Saturday, March 21, 2009

Accept Nothing

Firm beliefs are often dangerous as false assumptions surely lead to wrong conclusions. The sage assumes nothing, and questions everything before forming any conclusions.
~ Today's daily quote from the TaoWoods Center ~

Western society is all about conforming to external ideals; whether it be precepts from ancient religions or peer pressure from one's clique or neighborhood. Optimism and idealism are favored, while skepticism is panned. However, as today's quote highlights, dogma (in any form) is dangerous because it leads us to accept false assumptions as reality.

Dogma would be quite okay in a fixed world. If nothing ever changed, then what someone discovered or uncovered 2,000 years ago would be the same as today. Ancient truths would be contemporary truths and vice versa.

But we exist in anything BUT a static world. Change is constant and continual. What may be true one moment may be horribly untrue the next. There are billions upon billions of variables involved and the human mind can only account for a scant few of them, so we must constantly redraw our life map, lest we go off in the wrong direction.

In my book, skepticism is a highly valued trait. Those individuals willing to question anything and everything are the ones I respect the most. This is one reason I'm suspicious of ANY guru or leader. Such individuals present themselves as hard and fast answer people. Anyone who even thinks they KNOW all or most of the answers is a fool and the people who follow them are fools times ten.

5 comments:

  1. "This is one reason I'm suspicious of ANY guru or leader."

    Um, let me just say yes, yes, and more yes.

    I try to learn whatever I can from any source available.... but as soon as someone tells me that "THIS" is what it is or how it has to be then I usually run in the opposite direction... The universe endowed me with my own rational mind and my own loving heart for a reason...I don't need anyone else telling me what to think or believe or feel...

    I try my best to live in the questions without hoping for answers. (But with that, let me add I am an incredibly hopeful person, just not for answers... more for life.)

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  2. Val,
    In my estimation, you are such a cool and beautiful person!! I'm so glad we met here in cyberspace. I'm expecting great things from your children as they seem to have a mom who will imbue them with quality values and a respect for all things in the world around them.

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  3. I'm certainly not interested in surrendering my judgment over the most important things in life to anyone. In the end (which is really only the end for me), the way I live life is a statement about how important those things are.

    Change is an interesting thing. We never know what is going to happen next; uncertainty is built into existence. At the same time, it is not all that uncertain; there are patterns and structures. Hence, the Chinese came up with the notion of Yin and Yang, and they relied on the I-Ching as a guide for how to deal with change and decisions; it is quite finite in its own guidance (64 possible answers). I think that breathes some life into that tired old saw, "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

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  4. Thank you, RT. I truly appreciate your kind words and your encouragement. I, too, am thankful we've "met"!

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  5. CBL,
    I'm glad I've made your acquaintance too! Your comments always are thoughtful and help me to look at issues and topics anew.

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