I can sit around for hours
Thinking, so I claim
But I can’t come to new conclusions
No matter how I wrack my brain
I can stare at all the flowers
And at their beauty exclaim
I could write odes in profusion
But how are things not still the same?
Actuality or Observation
Published
Writer In Retrospect 
Why do you think new conclusions are needed? Sometimes you’ve thought of it all the first time. And/or you have sufficient evidence to refuse any other conclusions.
The only thing that I can think of is going out there and experiencing things. Sometimes (not always or even often) it changes things.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, but that’s exactly it. A conclusion made without experience to back it up is baseless. Without experience, such conclusions are little more than opinions; and even with, may still be. If your only anchor for a conclusion is in the subjective, then your conclusion is on tumultuous seas indeed. I could accept that subjectivity is a part of life, that looking at things a certain way can make them so — but what place has truth then?
So you see, the reason I need new conclusions, is that my old ones are so muddled that I can’t even come to any conclusions on how to form conclusions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fair enough. BUT if you try to be as objective as you can, if you analyze other people experiences, and you know yourself well enough, you will arrive at a pretty solid conclusion 99% of the time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
But how does one know if one knows oneself well enough? Does the madman diagnose himself? Can one with a skewed perspective see whether their perspective is skewed?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah. Good question. Only you can tell.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmm…
LikeLiked by 1 person
In common with the rest of us, Rachel, you make the most of whatever it is you have. Very few (actually, nobody) enjoys perfect knowledge. Each of us lacks crucial information. Thus, our conclusions are temporary. Some of them will withstand advancing time and familiarity. Others won’t, though.
So what? That’s why we change our minds. The process is one of life’s singular benefits.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a fair point. It seems so wrong though. Heh… I guess I’ve played too many videogames.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, Rachel. Video games, as well as many of culture’s other products, provide expectations everything is instant, complete and obvious. It’s comforting, and it also is frustrating when things aren’t this way in the real world. I can assure you, though, it’s pop culture that has things wrong, not us.
Actually, I prefer our way. Everything is a discovery, all part of a continuous improvement. Sure, it’s annoying not having all the facts, but the more time we give things, the clearer the picture becomes. It’s a natural boost to our optimism and to our idealism.
At least that’s the effect it has on me. What do you think?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you see things the way you do. As for me… I struggle with responsibility. With perfect knowledge, you can know how things will work out best and act accordingly. But in real life, you are responsible for the good and the bad both. It seems like such a burden. But then, our regrets can often shape us into better people, which knowledge alone cannot do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think all the experiences of life are learning experiences. You will experience many things over time, and over time you will have much more control over what your life will be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Will I? I have seen people bound up their whole lives by one youthful mistake.
LikeLike
At 72, I am basing my advice on personal experience. To escape my parents’ unreasonable strictness and control, I married a man I barely knew the week I turned eighteen instead of attending the college where I had been accepted. It then took me years of working full-time while raising a family and going to school part-time to finally finish college at age forty. Your situation may be quite different, but my point is that you will likely be far happier when you are grown up and independent. Don’t do anything foolish like I did! I wish you the best of luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. Thank you for sharing. It can be very hard to tell the difference between foolishness and bravery when young… But independence is a pretty good goal to start with, and I’ll be thinking about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person