Name Origin Challenge: full-measure
Ages ago the marvelous @waphilip aka Spider Blogger challenged me to tell the story behind my Steemit username.
It's a great topic, and I had to be ready for it, and now I'm ready.
The inspiration of it goes back to the TV series Breaking Bad. Walter does some messed up criminal thing, but it wasn't complete. It was tentative, and ended up being the worst of both worlds, where it riled the enemy but wasn't actually a way to stop them. It would have been better to do nothing. And Mike then famously warns him no more half-measures, Walter.
These things come up sometimes, where doing something tentative is worse than either extreme.
The Breaking Bad universe is hectic and violent, and we're not trying to be like them. But it doesn't mean you can't take a kernel of insight.
I believe progress is paved by full strokes of what you really believe. Some will miss, and that's fine. But that's actually how we get balance.
Balance and the smooth temperate kind of world we all want to live in is what happens when you combine all the isolated spurts. You don't want to try to be or embody the average cross-section of everything. You want to be the complete expression of what you believe, and that's the best way to help balance the world.
It ties into why I love the non-aggression principle. It's more than just a tool to win arguments against statist dummies. It's the foundation of what you can and can't do. Don't initiate violence. And once you really appreciate that, it's liberating to realize that you can do everything else.
If you're not hurting anyone else, then life is your video game and you just do whatever you want.
When you believe it's okay to hurt others, then (I speculate) your moral intuition is trying to fill itself in some other way, and now you'll also think it's not okay to do things that actually you can be doing. You'll put unnecessary boundaries on yourself.
You ever come across those people who think it's like a badge of honor that their beliefs are moderate? Two people disagree about something, and they think being somewhere in the middle is the necessarily good or noble thing to be proud of. As tho that was difficult to do? As tho anyone couldn't just do that? What's the point of you being here?
If everyone tried to be the cross-section of what other people believe, we'd quickly be swallowed up by one bad actor with enough inspiration. It's a paradox where the real way to have balance is to be unbridled and true to what you think is right.
Be one true spurt, is the best thing you can do. Be a dart. Don't try to be the collection of all the darts.
I respect people who are wrong way more than I respect people who are actively trying to be the moderate belief, or to be censored and ordinary.
Hence, "full-measure".
I believe this is the ideal we should be striving for.
You know, these days, I'm hesitant when it comes to reading your blog posts. You write good stuff; it's just that sometimes I rather continue living the way I do currently. But with you, my comfort zone is always threatened.
I read this yesterday, upvoted walked away. Reading again now, I still feel the same way I felt yesterday
I mean, look at this:
I felt like it was a direct attack on my person. Someone once accused me of being Mr. Congeniality. Why, because I said I don't like making enemies.
You know why how I avoid making enemies? I try to incorporate a bit of everything into myself. Heck! Sometimes I feel like a cesspool of sorts, like ancient Rome or London that attracted all sorts.
It's not as if I don't want to take a stance, I just wonder if it's worth it. I mean, at the end, everyone simply wants to be happy and loved. I know the difference individualistic approaches to happiness will cause fiction and maybe conflicts. But then, can't we all be as flexible as we can?
Honestly, as I type these, I know I'm swerving off the point and making a baseless argument for my constant vacillating. Guess I'll have to make some changes.
As usual, your post forces me to do some research. I like the idea of the Non Aggression Principle Even more so, Any Rand is also in the mix. I'm a fan of the objectivitist ethics. I believe that at the end, all human actions boils down to self preservation.
This is a lot to ponder on. Thanks for sharing though.
Blessings
Wow. Your introspection is like off the charts high.
I'm lost for what to say and may respond with more later, but just want to say, a tepid half-measure moderate I doubt would feel their comfort zone change.
The fact that you're examining it like that and feel that way kind of goes to show that you're what I would describe as a full force in the world.
Being congenial is one thing. I certainly don't go around making enemies either (only occasionally, like at the zoo, lol). It's not even that you have to call people out for bad ways, but if you know it in your heart, that's really all that matters. Then at least you'll know not to get too close or when it may be better to separate.. you won't become their bad ways.
Often you can take kernels of insight from all sorts of ideas or people. That's why I like when people are authentic rather than moderate. It could be that this is what you're doing. Which seems totally good and healthy.
It's a really interesting point/question. In an ideal state we don't have to worry about people having all these bad qualities, and you can just go around loving everyone, so I think there's like a "yearning" that we want to do that. Personally I try to be open to everyone, until I have good reason not to be. I like to be flexible in terms of understanding how they got to this point, and forgiving and giving lots of chances. But not flexible in terms of necessarily incorporating everything into myself, without a filter of whether it's good and useful for me or not.
I have often wondered about your name on here as well, it was time for this write up lol. Nice job, and I agree about those that choose to not choose a side and are 'moderates' ......they are a dangerous lot.
yup! I used to know these people, who if someone did something wrong, they'd get off on finding a way for the truth to be somewhere in the middle.
Like person A is out of line to person B, they don't want to upset the apple cart, they'd never be willing to identify that as bad behavior and support B. So they're dangerous people in the sense that they help prop up bad behavior.
So it's like you're victimized twice lol. First from person A, and then from moderate tool telling you that you're half responsible.
And then I think it's basically the same when people are 'moderate' politically or philosophically. They help prop up the bad ideas.
Way more respect for people who actually have beliefs. If everyone just had real beliefs and the moderates bowed out, things would more quickly improve for the better.
I think you would make a solid logician bro. You're good at those if A, then B, problems. A lot of your stories are full of those examples, keep the hits up.
thanks man! I like that lol. I'll keep 'em rolling.
You're welcome! Have a good weekend, man.
you too! keep being a force!!
Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you talking about religion? If yes, than I’m a Christian, however I don’t believe in things such as “If you dont follow your religions rules you are gonna burn in hell.” Or “ if you are not a Christian, your way to heaven is closed”. Just because I’m a Christian, doesn’t mean I’m right. I might be as well wrong. That’s why I don’t judge. Yes it is what I believe in without a doubt, but as I already mentioned in someone else’s eyes I’m wrong and I respect that. Or “ if you are not Christian, you way to heaven is closed”. Just because I’m a Christian, doesn’t mean I’m right. I might be as well wrong. That’s why I don’t judge.
I wasn't talking about religion, no.
There are different ways to use religion. Some people use it for bad and others for good. For better or worse, they're usually full-measures more than half-measures, lol.
The basic principles of don't hurt others and move on and forgive that Christianity teaches seem very solid to me. Lots of good things in there. I think whatever guide you want to use, just live up to it, would be the full-measure.
Even though i am big fan of the show, i would have never remembered this dialogue or figure out this is where your name comes from. Interesting story and great source for choosing the name.
Being indecisive about something or having a moderate view isnt always a half measure. Its like choice between democracy/dictatorship or even more close capitalism socialism. While you and i may be able to take a side, someone may not be. Or something controversial like prostitution. A moderate view would be, not for me but ok for it to exist. And that is better than, its bad or its good.
Youre point about non violent stance is excellent. I think as long as what i am doing only affects me, i am ok to do it. That could be a great tool for morality as well.
Ya, it's hiding in plain site, sneaky little reference that's easy to miss.
Right, not being sure is fine. But then you know you aren't sure and don't take a side.
If someone asks me for directions to the theater and I don't know, I tell them I don't know. That's not tentative or indecisive, that's just the full expression of what I can do to help.
Maybe that happens to be something that could be described as "moderate" but presumably it's also the full expression of what you believe.
(The full expression of your belief doesn't have to be wild and crazy. But it should be what you think is right, not moderate in the sense of you're deliberately trying to position yourself in the middle of everyone or censor your belief in some way.)
Yeah, well that makes complete sense>I don't think I got what your were saying the first time. my bad!
All good! Def happy to clarify .. it's kind of an "out there" thing anyways hehe
It's better to throw darts and live with being off sometimes than try to water yourself down to the average belief, would be a way to summarize it
But some of those darts can so happen to be things that are totally palatable to the average person (and almost all the time they will be.. but then sometimes they'll be different, and that's when it matters)
Cheers!
yeah, be inquisitive & curious, learn as much as you can, form a strong opinion and say it when the topic comes up. If you dont know, say that. But don't try to fit in and pretend to be someone else.
And mostly, the opinion you've formed will be on the basis of common knowledge, so it will sound right. More often than not, a controversial topic will not be discussed. If it being discussed, then yeah, speak your heart out. Will help you in the long run - either you will end up learning something new since you will find out you're wrong or you will be left with the right kind of social circle.
ya, and well it's hard to get really specific, when we're talking about the inspiration behind something. so mostly I'd rather circle back to the original post and let it speak for itself 😛 and it just is what it is.
What you say there def seems like solid advice and I agree. But just want to be clear that it isn't exactly what I was trying to touch on up top, in terms of what inspires my name.
No, that last comment from me was just extra stuff - not what i thought youre post was about. It was off topic.
gotcha gotcha!! right, as just an aside in its own right, I totally agree!!
Funny videos😁😁
there's nothing funny about Mike Ehrmantraut
stop spamming my blog please?
Great Words to live by!!
i will always support you man!!!
thanks!!!
1st person is like mycel jakson.
ya, the second person is like Mike Ehrmantraut
This is a great,
I upvoted you as a witness :) good luck!
I wasn't running and don't want to be one. Thanks. But getting tired of your spam, flag.