a teetotaler among drunkards is not esteemed, part 2

Last off, I said "character traits are not revered cross culturally, and therefore cannot be universal" and "a fool thinks himself wise, and all men (not just wise men) have the ability to think others are fools." So who's the fool?? the one who swims against the current or the one who happily swims with it. "Fool" certainly is a relative term, because certainly no one considers himself one and certainly everyone considers different people foolish. The judgments are rarely in agreement.

To make matters more confusing, the practical definition of sanity is culturally defined. Therefore insane (like the movie Shutter Island illustrates so effectively) is objective and whether you fit the category or not is not your decision.

So, here's the deal: a wise man looks a fool to a group of fools. But a fool can be completely sensible. Everything he wants in life, he may succeed in. A pleasure seeker is often quite skilled at finding pleasure, but that isn't enough to make someone a fool and pleasure is not in itself bad, as though to be avoided. Asceticism can often be foolish. (i.e. to the majority of the world, pious religious leaders look like they don't even enjoy life).

So who's right? The one who follows the crowd and has a good time at it or the one who goes against the crowd and still has a good time at it.... and does it really matter?

I'll continue later...