The Pragmatic Thinker

Maybe You Only THINK You THINK!

Life? For What? For Now!

"I am a THINKER. Everyone thinks that they think, so I am just like everyone else. I am also a Secular "HUMANIST" (see below.) And even though I hate "titles," this one I like. I only THINK and WRITE for my own personal enjoyment. I started this web page at the request of a few of my friends who got tired of having to listen to me talk about my observations of LIFE. That said... I am a self-proclaimed THINKER, PHILOSOPHER and NOWIST. I live on MAUI and in Mesa, Arizona...about half the time in each place. It's a great life. I think deeply regarding people, society, the world, and the universe. I am literally a 'lover of wisdom.' You don't hear of people calling themselves Thinkers and Philosophers much anymore. I wonder why that is? Thinking makes me happy. I am making no claims however, that my THINKING is correct. Sometimes my thinking flies in the face of tradition, religion, superstition, and precondition. I love LOGICAL and PRAGMATIC THINKING and I love to promote it. So, I just observe life and THINK. And my observations about life change and evolve over time. One of my shirttail relatives actually said to me, 'If you think too much you will go crazy." You be the judge of that. But regardless, I LOVE to think. I strive to see things as they really are, not just as I want them to be, or how I have been told they are. Some might say that is impossible, but I don't think so. The fact still remains, I LOVE to think. I question everything and have a lot of fun doing it. Most people play tennis, or racquet ball, or go boating, or go on hikes, or play golf for fun. I THINK. Life is all about the questions, not the answers. The answers always change, the questions remain the same. Frankly, the more I know, the more I know I don't know. Many times what I thought yesterday, I think is silly today. My thinking is constantly evolving and changing. So, I write so I can more clearly THINK. I want to live life to the fullest with my MIND WIDE OPEN! A few of my writings are written 'tongue in cheek' for no other reason than to entertain myself. However, I am 'as serious as a heart attack' about my thoughts in other writings! You decide which is which! I try to BLOG everyday on this web site on various subjects. I encourage YOU to BLOG when you want. I write new Larryisms several times a week. I really have fun doing that. Again, I am not looking for followers, fans, or disciples. I'm not that smart or stupid. I only hope my WRITINGS make you THINK. It has been said that we should THINK "outside" the box. Most of us don't even THINK "inside" the box. Hey, THINKING is a good thing! I don't contend that my thinking is the way all of us should think. That would be stupid. I think for my own personal benefit and desire for enlightenment and then I share my thoughts for others to think about. For what? For NOW!" - Larry John, Founder of The Pragmatic Thinker.

For some great Music visit Larry John's online radio station, the "Hot Tub Radio Party." www.hottubradioparty.com

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Think About it!

Are we so busy we haven't got time to THINK? Are we so tired and brain dead that THINKING is the last thing we have time to THINK about? More and more are we THINKING about less and less?

Are we allowing others like the media, politicians, religious leaders, parents, teachers, pundits, psychics, celebrities, spin doctors, bosses, friends, even traditions and superstitions to THINK for us? Are we being told how we should and must THINK, and accepting others' THINKING without THINKING for ourselves?

A PRAGMATIC THINKER is a person who observes oneself, other people and the issues of the world around them, as 'practically' as possible. We strive to THINK for ourselves, examining the cause and the effect of our THINKING.

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WHAT "I" THINK Right NOW!

(But I've been known to change my mind a lot and often)

by Larry John

I don't "believe" in "BELIEF" meaning to have "faith" in something outside yourself. I "believe" in applied knowledge based on experience and science... however, "believe" is a word we use to express what we think. So I will tell you what I BELIEVE or THINK right now... reserving my right to change my mind at any time of course.- Larry John

I believe in NOW. I try to live in the NOW, not the past or the future.

I don't believe in Heaven, but I do like the idea of "passing" to another life where we can continue to progress. But since I can't prove there is anything at all after this life (and no one can,) I don't spend much time thinking about a "next life."

I don't believe in Hell. I believe we choose to live in the Heaven or Hell of our own making.

I believe in living for today in the here and now.

I don't believe in any Country or Nation yet I keep all the LAWS of the United States.

I believe in being an Anarchist. I think small, local family Anarchies (true Democracy) is the best way for us to live where there is NO hierarchy. This can't work in a country or nation which exists because of FEAR and GREED.... but it could work in a WORLD without countries and nations. I realize that this is a DREAM... but I am a DREAMER.

I don't believe in any current government's ideology. Oppression for whatever righteous or good reason is still oppression.

I believe that it is hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

I believe that everyone believes they are right even when they are not (which many times includes me.)

I believe the whole earth is here for all of us to possess and share.

I believe that most of us live in "small BOXES of our own thinking" most of which we have been taught and never questioned, and thinking outside the box is nearly impossible for most people.

I don't believe in War for any reason.

I don't believe in or support MILITARY troops. Having a military only encourages warring. A country that exists because of its POWER and THREAT of WAR hurts mankind.

I don't believe in any Religion. Religion divides us and fails to unite us and makes us look for answers outside ourselves.

I believe people have all the answers to their problems and all they need are the questions.

I believe each person's journey in life is their own personal journey and shouldn't be judged.

I believe that "as we think so is it." Everything takes place in the mind. We create the worlds we live in by our own personal THINKING.

I love philosophy that makes me think. I am especially intrigued by Secular Humanism.

I don't believe in killing for any reason.

I believe we can and should live in Peace.

I believe if we have possessions we must share them.

I believe we must take care of the poor among us and give them every opportunity to prosper and live happy lives for no other reason than it is the right thing to do.

I believe the best way to help people prosper is for me to prosper first.

I don't believe we need rules and laws for everything.

I believe in having my body cremated when I die. It's the best use of space.

I don't believe in having faith after we have experience.

I believe we are birthing way too many people. We are hurting each other and the earth because of it. Population growth is a real problem.

I believe it is silly for people to give WORDS "power" over them. There is no such thing as a good word or a bad word unless we give it power to be so.

I believe in cause and effect. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction for all things that happen in the world. There are NO miracles. There are only things we don't understand...yet.

I believe in science not superstition.

I don't believe in faith healers in that they can only heal less than 50% of the time and those odds aren't good enough for me.

I believe in FREE AGENCY and the RIGHT to CHOOSE above all other rights and liberties, even if we use those rights to make bad decisions.

I believe in marriage and/or personal commitment regardless of gender and that those who marry should spend as much time together as they can as equal partners and friends.

I believe the concept of SIN is laughable and stupid.

I believe the more enlightened we become the more we do the "right" things in life because "right" decisions make us happy and that's the smart thing to do.

I believe that personal happiness is the greatest barometer of a successful life and the real test of any belief or philosophy.

I believe we are happiest when we don't judge and don't see good and evil. bad and good, black and white. Things just are.

I don't believe life has a meaning and that WE give meaning to life.

I believe the best way to live life is WITHOUT meaning and for us to allow our life to just happen.

I believe we can live a life free of polarities where things just ARE.

I don't see humans as anything but other fellow humans, regardless of the color of their skin, sexual preferences, country of birth, male or female, social standing, and beliefs.

I believe in LOVE when it is unconditional and tempered with wisdom.

I don't believe in indifference.

I believe in family.

I believe we have very few true friends in life.

I believe that people cause us stress.

I believe in the humanity of the family of man.

I don't believe in miracles and divine intervention.

I don't believe in prayer to a personal God who lives outside of me.

I don't believe that education and school are the same thing. I believe there is a big difference between learning and passing in most cases.

I believe in working hard and playing hard and that many times they are the same thing.

I believe we must make the world a better place to live on for everyone and everything.

I believe we should laugh more. Laughter is good for us.

I believe we take life much too seriously.

I believe that we need to make time to do NOTHING. We are way to busy to become enlightened. In order to be enlightened you have to have TIME to think.

I know that all you "really" can do when raising children is LOVE them and LAUGH with and at them.

I believe that we should always have lots of Music in our lives.

I believe that life can be best lived by applying ethics and reasoning, without reference to a god or gods or other supernatural concepts.

I believe we must all find our PASSIONS. Without passions we just exist. I think that as we enjoy our passions we must make sure that our passions don't become obsessions.

I believe that all life must be "lived in the middle" and not in the extremes.

I believe that enlightened thinking starts with one enlightened person talking to other people desiring to be enlightened, and through thought, thinking, talking, and dreaming the world will change.

I believe that true personal peace and serenity can only be realized by being quiet and alone.

I believe you must love and serve yourself first before you can love and serve others.

I believe that money should be shared to enrich the lives of everyone and not hoarded.

I believe in negotiation and compromise.

I believe in change. Nothing is permanent.

I believe that we must recognize we don't know everything but be constantly seeking to know more and see things more clearly and perfectly.

I believe that this life may be all there is. So I will be happy now and live life to the fullest here and now.

I believe in continually learning and progressing with applied knowledge. Just to know is not enough, you must apply your knowledge in order for knowledge to have real value.

I believe that as soon as a belief no longer serves us, we must be wise enough to stop believing and move on.

I believe the purpose of a church should be to get you to a point where you don't need the church anymore.

I don't believe in being hypocritical. Live a true life.

I believe in always having an open mind to thinking that may not agree with my thinking and beliefs. And if my thinking is flawed, I will change.

I know there will always be suffering in the world. And even though there is much suffering in the world, we can all be happy and joyfully help others to be happy amidst all the suffering. We do this by changing our thinking and our hearts and helping others to do the same.

I believe in the evolution of all things and that we can evolve toward happiness or sadness, for life is how we choose to make it. We create the world we live in. My life is nothing more than the physical manifestation of my thoughts.

I believe that even though there is great opportunity for man to progress, man doesn't change much. We keep learning the same lessons over and over again. We never really learn.

I believe that getting your heart and your mind to agree, even though it is very difficult, is when and how we experience true happiness.

I know I am nothing and at the same time I am everything.

I know that nothing really matters and everything matters.

I believe we are all Gods and don't know it.

I believe we all have the power within us to be much greater beings.

I believe that in the final analysis of life, when we are about to leave this existence, the most important things are not what we did, what degrees we held, what positions we achieved, the service we gave to others, the children we raised, who we knew, who we loved, what we believed, who or what we worshiped, what lives we touched, who we forgave, how much we gave, the God(s) we served, the homes we built, the number of possessions we had, the amount of money we earned, and so on... but the ability to truthfully say, "I HAD FUN!" Life is GOOD!

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HUMANISM

I consider myself a Secular HUMANIST.

Humanism is one of those philosophies for people who think for themselves. There is no area of thought that a Humanist is afraid to challenge and explore.

Humanism is a philosophy focused upon human means for comprehending reality. Humanists make no claims to possess or have access to supposed transcendent knowledge.

Humanism is a philosophy of reason and science in the pursuit of knowledge. Therefore, when it comes to the question of the most valid means for acquiring knowledge of the world, Humanists reject arbitrary faith, authority, revelation, and altered states of consciousness.

Humanism is a philosophy of imagination. Humanists recognize that intuitive feelings, hunches, speculation, flashes of inspiration, emotion, altered states of consciousness, and even religious experience, while not valid means to acquire knowledge, remain useful sources of ideas that can lead us to new ways of looking at the world. These ideas, after they have been assessed rationally for their usefulness, can then be put to work, often as alternate approaches for solving problems.

Humanism is a philosophy for the here and now. Humanists regard human values as making sense only in the context of human life rather than in the promise of a supposed life after death.

Humanism is a philosophy of compassion. Humanist ethics is solely concerned with meeting human needs and answering human problems--for both the individual and society--and devotes no attention to the satisfaction of the desires of supposed theological entities.

Humanism is a realistic philosophy. Humanists recognize the existence of moral dilemmas and the need for careful consideration of immediate and future consequences in moral decision making.

Humanism is in tune with the science of today. Humanists therefore recognize that we live in a natural universe of great size and age, that we evolved on this planet over a long period of time, that there is no compelling evidence for a separable "soul," and that human beings have certain built-in needs that effectively form the basis for any human-oriented value system.

Humanism is in tune with today's enlightened social thought. Humanists are committed to civil liberties, human rights, church-state separation, the extension of participatory democracy not only in government but in the workplace and education, an expansion of global consciousness and exchange of products and ideas internationally, and an open-ended approach to solving social problems, an approach that allows for the testing of new alternatives.

Humanism is in tune with new technological developments. Humanists are willing to take part in emerging scientific and technological discoveries in order to exercise their moral influence on these revolutions as they come about, especially in the interest of protecting the environment.

Humanism is, in sum, a philosophy for those in love with life. Humanists take responsibility for their own lives and relish the adventure of being part of new discoveries, seeking new knowledge, exploring new options. Instead of finding solace in prefabricated answers to the great questions of life, Humanists enjoy the open-endedness of a quest and the freedom of discovery that this entails.

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John Lennon's- Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

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Favorite Thinkers!

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. - Albert Einstein

"I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance."- Socrates

"To write well, express yourself like common people, but think like a wise man. Or, think as wise men do, but speak as the common people."- Aristotle

"When the mind is thinking, it is talking to itself." - Plato

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." - Albert Schweitzer

"Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects." - Will Rogers

"I think, therefore I am, I think"- George Carlin

"The test and the use of man's education is that he finds pleasure in the exercise of his mind." - Jacques Martin Barzun

"When the horse dies, dismount. So it is with thinking, when your thinking doesn't work anymore let it die and bury it." - Unknown

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." - John Lennon

"The more you learn about yourself and the experiences surrounding your life the more opportunities you have to make your life better and more fulfilling." - Amy Candy

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. - Galileo Galilei

"He who dares to teach must never cease to learn." - Richard Henry Dann

Seek, and you will find; Knock, and it will be opened to you.- Jesus

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.- Benjamin Franklin

It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. - Confucius

"One's first step in wisdom is to question everything and one's last is to come to terms with everything." - Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that has the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."- Dale Carnegie

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha

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Larry John is also Owner of the following companies.

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Larry John Worldwide Broadcasting Company

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Larry John Wright Investment Group

L-K Livestock Company

Xstream Music Products

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