What is Discordianism? Take Two.

[Scribbly]

I remember, a few weeks after I found Discordianism, I entered a competition on POEE- it was an essay competition, and the prize was a free book. I didn't really expect to win, but, I did! It was pretty amazing, and I remember Syn wrote a set of really amusing notes and doodles in the inside front cover of the book. I still have it, it's one of the few things I own which I'm really proud of. I've not won anything like that since, and it was awesome.

The subject of the essay was- What is Discordianism. Unfortunately, though the book survived, the essay has died along with most of my early writing, and I can't seem to find it on the POEE site any more, so it's probably lost. Which is a little ironic now I think of it; Syn commented at the time that it was a very optimistic piece, and, if I remember right, that I should try and hold on to the optimism.

Since then, though, Discordianism has changed so vastly that I can't really recognize it any longer. I remember that I used to think a lot of the strength of Discordianism lay in its use of religion to convey its message; that Eris made a useful narrative device that one could wrap ideas in, and because of conveying it as 'religious' it was able to penetrate skulls where purely political ideas couldn't.

Now, PD.com- what I always thought of as the more... 'serious' edge of Discordianism- has all but abandoned that particular facet, and is focused on the Black Iron Prison. Which has also evolved pretty radically from what I remember. So, really, what remains of Discordianism? Which bits make it a useful label to keep applying?

Well. Though I'm working from memory. The core of Discordianism, I think, has always been a commitment to questioning. Assumptions are often dragged out and into the open, where they can be fully examined. There is a suspicion of conclusions, and a wariness about drawing causal relationships.

There's also a real, true desire to share this with others. Getting people to Wake Up has been at the heart of many of the efforts I've seen made. It isn't an inexhaustible desire. Sometimes, stupidity wins out (haha, Mysticwicks), but by and large, there's a general feeling that people could benefit from asking a few more questions, and accepting a few less assumptions. Authority is also, often, called into question; after all, the sort of people who question everything rarely get along with any use of power; it is always challenged, if not outright railed against.

So. The packaging has changed a lot, but, for me, that core has remained the same. I used to think of Discordianism as an end goal; something that would be pretty much enduring, and which could be thought of as a good point to stop.

Looking back, I was pretty dumb. Discordianism must change over time; everything must change over time, or it will become irrelevent, because if you don't move forwards, you wind up stuck as a relic of the past. Perhaps it is more like a path, a way of looking at life as it comes. Perhaps the difference between this particular group, the thing which makes it useful, is that to be Discordian is to be actively engaged, rather than have it be a passive lens through which to process things.

So maybe that's what Discordianism is. Maybe I'll write another one of these in a few years time.

[P3nT4gR4m]

For my part the whole "discordian" thing sprang from me reading the original PD one day and thinking "If anyone else 'gets' this book they'll be on my wavelength."

I signed up here and figured out straight away it was a cool bunch of people. As for the ethos or the movement or whatever, that shit has never really mattered a toss to me. Lot of people here want to like further the aims of discordianism or raise it's profile or evangelise or whatever. I'm not really like that but it doesn't make me think any less of the ones who are.

So, basically, 'discordianism', for me is the people here, on this forum - totally fucking awesome!

[LMNO]

Discordianism seems to contain one or more of the following concepts:

Absurdity (may or may not be "funny")
Law of Fives
Starbuck's Pebbles
Reality Filters
(An)Eristic Illusions

If a work contains one or more of these elements, there is a very good chance that it could or should be considered "Discordian".

Although humor is not necessarily a prerequisite, it seem hard for someone to grasp the above concepts and not have a sense of humor.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Discordianism seems to contain one or more of the following concepts:

Absurdity (may or may not be "funny")
Law of Fives
Starbuck's Pebbles
Reality Filters
(An)Eristic Illusions

If a work contains one or more of these elements, there is a very good chance that it could or should be considered "Discordian".

Although humor is not necessarily a prerequisite, it seem hard for someone to grasp the above concepts and not have a sense of humor.

I would shorten it to just that first line: Absurdity (may or may not be "funny")

Law of Fives/Starbucks Pebbles/Reality Filters/(An)Eristic Illusions are all examples of absurdity. We absurd humans who confuse "what we perceive" with "what is"... we confuse confirmation bias with the Law of Fives leading to absurd assumptions; we confuse "Our imposed Order" with Starbucks Pentagon/pentagram/random fuckin rocks leading to absurd conclusions; We see some of reality and make absurd conclusions about ALL of reality.... and some of us are so absurd that we perceive only Order or only Disorder, forgetting that both are simply in our heads.

And by absurd I don't mean Monty Python funnay, I mean "There is no fucking meaning to life, whatever you 'know' is probably wrong, or at least incomplete, all your plans are subject to change and you may die, for no good reason at any moment" kind of absurdism. The funnay is just a cherry on top. RAW's 'optimism' was about the control you can have if you accept/understand the absurdity of it.

[LMNO]

Well, sure.

I could also reduce the whole fucking thing to "All is One".

But sometimes you gotta be a bit more... specific, yeah?

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Well, sure.

I could also reduce the whole fucking thing to "All is One".

But sometimes you gotta be a bit more... specific, yeah?

Well, I was trying to pare it down to 'basic' and for me all of those appear to boil down to Absurd. I'd almost say that Discordianism ~= Grokking the Absurdity of it all

But hey, specify as much as you like, it's your Discordia

[P3nT4gR4m]

Must admit I'd have put absurdism pretty low down the list of things I got from the PD

reality tunnels, projection and how obviously stoopid the concept of religion is would have been listed way before we got to absurdism

[Scribbly]

Yeah. Absurdism has a place, but I wouldn't say it is something I immediately think of when I think 'Discordianism'. Especially not now; I might have done a few years back.

Rereading it, the OP can come off as a bit... preachy, too. I certainly didn't mean for it to come off that way...

There's a lot to be said for:

So, basically, 'discordianism', for me is the people here, on this forum - totally fucking awesome!

... because I think that the personalities here make up a lot of the continued appeal. I sort of missed that aspect completely. 

[Roaring Biscuit!]

for me discordianism is looking at the world with non-judgemental eyes, or at least trying to, and so more clearly seeing the merits and failings of other people and their ideas, that is, other reality grids.  At the same time (possibly derived from that...) it is saying "Fuck You, I'll Go my Own Way" to all the pompous preachers in the world.

but thats jsut my take

x

EDIT:  i didnt mean preachers in a purely religious sense there, just to clarify

[P3nT4gR4m]

So, basically, 'discordianism', for me is the people here, on this forum - totally fucking awesome!

... because I think that the personalities here make up a lot of the continued appeal. I sort of missed that aspect completely. 

It's always been a question of 'enlightenment' (for want of a better word) for me. PD was a flag in the sand. Most people I encounter, be it IRL or on the net, haven't had that 'eureka' moment. Gets lonely sometimes. The complete opposite is true of this forum and it's nice to be in touch with fellow primates who are generally above petty somnambulist obsessions of the majority of this race to which I increasingly feel I don't belong. I'm sure I've said this before but I get more out of the very limited interactions I have with people here than I do with most of the muppets I meet in the street.

Also it's a bit of a support network. Progress is spiral, as the saying goes. Anytime I start sinking back into the ignorance of greyface someone here is guaranteed to call me on it and snap me back out of it. The machine is like quicksand and the more people you have to throw you a rope when you get caught up in it the better off you are.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Must admit I'd have put absurdism pretty low down the list of things I got from the PD

reality tunnels, projection and how obviously stoopid the concept of religion is would have been listed way before we got to absurdism

I initially thought that as well, because my exposure to 'absurd' was the Marx Bros/Stooges/etc sort... but after reading Kierkegaard and Camus... I think that Mal/Omar et all were pushing the absurdest view.. that is:

The meaning that exists in the Universe, is the meaning you make up.

Reality tunnels, projection etc seem to me an examination of HOW we make up Meaning to our life... Order and Disorder might be seen as the human brain railing against the Absurdity of reality... struggling to find a 'meaning' to life struggling to find the REAL PATTERN in the Chaos. So, if I'm trying to find the Zen of Discordia, the single thread that ties all Discordian concepts together, the Uncarved block of wood, before a POEE POPE or a PDer or a ELF agent carves it into their own bust of Discordia... that most basic concept seems to be philosophical absurdism. It doesn't have to be funny, it doesn't have to be whacky, it doesn't really have to touch on "My perception is different from your perception".

The painting of Moses, with the two tablets and the One Commandment "Think For Yourself, Schmucks!" seems to hit directly upon the idea of 'make your own meaning in life, cause that's all there is'. Hypoc's Bitter Tea, The Enlightened Shithead, The Polyfather's Aspirin commercial all seem to point directly to "No Meaning to Life, except what you make up". Granted, this idea has been wandering about in my head since I read Camus last year, and I don't think I've actually argued it much... but apparently this is the day where I throw it out for you all to destroy

10. The Earth quakes and the heavens rattle;
the beasts of nature flock together and the
nations of men flock apart; volcanoes usher up
heat while elsewhere water becomes ice and
melts; and then on other days it just rains.
11. Indeed do many things come to pass.
     HBT; The Book of Predictions, Chap. 19

Mine brain has meditated on the spinning of The Chao;
It is hovering o'er the table where the Chiefs of Staff are now
Gathered in discussion of the dropping of The Bomb;
Her Apple Corps is strong!

14. Wipe thine ass with what is written
and grin like a ninny at what is Spoken. Take
thine refuge with thine wine in the Nothing
behind Everything, as you hurry along the Path.
       THE PURPLE SAGE
       HBT; The Book of Predictions, Chap. 19


All of those, I think, are statements that fit with Camus and Kierkegaard's 'absurd' philosophy. (Unless of course, I'm just pattern matching and there is no meaning in Discordianism, except for the meaning I put there...) OhFUK  


EDIT: Before I forget, please note that ALL of this is my opinion. However, as I'm trying to extract myself from epriming and somesening everything to death... it may come across as a bit more than just opinion and you may wish to complain.... Please register such complaints with the official site semanticist.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

"If you think the PRINCIPIA is just a ha-ha, then go read it again."

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

So, basically, 'discordianism', for me is the people here, on this forum - totally fucking awesome!

... because I think that the personalities here make up a lot of the continued appeal. I sort of missed that aspect completely. 

It's always been a question of 'enlightenment' (for want of a better word) for me. PD was a flag in the sand. Most people I encounter, be it IRL or on the net, haven't had that 'eureka' moment. Gets lonely sometimes. The complete opposite is true of this forum and it's nice to be in touch with fellow primates who are generally above petty somnambulist obsessions of the majority of this race to which I increasingly feel I don't belong. I'm sure I've said this before but I get more out of the very limited interactions I have with people here than I do with most of the muppets I meet in the street.

Also it's a bit of a support network. Progress is spiral, as the saying goes. Anytime I start sinking back into the ignorance of greyface someone here is guaranteed to call me on it and snap me back out of it. The machine is like quicksand and the more people you have to throw you a rope when you get caught up in it the better off you are.

An excellent point, P3Nt... For me, I've found this seems true at this site and among 'other' Discordians as well. Hell, once I was even smacked back to my senses by.... Rev. Uncle BadTouch  

LOL

It will be interesting to see, long term, though... if this continues. While we seem to have very good antibodies here against, at least, some forms of Greyfaced infections, memetic viruses and Semantically Transmitted Diseases, will it last? Will PDers continue to evolve, dynamically acting as antibodies for new attacks on our nonSenses, or will we become a closed system, wiped out when an unsuspecting memebug gets us all?

"If you think the PRINCIPIA is just a ha-ha, then go read it again."

So many people just read right over that...

[Soylent Green]

What book was it anyways?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What book was it anyways?