My Own Lie

I have mentioned in another post that I believe in Free Will. I mentioned that I believe the purpose of our free will is to make a choice to either accept or reject God within this lifetime, and that everything else is secondary. But I will now mention what I believe to be the most powerful and yet possibly ignored power of this freedom we have been given.

I'll point out an instance from the Bible which backs up this belief, but first I'll introduce it with a scene from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel "Mort", where the skeletal Death has just hired his young apprentice, and taken him out for a curry in the middle of a busy city...

The other diners didn't take much notice, even when Death leaned back and lit a rather fine pipe. Someone with smoke curling out of their eye sockets takes some ignoring, but everyone managed it.
"Is it magic?" said Mort.
"What do you think?" said Death, "Am I really here, boy?"
"Yes," said Mort slowly. "I... I've watched people. They look at you but they don't see you, I think. You do something to their minds."
Death shook his head.
"They do it all themselves," he said. "There's no magic. People can't see me, they simply won't allow themselves to do it. Until it's time, of course. Wizards can see me, and cats. But you're average human... No, never." He blew a smoke ring at the sky, and added, "Strange, but true."

Time is Money?

Time is money? No. I have a full time job, so I know that's not true. I do get paid for my time, but I only get paid for my time in the office. No-one pays me to come home and have a meal with my wife. I don't have a salary for relaxing at the weekend. I don't claim trips to see family on expenses.

Some of the time I give my employer becomes money. But the rest of my time is just time. Not money.

Maybe they are comparable because I spend both of them. How do I spend time? Do I spend it the same way I spend money? Yes, I think I do. I think you do, too. People who hoard money and possessions as the most valuable thing in their lives often seem reluctant to spend much time relaxing without distractions. Rich people- despite being rich- seem very busy. Work hard, earn money, keep working hard. It looks, to an observer, like it might be difficult to break the cycle and really switch off from production mode.

But do I hear you saying that everybody falls into this category? Well, it's true that only a working man will earn a wage. But my thoughts are aimed more at the idea of this being a cycle that enslaves us. Does this have to be the case?

Philosophy and Circles

A common criticism I see online is that someones worldview, or philosophy for life, is circular. It is considered a negative point when someones opinion of how things work backs itself up against any questions.

An example of a circular argument that would annoy an atheist might go something like:
"There is a God, who is beyond our understanding."
"Can you prove that?"
"Not conclusively, no, because he is beyond our understanding."

It is obvious that a circular argument can be annoying, but I do not think this refutes it. Other than circular, there is only one other form that a worldview can be, and I do not think it is necesserily superior. The other form is incomplete.