John's thoughts about various things

The deeper side

I like to think deeply and widely through an idea; I've started to try to set down some of my thoughts systematically as essays to provide a base for further thoughts. These grew from my making some notes about how I think things fit together, the development of a personal systematic theology and more. Some of my specifically religious essays I've collected separately, in my religious topics directory.

Writings about thinking

I like to think about thinking, and about feeling, and on related topics; sometimes I write about these:

Statics and dynamics of personal change
Why it's hard (but possible) to change many things about oneself.
The mental terrain
Exploring the thought of our thoughts as a terrain that we explore.
Depression
Some notes about depression, largely from my own experience.
Self-esteem
People used to be encouraged to increase this. (The emphasis has now switched to self-acceptance, which is much better.)
Prayer and OCD
The boundaries between prayer, neurosis and superstition
Emotional umblical cords
I've observed that some people make themselves non-entities in their own eyes if not feeding intravenously from someone with more self-esteem than themselves...
Ways
My new writing project
Aphorisms
Some short thoughts about things

Links to others' writings

I was pleased to find the Principia Cybernetica, a project gathering up philosophical information on computers.

I've saved a brilliant post on merton-l by Ermel Stepp on several issues.

My minor philosophies of life

Why buy something, when you can have much more fun making it yourself?
I enjoy making things, increasing and practising my own skillset. Furniture, bicycles, musical instruments, tricycles, bags, and interior designs all come under this remit.

I've also made a collection of what might be wisdom from various origins.

Likes and dislikes

What does it say about me that I've find it much easier to write down dislikes than likes? To try to sound more positive, I'll include among the likes things that I noticed as likes because they're the opposite of dislikes that I noticed! On the other hand, quite a lot of things I like have been included in my list of interests on my home page.

Be warned that I hold strong views on things, and am prepared to stand up for what I believe. I can also be rather expressive. Many people find this combination of characteristics distressing. If you don't like it, I'd be inclined to say Go get a life, but I have a suspicion that people like you are pre-programmed and don't stand a chance of getting a life, even if you do technically have free will, so I won't bother.

Here are some lists:

How to improve the world

Instructions for this may be found in this. Or maybe not.

Oddments

Here are some more writings:

[Thoughts]
Contact me

See also my index of thoughts on various subjects.

 [John's home] Last modified: Thu Jun 21 11:08:24 GMT Daylight Time 2007