A Side Road

Trey Smith

There has been quite an interesting discussion in the comments section of my post, Rebel Yell V. While the Baroness and Shawn have brought up some interesting points to consider, I will say that I believe both of them have missed the crux of one of the points of said post.

In my opinion, what we end up embracing as our religious or philosophical viewpoint has more to do with our own personalities than almost any other factor. Few people adopt philosophies that are diametrically opposed to the way they view the world anyway.

I first noticed this phenomena back when I was a Christian. You could almost always tell which brand of Christianity a person was devoted to by sizing up the major aspects of their personality. Wealthy people believe in the brand of Christianity which states that wealth is bestowed by God on his favored people. Those who lack a modicum of self-esteem are most likely to embrace the Christian brand which epitomizes the line from Amazing Grace that goes "and saved a wretch like me."

People who have a decided personal penchant for being intolerant are the very same people who join those denominations that stress abject intolerance as being biblically-based. Aggressive individuals read the Gospels as a license for a strong police-state and war, while peaceniks read the same passages and declare that Jesus was a man of peace and nonviolence.

If you ask these folks if their personal worldview was a key factor in their decision to become members of a church brand that just happens to mirror closely what they already think, most of them would be aghast at such a notion. "It has nothing to do with my philosophical preferences," they'll say, "it's what the good book says clearly in black and white!"

Really?

In all the writings I share with you on this blog, I am trying to be very honest. I try -- as much as possible -- to peel away the layers of hubris that we all pile up to guard against others truly knowing us or from us truly knowing ourselves. While I easily could have argued that I came to philosophical Taoism because I discovered that it is the most genuine belief system known to humankind apart from any personal opinion, that would be a crock of you-know-what!

I have chosen to embrace the Taoist framework because it matches up well with the combination of my life experiences, observations and thinking as well as my own personal philosophic system. I don't think I'm that different from the rest of you. I believe we each arrive at such conclusions for much the same reasons.

In Taoism, I have found a framework that I can grow within (though that too can be easily misconstrued). But, like anyone else, this doesn't mean I'm married for life to the Taoist perspective.

As my life experiences and thinking change, one day I may find that the framework of Taoism is too confining (or not confining enough). At one time in my life, the Christian framework matched my outlook, but as I traveled down the road, it became increasingly cumbersome. At some point, it felt like little more than stray baggage, so I left it sitting next to the highway.

I meandered a while without a knapsack. In time, I realized I needed a satchel to keep my stuff in and so I picked up the Taoist one. For now, all my philosophical notions and ideas fit neatly in that sack, but a day may come when that sack begins to fray and I'll decide that I need a replacement.

I won't simply travel down to the local Belief Store to pick up any old bag. I'll look for one that catches my eye. I will look it over to insure that it meets my parameters and, if it does, then I'll leave with a snazzy new bag in hand.