• Irresolutions for 2014

    calvin-hobbes-new-years-resolutions-572x433Rene Descartes once wrote that “nothing causes regret and remorse except irresolution,” but as in so many other things, he was badly mistaken. Many of the world’s worst leaders, in both politics and industry, were famed for their manful resolution to follow a predetermined course of action, very often leaving a muddled mess of regret and remorse in their wake. Accordingly, I’m not going to firmly resolve to do anything this year, and lest this defiance of the Cartesians seem too much like a firm resolution per se, I’m going to break with my resolved irresolution and make a few resolutions which should be absurdly easy to keep.

    Be more available to my spouse – I’m pretty sure she meant emotionally available, but I’m going to try to emphasize being physically available, because anything else smacks of Cartesian dualism, and I’m not about to try to separate my mind from my body.

    Don’t see the fnords – If you don’t see the fnords, they cannot hurt you.

    Spend at least an hour a day in the car – This is actually just a proxy for staying gainfully employed and generally busy, because it staves off thoughts of the inevitable yawning chasm of nothingness.

    Make more podcasts – Last year, Chas and I really let real life get in the way of podcasting. This year, we need to spend less time coddling the younglings and more time striving for ephemeral internet notoriety.

    Spend less time on social media – Having recently recovered from a shame-spiraling Twitter addiction, this shouldn’t be too difficult.

    Examine new things critically – Okay, this one I’m really serious about. So much credulity, so little time.

    Xenophanes – Read more pre-Socratics than I did in 2013. Anything is better than having to reread Descartes.

    Category: Humor

    Article by: Damion Reinhardt

    Former fundie finds freethought fairly fab.