgment. However, some see competition as a positive force. To improve and foster learning. To understand how our emotions influence us and strive for a competitive environment based on fair play, respect, and mutual growth. That sounds good, as long as participants are being taught that.

In a competitive world, do you seek to do it honestly? Some would not see that as a worthwhile strategy. Especially those driven to win. The United States is highly competitive, scoring a 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10. The primary tactic is often devaluing opponents, creating doubt and fear, and making them feel weak and inferior. This behavior can stem from a desperate need for attention or a power play. However, it doesn’t promote healthy competition. It resembles more of a war mentality, focused on destruction, elimination, or enforcing conformity. This extreme approach may be too dramatic for most people, but they still feel compelled to take part. We must question who is writing this playbook and what lies at its core. How far do we have to go before we say, “That’s enough?”

We push our kids into competition from the get-go, bragging about their strength or “smartness” before they even learn to crawl. It’s in our DNA—this need to outdo everyone, even friends, if it means personal gain. Competition is everywhere. We have six-year-olds on the field taking part in “innocent” fun while their parents’ sanity hangs by a thread on the sidelines. Morphing into frenzied beasts, a few pacing like caged animals, barking at refs, and dissecting plays for anyone who’ll listen, all the while fantasizing about their child’s rise to stardom. They’ll sacrifice everything—their own souls and, especially, another’s. The same mom who worried about injuries last month now stands on the bleachers screaming, “Knock their bleeping heads off!” Rising to the level necessary pushes aside the weak, leaving only those who might threaten their grand plan.

You believe in the truth as a cornerstone of who you are. But the truth can be a bitter pill in this society. I’ve seen honesty create suspicion. Like, “What’s their angle?” People assume you’re up to something. The status quo is showing off, jockeying for position, and blowing your own trumpet. Humility throws them off guard. Trust no one; just act like you can. A constant cat-and-mouse, lives built on secrets and smoke screens, a game where you either position yourself or get positioned. Opt out of the competition, and you’re branded weak, so you’d best move over or get crushed.

The truth makes some people uncomfortable, forcing them to look at their actions and exposing their choices. Which is not part of the plan or something they’re going to do. They won’t let themselves or those they are cheering for feel disadvantaged. Doing what they can to separate them from mediocrity, defeat, or, worse, exploitation. The alternative? Do whatever it takes to win.

In a “do unto others or have it done to you” world, a passive mind will not advance. Fortitude means that sometimes you have to take actions that are questionable in the eyes of others. The fact is, we’re responsible for the arrangement of our lives and our success. Views of certain values can vary by individual and their determination to succeed. We can be sincerely gracious or sincere in our intent to carry out our plans. To complete the picture, morality can blur the path to getting what we want. That we can turn it off makes it an effective tool. It may come at a price, but we are the keepers of our own toll. The question is, how much are we willing to pay?

I know those who’ve upset the balance of entire programs for their own kids. You must have some skill to pull it off. This path, if navigated well, paves the way for ascent. But it demands an arsenal: purpose, leadership, mastery, discipline, status, and a keen understanding of the social game. Or, you can just not care and do it anyway, accepting whatever retaliation comes your way.

There are modern-day business leaders that stand on stage touting “Rules! Rules are your undoing? We’re here to win!!” They appear to be using history to write their playbook. Sometimes chivalry and etiquette lead to demise. In the American Revolutionary War, British adherence to formation and open warfare proved ineffective against the colonists’ willingness to break the rules of engagement. We know how that turned out.

Some people treat you like a pawn in their game, a competition you never signed up for. Life, for them, is a battlefield, and you are an unwitting contestant. If you’re naïve, the ones competing are not. Once aware, it becomes obvious who’s playing. Some are very good at this game. If you take your eye off the ball or while you’re waiting for the right pitch, they’re up there, swinging away. Hitting a home run every once in a while. They are not always using a regulation bat or playing by the rules. Who cares? No one is paying that close attention. If they did, it may mean a disadvantage for them when they’re up to bat. To cry foul is to cause everyone to look around disgustingly at one another, saying, “Who invited them?”

There are a select few who get it, planning their children’s futures before birth. Most common humans will spend more time picking out an outfit for their child’s first day of kindergarten than planning the next thirteen years of education and life. Guilty! Isn’t that why we send our kids to school? For them to figure out what to do with them. No! I honestly did not know you could, should script, and take part in it all. No wonder grandparents can be so annoying. Guilty! Trying to correct errors in raising their own children.

If we are naively involved, we can get caught in the middle of those who took it seriously. I once sat at a sporting banquet, trying to eat my meal, caught between two mothers playing child poker. “My child got into Yale!” one boasted. “Yale? That’s great!” the other countered. “Mine is getting a double major in astrophysics and biology. They want to be the first to perform surgery in space.” Beat that! It wasn’t quite like that. I think we could have gotten there. Hooray! If it’s true, success deserves celebration. What if their child is stocking shelves at the local store with no aspiration to do much else? Will their pride fold like a Two of Clubs against an Ace? How good are they at bluffing? The Syntagm is a powerful tool for meaning. We should help our children discover their purpose, work towards helping them achieve it, and celebrate any success. I don’t think the idea is to use them as pawns in a competitive game. Attempting to gain an edge over others or as a vicarious reinforcement of ourselves. Especially if we’re using them to outplay those earnestly trying to do good. That’s not worth celebrating.

As we spectate and watch another person accumulate success, we may have a range of emotions. We cheer for it or against it, while we wish for it ourselves. One knows when they are winning. They themselves may not give much thought to the how or why. Feeling compelled towards it. Those who cheer against their success become fuel to propel them further ahead. Successful people do not allow themselves to be defined by others. For many reasons found in our self-image, those definitions get overstated or fall short in value. We can see someone swooning over another with praise and admiration; another gives them unconstructive advice from the viewpoint of their own insecurities.

It’s not wise to take advice from an adversary or an unhappy person. They will give it insincerely. Maybe a measure of themselves, not wanting anyone to advance or have more than them. There are circumstances, reasoning, and excuses that all seem valid. Some to keep you in check. Because we need that? To not let others pass them by. Their intent for you is that of a person who wishes they could or would have. They never try, yet caution anyone who does. Most of which do, never to pass their way again.

Other people mainly have plans for themselves. What they want to accomplish. That should be the situation for all of us. Scoffing at another’s success will prevent us from reaching our full potential. It’s become a focus issue. Where our attention is. We can also question how it’s done. Still, where is the attention for our own goals?

If life is about winning, the actions you take should produce results for you. To try at something and not succeed, it’s important to understand what happened. Lack of knowledge or ability? Interest in something you feel you should be interested in or sounds good and are really meant to do something else? Applying the wrong effort, the right effort the wrong way, or in the wrong place? Maybe you’ve maximized your success in that situation or circumstance. Is someone intentionally standing in the...

Erscheint lt. Verlag	22.11.2024
Sprache	englisch
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Ethik
ISBN-13	979-8-3509-8026-4 / 9798350980264

Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt?

EPUB (Ohne DRM)
Größe: 2,4 MB

Digital Rights Management: ohne DRM
Dieses eBook enthält kein DRM oder Kopierschutz. Eine Weitergabe an Dritte ist jedoch rechtlich nicht zulässig, weil Sie beim Kauf nur die Rechte an der persönlichen Nutzung erwerben.

Dateiformat: EPUB (Electronic Publication)
EPUB ist ein offener Standard für eBooks und eignet sich besonders zur Darstellung von Belletristik und Sachbüchern. Der Fließtext wird dynamisch an die Display- und Schriftgröße angepasst. Auch für mobile Lesegeräte ist EPUB daher gut geeignet.

Systemvoraussetzungen:
PC/Mac: Mit einem PC oder Mac können Sie dieses eBook lesen. Sie benötigen dafür die kostenlose Software Adobe Digital Editions.
eReader: Dieses eBook kann mit (fast) allen eBook-Readern gelesen werden. Mit dem amazon-Kindle ist es aber nicht kompatibel.
Smartphone/Tablet: Egal ob Apple oder Android, dieses eBook können Sie lesen. Sie benötigen dafür eine kostenlose App.
Geräteliste und zusätzliche Hinweise

Buying eBooks from abroad
For tax law reasons we can sell eBooks just within Germany and Switzerland. Regrettably we cannot fulfill eBook-orders from other countries.