Examples of why "common sense" is the worst sort ...

Let's have a discussion of this ....

What does David Brooks talk say to you ? Does it touch you ? Where ? How does that feel ?

I’m amazed at the human potential out there every day.
I understand that type of life and those type of findings in a path like that.
Intentionally- we have removed ourself from the culture and pop and all the internet as much as possible. No TV or news or noise. Intentionally. This helps our family keep our focus. Our choice. We go to town and get pizza and do the mall and such so screens are EVERYWHERE. The conversations my family has are mainly the reason we do what we do. The things the kids notice are ... mind blowing to say the least.

I wanna say those lies were not taught to me as much as I allowed them to influence me by NOT making a few choices and letting my own automatic go. I personally don’t blame media for much - they don’t turn the ol boob tube or the World Wide Web on and they certainly don’t tell me where to look and search. That’s one me.

I could see how one in the rat race can find ways similar if not very parallel to the way he describes them. Keeping distance was a good guard for me in times as such. During the Army Sgt Martinez was just that - I was all rank no personality. Never the two met and it was that keeping em at bay from each other that helped me succeed. I know it’s different for every one. The wife connected more over eggs that I did - we played this at the breakfast table this morning. I may come back to it a few times this week. I will

To be honest, I'm a bit confused by the thread title. At any rate, Brooks seems to yearn for a renewal of tight knit community. He says that in our efforts to let everyone be free and individualized, we've lost the values of being together.

Everyone starts out utterly dependent on others and grows to try and achieve self sufficiency. However, that's not the end point here. Coming back together, sharing skills, time, and most importantly relationship makes us whole in Brooks' eyes.

I can sympathize with his goals, but I'm not quite as optimistic. I don't think mutual recognition and belongingness is a panacea, but it is what many people desperately desire (sometimes to their own harm)

For us at TotJO, recognizing a reciprocal relationship based on respect and trust seems admirable. Being able to appreciate "Thou" in others.

@rex beginning at 1:33 Brooks explores "some of the lies our society tells us"..."shared or common ideas/beliefs" which can be seen as "common sense" in a way hence the title

As it were, reciprocal relationships of (mutual) respect and trust do not necessarily ensure an appreciation of the "Thou" in others. All "I-Thou" relationships become "I-It" ones in part because of the reciprocity.

Reciprocity is only one type of relationship; there are also "dominance" and "conviviality" - and we need to be able to engage appropriately in all three. These relationships are not fixed, for the same persons can relate to one another according to the circumstances they find themselves in.

For another perspective on what Brooks is saying, I would recommend consulting "Political Emotions" by Martha Nussbaum.

You can either be broken , or be broken open , pain that is not transformed is transmittet, i see that a lot , i did that a lot , still do sometimes , lashing out instead of connecting and getting to the bottom of things. Really investigating emotions and talking about that with others is terrifying. It askes of me to break open and show my inner me , my ego tries to avoid me to be in real contact with others , i contantly had to battle it. From experience i can tell you that you have to move towards connection , David Brook says that someone has to reach out and pull you out of that pitt , but my opinion is that a lot of people kill themselves because they cannot wait anymore for someone to pull them out , they simply really believe that killing themselves will make the world a better place. If they did not have any sense of interconnectivity , then why would they think that? What part of their ego is so self destructive that it cannot move forward anymore? More questions ...

I agree that we all yearn for longing and love for another but the world we live in is full of lies , we are driven away from eachother by technology , we have facebook and countless other "communities" that only make people feel more lonely because there are no real connections. The point is that we should indeed put our relationships with others first , keep talking to others , without prejudice and with respect , but i know that can be difficult because some already have lost all ability to connect and respond so all they do is react.
When i heard a friend of mine might die , i connected to him to tell him how much i care about him and did not want to lose him , we talked for days , weeks , we connect , i stand beside him , and he and i are grateful we can. He also told me even his best friend could not talk to him the way i do , and i understood that , that friend must be paralized by fear. It happens , does not mean there is no real love , just means we are flawed.

The voluntering part is important , although you should not do that as redemption if that makes sense. I volunteer because I like being of service and it helps others , i get gratitude and a sense of being a good human and a greater feeling of interconnectivity. You cannot make yourself happy but you can connect to people and circumstances that can help

We dont treat eachother well , that is obvious , we see it where we live , work ,here, online. The solution is easy but hard at the same time , we should connect to eachother , we should not greet people with "i hope you find what you are looking for here" But with the words " Good to see you here , we learn from eachother here , dont be afraid to connect "

We dont treat eachother well , that is obvious , we see it where we live , work ,here, online. The solution is easy but hard at the same time , we should connect to eachother , we should not greet people with "i hope you find what you are looking for here" But with the words " Good to see you here , we learn from eachother here , dont be afraid to connect "


Maybe it’s time for a change

I was touched by your last lime Carlos. I think you are right

Carlos.Martinez3 wrote: We dont treat eachother well , that is obvious , we see it where we live , work ,here, online. The solution is easy but hard at the same time , we should connect to eachother , we should not greet people with "i hope you find what you are looking for here" But with the words " Good to see you here , we learn from eachother here , dont be afraid to connect "


Maybe it’s time for a change

How would that take shape? Its all good it slowly sinking in but in the end we are all confronted with the question " What shall we do now ? " The biggest changes come from within, our Soul being in trouble, our hearts growing cold. Heels dug in the sand....becoming aware.

Lumella wrote:

Carlos.Martinez3 wrote: We dont treat eachother well , that is obvious , we see it where we live , work ,here, online. The solution is easy but hard at the same time , we should connect to eachother , we should not greet people with "i hope you find what you are looking for here" But with the words " Good to see you here , we learn from eachother here , dont be afraid to connect "


Maybe it’s time for a change

How would that take shape? Its all good it slowly sinking in but in the end we are all confronted with the question " What shall we do now ? " The biggest changes come from within, our Soul being in trouble, our hearts growing cold. Heels dug in the sand....becoming aware.

And that’s part of the big question hu... how do we have peace where we didn’t before ? How do we cultivate that ? That’s for each of us to decide that in my opinion. What’s even bigger than that one question is how we actively make that or do that while still living in this world with these other people. Joking of course a tad but can we function while others function- not like us? I found the biggest change in character came from seeking without those lines and labels.
Teaching #4 is my bread and butter some day’s butter side down. (See Dr Seuss for that reference.)

Digging in the sand looks different for every one. Don’t forget. This - should be as common and well... yea ... every style is different - has to be. Not such a common thought amongst Modern day Jeddist hu? Maybe that is where we can apply said hammer ...