A philosopher king on an always sunny Sunday of the mind.

I have a belief that probably isn’t going to be popular with some people.

It has to do with what motivates some people to to strive for achievement.

I think they’re probably unbalanced. They have a need to prove themselves because of some insecurity. They have some kind of fear which they’re fighting to allay or they have a chip on their shoulder which they’re trying to dislodge.

Here’s the background on why I think this.

I was reading Robert A Caro’s biography of Lyndon Johnson. Johnson’s father was an important man in his town and then he lost the farm both figuratively and literally.

Caro painted a vivid picture of how this deeply wounded Johnson and led to his absolute need to attain power and acquire riches.

The sort of behavior I’m characterizing is can be seen in the ‘Total War’ metaphor that underpins their actions.

Total War really came into it’s own in the early twentieth century. The concept was that war was not just fought with armies but with propaganda, misinformation, agent provocateurs, anything and everything was OK.

Our OSS, the precursor of the CIA, came out of this. It led to some seriously behavior (MK Ultra)

I bring this up as a means to look beneath the hood of some people. Just a way to ask yourself “What motivates them”?

And could I be talking about you……?

He’d known he was in trouble as soon as he started to sink into the mud. He’d realized just how much trouble when his struggling made him sink even deeper. He knew calling out was useless, he was too far for anyone to hear. He was just starting to consider the efficacy of prayer when he heard a ‘woof’.

He turned his head to see an old grey dog looking at him. The dog tilted his head as if to say “what have you gotten yourself into”?

“I’m stuck in the bog” he said. He was glad to have someone to talk to. The dog’s head seemed to nod in agreement. “I know you’re just a dog, but do you suppose you could help me out of here”? The dog just stood there for a moment, then turned and walked away.

“Shit” he muttered to himself. His mind was empty for a while as he stared forlornly at the muck which was up to his hips. He’d just begun to think that he’d never see his mom or dad again when there was another ‘woof’. The dog was back. And he’d brought a rope.

Many people have voiced the sentiment “Life is short”. I posit that life is too long.

If you don’t believe me, try staying awake through the whole thing. Really. Give it a week and you’ll be ready to die.

We only get through life because we break it down into smaller units and work our way through them. “One day at a time”.

I suggest that every time you go to sleep it marks the end of your life and that upon waking you’re starting a new one (reincarnation?).The device that links these separate lives into one continuous life is what I call “the underlying social contract”.

The underlying social contract states simply that you agree to be the same person today that you were yesterday. Think about it. Every day you continue to maintain your personal relationships and routines. Sure they alter over time but there is no “break”. And if there is a break then we assume that the person has undergone some kind of emotional or psychological trauma. In fact it is this repetition of behavior that makes life seem short.

Consider this. You drive somewhere for the first time. The route is new, the sites and landmarks are new. The trip seems to take a longer time because everything is different.Now imagine that this is your new commute. You’re driving there and back every day, month after month. You start to do it automatically. You view the route in short hand. It feels shorter and shorter.

The same thing happens in your life. As you look back over months or years of routine it doesn’t look that long. It’s been foreshortened.

Now imagine that you had spent the last few months walking to Argentina. Your memories would be so full of new experience and you would have gone through so many changes and adaptations that it would seem like forever.

The moral of all this is that life is as short as you make it.

One thing you have to understand is that money is not important. It’s the lack of money that’s important.

Here’s what I mean.If you have money to pay for everything (food, shelter, transportation etc) and you have enough so that when your car breaks you fix it, your TV dies you replace it, you get sick you go to the doctor. If you make enough money to do all that ( and have insurance and savings) you have enough.

If you were to make twice as much money, how would your life be different? Bigger house? Better clothes? Eat at fancier restaurants? It’s not an important difference.

But if you don’t have enough money, then, when your car breaks you can’t fix it, you miss work bills don’t get paid.

This is important.

I believe in the ‘golden rule’, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.

Philosophy is the underpinning of your existence. Your every action is informed by your philosophy. Even if you don’t think you have one, you do.