Josh Plovanic's Writings and Thoughts

Life is defined by a few major components. In the human condition, a component of our existence and progression through time is an often un-overcomeable degree of uncertainty in our reality. So much of our existence is beyond our reach and capacity to understand that it often leaves us very much at the mercy or under the control of the forces and agencies that have a greater degree of understanding than ourselves. Human existence is the greatest test of trust and the greatest test of character that reality has to offer, and even that statement is shrouded in uncertainty. We don't honestly know what else reality has to offer. Uncertainty requires a level of trust in higher forces and authorities in order for us to operate under uncertainty's veil and our nearsightedness within its confines. Even the most secular of us rest their trust in things more powerful than themselves, like governments or institutions. These things very much do have a scope of powe...

Purpose is the definitive goal of the curious and driven man. It even trumps liberty. I have seen many people surrender liberty if they thought they were gaining and achieving a purpose in doing so. In our efforts to achieve purpose, we are willing to struggle. We are willing to fight. We are willing to suffer. Purpose gives us an incentive to persevere through trial and tribulation, and it is one of the best incentives in our lives to do so. Purpose is among the pinnacles of the abstract concepts of conscious beings. Like many abstract concepts, there is enough uncertainty surrounding purpose that leaves room for the denial of its very existence. Even so, purpose very much exists conceptually, and is still an extremely powerful incentive, motivator, and goal in our lives. Purpose, like love and faith, is one of those concepts that is hard to describe to a skeptic, but you know it when you have it. I view purpose as coming in two primary forms; temporal purpo...

Our world was just a bubble, an isolated anomaly that was generated and made manifest by the spark of a thought. The mind of God is an enigma I most certainly could not decipher. It wasn't my place to, anyway. I just do what I'm told. This bubble was comfortable, and the world I was placed in was of a sufficiently large enough size to where I wouldn't be bored or idle for too long. I liked to horse around in this world, and there were a few more entities like me to engage with. We would explore the mountains and forests, swim in the lakes and rivers, traverse the deserts and tundras, sail and dive into the oceans and seas. We were comfortable here, but even though the world was big, it wasn't big enough for our curiosity. Outside of this sheltered world encased in an ethereal energy beyond my limited understanding was the mysterious exterior of my reality. crossing the ethereal boundary outside of the firmament was forbidden by the Creator. One...

Conflict is often viewed as a disruption of a balance between two antithetical forces that leads to an attempt to restore balance in the favor of the parties involved. I would never disagree with that assessment. However, like most things in reality, the seeds and roots of conflict run much deeper than a simple description like the one above can completely summarize. To break into the depths of the philosophy of conflict, we must ask the simple, yet incredibly important question that breaks the ground that will lead to the depths of the problem: What is the core cause of conflict? It is a dynamic question, and probably the most important one to ask if you want to address problems like war, crime, abuse, political instability and social unrest. However, it is not an easy one to answer entirely because of the complexity of reality and the human condition. Even so, simplifying conflict to its base form and arrangement always leads to duality and opposit...

So I have been working on designing a game in my mind for a while now. It is mostly conceptual, and not quite super practical yet. It's called "Trap Game." Here is the summary of it: You have 3 initial players. There are two primary competitors and a neutral "secular" player initially separate from the conflict between the two primary players. In order for one of the two primary competitors to win, they must get their opponent to fall into a trap they set for them. There is no other way to win, and both sides have a trap that they set for the other player. The catch is that both players are aware of the dynamics of the game and that there is a trap for each player set by their opponent. Since they are both aware of the trap, the game automatically starts as a stalemate, and the procedure of the game is deception-based. Each player must manipulate or trick the other player into falling into the trap set for them. The "secular" third player is initially ...

       I am not afraid of this virus. Don't get me wrong, I wash and sanitize my hands frequently and follow the social distancing rules, but I refuse to live my life as a slave to fear. I refuse to buy out the stores of their toilet paper or canned goods. I refuse to panic and make panic-driven, irrational choices.           I don't fear death. Death would set me free from an exceedingly disappointing and dark world and life, and I would enter into the presence of my Creator and never be in lack or loss again.            Things like how much money I earn(ed), how many friends I had, my attractiveness (or lack thereof), success and failure, how big my house was, how nice my car was, how well-behaved my kids are, strengths and weakness, intelligence and stupidity, health and sickness, all of these things we compete with each other and fight with each other and be jealous of each other and judge and condemn each other over become EXTREMELY irrelevant, vain, pointless, and shallow...

In times of crisis, there are a lot of things going through people's minds. "How am going to pay rent?" "Is the world going to fall apart?" "Will the country survive this?" "Will I survive this?" "What's going on?" With all these questions going through our heads, naturally we have a lot of anxiety. Naturally we have a lot of fear. In almost all crises we face, there are a few burdens that weigh heavily on a society and individuals that we must try to overcome as best we can.        The first one is the burden of uncertainty. Uncertainty is one of the most fear inducing forces in the human condition, and we are faced with it even in peacetime and socially and economically stable conditions. When you don't know what is going on or how a situation is going to unfold, making rational, calculated decisions can prove to be difficult. You also may not be able to adequately prepare and adapt to the changes that are happening becaus...