Visceral Pragmatism

On the face of it 'visceral pragmatism' would appear to be an oxymoron but what is pragmatism? My idea of pragmatism was simply the use of logic to make a decision or a statement without emotion to cloud judgement. Although pragmatic by nature I found this to be very short-sighted.

On reflection it was a legacy from my father, he was the most logical and on the surface, emotionless, person I ever knew even to this day. However pragmatism is flawed and I certainly do not fit in with your stereotypical pragmatist. My problem is with how some cite pragmatism as mitigation, a means to an end, when doing bad things. Schopenhauer perhaps laid the foundation for the negative connotation surrounding pragmatism. He hypothesised about a biological idealism in which he states 'what is useful to an organism to believe, might differ wildly from what is true'.

Pragmatism developed in the late 19th century but even then the flaws were apparent. Charles Sanders Pierce, in an attempt to distance himself from those using pragmatism to further their own ends, invented the word pragmaticism. Unfortunately his 'pragmaticism' adhered strictly to logic and statistical analysis. This, like other forms of stereotyping may work for the majority of cases, but it is hardly one size fits all. It may prove to be right more often than wrong, but is that enough?

To accept it as such, countermands the principles of pragmatism. If all the factors are not considered when making a decision, how can it be termed pragmatic. Science is flawed due to our inadequacies in comprehending that which cannot explained by our current knowledge of physics. It is like looking through a keyhole, you may get a good idea of what lies beyond the door but haven't the full picture.

 On that basis I coined my own phrase with 'visceral pragmatism'.

Political pragmatism is a different animal and a very dangerous one. Advocates of Schopenhauer (Nietzsche, Freud, Tolstoy, Wagner, to name but a few), felt it would be counter-productive allowing overt public scrutiny on certain matters. I do understand how problematical blanket transparency can be. The issue I have is who makes the decisions on what exactly can be divulged to Joe Public. It all smacks of control and manipulation. "It's for your own good" simply doesn't wash. I might not be a genius but from what I've seen and heard over the years, neither are politicians. This is very often where pragmatism gives way to a sinister personal agenda.

Talking of which, we arrive at the philosophical definition of pragmatism, one that is quietly swept under the religious carpet. If we take this third definition literally it would be necessary, on current and historical evidence, to ban religion. Even accepting the existence of some supreme being, it is obvious he no longer keeps in touch (if he ever did), and hasn't done for more than 1,000 years, suggesting he doesn't really give a toss about us or this planet.

Initially my thoughts were against banning religion, I regarded it as a necessary evil. Being brought up Catholic, I do have an inside view on how it works. This outdated method of control, should really have been laid to rest with the introduction of judicial systems, but outside of a democracy, legal systems are largely ineffective and open to abuse. I found as a child religion moderated our behaviour, this was a good thing. We knew nothing of the adult world but hell and damnation was a real threat in our imaginative childhood. Of course we grew up and knew it was just one of many foreboding lies parents tell their children to make them behave.

Another thing I considered beneficial, was for groups of people to congregate and generate positivity. I believe positive energy is a by-product of such gatherings and to be lauded, albeit for a different reason than perceived by those gathered. Things have changed now though. Religion is frequently used to generate negative energy, by preaching hate and intolerance. For that reason I have revised my opinion and would be in favour of a 'keep your beliefs to yourself' type ban.

To take philosophical pragmatism to the next level, the logical solution to world problems would be a thermo-nuclear war. It would probably wipe out around 80% of the world population but philosophical pragmatists / religious extremists / power-hungry megalomaniacs would have no problem with this. The planet wouldn't be over-populated and the survivors could start again with a clean slate. The ends justify the means. No, they don't!

To sum up, many times I have written about personal life (and death) experiences. As quite a sceptical person, I would be loathe to believe these accounts had I not experienced them myself. There is no doubt in my mind science is still in its infancy, how often in the past has the 'impossible' suddenly become not only possible but commonplace. For this reason I am reluctant to dismiss anything out of hand. It is where pragmatism and I begin to part company.

This is why I came up with the concept of 'visceral pragmatism', drawing a conclusion based as much on strong instinctual feelings as on verifiable fact or logic. Some things in life defy logic. It also works on the premise 'the ends do not justify the means' because nobody can be sure of the 'ends' when the 'means' are being employed.

I am not asking you to believe what I say, or to adopt my philosophy, I would just like you to open your minds and think for yourselves. Your life on this Earth is brief, don't waste it striving for things you don't need and listening to self-serving people. Life is all about the journey, the destination is the same for us all.

Theresa Greene

I suppose in some ways I do understand tree-huggers a little, I mean who wouldn't be tempted....... just me again huh?

As a kid I used to love going to the woods with my friends but when alone in a wood supposed to be haunted, things could get a little eerie.

And some are just...... bizarre

I Would Have To Kill You

Accidental Heroes

Now I can't tell you too much or I'd have to kill you. Let's just say this is a true story from an RFA ship.......

I was enjoying my latest work detail. I had to paint the ship's funnel with another lad 'Gormless' George. I say 'lad', at nineteen George was a year older than me. In all fairness though he made two short planks look like the latest Apple-Mac. The other seamen thought it was an act at first but were quick to lose patience and tag him Gormless. It wasn't that he was dim, far from it when conversation swung to a particular interest of his, he was just...... slow. It's like he was using Google translate. I felt sorry for him and if somebody tried to tease George I would chime in and make the person look silly.

It helped George a little in that I became part of the joke. We were the youngest deck-hands and the older seamen dubbed us Dumb and Dumber. Now we shared the flak. 'Right if that's what they think, so be it' I thought.
"They say we're slow then that's what we will be" I said to George.
"Huh?" he asked diligently.
"I was just thinking if...." I saw the blank look on George's face and started to think maybe the older seamen had a point "never mind"

There was no point trying to explain and it was probably best George didn't know. There was only so slow you could go. George needed no instruction when it came to slow, it was almost like he was going behind me and somehow taking the paint off. The bosun hadn't put a time limit on the job. I had sized it up. It should take a couple of hours, even with two coats we would be finished by lunch.

The clear blue skies complimented the glass-like surface of the Mediterranean. It was too nice to be working inside and I thought we could perhaps stretch the job out all day. What I didn't realise was the bosun had allowed all day for the job, or I might have gone for a second day. The job was easy apart from the very top which couldn't be reached even with the paint rollers on long poles. I opened the door to the funnel and squeezed through the narrow gap to the rear where a ladder led to a hatch above. The ladder was concealed and I almost missed it.

On top of the funnel was a flat area where I sat basking in the sunshine. Taking my time I leaned over and added the last touches to the paintwork we couldn't reach. It was almost a shame when we finished and took the surplus paint down to the store.

The next day the crew were informed they would be taking part in an exercise with the US Navy Seals. There was a buzz of excitement on board. Not because of the exercise but because of the time off it afforded. The idea was for the crew to hide when the Seals boarded the ship. I rubbed my hands and pulled George to one side.
"We've got the perfect place" I whispered.
"Where?"
"Remember what we were doing yesterday?" I hinted.
"Yeah, but where we going to hide?"
"Never mind"

It was probably best I didn't tell George until the last minute or he might give it away. I sloped off to my cabin and filled a bag with cans of beer. I went up to the funnel deck making sure nobody was watching. Inside the funnel I climbed the ladder, opened the hatch-lid and put the bag of beer on top ready for later.

When the ship's alarms went off signalling the beginning of the exercise I grabbed George and led him away. We made our way to the top of the funnel, sat down and opened a beer each. 'This is the life' I thought. My joy lasted all of ten minutes. The tannoy crackled.
'Thank you for taking part in the exercise gentlemen. Report to the crew mess for debriefing"
"Bollocks!"

I was upset. I had barely finished my first beer. George went to the hatch.
"Let's have at least one more beer before we go down" I told him.

As we leisurely drank another beer the tannoy crackled again.
"The exercise is over. Repeat, the exercise is over. All crew members report to the crew mess for debriefing" the voice sounded more authoritative.

George made to move again but I had an idea.
"We're on top of the funnel and can't hear the tannoy from up here" I said grinning.
"We can, I just heard them say we-"
"You don't do yourself any favours George" I said in exasperation.
"Oh I get it" George said when the penny finally dropped.

For the next three hours increasingly agitated calls were made over the tannoy but we ignored them. In the end I looked at my watch, it was lunch time and we had drunk all the beers.
"Come on then, let's go eat" I slurred.

We walked into the crew mess to a hero's welcome. The captain and the Navy Seals were there all eager to shake our hands.

Unknown to us, the Navy Seals hadn't even bothered looking for the crew. They went straight to the bridge and tannoyed the announcement. When the unsuspecting crew members went to the crew mess they were suddenly confronted by machine guns. The Navy Seals had then spent the best part of four hours scouring the ship for George and me without success.
"So where did you hide" asked one of the Seals.
"I would tell you but I'd have to kill you" I whispered.

Santa

My daughters were  8 and 10 years old as Christmas approached. It was close to bedtime as we sat in front of the television watching the end of a Christmas movie. The youngest looked at me with eyes as wide as saucers.
"Is Santa real?" 

I looked at my 10 year old suspiciously, she stared at me intently. What had she told her little sister? My wife of course had kept up with the whole Santa, tooth-fairy, Easter Bunny thing but I was a pragmatist .......and so was my eldest daughter. Despite my wish for them to keep the sense of wonder and magic of childhood for as long as possible, I was adamant I wouldn't lie to them if they asked me outright.

My eldest never asked the same question, she didn't have to, when all said and done she would make her own mind up despite what anybody told her. On some things she had already come to her own conclusions and though discouraged from pushing her opinion on her sister, sometimes it would slip out.

The youngest had excitedly chattered away about Christmas since the decorations went up and the eldest had finally snapped.
"Don't be so stupid" she scoffed and they both looked at me, waiting for me to adjudicate, each confident of a response in their favour.

My kids had a habit of putting me on the spot, asking awkward questions at the most inopportune times. I had to tell the truth but in such a way the answer was acceptable to all. Unless you have kids of your own you will not understand how challenging that can be sometimes .....and this was one such time. I began as I do a ramble, and hoped my mind would steer a good course. This is what I told them.......

"A long, long, time ago, long before Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity, people celebrated different times of the year in different ways. The best time of year was the winter solstice in late December. It was a time of abundance, the harvest was in and the harsh months of winter were yet to bite. It was a time of feasting, building up reserves, like a bear does before hibernating. This was a special time of year. It was magical......"

I noticed the withered look my eldest gave me but ignored her.

"......magical because it seemed like people, for just this one time of year, were nice to each other. They would sit out the winter months grumbling about shortages, be busy as beavers in springtime planting crops, the toil took on a more relaxed nature in summer as they tended them. It was brief respite before the intense effort of harvest. Then with the harvest in, for a week at least, people were so happy and stress free. They were allowed to be themselves.

Unfortunately people became greedy, they wanted more than their fair share and fought each other. Instead of sharing the harvest for all, claim was laid to land, bullies forcibly taking control. The leaders with an army at their backs then took control of the harvest distribution, demanding for themselves and their sycophants more and more. Why should they go without during the harsh winter months, they are organising things - though you'll never see one out in the field with a sickle. And that is how we got governments.

Pretty soon there were rich people and poor people. The rich had control of the nation's resources and they kept more and more for themselves. Some rich people who inherited their wealth from their parents and didn't steal it from the poor themselves, saw this was wrong. They were more concerned about the poor people but their numbers were few.  These few helped keep alive the magical spirit of 'peace on Earth and goodwill to all', no matter how greedy many people had become. One such person was Odin."

My eldest looked at me puzzled.
"Odin?"
"Odin, Woden, Wotan, yes, that one. Odin was the first person whom we know was a Santa"
"I knew there was more than one" my youngest said triumphantly and the eldest rolled her eyes.

I carried on before they started arguing.

"There have been lots of Santa's but Odin is the first we know about for sure. You see Odin was one of these warlords, kings, land-owners, they go by many different titles. In days of old some people thought them capable of doing magical things, but mostly they were just very strong, or very clever. Anyway Odin although regarded as fierce, was bestowed with this feeling, this magic .....this spirit. Odin would lead his warriors on horseback in the seasonal Wild Hunt when game was as abundant as the harvest crops.

From a distance the eerie autumnal mist made these riders look like ghostly apparitions, racing across the horizon. Their horns and calls to get the game running would echo for miles, amplified by the fog. After the hunt Odin would share the spoils with the townsfolk. Where Odin lived they called this time of year Yule. It has many names and many celebrate it in different ways. Some called it Hanukkah, some Malkh, or Saturnalia, most people we know call it Christmas, but it is all the same thing.

The Wild Hunt

It was many years later, but still a long time ago when another man came along and his name was Nikolaos. Nikolaos was born in Myra to a Greek family. He had wealthy parents who died when he was young. Nikolaos was called the wonder-worker and later on Saint Nicholas because of the many things he did. As with everything people exaggerate, but in 311 AD during a famine, Nikolaos fed the whole town with wheat from a ship in the harbour sheltering from a storm.

The sailors were reluctant at first as the wheat had been weighed and it was bound for the emperor in Constantinople. It is told that Nikolaos promised no weight would be lost for whatever the sailors offloaded. When they reached Constantinople this was the case. Nikolaos may have paid for wheat without telling the townsfolk so they wouldn't feel beholden to him, the weight loss balanced in gold perhaps. This was the true Christmas spirit, just as it was with Odin and many unsung heroes in between. To the people of Myra it was a Christmas miracle and Saint Nicholas was responsible.

It was a miracle in a sense and one that we all make happen over and over again. Every time someone gives something with no thought of reward, or even acknowledgement, this spirit grows stronger and the miracles more frequent. It is up to all of us to keep this alive. It wasn't the only kindness Nikolaos did, there were many fantastic tales, some of which seem too incredible to be true, others aren't disputed.

A poor man had three daughters who would be sold into slavery if he didn't provide a dowry for them to marry. Nikolaos decided to help but again didn't want the recognition, so one night he threw three bags of gold into the house, one for each of the daughters. This is where things get muddled again. Some say he threw the bags down the chimney, others through an open window. Nobody knows but the account most people think of is that the daughters had hung their stockings by the fire to dry and in the morning they were filled with gold. They thought the money had come down the chimney but suspected it was Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus.

Santa Claus may have given us the traditions of hanging up stockings or expecting our gifts to come down the chimney, Odin may have given us the man with a white beard, the reindeer, the fir trees, and the Polar base, but the true spirit of Christmas, the looking out for each other, the being nice to each other, the magic of life itself, is within all those that choose to embrace it. Yes there is a Santa Claus, it's just that some people choose not to see it."