by Matt Melnicki.
These are prose entries in my journal that I've made while living in a commune in SF (2003-2004). I have not entered these in the futurewave blog, out of laziness. My thought during the stay here has not been taken down often enough, but I've developed into more passive, peaceful, nonviolent, inclusive outlook, and i've gained an eye for the poor and the artists. Nevertheless, I have never been more strongly in favor of science, as I'm about to head to graduate school to get a degree in Biochemistry.
[040201]
Whatever human characters a person was born with, without choice, we must tolerate, accept, learn to understand, embrace. Primarily physical & genetic characters, but some social characters such as class, are included. With regards to characters that may be altered, yet have environmentally shaped an individual's upbringing -- such as religion, idiom or dialect, or consumption habits -- one must be tolerant of initially. We are not benevolent if we make social exclusions and reservations towards those who have not chose a path of peace. However, without idealism we contradict individuality and thus must hold standards to those making contrary choices. The septum here that divides how to react to a transgressor is education. If a person doing har or secluding themself from community has been educated & has sampled the ideals of peace -- yet still lives contrary to benevolence -- a communitarian is justified in judgement of the person. However, oblivious transgressors that have yet to venture past the horizon of their home should never be held in judgement. Without full & comprehensive education, a person has a clean slate still, regardless of their distance from childhood. Because it is a large challenge to witness the educational background of a new encounter -- strangers on the street, for example -- we must have an open heart to almost everyone. We know not whether a man salivating over a bosom has pondered the equality of gender, and thus would be wrong to say that this man is a chauvinist. Environmental society has a strength over reason & we must acquiesce when traits are narrowly societal.