Nived and I discussed this at length once, verbally and in writing.
I have to admit his arguments are compelling, though in the theme of the post on core issues are just a bit outside the concept here.
The more I ponder, the more I see the truth of the idea that our actions, how we live, what we do, display our true intents and desires and ultimately values.
Of course I had reached this conclusion before I ever considered anything at all to do with anything to do with actions speak louder than words. The idea is obvious.
When an idea stands up to scrutiny, then you have something.
Nived points out that just because we may or may not do something to achieve something we desire does not mean we do not value that thing.
Agreed.
Again, that is a little off the track of the core concept, that what we truly desire we seek and achieve. That a failure or a perceived failure to achieve a desired goal is in fact not a failure at all but a complete lack of true commitment to that goal. That what we want we get. That the what of the equation can be unlimited and that the how actually defines the what in actuality, actually.
We are all successful at achieving what we want in the how we do it.
So where is the bottom line? What about starving abused children? What about the holocaust?
All good questions. Remember this is a concept, philosophy, philosophizing.
Concepts are big, not detailed.
The result is the title, you are getting what you want.
But are you getting what you need? The Stones were wrong.
I think your idea only works when you look at desires in a very abstract way.
Take for instance the guy who becomes a successful businessman to impress some woman he is in love with. Little does he know she’s just looking for a well-endowed fella who can make her laugh. Is it his innermost desire to spend the best years of his life building up a resume of all the wrong things only to be turned down by the love of his life?
While I think some are secretly in love with tragic and epic failure, that can’t always be the case. Your theory assumes that people have a very intuitive knowledge of what means lead to what ends. Let me just tell you, my friend, that just ain’t so. So that was a dumb little example, but what do you think?
Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often. Mark Twain.
Making an effort to make the point is wearing me down.
Rather than objecting can you tell me if you get what I am saying?
Heres an example:
Theres a guy who loves rock and roll and says he wants to be a rock star starting in early childhood.
He starts learning to play guitar and composing music at that time.
He gets good.
He records.
He sings.
He writes.
He doesnt do anything other than that yet still claims to want to be a rock star.
He lives and works doing everything but being a rock star.
He doesnt really want to be a rock star.
There is no assumption here with this concept. This is not a theory but rather an observation. What this observation assumes if anything is that actions speak louder than words, if you want to call that an assumption.
The idea, again, is not that people have an intimate knowledge of themselves but rather that they dont and only desire in the abstract. True desire isnt abstract, it triggers action.
I love to sleep, I sleep a lot.
I love to play guitar, I play guitar a lot.
I wanna be a rock star. . . . no wait. . . apparently I dont.
I think we need to accept personal responsibility for the way our lives turn out, but also understand that it is our job to pursue our goals and do what we can with what we’re given.
Say I want to create a successful business by the time I’m 35. Say I marry at 30 and my wife dies in a car crash just as my business is taking off on my 35th birthday. Our goals and needs might change when we encounter surprises or we become older and wiser. Rigidity and a tunnel-vision on the finish line have definite value, but they aren’t the only tools necessary for a worthwhile existence.
I’m not continuing this discussion in order to find more ways to alleviate personal responsibility, I’m trying to make the point that we need life experience to flesh out the abstract ideas we have of what will make us happy. Passion and focus, aided by wisdom.
See, you are getting what you want.