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RE: A Cultural Climate that Forgives Weakness and Punishes Strength
This is definitely an interesting way of looking at things. To clarify, when I use the term 'strength', I myself am including a great number of the characteristics you mention as well, sorry if that wasn't as clear in the writing. Strength for me is anything antithetical to weakness, and weakness I define as resistance to adapt, laziness, self-contentedness, etc., but I get where you're going with the fetishization. I also don't think being strong is a virtue, but striving to be strong is, and absolutely more virtuous than the empty claims of recognizing and respecting weakness.
Thanks for the quasi post/comment @personz!
My point is that the strength / weakness dichotomy as presented is not consistent with evolutionary theory. In fact your definition of weakness is far more akin to sickness. Weakness is better defined in explicit comparison to strength. To be clear I think the danger in interpreting your writing on the topic is that sickness should be punished as weakness instead of cured is possible, or quantised if not. If that sounds harsh, it's unfortunately the only option for all living things.
Let me be clear about something else. Disgust is the proper response to sickness. So the so-called "weakness" should be deeply uncomfortable and healthy people will and should feel instinctually compelled to get distance from them. For our large imaginative brains that also translates into social and intellectual distance, which I think is actually not that helpful. Still, very understandable and correct on one level.
Striving to be well is I think the better goal. That will encompass strength in whatever your capacity is but not made a narrow goal of it, or elevate might too high. Respecting people who are weak is totally fine. Treating the sick with compassion is virtuous. But expecting everyone to inhabit the same space as the infected is dangerous, actually dangerous. Right minded people cannot do this, and fortunately most people are right minded.
On calling my first response a quasi-post, thank you! If you look at my blog it seems like I'm not really posting much any more but I've been getting involved in detailed discussions. It's a pity that the UI doesn't in some way show epic comments prominently on your blog / profile. 🤔 Maybe there's an improvement to be made there.