Universal harmony?: Philosophy Forums

Universal harmony?

mac
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Posted 10/16/03 - 06:26 AM:	#1
Is our strive for universal harmony for self gain or the goodness of everyone and everything? Many philosophers strive for this. We find the strive for harmony in the works of Confucius, Nietzche, Socrates, Plato and many more. What I am thinking is that if we strive and obtain harmony with others we would benefit ourselves. It is for self gain not for the sake of others. What do you think? mac

steveb
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1 of 2 people found this post helpful Posted 10/16/03 - 07:27 AM:	#2
A billion minds in unison hardly makes a dent in harmony, a single hearts striving is all that's needed and the rest of humanity can do as they usually do, be well behaved suck ups to this fellows endeavors. Harsh yes, but this is how civilization grows, one persons dream at a time.

JjPregler
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0 of 1 people found this post helpful Posted 10/16/03 - 09:24 AM:	#3
I would not say that the strive for harmony is selfish. It appears mans natural nature to disharmony. Man lives for himself. Harmony can only be realized when all men learn that they are only a small part of the whole.

fantasy pony
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Posted 10/16/03 - 11:32 AM:	#4
I believe most people are and very well should be out for self gain. Although I no longer practice the Christian religion I have always keep the concept of do on to others as you wish they do on to you. As buddhism has touched my life the concept of what goes around comes around supports the philosophy.

Moonbeam
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Posted 10/17/03 - 12:53 PM:	#5
mac wrote: Is our strive for universal harmony for self gain or the goodness of everyone and everything? Many philosophers strive for this. We find the strive for harmony in the works of Confucius, Nietzche, Socrates, Plato and many more. What I am thinking is that if we strive and obtain harmony with others we would benefit ourselves. It is for self gain not for the sake of others. What do you think? mac Well your question strikes me as one that could be approached from many directions and about which much could be said. I will just add one small take on it that occurred to me: I think the reasons I sought harmony was from my own despair. I sought relief from existential pain. Well I think now that it was the enormousness of my pain that pushed me hard to seek and took me to places I would never have voluntarily gone. And I think is some way I won. So it was the lack of harmony that was good for me, but it was the desire for it that pushed. A conundrum, no?

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