Dear Friends,
This Sunday we are discussing: How can we know ourselves?
Of course, the first question that comes to mind is why would we want to
do such a thing? After all, we feel quite at home with our whims and
foibles, it is others that have the problem.
So the reason why we would want to know ourselves is first and fore most
an opportunity to know our abilities, skills and attitudes so we can get
the most from our relationships with others. It seems, therefore, to me
that the best way to find out about ourselves and thus know ourselves is
to see what others know and think about us. But this is easier said than
done.
Today, the received wisdom is to seek professional help from a
psychologist or psychiatrist. Scientifically this makes a lot of sense,
but it suffers from one serious drawback. They just don't know us in
real life surroundings.
I mean, how can a professional provider know what life is like for us
and how we really feel about life if they are not with us when the
printer refuses to print after clicking the button a hundred times and
replaced the software a score and one times; and the boss is spitting
fire at anything that moves within a radius of one hundred kilometres,
and our colleague is coughing in our face the latest designer virus of
the bubonic plague, and that the coffee from the vending machine tastes
as if it is laced with something that will destroy our love life so we
can turn up at the office in the morning fresh, alert and eager to work.
Professional services are useful, but.......
We can always, of course, ask our enemies, but there is a problem with
this, actually two. Our enemy or enemies might permanently neutralise us
before we can even discuss the problem or issue with them. And if we do
manage to talk to our enemies and do eventually improve our ways, would
it be morally right to deprive our enemies of a worthy adversary?
Maybe our friends might help? Maybe, but our good friends know us too
well to help us improve our ways and they know our ways, that they
correctly conclude that we'll only make a bigger hash of thing a few
days later. And thus end up in no better position than not having known
ourselves is the first place.
But don't despair, there is always the equivalent of a obliterating
weapon ( we have to be careful what we write these days on the net) that
will certainly tell us the truth about us. Basically, we have to find an
ally or a mole amongst our friends and enemies so they can whistleblower
to us what our friends and enemies are thinking about us or know about
us. Of course, there are always drawbacks with such drastic measures.
Least of which are to lose our friends and enemies at the same time.
After all is said and done, you pays your money, and you get your choice.
------- Peter has asked me once again to remind you that he is looking
for someone to share his flat with in Mostoles close to public
transport; very good conditions. Central heating and central hot water.
There two rooms to rent out: a single and a double: tel 609257259 (LJCB
Note: one of the rooms might be taken, not sure which one).
Finally, I forgot to mention it last Sunday that there is the off chance
that I won't be able to make it this Sunday, but don't worry the meeting
will still take place. Help!!!
In the meantime take care and see you Sunday, or not.
Lawrence
+++++++++MEETING DETAILS+++++++++
SUNDAY 6.00pm – 8.30pm at Molly Malone's Pub, probably downstairs----
-Email: philomadrid@yahoo.co.uk
-Yahoo group >> philomadridgroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk <
-Old essays: www.geocities.com/philomadrid
- Blog: http://philomadrid.blogspot.com/
-Group photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/photosphilo
-My tel 606081813
-metro: Bilbao : buses: 21, 149, 147
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tertulia in English with Ignacio and friends: Every Thursday, from 19:30
to 21h, at Moore's Irish Pub, c/ Barceló 1 (metro Tribunal).
http://sites.google.com/site/tertuliainenglishmadrid/
*************************************
from Lawrence, Pub Philosophy Group, Sunday meeting: How can we know
ourselves? + News
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