Burning in paradise

Tag: philosophy

  • Vince Staples and Nihilism

    KAZMALOOP has interesting perspective on Vince Staples

    “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.”

    This nihilist perspective has caught my interest, as I find myself somewhere between nihilism and pessimism. Everything around feels superficial or performative. No one wants to be honest while simultaneously no one can be. To truly be vulnerable is to show weakness, and if both our backs are against the wall the majority of people will exploit your weakness if it means they can be a step above you. No matter the relationship with the person. All relationships are power dynamics with an ever-shifting scale.

    So what do you do when you think you have to be the toughest in the room if it means you’ll be at peace? You come into every room prepared for war, with a layer of armor so thick that not even you yourself can remove it. Ready to destroy anyone if they challenge or cross the line with you. Look at our music, look at our movies. Every character is a balancing act trying to appear sane amongst the insanity of the reality we participate in daily. No different from the people watching to escape their own reality.

    There’s a cost to be free, it was I think Nietzsche is getting at. You can’t stare into the abyss and believe what you see as normal. The only way out is to know the abyss, without losing your sanity. To live in this duality, where what you know you are doing is wrong but it’s your means of survival. To be wrong and be alive at the cost of your sanity long enough to find peace.

  • Searching for My NorthStar

    It’s been a few years since I stopped practicing my faith and since then I’ve been wandering around searching for a northstar. Somewhere to plan my flag, a foundation to push off on. I’ve left religion for philosophy, reading the bushido code, Huey P. Newton, watching video essays on Carl Jung, and nothing feels quite right. But I think I’m closer today than I was ten years ago. Or maybe I’ve been building my own philosophy, my own code. Every man needs a code. A set of rules that they abide by out of internal conviction rather than external obligation. 

    That’s what religion brought me. An unquestionable way of life that can’t be challenged, or at least that is the way it was presented to me. Everyone tries to live a certain way, following the rules of the bible.

    What I found in reality was no one was living the lifestyle. Though everyone was trying but when emotions ran high the real person bleed through. The person they were trying to leave behind, the person their religion told them was no good, was still there under their Sunday’s best. The person never changed, they were just repressed. Push down under as far as he could go but eventually coming up for air. 

    I don’t think that religion or at least the way that it addresses the human condition in the church, doesn’t address a man’s soul. It leaves everything to imagine and metaphor, open to interpretation. Their examples don’t always translate to the individual but rather sets a standard of what it’s expected. It draws a finish line with no map and no contexts. 

    Man is meant to be tested and come to his own conclusions after conscious contemplation and reflection. How else can he know his limits and his capabilities? He doesn’t want to find his limitation when it’s life and death. A moment that challenges his entire being doesn’t want to be a split moment decision like in the movies. That means making mistakes, having regrets, not trying to imitate a god-like man. Originally and self-experience built character

    But then I start to question, how does a child find the basics, morals, valves, right and wrong? Is it the duty to the parents or society, community or history? And even then these things are sliding scales. Some parents lie to their kids to preserve their innocence. They say the Easter bunnies and Santa Claus, tooth fairies and what not. Killing a human can be viewed as honorable if it’s done for your country.

    The best option is just to lead by example and show the child, rather than teach them. Be patient and explain when necessary.

  • Some Substance: Capitalistic Nihilism

    I found myself doom scrolling and I came across this youtuber, Dasia Sade, that has a very interesting take on capitalism and nihilism. She uses the words “nihilistic capitalism”, which I haven’t heard used together before. I’ve heard of them being used separately but I never thought of using those words in the same phrase. I always viewed the two ideas separately. I thought of capitalism as a system and nihilism as a philosophy but the way she explains nihilistic capitalism hit home for me. It explained perfectly this feeling I’ve been having as I attempt to fill a void with online content after a long day of work where I worked hard and still feel fucked at the end of the week. It explains the same system that my employer tries to impose on us, telling us to work harder, faster, and longer but won’t consider offering avenues for raises in pay. At the end of the day, I blamed myself for feeling miserable, questioning if I worked hard enough while scrolling online and watching friends living their best lives.

    This video not only piqued my curiosity in nihilism again but also gave a better understanding of what nihilism is. Before I watched this video, I believed that Nihilism was just a negative point of view or better said a perceptive in which the hopeless found hope. Now I see Nihilism as more of a reaction to the environment in which one is in, looking for meaning in the meaningless. I know these two ideas sound oddly similar but the perceptive switch comes from the meaning of nihilism to the cause of nihilistic thought.