Going Alone

I have such a small and precious set of values - objectives and principles to guide my life. So very few. Each one is precious to me, as an object and guide to better living. I found these along the way of life, ideas begun with someone else long dead, passed to me through example and word of mouth down time. I found these precious things laying about within the books I have read, and the admired actions of others which I have seen, and with the consequent ideas I then made m

It is said that good actions are their own reward; bearing an immediate and lasting fruit of nearly tangible well-being unto at least the actor and perhaps the recipient and observer of his works. But what is the nature of this "goodness" that it be "good", and the action of it's pursuit constitute a course-way of virtue? Are good works virtuous by way of opinion, or through the pursuit and achievement of some higher end - an absolute standard by which our decisions and actio

October 1, 2019 Dear Eric, Good and evil never crossed our minds; and we certainly never attempted to define these concepts or what constitutes right or wrong. What a good chat that might have been... I only attempted to address right and wrong late in life. I lived all the way into my forties without any sound idea about what good or bad thinking and behavior were. I only took on this challenge when I found myself in need of a definition of life meaning, and when I decided t

September 21, 2019 Dear Eric, Equanimity is the only reward worth pursuing - though we can never gain this treasure by pursuit, less still may we hold such balance through the gross accumulation of resources or security. We must daily, hourly, and even by the minute "walk abreast our days" and treasure only the preservation and execution of our own keen reason, our own sound justice, and an honest assessment and acceptance of what is - and what is not - within the scope of ou

September 19, 2019 Dear Eric, Why would God create a universe with evil? "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things." Isaiah 45:7 What place in the cosmos does evil have in the plan of a loving God? Could not God have schemed otherwise? "Oh, but evil is simply a consequence of free will" you might say. But could not a loving God then simply create a universe in which free will could be demonstrated without the execut

September 13, 2019 Dear Eric, I was so tempted yesterday to title my latest YouTube upload Softypapa's last video. This is due to the simple fact that after completing the video (which is just another in The Good Life meditation series) I feel I can die quite satisfied that my "work here is done." Of course, I don't think any of us have any particular "work" we need to do during life - besides staying alive and making and raising babies - though many of us enjoy imagining for

September 11, 2019 Dear Eric, Nihilism's bad rap may stem from the idea's consequent necessity of doing something about it. As recognition that life has no apparent meaning comes with no ready answers whatsoever. We're left alone then to either stew in despair, or resolve to create meaning in spite of the fact. The former option is unattractive, while the latter option requires very much work. It's no wonder then that nihilism has such a bad name and reputation; for it is a d

September 4, 2019 Dear Eric, What is the end pursuit of virtue? And for that matter what is virtue? I define virtue as the improvement of