The First Law

I decided to collect my statements on various topics in one place, hence this blog. Why choose The First Law as a title? First of all this is a reference to The First Law of thermodynamics which states that energy can neither be created or destroyed, only transformed.

This can be applied on the individual level or the level of society. On the individual level I see this as a statement that transformation has to occur in a sustainable manner. Destroying what you don't like about yourself won't work. While trying to reinvent yourself won't work either. Both these processes divide the mind delivering instability at best and insanity at worst. Transformation has to come from within the working of the ordinary state of mind.

My interpretation of its application to society is that to bring about the change you desire you should neither attempt to create an external society to replace the original, nor should you destroy the existing society in the hopes of replacing it. Rather society must be transformed from within. External societies which hope to show the way are ridiculed or ignored by the masses. Or if they are acknowledged the life styles of those societies are seen as too radically different and the paths to them are seen as too difficult to follow. On the other hand destructive changes focus solely on the problems with the current society without cultivating a meaningful alternative. This means their success will inevitably be their destruction with the additional cost of disillusioning, alienating and causing suffering to both members and the society they objected. Of course acting from within has its own dangers. Conformity is subtle and while one may begin with the idea of changing society, once integrated the seduction of security, distraction of the meaningless and comfort of sloth can dull any ambitions of change you may have had. Time will tell.

So how does this relate to me? Well I see several problems in our current society which I would like to acknowledge, describe and ultimately change. Not alone of course, because in a society nothing happens alone, however every group is made of individuals and its important to make statements yourself once in a while. Voting once every few years alone is to do mere lip service to democracy. The great freedom of democracy is that we can make our views known and spread ideas which, if they reach critical mass, become part of politics and have a chance to be realised.