PersonalPositivism

Often I describe my personal positions in negative terms, e.g.:

• I try not to buy products made in slave-labor totalitarian nations;
• I have contempt for stupid, dishonest politicians;
• I avoid using software from convicted monopolists;
• I oppose capital punishment;
• I don't eat meat, especially not from creatures raised and slaughtered under conditions that impose horrible suffering;
  ... and so forth.

But better would be to express such choices in a positive way, in the gentle spirit of the late Leonard Read (see EducationVersusEduction (30 Apr 1999), ...). Read's mantra was "Anything that's peaceful!" He worked via his Foundation for Economic Education to spread a philosophy of liberty and justice; he sought out good ideas and shared them with anybody who was ready to listen.

So perhaps I should say:

• I try to support enterprises and countries whose values I share;
• I applaud intelligent statesmen;
• I use software made by creative, generous people;
• I favor humane treatment and rehabilitation for criminals;
• I eat lower on the food chain, both to maximize efficiency and to help animals have happier lives;
  ... and so forth.

Maybe it's more accurate to put it that way ... and it certainly sounds nicer. But alas, I've gotta confess that it's not nearly as much fun as saying things negatively ....

TopicPersonalHistory - TopicLife - TopicThinking - 2002-11-16

(correlates: SoulNumbingTedium, AchieveNewBalance, LifeSymmetry, ...)