A Philosophy
myism
ism - a practice, a process.
Life is some combination of acting and being acted upon. The circumstances of those actions differ for everyone.
I believe so to does the tendency of the individual: some are more prone to acting, seeking experience and then reacting to how the external world acts back. Others, like myself, are more reactive to the outside world, acting after being acted upon. Cautious at first, perhaps more hesitant to experience. It's not a dichotomy but a complex spectrum.
Since my youth I have been cautious. I do not know why. This is why I suggest it is an individual's tendency. Even if we change as we age, before we've had much time to learn, we still have different tendencies toward action.
These early years of experiencing the outcomes of our tendencies have great potential to influence our thoughts on the nature of life. Again, these experiences and influence vary greatly from person to person. And again, this variance is likely from a mixture of factors, including elements of randomness, skill, nature, etc.
For some, our decisions are rewarded: some who are assertive and take action may seize limited opportunities, gain knowledge and skills quickly, broaden their exposure to people, places, and practices that benefit them. Others who are more slow or cautious to act may avoid risky actions that did not payoff for early actors they observed.
No type is without its heroes, its winners, its losers, its villains. Just as some get out ahead for all their aspirations, others encounter obstacles they could not overcome, suffer injury, make mistakes, and so on. And just as so, while those of us with a more reserved initiative may have seen that temperament rewarded with fewer risks or good long-term planning, many grow to regret their inaction. Longing for lost opportunities they were too slow or worrisome to act on.
I note all of this to call attention to diversity of it. A strength of life itself is this diversity.
Arguing over the meaning of words
I often feel trapped in that I only know English. Ideas and concepts in my mind are limited to the words I know - and to how others interpret those words.
I often imagine how we came to discover that other people might see colors differently than most of us. But then, how can any of us know what it really is like for another person to see red? Might all our perceptions of color vary slightly on the spectrum?
I wonder the same when it comes to perceptions of words. Only it's even more flimsy. Colors can be measured by the objects they touch. We can all inspect the same apple. How light off it sends singals to your brain I may not fully understand. But at the end of the day, any color difference usually doesn't interfere with the fact that we both see an apple.
But what of words? Words and the ideas they represent are not like apples.