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Is it possible to know what you are doing?

juniorcat said:
What do I think?

I think the world and the state it is currently in is the perfect example of people not knowing what they are doing.
I see alot of people claiming to know what they are doing, pretending so as to get attention and acknowledgement.
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You're claiming to know what people are doing. Saying that people not knowing what they are doing because of the political state of the world, is claiming that you know what people are doing. You are drawing an objective moral standard about other's objective moral standards.

[/QUOTE]Heck, judging by the look of people's faces and how convinced
they come across as knowing the meaning of life in more words or less, you'd think a lot of people do know what they are doing.[/QUOTE]

Yea, most people tend to look content holding the same convictions as the "masses". Most people think they are thinking for themselves but they are really holding a conventional morality. Also i'd say that alot of us are scared and look for a meaning in life regardless of its truth value or what not.

[/QUOTE]All I can do is speak from personal perspective and from knowing the people I know well who have opened up after a long time.
I think if people were more honest from the get-go and didn't lie to avoid shame and to build their own ego then we would come to see
that most people aren't as cool as they portray.[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

I think you infer too much about how others feel. Not an insult, but just judging from the content of what you said there has to be some angst against others. Usually others are much more fragile than they come off to be. Even if they are genuinely confident (which is doubtful), I don't think you should care about their opinion. I think worrying about things out of one's personal control is exhausting emotionally.

You made some good psychological insight though. My comments are just food for thought.
 
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Yea, most people tend to look content holding the same convictions as the "masses". Most people think they are thinking for themselves but they are really holding a conventional morality. Also i'd say that alot of us are scared and look for a meaning in life regardless of its truth value or what not.
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I like to think my scope is available to different lenses, but this is probably far from the truth right?

Take jealousy for example... I have no clue why I'm afraid of my girl touching other men's genitals, but I am and it freaks me out.
 
^ Well, I if you're so wise come out and tell me what it's all about, as opposed to feigning knowledge that's so golden it'll burn our eyes. I was being introspective of course, but only because that's an easy way to analyse the situation I'm in as opposed to trying to juice any honesty out of dishonest people, which is my point.
 
juniorcat said:
What do I think?

I think the world and the state it is currently in is the perfect example of people not knowing what they are doing.
I see alot of people claiming to know what they are doing, pretending so as to get attention and acknowledgement.
Heck, judging by the look of people's faces and how convinced
they come across as knowing the meaning of life in more words or less, you'd think a lot of people do know what they are doing.
All I can do is speak from personal perspective and from knowing the people I know well who have opened up after a long time.
I think if people were more honest from the get-go and didn't lie to avoid shame and to build their own ego then we would come to see
that most people aren't as cool as they portray.
Click to expand...

+1

The majority of people require some kind of massive life trauma such as the death of a loved one for them to really drop their ego bullshit and begin to actually consider introspectively what they are really doing. That's if they're lucky. Most people get right up until the last moments of life before it dawns on them, as their ego's are stripped away as death takes them, but at that point it is far too late. Everyone has their own personal bullshit story and personal fantasy that they are a part of.. it is what our society produces, we are incredibly self important and narcissistic.

More to the point is that humans are automatons. We like to feel that we know what we're doing, that we have free will and make all our own choices.. but unfortunately this just isn't the case and we respond far more predictively than we dare admit. There are degree's of awareness and most people are unable to see the underlying thought processes that go into making every decision, but it is there if you look hard enough. This was perhaps one of the more shocking and sobering revelations that have come to me. It's not that everything is deterministic but we're not as free as we like to believe.. free will exists, but it is more a form of magic in the moment that not every person is able utilize.
 
there is a difference between "know-how" and "know-what" knowledge.

one can ride a bike without thinking about the logistics of the exercise. actually it is better not to, thinking would get in the way of the action.

just as one can have a firm understanding of the mechanical movement and physical laws governing bike riding, but with no actual experience can't actually do it.

most of our actions are governed by predisposition and conditioning. we practice things consciously to enable us to act without thought. once you have enough of a conditioned range of actions, you only really need to put thought into unusual stuff. it's up to each individual as to how often they want to put in such effort.

with this is mind, it is easy to see how people can get stuck in ruts, or set in their ways.

as for the assertion that people just strut around thinking they know the meaning of life, i doubt this very much. no one knows it, and at the end of each day this makes no difference i our daily lives. i don't know what the op expects, do they feel it appropriate for everyone to be anxiety ridden from the uncertainty every moment of their lives?
 
Well, I if you're so wise come out and tell me what it's all about, as opposed to feigning knowledge that's so bright/white it'll burn our eyes.
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who is feigning?

crap, now it's me.

is it possible to know what one is asking?

p.s. fixed quote.
 
juniorcat said:
^ Well, I if you're so wise come out and tell me what it's all about, as opposed to feigning knowledge that's so golden it'll burn our eyes.
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you make a lot of assumptions. q.e.d.?

take my comments and questions at face value instead of loading them with meaning (that's not there).

alasdair
 
Peoples, peoples peoples... Its not all that hard to understand, is it ?

I've met alot of people in my life. Some I have known very well, others not so much. Nobody knows what they are doing. Some might try to pull the I-know-what-I'm-doing. Only works if you don't know the guy.
 
when we talk, or act, the motivations for our actions come from many layers of the mind. most of those layers are not known to our consciousness. google the "iceberg analogy" of the mind.

every word and every action relays more information about us than we'd like to think. wiki Johari's window for one example of psychological theory that demonstrates this.

we can interpret what we are doing, according to models in our thinking. but we cannot "truly know" everything about our intent.
 
I think it is possible to "know" what we're doing. But that's assuming we understand what is to "know." Given the complexities of our brain, our consciousness, we all have perceptions, feelings, and thought. We're conditioned to think in a certain manner, by which we can also communicate. To answer the OPs question, I believe we only think we know what were doing, as the ego is in control of nearly all movement and effort, guiding us through much of our lives.
 
I know I am confused. Is 'being' confused a sort of 'doing'?
Then I know what I am doing:

I am being confused.
(Note: But, not confused about what I am doing.)


Other than that, I'd politely suggest that this question, I agree, needs some serious tightening up of terms like 'doing' and 'knowing'.
Which may just be less than useful terms.
 
To me thats kind of the goal. Not necessarily to be in control, but to make every decision as consciously and aware as possible. Every move I make I try to make it well thought out at executed. I think thats what allows someone to move forward. If you don't know what you are doing, you don't know where you are or where you are going. You should try to get to where you want to go.
 
Cevain said:
Peoples, peoples peoples... Its not all that hard to understand, is it ?

I've met alot of people in my life. Some I have known very well, others not so much. Nobody knows what they are doing. Some might try to pull the I-know-what-I'm-doing. Only works if you don't know the guy.
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this
 
I know people who know absolutely know what they are doing. And not in the sense of (im typing this right now), but they are very driven and directed individuals who are accomplishing exactly what they have set out to do. They definitely know exactly what they are doing.
 
SpinOutOfControl said:
I know people who know absolutely know what they are doing. And not in the sense of (im typing this right now), but they are very driven and directed individuals who are accomplishing exactly what they have set out to do. They definitely know exactly what they are doing.
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To what end?

I suppose that's a silly question, since there is no end. Although it's possible to convince yourself of one in order to find the drive to follow through with what your 'doing'; or simply avoid the question altogether. I guess that's part of the realization that all that matters is the present, right now.. anything past or beyond has no relevance. Only.. due to this understanding i do find it difficult to know exactly what im doing, when really im not doing anything.. i'm merely wandering through this experience called Life.

It's a funny situation.. infact it's hilarious when you see it all for what it really is. It can be hard to move beyond that point.. when all responsibilities fall upon you to decide what it is you will do in this life, free from the illusions of self. Do i know what im doing? Hell no, does it matter.. only if i let it. In the meantime i will continue to make it up as i go along..

;)

SpinOutOfControl said:
You should try to get to where you want to go.
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I guess that's part of the confusion for me, where could i possibly go? lol. And once i get there, then what.. create another place to get to.. and so on and so fourth. Seems like as soon as i get to where i want to go, it turns out to be exactly where i started. Which would lead me to the believe that im already where i want to be.. and yet, i seem unsatisfied with this. But perhaps finding acceptance in knowing im already there is the key to been able to define my place in this existence. Maybe... :)

Im just letting the thoughts flow freely here, it's been a while since i've posted without first refining my response to be clearer. feels liberating.
 
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