Insecurity Or Conviction Revisited

Part of how life works. Authors , columnists, talk show hosts, preachers and others have ideas that they all want to impart on others. Once in a while they make enough of an impact that the people they impart that to that those people keep it going. That's why the teachings of Christ, Confucius , Marx all survive to this day. Others kept those ideas going.






Once in a while there will be an idea that is essentially the same but comes at you from two entirely different directions. I relayed such an idea back in April and I defined the concept as conviction. I got it from one of the more influential books I ever read. Robert Pirsig's Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Influential in the sense that it framed my thinking over the years. The idea goes something like this: people who are yell loudest about a cause do so because that cause is in doubt. So sometimes what might be seen on the surface as complete conviction is either a way of concealing insecurity or convincing oneself.









In April I connected that concept to the campaign of Noynoy Aquino. Lot of people so crazy about him and I could not find any rational reason for it. Well, my personal view as stated back then was they wanted to convince the doubters through sheer fanaticism. Forget reason and logic. Noynoy himself could never be concrete so in his campaign he was just abstract. Talked about destiny, eliminating corruption and his dead parents. Flashing the "L" sign which I still don't see the significance to him personally. Toting the color of cowardice. Ultimately either to the brilliance of his campaigners and/ or the sheer ignorance of the Filipino electorate this superficial strategy worked. Noynoy will be in the international microscope and will be a source of pride or shame since we elected him. Either way we get the government we deserve. You can read more about that here: http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1108/Conviction_Part_2



In the months before someone I know remarried. His mantra was " insert fiance's name here is so galing." Galing is Tagalog for incredible. From my viewpoint not too many in my family seem to echo that sentiment. The question is was he trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince us? So apply the ideas in the second paragraph to this anecdote. All I can say to that is if you will continuously voluntarily fall on the sword for somebody or something, you will eventually gross some people out.







Finally the reason for revisiting the topic. Colin Cowherd who I often quote here has his version of the exact same concept. Of course expressed very differently from Pirsig.Yet he describes with a different analogy exactly what Pirsig describes religious fanatics are. Exactly what I describe about "galing" people. When he talks about Chicago Bears fans and insecurity in the first minute of the audio it is exactly what I experienced with Noynoy backers pre election. When asked about his deeds that make him worthy of the position of President the typical Noynoy supporter was better off being asked about the nuclear fission. You might have gotten a better answer. It's an insecurity that is ironically revealed more the louder most cultures get when they trumpet or defend certain things they see that are representative of their culture. Whether its sports teams or nationalities. That has always been a common theme in this blog. All the flag waving over Manny, Charice and Arnel. All the gnashing of teeth over the depiction of Filipinos in comedies. Often when Filipinos cry out sorrowfully how they are depicted in international comedies all they are doing is exposing their own double standard. That loudness is fueled by INSECURITY.



Ed


Note: Colin audio available in Multiply version of this post or http://www.mediafire.com/?ptmkuqj3afgta3h

Related Links

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/688/Why_Are_Our_Filipino_Newspapers_So_Dumb

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/970/Sometimes_what_lies_beyond_is_called_the_truth.

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1071/At_Least_No_Fictional_Character_Ever_Said_The_Pinoy_aint_got_no_humanity.


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1193/I_dont_find_Charice_Talented_But_Let_Me_Tell_You_Who_Is


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/619/Arnel_Pineda_Extrapolation

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/401/Desperate_Housewives_and_Filipinos_as_Moral_Beacons_Update_

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/518/Hes_One_of_Us_Thats_Why


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/339/Here_We_Go_Again_Filipinos_Moral_Beacons_of_the_World_

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1196/Insecurity_Or_Conviction_Revisited_

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1190/Alien_Lands_In_Luneta_Joke_



http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1108/Conviction_Part_2

http://www.mediafire.com/?ptmkuqj3afgta3h

Tags: elections, zen, conviction, robert pirsig, art of motorcycle, noynoy aquino, fanatics, sunrise, pirsig

Conviction Part 2

Dedication

You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it's going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, its always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt. ( from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig)

If you recall in Conviction Part 1, I try to make sense of all the people I see fanatical over an occupation that in common culture is usually looked down on. That occupation of course is politician. I just see this senseless fanaticism and fervor over nothing. But that is exactly why I find this passage this explains it so well.Back in Conviction Part 1 I relied on the New Testament to make sense of this fanaticism. In Part 2 I will use the discipline of philosophy.

How did I get into this book? Well First of all, find authors who speak to you. Harvey Mackay was one. Sometimes these authors have recommended reading lists, and I suggest exploring them too. This book was on Harvey Mackay's recommended reading list. It of course had the most unusual title so it got me curious. Once I found the book it proved to be a very memorable reading experience. It's all about the journey of life and ways of thinking. Ways of evaluating. All about experience. Once you realize that then comprehending the book gets easier.


This was one quote that always struck me was the idea of people who were dedicated to a cause, or fanatics. It is the very resistance that they encounter that gives them the strength to be fanatics. Read that short paragraph again. Nobody will argue about the sun rising on Wednesday and Thursday and Friday so no one is fanatic about it. But if something were in doubt then fanatics will emerge to "convert" those that doubt. For me that's why Noynoy has the dedicated legion that he does. The guy's record proves him to be a political stiff. Nothing noteworthy in his resume. But the fanatics somehow made a leap from his parents glory days to an envisioned future of a competent Noynoy steering this ship of state towards utopia. That may be a bit of an exaggeration but one does not get fanatic over a vision of mediocrity. Their envisioned future has no basis in the reality that Noynoy has delivered in his first 50 years on Earth. He could not lead his way out of a paper bag. Yet he is supposed to lead this country.

Yet it is those of us that doubt Noynoy based on his track record that fuel the fanatics to yell even louder in this annoying campaign season. One that already has a convicted plunderer and a guy whose billions are spent for no practical reason. There you have it, the stiff, the mad spender and the plunderer are apparently 1-2-3 in the polls. If that does not make you question the cerebral capacity of our electorate I don't know what will.

Ignore the fanatics. Make up your own mind. Track record and skills have to count more than one's deceased parents and romanticized revisionist history. A romanticized history I might add that Noynoy was a bystander.

All the amount of fanaticism in the world will not change the fact that Noynoy has a blank resume.

Ed


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1107/Conviction_Part_1_


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1109/Beware_The_Naked_Man_Who_Offers_You_His_Shirt


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1065/What_A_Lame_Campaign_Noynoy_Related


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/943/What_part_of_beyond_reasonable_doubt_do_you_not_understand_Erap_related

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/913/Riding_the_Momentum_of_Death

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/tag/robert%20pirsig

http://worldofalbert.multiply.com/journal/item/230/Why_I_Am_Not_Voting_For_Noynoy_Aquino?replies_read=51

http://www.gowland.ca/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/286/Zen_and_the_Art_page_13_My_Personal_Interpretations

http://www.virtualschool.edu/mon/Quality/

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1108/Conviction_Part_2

http://robnazario.multiply.com/journal/item/31/Interesting_Information_on_Noynoy_Aquino

Tags: zen, elections, art of motorcycle, robert pirsig, conviction, fanatics, sunrise, pirsig