From the monk who will not step on any living being (as opposed to not stepping at all because states of energy are everywhere) to the soldier shooting at a crowd of people on command (including friends and family who are marching in opposition to the government the soldier works for), can we define intelligence?

If there was one right way to live, I would dedicate myself to repurposing the desires and needs of every individual of my species.

Instead, I encourage people to seek their own life-affirming patterns of daily habits.

And if not that, then at least to consider the possibilities of what’s available to improve what may appear to them inadequate, inefficient or uncomfortable living conditions.

A potential buyer of material goods that provide sitting, eating and sleeping positions within a household has more choices than the buyer will probably ever think about.

Like they say, without advertising, nothing happens.

A buyer uses word-of-mouth and line-of-sight to create a list of furniture for future use.

Is that intelligence?

Is the buyer able to see the full, “360-degree” effect of purchasing and placing a new bed in the home?

Is an impulse purchase an intelligent decision?

Is there anything wise in the famous last words, “Hey!  Watch this!”?

If there is no one pure path of living, is there one pure path of intelligent thinking?

Do you know how many of the seven billion of us are still nomadic wanderers grazing and eating what’s readily available?

How many of them are pliable and malleable enough to be taught to live a life that takes the species’ needs within the global ecosystem into account, especially when survival is more important to them in their local environment?

Day after day, I see how easily we manipulate whole subcultures and, like a stick in a stream, how I float from one eddy to another of flurries of superfluous activity because I allowed myself to imagine, create and follow a philosophy of “anything goes.”

I gave up getting what I want in order to see what’s going to happen next.

But that was when I believed I just didn’t want to die.

Now that I want to live, I have a whole new philosophy to consider.

But do I want to give up knowing what’s going to happen next and simply create it for myself, using the normal practice of manipulating subcultures, not completely for my sake, of course?

Although my life is very, very short (1 day of life is no different than 200 years of life but we can’t see that in our customary timeframe), I have time to view multiple thought threads that lead away from every moment, even if I am strongly attracted to a moment that helps me complete an assignment, for lack of a less lazy way to put it, for the betterment of our species.

Questioning possibilities is not the same as doubting what I’m doing (although I have no problem considering both when making decisions on y/our behalf).

Can a culture prevent individual impulse decisions that are detrimental to its existence?

Many have tried and failed.

Is it because the culture’s goals were inconsistent with improving the species on the individual and sub/cultural scales or was it because we are impulsive and still harbour nomadic/survival traits at all levels of living?

What is intelligent about living?

Do any states of energy have intelligence or is it only a matter of chemical/physical attraction repeating itself automatically?

How do I avoid the trappings of society – hoarding food, fame, wealth, etc. – while giving thought and action to the phrase “I want to live”?