.Introduction, .why. --- .This section is about why I write the Paul Nervy Notes. Topics include: (1) Personal reasons. (2) Societal reasons. --- 1/24/2006
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) Boredom, lack of better alternative. (2) Nothing better to do, nothing more important to do. (3) A way to kill time while time kills me. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) Doing Notes is especially helpful for pessimists like myself. The key is to write notes to record the good in your life, and then study those notes to focus on the good in your life. (2) For repressed neurotics the Notes help you recall ideas and emotions that one has a tendency to repress. (3) In both the above cases, the Notes contribute to mental health. But the Notes should not be used as the sole therapy for people with serious mental problems. (4) The Notes are also a reminder or memory aid. --- 7/27/1998
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) For self respect. (2) For respect from others. (3) To show something for my time (11/01/94). (4) Proof I worked for five years and didn't vegetate. (9/01/94). (5) To make the most of myself and my life. --- 01/01/1993
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) For self: For fun. For health. For growth. (2) For others: For fun. For health. For growth. --- 6/3/2004
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) For truth and justice. (2) To improve the world. --- 4/25/2006
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) Going over old stuff makes it easier to think of new. (2) Going over old stuff makes clearer the way to go. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) Health. Psychological health. Improve self. Growth and development. (2) Knowledge. Truth. Get smart. (3) Improve the world. Justice. --- 4/17/2006
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) Notes gives one a purpose, when times are tough. (2) Notes give one a foundation, when one is in doubt or has lost the track or vision. --- 04/24/1997
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) People do not have time to perform a science experiment on every idea they get. (2) People do not have time to research every idea they get. (3) People do not have time to discuss every idea they get. (4) And it would help if the ideas recorded and organized themselves to some extent because people do not have time to type and organize their ideas. (5) Yet the ideas people get are important, at least for them, and should not be forgotten or discarded just because they aren't easy to herd. (6) Some people argue that if an idea cannot be verified scientifically, or if it is not researched, or if it is not debated publicly, then it is useless. However, such criteria do not invalidate every good idea. --- 9/19/2001
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) Practical reasons. (A) Psychological health. (B) Personal development. (C) Economic well being. (D) Successful social relationships. (E) Accomplishment and productivity. (2) Idealistic reasons. (A) Make the world a better place. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) Subjective reasons: why I think I wrote it. (2) Objective reasons: why I actually wrote it. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) To develop a stand, to take a stand. (2) To work from thought to action. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- (1) Writing helps you think. Work it out on paper. (2) Writing helps you remember. Save it on paper. --- 8/15/1998
.Introduction, .why. --- Academics are specialists bound by their disciplines. Professional or commercial writers are specialists bound by sales, advertisers and audiences. Amateur generalists are less bound. Notes is a work by an amateur generalist. --- 11/15/2003
.Introduction, .why. --- All the things learned by people, and not recorded, and lost to the ages, only to have to be re-thought again through painful mistakes by later generations. If we could write it down, clearly, concisely, and well organized, without being unclear and long winded, then it would be useful, and easy to search, and quick to read and learn. --- 11/30/1996
.Introduction, .why. --- At first I did Notes because I was trying to be an artist and philosopher. Now I do Notes because I am: (1) Just trying to survive. Trying to get and keep head screwed on straight (double check marks). (2) Trying to capture the gold I drip. Get the most out of my brain (single check marks). (3) All the muddlings to get the above two. The 90% garbage one must wade through to get the 10% useful. --- 07/30/1996
.Introduction, .why. --- Current realization: No one cares what I have to say. Gee whiz. Well, that's fine with me. That these words are on the Internet and no one reads them only adds to their wilderness quality. --- 3/21/2001
.Introduction, .why. --- Develop me and my mind. (1) Sharpens (quicker and more accurate) your thinking ability. (2) Improves mental organization. (3) For thinking, evolution of thought. (4) Become my ideal me, develop personality. (5) To improve my mind, behavior, my life. (6) Cognitive therapy, organize head. (7) Develop unconscious working knowledge. (9) Improve contents, structure, and mechanism of mind. (10) Psychic health, reduce neurosis, to help me. (11) Be a better person, and survive better. (12) Money: get and hold better jobs. (13) Sell this book. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Dual purpose. (1) To get it out of my system, to get it off my mind vs. (2) To remind me of things. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Dual purpose. Paradoxical dual purpose of Notes. (1) Writing Notes lets you take your mind off what you need to take it off of. You unconsciously realize you can take your mind of it because you know you have it written down in your Notes somewhere. (2) Writing Notes paradoxically also helps keep your mind on what you need to keep it on. Writing things down serves as a reminder to think about them when you go back and re-read your notes. --- 06/15/1994
.Introduction, .why. --- Each of us must put the world in our own words. It is not just a matter of writing. We must make life our own. You cannot just hear life and see life. You have to say life and do life. You have to be life. You have to live life. --- 3/16/2000
.Introduction, .why. --- Essay about why. Problems. (1) Minds forgetting stuff. (2) Minds inactive. (3) Minds full, with no room to learn. (4) Minds disorganized. Disorganized in regard to logical organization. Disorganized in regard to chronological organization. (5) Confusion. Upset. Frustrated. Angry. Making important life mistakes. (6) Writing your own notes can help alleviate these problems. It is writing therapy that can fight information overload. --- 8/25/1999
.Introduction, .why. --- Essay about why. Why write? Psychological health and growth. Healthier, smarter people. A better society. Save the earth. In part, these goals all depend on information management. Information in the form of memories, emotions, thoughts and attitudes. --- 8/30/1999
.Introduction, .why. --- Eventually you meld your personal notes (figured out) and your book notes (found out) in your mind to produce some total mental data base. --- 04/21/1993
.Introduction, .why. --- Everyone should do their own Notes. --- 01/01/1993
.Introduction, .why. --- For fun. For health. For progress. For truth, ideas, knowledge. For justice. --- 5/14/2004
.Introduction, .why. --- Honestly, Paul, why do you write the Notes? (1) I'm trying to sort out my problems. To stay alive, healthy, productive, employed. (2) Groupies. Female fans. I really thought the Notes would bring me women. (3) I honestly thought the Notes would help other people. (4) Ideas have a beauty all their own. Ideas possess aesthetic qualities. Ideas can have inexorable logic, wit, emotion, enlightenment. Ideas are a delight to behold. (5) The search for and discovery of ideas can be a kick. At some point I either recognized or decided that this is who I am and this is what I do. Its fun. --- 6/4/2002
.Introduction, .why. --- I am arguing for the importance of words, reason, thinking. Other people like objects, money, or power, but I do not find those compelling. Still others like obedience, mindless action, or doing nothing, but I do not find those compelling either. --- 8/16/2006
.Introduction, .why. --- I don't want my notes to end up being just about my worsening pathological psychological condition. --- 01/01/1993
.Introduction, .why. --- I'm not trying to save the world, I'm trying to save my self. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- I'm not trying to think of things no one's ever thought of, I'm trying to think of things I've never thought of. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- If it exists, it is important, and I'm interested in. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- In addition to asking, "Why do the Notes?", one can also ask, more generally, "Why think, write and publish?" --- 3/9/2005
.Introduction, .why. --- Individual progress is not automatic. Societal progress is not automatic. Progress requires effort. --- 8/20/2006
.Introduction, .why. --- It is imperative, an ethical obligation, that parents write and self-publish notes for their children, and their children's children. --- 01/07/1997
.Introduction, .why. --- It is not enough to collect notes. They must be ordered. And thought about. --- 02/14/1989
.Introduction, .why. --- Its fun. Its healthy. --- 5/3/2003
.Introduction, .why. --- Notes boost self-confidence. Enables quicker, better thinking. Enables quicker action. Leads to faster development and growth. Notes avoid the stall, the languish. --- 1/25/1998
.Introduction, .why. --- Notes help you remember your good ideas and thus let you let go of your bad ideas. --- 02/28/1998
.Introduction, .why. --- Nothing seems real to me till I write it down. --- 06/30/1996
.Introduction, .why. --- One has an obligation to think. One has an obligation to write what one thinks. One has an obligation to publish what one writes. What is the basis of the obligation? The basis of the obligation is that these acts are good to do and we are able to do them. --- 2/1/2005
.Introduction, .why. --- Only by leaving your mind open to consider anything and everything will you be able to focus in on what is really bothering you and what is really important. --- 1/16/2006
.Introduction, .why. --- Personal information system. Once ideas are recorded and organized, it is easier to think new ones. Preservation and organization. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Personal reasons (egoism). (1) Money, glory. (2) Ethical reasons. (3) It is what I do best, it is what I want to do. (4) Save and organize notes for me and for posterity. (5) To change (improve) myself and my life. (6) Make money publishing it. (7) Develop thesis or articles out of it. (8) Impress women. 9. See below: social reasons (altruism). --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Pseudo-reasons why not to do Notes. (1) Nobody reads. (2) Nobody reads self-published books. Most people who read, read the major publishers. (3) Nobody reads art-philosophy. Most people who read, read fiction. (4) Nobody cares. (5) Its not that good. --- 6/4/2002
.Introduction, .why. --- Questions. (1) Why do I do my notes? Why does anyone do their notes? (2) Why should I do my notes? Why should anyone do their notes? (3) Will this book help me? Will this book help anyone? (4) Will writing notes help me? Will writing notes help anyone? (5) Why should you read Notes (my reasons), and why do you read Notes (your reasons)? (6) Reasons why not read this book, and reasons why not to write your own notes. Waste of time? --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Quote. You can have more fun with 1 pen, 1 package of loose-leaf, and a library card, than you can with $10,000.00. If you know how. (from 4/15/90). --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Retrieval problems. When you have information that is recorded either in handwriting, print or digital format, and you are having trouble finding what you are looking for, then you are essentially in a state analogous to the mental state we call "forgetting". To say "I forgot" is to say "that information is not currently retrievable". Information recall is 90% of thinking. Information recall is 90% of the solution in the physical world as well as the mental world. --- 10/22/2000
.Introduction, .why. --- Self-publish or self-perish. (1) Self-publish or self-perish. Write down your ideas. Organize your ideas. Self publish your ideas by putting your web site on the Internet. Why? Because to not face this important challenge is to risk casting yourself into a vicious, possibly suicidal, existentialist depression. Self-publishing is part of what you are here to do. (2) Self-publish or self-perish. Leave a trace of yourself because otherwise you will die without leaving a trace and no one will be able to benefit from your experience. The idea is not that you want to live forever through your writing out of vanity. The ideas is that you want to live forever through your writing because you want to make a useful, lasting contribution to the world. --- 8/9/2005
.Introduction, .why. --- So you don't make as many mistakes as me, and suffer the resulting pains. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Social reasons (altruism). (1) People don't have time, energy, ability to find out and/or figure out. (2) Help them avoid mistakes and pain. (3) Help them solve problems and get goals to change (improve) the world. (4) Never underestimate your audience, most people are evolving. (5) For those dying to know, whether they know it or not. (6) People don't have time to read books and outline them. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Stand. Writing a diary to be left after you die, as a virtual person or mind, forces you to lead a more authentic life. Because it forces you to say, "This is for the record". It makes you think, and then take a stand. --- 10/05/1997
.Introduction, .why. --- Sum up. (1) For self. For fun. For health. For money, chicks and fame. (2) For others. To make a contribution to society. To share. For truth and justice. --- 6/7/2004
.Introduction, .why. --- Survival. (1) Purpose of all this learning is survival. (2) Surviving better. (3) Health: psychological, physical, financial. (4) Solve problems, avoid mistakes, reduce pain. (5) Get goals (job, money, women, notes, books, stuff). (6) Figure out what's going on. (7) How does it affect us. (8) Understand things, make sense of things. (9) To understand life, how the world works. (10) To get a better model of reality. (11) Figure out what's important. (12) Figure out what to do, and how I know. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Teach kids that the computer is an idea bank. If they save only two or three ideas a day, you will have 1000 ideas per year, and 10,000 ideas in 10 years. You will be rich with ideas in a short time. --- 01/07/1997
.Introduction, .why. --- The alternative to doing Notes is confusion, forgetting and being overwhelmed. And not knowing who you are or what is going on. And lack of focus. And distraction, and psychological fragility. --- 3/20/1999
.Introduction, .why. --- The Notes are necessary for survival (not death), health (not illness), and growth (not waste). The results of not doing them will be pain and waste. --- 10/25/1997
.Introduction, .why. --- The Notes are sets of ideas, or sets of attitudes (ideas + emotions). Some people would argue that every person, as they develop, works through a series of sets of attitudes. That is, to some degree we repeat each other. If this is the case, even to a minimal degree, then the Notes are reusable modules. The Notes are not just the story of one specific being. --- 10/25/2000
.Introduction, .why. --- The Notes helped bring me out of pathological psychology to peak performance in all areas of my life both practical and theoretical. The Notes also helped bring me from 0 to 100% productivity. --- 08/14/1994
.Introduction, .why. --- The only justification I can give my writings at this point is this: Other people may be as smart, or smarter than I am, but they may not be neurotic or narcissistic enough to sit around all day writing down what they think. Maybe they should. I am one organizing, entertaining, and creative bastard though. --- 12/30/1996
.Introduction, .why. --- The question is not only, "Why write?" The questions are also, "Why think?", "Why speak?", and "Why communicate?" --- 10/1/2005
.Introduction, .why. --- The question, "Why do the Notes?", is an ethical question. Why do the Notes rather than anything else? --- 3/9/2005
.Introduction, .why. --- They ask why don't you write about the people doing cutting edge work in any area? Or why don't you write about famous historical people? (1) Because that is what academics, journalists and biographers are for. Everyone is doing that. (2) Because the Notes are about ideas, not people. (3) Because the Notes are about the individual quest. The Notes are about every person's journey. (4) Because I am an artist. --- 8/31/2000
.Introduction, .why. --- Thinking and writing contributes to psychological health by (1) Organizing your ideas and thus head. (2) Recording and storing best ideas and best head. (3) Storing memories. (4) Sorting out feelings. --- 04/24/1997
.Introduction, .why. --- Those who don't take care of their ideas are like those who don't take care of their bodies. --- 01/07/1997
.Introduction, .why. --- Trace. PART ONE. An argument for leaving a trace of yourself. Most people go through life without a trace and then die leaving no trace. Most people accept this fact quite calmly. Some people claim that the trace they leave is the work they do (ex. digging ditches) or the children that they raise. However, that is not really leaving a trace of yourself, instead that is leaving a trace of something else. I say that in addition to work and kids, leaving a trace of yourself is required in this life. Leaving a trace of yourself means recording your mind, one way or another. Today, we are beginning to develop the technology required for most people to more easily leave a trace of themselves. Being asked to leave a trace of yourself first requires that you create yourself out of the whole lot of nothing going on. PART TWO. Four weak arguments against leaving a trace of yourself. (1) One could argue against the above view by saying that the only difference between leaving a trace of oneself (your mind) and leaving a trace of something other than oneself (work and kids) is the vanity of the former. (2) Also, many people endeavor to leave a trace of themselves and produce only excruciatingly boring descriptions of their daily activities. (3) Other people quite honestly admit that they have nothing to say. (4) Others still would argue that a trace of a person is useless to another person, and even useless to the same person after a period of time. --- 6/20/2001
.Introduction, .why. --- Truth, knowledge, thinking. (1) Knowledge = power. Knowledge = health. (2) Knowledge is good (Animal House college motto). (3) Knowledge is transferable across subjects, and from person to person. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- When people meet and like each other, they will exchange their public notes. --- 12/29/1997
.Introduction, .why. --- When you read what you have written, you see yourself almost as if seeing another person. This is a valuable perspective to have, and a difficult perspective to obtain. --- 2/24/2000
.Introduction, .why. --- When you write things down, (1) Your thoughts evolve quicker than if you didn't. (2) You help slow down forgetting everything you ever knew, which does happen soon or later, with disastrous results. --- 12/30/1996
.Introduction, .why. --- Why am I doing Notes, and why should others do their own notes? When it comes to reasons why anyone does anything, a familiar complex of unconscious motivations and underlying assumptions can be recognized. (1) Save the earth. Save the human species. Make the world a better place. (2) Be the hero. Get the girl(s), fame, and admiration. Be like a god, powerful and immortal. (3) Prove my critics and detractors wrong (In your face!). Prove I am better than others think I am. --- 4/28/1998
.Introduction, .why. --- Why are so many people depressed? One reason is because they realize they are not using their brains like they should. They are not making full use of their brains to create and grow. It bothers them today like never before, because people are more enlightened and realize that they should use their brains. Yet they often don't know how. The Notes are one way how. --- 9/18/2000
.Introduction, .why. --- Why bother writing it all down? (1) Liberal view. (A) Pro: Develop something new. (B) Contra: Writing things down can slow you down when you are changing quickly. (2) Conservative view. (A) Pro: Writing helps you save what you have accomplished. (B) Contra: Writing can cause you to remain stuck in a way of thinking. --- 12/30/1992
.Introduction, .why. --- Why do I write? Because I feel so inarticulate. What can I say? We stand dumbstruck before each other. Mute. Mumbling. It is disconcerting and aggravating. --- 3/29/2001
.Introduction, .why. --- Why do I write? Because there is no one to talk to. It is very difficult to find someone who is in the same place as you (mentally), going in the same direction, at the same speed. --- 4/25/1999
.Introduction, .why. --- Why do I write? To have one real conversation, even if it is only with myself. --- 4/4/2004
.Introduction, .why. --- Why I started writing. I found my ability to generate ideas was greater than my ability to remember them. --- 02/04/1989
.Introduction, .why. --- Why publish notes every year, rather than as one single volume at the end of your life? In 50 years the world will be facing a new situation with new knowledge, and your 50 year old, just published notes will be less of a help to people. --- 1/6/1998
.Introduction, .why. --- Why the Notes? There have been moments in my life when I said to myself, "I wish I could meet a cool person and have access to their brain by being able to ask them any question on any topic at any time." The Notes is access to my brain. --- 12/12/2005
.Introduction, .why. --- Why write? When you write something you put it in your own words, you make the idea your own, and you develop new ideas on that idea. --- 07/14/1993
.Introduction, .why. --- Why write? Writing is a record of a mind. Much like a person's photograph is a record of their body. Writing is often the only record of a person's mind. One could say that writing is a person's mind. Years from now, when you are old and dead, the mind and the body that you have now will no longer exist. Writing is a life preserver. You try to save yourself. Writing is a preservative. Writing is formaldehyde. The basic idea is that life is precious day by day. You and I are precious day by day. We lose sight of this. We take it for granted. We let it slip by. We waste it. We get wasted. Writing is the gong. --- 3/13/2000