Josh Plovanic's Writings and Thoughts

       In secular culture, especially within a lot of academic settings I have been in, nihilism is one of the most prominent philosophies and worldviews I have encountered. I have met a lot of nihilists over the years. Many common themes of their philosophy is the meaninglessness of life, the progression towards Chaos in the universe, and the idea that the universe came out of nothingness, an emptiness.       Nihilism is an easy belief system to operate within your mind. Many people are just predisposed to it. Viewing life as meaningless and that nothingness is the fate of all people and the universe is an easy belief system to subscribe to.     It's not a very creative one, though. It requires little imagination and is actually, from my perspective, kind of lazy. Almost a cop-out belief system that doesn't challenge the thinking power and creativity of human beings nearly as much as some of the more imaginative and deeper belief systems and philosophies.         To me, Nihili

     I have a lot of conversations with all kinds of people. Lots of philosophy. Lots of deep analyses of life. I have a couple friends that thoroughly enjoy the deep conversations about infinity or ideologies or philosophy, and then many that couldn't care less about them.      I've told people that one of the reasons I think so deeply about reality is because of its freedom. Deep thought is liberating. Deep thought leads to free thought. I think deeply and focus on infinity and eternity because of my feelings and sentiments of not feeling free in this society.           Because this society wasn't satisfying my desires to have the freedoms I wanted, I was left with no other choice but to go into my mind for liberty, and I found much liberty in my own thoughts. A great deal of liberty in my imagination and my creativity. Far more, I must say, than American society has ever offered me.        I must admit, I'm still a little bitter about some things. I think I might be

I've come a long way in the past 10 years. I've held down a job. I've made friends. I've found Jesus. My brain can puzzle over infinity all it wants.  I like the term survivor. It rolls off the tongue a lot better than "victim."  Being a victim always has a powerlessness connotation to it, like your power and strength was taken from you. Survivor has a connotation of power and strength to it. An overcoming and a winning. I am a survivor of many things. It's just pure grace that I'm alive and my brain functions as well as it does.  I've been on some medications for my brain my whole life. It started young. Very young. I consider myself a survivor of psychiatry. Don't get me wrong, some people need help, but psychiatry has the highest potential for abuse of any medical field. It often is abused. It has the potential to be used against political dissidents (its really hard to make political change or influence when you are drugged, institutionaliz

So I have an avid fascination with hierarchies and hierarchal structures. They are an essential and prevalent component of humanity and just the universe in general.  When most people think of hierarchies, they think of the basic top down, command style hierarchy, the one humanity has been using for the better part of its existence. I've talked a lot about cyclical "rock paper scissors" hierarchies and how cycling power like that would bring stability and balance to a system. That's a little more advanced than top down, 2 dimensional hierarchies. I would like to talk about a system that is a little more advanced and multidimensional. A spherical hierarchy. In a spherical hierarchy, the power structure would be made in the form of a sphere. The absolute authority would be the center of the sphere, much like the center of gravity of a planet or star. That center power would be the one in charge of the whole system and project power on up in all directions up the hierarc

I used to get so upset when I would be reminded of what I don't have, whether that be wealth, a rewarding career, a beautiful family, you name it. I still do sometimes. It still frustrates me when I see what I want and can't have it.  Jealousy's quite brutal of an emotion. It makes you forget how good what you do have is by reminding you of what you don't have. I hated feeling unequal and disadvantaged. I always wanted to be in the same ballpark, on the same playing field, as everyone else. I've learned in life that there are many types of equality and many types of advantages. You might be equal with others in some ways, exceed others in some ways, and be worse than others in some ways. A person is multifaceted and multidimensional, and equality will happen in some of those dimensions and not happen in others.  Nobody has the Superman arrangement of traits and advantages. We don't get the "God Mode" cheat code. None of us do. We are all good at some t

  I love bravery. Courage is one of my favorite concepts and traits by far. I try to be as brave as I can be and stand up for what is right and just even if it costs me something. I am not fearless, though. I have a lot of fears.  I'm afraid of losing people I love and losing stability. I fear being a victim of evil and hate. I have fears, yes, but I still wake up every morning and go to work. I still go hang out with friends and talk to strangers. In my mind, if you don't have courage, than all that you have is at risk of being taken from you. I would rather be brave and lose something than survive or evade by cowardice. Don't get me wrong, I've been a coward at times in my life. I've been beaten down and subdued to a point where I was too afraid to stand up for myself or others. I think we all get this way at some points. I think the pathway to courage is paved with fright and abuse. I think bravery can be conditioned into someone. I also think it can be lost. It&

One of the great tragedies and one of the most problematic happenings in our schools and our society in general is the maltreatment of the different. The people who think differently, the people who act differently, anyone who deviates from the standard of normality the culture and predominant group sets for people.      Different people have suffered in humanity for the longest time, and some of the most brilliant people have been persecuted and killed before they even have a chance of contributing amazing benefits and advances to society.     It is one of the great tragedies of our world that some of the people who can help humanity the most are violated and sometimes killed before they can even contribute their gifts. In schools, the gifted, the extremely intelligent, the brilliant, many of these people are mistreated, bullied, and even brutalized by their peers. It happens out of fear and jealousy, and the predatory tendency of humans that lead them to prey on what they deem to be

     Mental illness, or health problems in general, should never be lifelong curses, crippling opportunities or breaking dreams and futures indefinitely.  I feel that, in our society and in humanity as a whole, more often than not this ends up being the case.        Our medicine and healthcare is really good at treating problems or symptoms of illnesses, but really poor at successful preventative care and even less successful at outright curing afflictions. It's hard to incentivize people to take care of themselves or compel people into being active participants in society or in the health and well being of those around them.   Its a lot easier (and unfortunately a lot more profitable too) to just treat chronic problems indefinitely instead of finding permanent solutions to where treatment is no longer necessary. This problem often leads to a stagnancy in the development of cures and permanent fixes and solutions. It's a hell of a lot more profitable to treat continuously than

The internet is, by far, the most significant advancement in modern human history. It revolutionized the way we communicate, do business, get the news, get educated, and entertain ourselves more than probably any other feat of advancement since the development of writing systems. The internet morphed into the social media hub that it is today, and with the advent of social media came a time where humanity has never been more connected and information has never spread faster or to so many people at once. This was thought to be a good thing, and in many ways it is, but it has a component to it that is detrimental to the health of our nation and our world.  That component is the mass proliferation of deception across social media platforms and the internet as a whole.  Coupled with the other depravity the internet has enabled or exascerbated, this mass deception and mass confusion that comes with it has contributed to a great many of our current crises and current social ills.  Dangerous

      You can tell a lot about someone's character, someone's integrity, and someone's spirit by how they treat the people around them.  Kindness is one of those qualities of a person, that, when sincere and genuine, can be extremely dignifying and redeeming of a person's nature and being. It can be one of the most redeeming qualities of a person.       They can have all the flaws in the world, all the vices you can think of, but if they are kind and treat people well, they can still maintain a level of dignity and value that kindness brings to them that outweighs most of the downsides of their vices.          Kindness is never a weakness. In a world of selfishness, hate,  exploitation, and predatory people, it takes more courage and strength to be kind to your fellow man than brutality and aggression would ever require. Treating your friends with kindness, your family with kindness, and your acquaintances with kindness is essential for your own personal well being as w

         Mental toughness is one of those traits that can set apart an individual from a field of contenders in a job, in a training course, or in a trial/tribulation. I've heard over and over again from military personnel, athletes, and people who have faced much adversity that its not the physical strains of a training or trial that knock most people from contention. It is the mental strains and challenges that can and often does eliminate you from opportunities and prevent you from passing a training and graduating into a career of immense challenge and difficulty.   It's always mental, as they say.  As someone who has struggled with mental illness for most of my life, the allure of the concept of mental toughness has been particularly strong with me. I never considered myself a super tough guy, at least physically anyway. I can be pretty resilient at times, but "toughness" never really registered as something I consider to be a defining trait about me.  Even so, t

     We all have a dark side. An inner monster that some of us have better control of than others. I know I do, and sometimes that other side of my duality gets the best of me. Along with the werewolf concept, the concept of a man turning into a monster against his will, the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has fascinated me from both a personal and psychological standpoint.      It is a reflection on the duality of human nature. Both concepts-the werewolf and Jekyll/Hyde-demonstrate the idea that some people have a monster within that often can be too difficult to control at times.          In my own struggle with the duality of my personality, where I can be one of the kindest, gentlest people you could meet, but then often in private there is a viciousness that comes out that could shock a lot of people I know, I often worry this darker component of my nature will get the best of me at some point and lead to some social and interpersonal consequences for me.  I manage it quite well,

Writing my thoughts down is probably the healthiest coping mechanism I have. It's my favorite therapy. I write all the time, once a day or more at least. I write about a range of topics ranging from religion, philosophy, infinity, information theory, intelligence gathering, etc.      Quite a few topics get covered on my facebook and my blog. I write this all down now, publicly, because I like being an open book. I don't do anything risky or illicit, so I don't have really much to hide at all.  I write these big topics because I like to exercise my mind as much as possible. I like to stretch the limits of my thoughts and imagination.  I write it down now, primarily, because people have been telling me to do so for years. I started listening to them. Now I have a nice record of thoughts and ideas that I've been thinking about for years and new ones I've developed.       It is how I cope with a life that didn't satisfy me. A life that promised so much more than it

If you can change a mind, you can change a world. In humanity, choices start with the mind. From plots to plans to ideas about policy to art to strategy, the human mind is the source of decisions and their reason/justification. Our thoughts provide the framework and incentive for much of our actions.     Even when the incentives to our choices are financial or survival based, our minds still weigh the pros and cons of the decision and we make the decision based on our mind's processing of the situation and how our decision will affect our priorities and goals.       The greatest feats achieved in human history has started as an idea of a mind. So, too, have been the worst things ever done by humanity. I take the viewpoint that all of existence is the conceptualization of an infinite mind.       The source of many problems in humanity is the problem of mental stubbornness. It's when humans get "stuck in their ways," so to speak, and when they decide to believe somethin

   I have an avid fascination with the topic of information theory and the types of information in reality. It is a common theme in my writings, and a common focus of my thoughts and conversations. In 2018, I wrote a post called "the primary relationship of information" which discussed how the foundational relationship of all of existence is the relationship between the projector of information and the receiver of information.     I argued that if you eliminate either the entire projector or all receivers, you negate the whole system. You negate existence.  There is a particular kind of information relationship that falls under the "projector-receiver" category. It is the relationship between a performer/performance and an audience.      The performer in a show and the performance is the projector of information, and the audience is the receiver of information. The performer attempts to influence and manipulate  the audience into giving a desired reaction. However,

If everybody were to be suddenly made aware to the absolute the utter and brutal consequence of sin and hate as well as the utter glory and bliss of righteousness and goodness the world would instantly become a paradise.         If evil flourishes in one place more than any other it is in the darkness of the minds of humanity. Even though there is malevolent, willful, calculating evil in this world and in existence, much of the evil I have encountered in my life was not necessarily out of outright malice, but out of a blindness. A darkness in the minds of people in my life or in the world around me.   It is the same darkness of the mind that has led to the persecution of divergent views, the attack and dehumanization of the different, and even the murders of divergent people who fail to meet a standard of acceptance within their communities or society. Even the death of Jesus can be attributed to this kind of blind evil aside from the malice involved.  .       When he called God to for

There is a phrase I have encountered in my studies of the Bible that I find very pertinent to my life. It is the phrase "wait on the Lord." It occurs in the Psalms on occasion and elsewhere in Scripture.  I find this phrase to be one of the most important phrases in my relationship with God. It is a lesson of patience and hope. Waiting on God, waiting for Him to make His move and perform His purposes for my life and this world is extremely important in my journey here.      It is a reminder of my place in this world. A reminder that I am not the one in charge. I am not in control.       To me, this world is something akin to a purgatory. Not quite Hell. Not quite Heaven. Lot's of suffering and disappointment. Occasional Joys and victories here and there.   There are a few pitfalls and traps that I have fallen into. Some quite restrictive and some were quite torturous, but it was still not quite Hell. Those Catch-22's, those situational traps that created that sense of

This reality is a very complex, layered place. Sorting through it can be quite difficult. The human mind has a way of compartmentalizing and structuring the thoughts, opinions, perspectives, dreams, and desires that make up our internal and external realities.    I've heard terms like "looking at the big picture" or "don't sweat the small stuff" or "be a simple man" and I look at reality from a few angles, including the big picture global or existential perspective as well as the more grounded, immediate day to day responsibilities and activities.         This world is a system of systems. There are often systems working within systems, and small systems themselves make up parts of a much larger, more complex systems. Complexity itself being something many people don't want to deal with in their lives, whether out of intimidation, indifference, or the desire for simplicity in life.       The systems of this world are often interconnected in dif

     I have thought a lot about complex systems like societies, governments, and organized bodies of people and how things like entropy and decay play into such systems.      Entropy is a natural phenomenon in the physical universe and the systems that operate within the physical realm. Decay and degradation occur no matter how advanced and well-designed a system may be.     However, if you want to collapse a society's system of government and economic system, just overwhelm it Absolutely bombard it with crisis after crisis, adversity after adversity, and corruption upon corruption. It's like overheating an automobile engine. Even the state of the art, best of its kind engine will break down and "blow up" if pushed to a certain point. Societies are no different. You "overheat the engine" you will eventually collapse the system. No matter how well intentioned the founders and designers of a system may be, the natural predisposition towards depravity and corru