I'm bad at practical things.
Now, I'm not complaining. Everyone has some things they are bad at. I would rather mine come in something boring like practical things.
But I'm bad at practical things. Especially guessing at what other people want from me.
If you're like me, and you're bad at guessing what other people want from you, then you're probably a social outcast like me.
Because no one ever tells you what the rules to society are. Here in the modern west, anyway.
You have to guess.
You have to figure it out on your own.
And if you're like me, you're always guessing wrong.
Not in preindustrial Confucian China.
In preindustrial Confucian China you did not have to figure out the rules to society on your own
They would tell you.
It was right in the books of Confucious.
Yes, in preindustrial Confucian China, you did not have to figure out the rules of fitting in to society on your own.
Not only did they tell you- It was right there in a book!
In the books of Confucious!
We need to start getting in the habit of telling people what the rules to society are!
That's one of the reasons that modern western society is so emotionally toxic!
Traditional China even put it in a book!
And you can bet that so did the Islamic world- it was right there in the Koran, the Bible, and the Hadith...- in Byzantium- it was right there in the Bible and Marcus Aurelius... and in classical India, and so on!
In medieval Europe, perhaps most of the rules of society were still in the Ten Commandments!
We need to get back to that!
We need to start telling our kids- and everyone else- what the rules of society are!
And not expecting them to guess!
Our society would be so, so mentally healthier!
God loves you! And God wants you to help each other and not force them to guess your mind!
But God loves you! All of you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson