A foundational aspect of my ideology in the last few years is pragmatism. I prefer to act and think in a very practical way, and this is done because it leads to the most action. Essentially, what this is could be represented as is thinking and acting in a way that has the greatest potential for the most function or utility. As this is the case, in anything that I have shared or will share, until said or it is made obvious, my bias is always going to be leaning in the direction of deciding the most practical choice. In my support for pragmatism and having it as a foundational piece of thought, I want to share why I prefer staying on the practical side of thought, and of course, some of the downsides that come with it. In addition, how pragmatic is being defined in this case will be through the methods that bring about the most action. The nuances behind this will be discussed, as well.
No, I have not always been someone who thinks in a practical way. In my teenage years, when I started gaining a small amount of awareness, and thus a small amount of my own agency, I leaned into a depressive-type of thinking. What I mean by this, is, I was in an environment and around people that reinforced and created the belief that nothing matters, I shouldn’t do anything, and so on. There is nothing more antagonistic or a better representation of an opposite to pragmatism than nihilism. These might seem to be disconnected ideas, but they are not, and both can coexist when assessing the nuance within each set of ideas, but there are qualities that most nihilistic individuals have that I am mostly against.
In the past, I would subscribe to some nihilistic ideas, and the general idea that nothing I do, nor what anyone does, matters. There is no point in doing anything, and thus, this reinforces the lack of doing. Yes, people who do things and have those ideas do exist, but they are far more uncommon than those who have these ideologies and also act in accordance with them. Another generalization, which does not apply to everyone, but I have found it often, is that nihilism and nihilistic ideas are linked with depressed individuals. Depression will reinforce these ideas, and I say this from both personal experience and from an external perspective on others. Although I am still depressed, it is not the same as it was two, three, four, or even five years ago. Many things have changed, and are in a state of change, and this means the variables causing the feelings and thought processes are always on the run. Some can be identified, absolutely, but it is not always direct, nor does it always stay the same.
When I am depressed, I mostly think, or do very little. I don’t have any interest in doing things, and things I previously enjoyed, I no longer enjoy. There is a general lack of pleasure in all facets of life. The qualities describing the general lack of pleasure is still generally the case, but it has improved significantly. What has changed, and the most significant change, has been going from someone who thinks, and stays within the boundaries of the mind, to someone who wants to impact and see external results in reality. This is done through action, and in order to promote the most action, and the easiest way to get into the state of action, is by minimizing thinking to what is useful.
It can be quite questionable and difficult to specifically define what is useful. When I speak of useful, I’m talking of utility, like a tool, even something like a screwdriver or hammer. It has a use that is defined clearly, and it can be used in different or alternative ways, but generally, you want to use a Philips head screwdriver on a Philips head screw; that will give you the best results. External tools are pretty easily defined; it isn’t all that difficult to know or understand these ideas, however, when you enter the realm of the mind, things become far murkier.
We’re all predisposed to our own biases. Yes, it’s a mix of nature and nurture—these ideas are pretty well known and understood. The world around you in the past, and in the present, will continually impact you, as with people, or anything that you perceive or internalize in some sort of way. These are things we cannot rid ourselves of; we cannot simply wipe the data, but to an extent, we can overwrite old data, but it is not easy, nor does it come quickly. Not only are there all the biases, more importantly, you have existing ideas. If you don’t currently have a type of thinking, you can more easily take on or start thinking in any type of way that is presented to you. However, at this point, you have your own methods of thinking, and your own pathways that come more easily or difficult, depending on how often those pathways are used. Not only is this an intuitive observation of how the mind works, it is also how the brain neurologically works.
If observing outwardly, that is in fact, the most practical method. The mind more easily can use pathways that have been used previously, and the pathways that are unused deteriorate or are overwritten completely. The small little problem that comes about is when the mind starts assessing itself, and has external data that does not align with what the mind perceives reality as being; or just general thinking. That’s why one can make the choice to have certain ideas, while deny other ideas; there is some level of agency available to everyone. Yes, this enters the realm of free will, so an argument for and against it arises. Whether you believe we have free will or not, in this case, it shouldn’t impact what you can do. When it does, I believe, that’s when you should assess if your belief is helpful to you or not.
In my personal experience, I have found that people who are against free will tend to use it as an excuse for their inactivity. They will make the claim, which is not inherently or completely false, that they had no choice in their lack of action, and lack of doing anything. There is a level of truth within this. No, we did not choose our childhoods, our pasts, and many things in our lives have been thrown at us without our choosing. We had to react to whatever was thrown our way, and even then, it was previous data, or experience, that caused us to react in whatever way we did. If you can assess the fact that this happens, and it exists, and you have a level of metacognition, and thus can self-assess, there is the capacity to change or alter yourself.
Maybe it isn’t free will, but the specific definition or idea behind free will is not necessary to become a more actionable and aware individual. Will you have to work within the confines of your brain and body, which you have, and will continually have, limited control over? Yes, you will, but within those parameters, there is a great capacity to make changes. New neural pathways can be formed, reinforced, and utilized, and the old pathways can wear down, deteriorate, and if enough time goes on, be overwritten. So, how one decides what is pragmatic, or the most practical choice or thing, will be based on past influences that might not, in reality, be the most practical.
This is a part of life, and this is not to dismiss the idea that it’s difficult, if not outright impossible, to be the most practical, or have the most pragmatic choices. However, one can grow to become more pragmatic, but it’s not something that can happen overnight. In order to become more practical in your choices and thoughts, you need to specifically decide what it means to be pragmatic, and check your brain to see if it aligns or misaligns with that main foundational idea. When I say pragmatism, especially in the case of the mind, I am talking about maximizing or making the most out of choices you make to bring about action.
Most people, throughout their entire lives, had and have idols. They idolize a person or group of people and then strive to have the same qualities as those people. This is a double-edged sword, because the people who are idolized most often, at least to my knowledge, are individuals who have gained significance out of their popularity, and that popularity ends up being the focus, not the action. Even then, the action, especially in the case of the movie industry, is based upon the family you’ve had. If you’re born, and either your mother or father act at a Hollywood level, you’ll have the same opportunity to do so, assuming you desire that path. While someone who is not born into such a family, yes, can reach that level, but it is far more unlikely and probably will not happen. In the case that you want to be a Hollywood actor, or have the same qualities as one, what must be assessed is what is actually obtainable, and then deciding the road for making that a reality. If you do not have your own pragmatic set of ideas or systems, you’ll have to form new ones or utilize pre-existing ones, but in that, you have to then be able to decide who and what can decide what systems work to help or harm.
The trial-and-error method, probably the most direct, it can enable you to try something, see if it works, and then if it doesn’t, try something else. Set some sort of scale for how long you’ll test the system, be specific in the system being changed, and then change it in the view of pragmatism you have. If in this case, you’re holding onto the same idea of pragmatism as myself, the measure of change will be through an increase, decrease, or no change in actionability. Basically, in this method, you use the scientific method to test a hypothesis, and if the hypothesis ends up being true, the change leads to more action, and then you can continue on using the change. Otherwise, you revert back to what you were doing previously.
Another method is similar to the previously mentioned one, but in this case, you want to stand on the shoulders of giants. Use what has already been learned and utilize that, and if you can, build from it. You don’t have to start from zero—human beings have been going at this whole “thinking” thing for quite some time now, and while we have a lot of developing to do, there is plenty to utilize out there. Use literature, music, artwork; anything that will enable you to become a more pragmatic person. Learn about the people who made the things you care about, and learn about their methods. Sometimes, yes, their methods are actually antagonistic to most people, but there are always exceptions, so caring about how they did things, or are currently doing things, can help push you in the direction of actually manifesting something in reality.
Impulse is a tool that should be used very carefully. One can rationalize forever, literally forever, until their death, why they should or should not do something. This is not hyperbole; you could rationalize not washing the dishes for the entirety of your life. That is the most extreme anti-pragmatic type of thought I speak of. It is circumstantial, but there are moments when simply washing the dishes, and then having washed dishes, ends up being a lot easier and faster than contemplating the washing of dishes, or the time it would take to wash them, or the effort, and so on. The danger here is of course when one enters the realm of morality and what will affect other people. If it would hurt other people to impulsively do whatever it is you want to impulsively do, in my opinion, it’s probably best you don’t do it.
Three methods? No, that’s not really many. However, what would be helpful is learning how to create and assess methods, and in these, that is described, to a degree anyway. For example, learning how other people work. Sure, in the case of an idol, you might not be able to directly ask them, but you can make your best judgements based on what they showcase. If you were to stand on the shoulders of giants, this is literally the case, as you would be utilizing the past experience that has chosen to be shared with you by the individual, or giant, in this case. Likely, yes, there will be a lot of filtrations; you are not a replica of another person, but you can learn a lot from others. Anyone who creates or manifests something into reality will have something valuable to share about that process, even if they think they don’t. Be out on the prowl and search for methods, and you don’t even need to stick to a specific method. If it works better for you, take and add two methods together, or three, or however many, and manifest and thus create the best system for you that enables you to be the most pragmatic as possible.
When discussing pragmatism, and especially the type of pragmatic thought that exists to push one into the direction of actionability, there can arise fear and distrust in the idea that morality is being thrown out the window. Perhaps, yes, there are times when old moral systems inhibit a new pragmatic system, but at that point, you have to decide which you prefer, and the repercussions for altering the system. I obviously think you shouldn’t harm someone else, but if in an abusive relationship, it might be the most pragmatic method to exiting the relationship; literally fleeing. I’m not saying that it is, but it does have the potential, and it is heavily dependent on you as a person and your own experiences. My own moral and ethical systems are not relevant here; those should be decided on your own, and if you can’t do that, it’s already been done for you.
Thus far, I have been siding greatly with being a pragmatic person and having practical forms of thought. As with all things, there are exceptions, and nothing is ever wholly perfect or the best. Up until this point, and until I find a better system, or alter this system, I will continue to hold this viewpoint. What I will say, though, is that there are moments when you need to take a step back from having practical thoughts to maximize action and enter the realm of thought, and stay there for a little longer, before bringing thought to action.
One obvious example is in the case of how your action will impact others. Yes, this comes down to morals and ethics. I cannot decide these for you, but if you would like a general guideline, ask yourself things like, “Will this hurt another person or many people?” and “How would that negatively impact them and myself?” Most will intuitively feel repulsion to the thought of hurting others, but for those who don’t, be wary, as you could find yourself getting in trouble you otherwise wouldn’t have gotten in.
Take into consideration what the point of the action is. If being practical and basically sidestepping large durations of time is going to lead you to being in a state of action substantially faster; find out why. If you know why, remind yourself that there are moments in time where one should indulge in the extra; the silly; the nihil. It should be done carefully, so as to avoid falling back into it, but if that additional time contemplating something then leads to no real external result in the immediate, do not fret, as it may at a later point in time. This again, is something that is learned through time. Look inwards at your own patterns, the patterns of others, and use deductive reasoning to either justify or abandon the increase in contemplative thinking. Ironically, introspection is a place where you can end up sticking around for far longer than necessary. If you find this happens time and time again, use external tools to limit how long you contemplate for; a timer on your phone is a good and easy tool to utilize for this purpose.
While on the surface, it might seem psychopathic, although I don’t believe it to be, there is great value in withholding pragmatic choices for the sake of others. Some people can be dismissed a lot more quickly than others, we all have our own predispositions as to how a person should or should not act. We have desires for how someone looks, behaves, their experiences, and how they choose to share those experiences with us. Practically speaking, if a person does not align with our desires, it would be best to dismiss them and move onto someone else who does, but I would suggest holding back for a duration of time, of which you can decide. I’ve found great value in people that I otherwise would have dismissed because of the number of differences between us. In difference, there can be immense value, and even if you are not particularly connected to that other person, despite the disconnection, much can be learned.
Well, what has been learned here? I’ve done my best to describe how I like to be pragmatic and some life experiences to reinforce how I made it to this stage of my ideology. Not only that, it’s quite noticeable that I support pragmatism and practical thought, and when speaking of that type of thought, I am speaking of thought that enables an individual to reach action more quickly than other types of ideological systems. I mentioned some past experiences of when I was not being pragmatic, linked it to depression, and shared how the lack of action and depression are deeply intertwined. Mention of the negative effects, or things that should be watched out for, when trying to be pragmatic, were also spoken of. Above all else, I have made it obvious I am someone who promotes being a very practical person, and I value action highly. Creation is beauty to me, and I’ve done my best to persuade you, or at least introduce you to, a world where creation may come ever-so slightly easier.