Three Levels of Conscious Reflection
“Every man participating in a culture has three levels of conscious reflection: his specific ideas about things, his general beliefs or convictions, and his metaphysical dream of the world.” -- Richard M. Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences 18 (University of Chicago Press, 1984).
“The first of these are the thoughts he employs in the activity of daily living; they direct his disposition of immediate matters and, so, constitute his worldliness. One can exist on this level alone for limited periods, though pure worldliness must eventually bring disharmony and conflict.
“Above this lies his body or beliefs, some of which may be heritages simply, but others of which he will have acquired in the ordinary course of his reflection. Even the simplest souls define a few rudimentary conceptions about the world, which they repeatedly apply as choices present themselves. These, too, however, rest on something more general.
“Surmounting all is an intuitive feeling about the imminent nature of reality, and this is the sanction to which both ideas and beliefs are ultimately referred for verification. Without the metaphysical dream it is impossible to think of men living together harmoniously over an extent of time. The dream carries with it an evaluation, which is the bond of spiritual community.”
My Specific Ideas About Things
Always eat breakfast. Make New Year's resolutions and follow through. Use post-its to organize everything. Only write in pencil (so you can erase). Respect your parents. Stop picking on your sister. Appreciate film. Eat well. Go places. Hang around those who challenge you. Continuously monitor your weaknesses. Put yourself in uncomfortable positions to test your strengths. Max out your 401-K and IRA. Keep learning. There is no such thing as enough shoes.
My General Beliefs or Convictions
Do good and good things will come to you.
Never stick with your first impressions of people.
Reality is relative.
My Metaphysical Dream of the World
This is it. Right here. Right now. There's no worrying about pre/post lives or other worldly things. All you have is time. You can't carry over or borrow it. Strictly use it or lose it. So use it. And suffer the consequences. And reap the benefits. Just take it all in stride.
*What I can't believe is that I still hold myself to these very things five years later.
