Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Nodes and Networks

Each individual is connected to many other individuals, so it is important for each individual to be sound in mind and spirit, as a matter of structural integrity. If one goes down, that degrades the rest, making it more probable that another goes down, and the problem grows exponentially. Mutual expectations sustain each other. A strong individual, when properly integrated into a community, makes for a strong community in turn. But it becomes important to clearly define what strong means. We want good self-esteem, but not egotism. We want self-confidence, but we don’t want unnecessary aggression. And etc.

Humans are to be ends and never means. I say this not as a philosophical speculation, but a declaration that this is how things actually work. If you treat a human being as a mean, they will be corrupted to the point of barely functioning as the original desired mean in the first place. Respecting an end will generate a means. 

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