The Stranger Journal 3: My World Philosophy

My personal philosophy is called Apodechomaism. This comes from the Greek word apodechomai which means "accept."

1. There may or may not be a God, if there is, he may or may not be active in human affairs. I was raised as a Lutheran, and as I got older I began to question the teachings of the church, primarily the hypocrisy often seen in it. For a long time I was attempting to figure out if I believed in a God, only recently realizing that the question is unanswerable. I believe that it is important to have some belief regarding a higher power, even if it is the lack of any belief either way. Many people base their lives off the teachings of their religions, or the lack of any, in which case people develop their own set of moral codes/world views. P.S: This is the weakest pillar of my beliefs, and is subject to change.

2. There is no "free will", everything is determined. When debating this, "free will" often becomes a battle of terminology, so allow me to define "free will" as: "The ability for humans to think, act, feel, etc., completely free from any source of influence."  By this, I simply mean that every action has a cause, every action has a reason behind it, which eventually comes down to neurological and physiological processes. Even in the belief that an omnipotent God exists, there is no free will. If God is omnipotent, and being omnipotent can see the future, then he can also see the future of humans, as individuals and as a whole. Therefore, if God knows what is already going to happen, then human fate is already determined. Every action has been decided from the day of birth. I believe that this belief is important because a belief in "free will" or a lack there of can influence an individual's lifestyle.

3. The root of all human behavior is selfish. By this, I mean that every human action has an ultimately selfish source. Think about it, even if one decides to give some spare change to a homeless person they pass on the sidewalk, why do they do this? The answer is that it is intrinsically pleasuring (it makes people feel good on the inside). This principle developed over a period of time and observation, eventually leading me to the realization that nothing is done without reward for oneself. I believe it is important to understand that human behavior is selfish because it allows for people to have a greater understanding of humanity as a whole.

4. Karma does not exist. By this, I simply mean that bad things happen to "good" people, and good things happen to "bad" people, and both these things happen much more often than they ought to. This belief developed mainly during the time that my mom worked with Medical Teams International, and I was exposed to a lot of the poverty, war, and hatred that pollutes much of the world. I believe it is important for people to understand that this is true, because it shows that sometimes the "bad guys" win, and that there is nothing really that anyone can do about it.

5. Morality and ethics are relative. This means that there is no guiding system of ethics that man is born with, everything is acquired over a period of time pertaining to the environment that one is raised in. This belief is something that I have had for a pretty long time actually, and I cannot pinpoint an exact time in which it developed. I believe that it is important to understand the relativity of morality and ethics, because it can provide a much better understanding of other cultures' practices, which may seem strange or unorthodox to one's own system of ethics. 

6. Humans are animals. While we may be technologically advanced, walk on two legs, and use language, we are still animals. While evolution is technically a "theory," the amount of scientific evidence behind it is virtually undeniable, and humans possess many of the innate characteristics and instincts of our less advanced ancestors. This belief actually developed quite recently, within the last six or seven months of my life, and I don't really know what caused it. I think it is important to understand this belief because while it is enjoyable to critique, civilized society is the only thing that keeps man from his innate and often violent tendencies. 

7. Life has no meaning. This sounds very pessimistic and depressing, but it is actually the opposite in my opinion. People seem to have the belief that if something does not have meaning behind it, it is bad. I disagree, and would argue that the meaninglessness of life is what makes it worth living. I believe that there is no overall purpose to human existence, and that rather, it just simply IS. I would say that this belief developed during my sophomore year, once again from a reason that I cannot identify. I believe that this pillar is important, because acceptance of life's meaningless brings about a certain peace, free from social or religious hierarchy, allowing one to enjoy life boundless.