Unsentimental Sentiment

Productive Disposition

Smart people want to get everything right. The problem is that time is short and life doesn’t wait for you to become perfect. Life is a learning process. This is why I am constructing my rational philosophy of life idea by idea, using them as building blocks. There is really nothing to worry about as long as you aren’t jumping to conclusions and ignoring inconvenient facts.

Solid building blocks. Build horizontally. One idea at a time. If you are dealing with facts, even small facts, they are leading you inexorably toward a rational picture of Reality. Vertical construction will come naturally, as you build up your basis in reality.

Methinks that whilst we improve our philosophies we must constantly put our ideas into practice. The purpose is to build confidence in those truths you have discovered. The world needs more lions touring the universe with carefully established philosophies, roaring out thier zest for reality.

What we need to have is a productive disposition. Most people have a consumptive disposition– they phrase life’s propostions in terms of what can I get out of this?

The productive disposition asks:

• what can I give in this situation?
• what is the most I can do?
• how can I be more effective with people, ideas, time?
• who can benefit from this?

The productive disposition is not looking to acquire, but to expand.

If your philosophy is entirely irrational, stop motivating yourself to act, by all means necessary. But if you are constructing your philosophy the right way, do not be timid.

The ultimate question is: how can I motivate myself to get more stuff done, even as I learn more and more about what needs to be done?