24/12/04

This blog is for myself. Just need to remember that I'm totally wasted. I will blog the happenings of today tomorrow. I cannot keep my head straight now. Merry Christmas.!!

Slice of Life

Seeking the TruthDo you believe in the power of your convictions? Well, it's time to lighten up!

People love attaching themselves to ideas. We can get pretty defensive when one of our beliefs is challenged. In fact, we probably spend more time defending our ideas than analysing our ideas. We claim that rules hem us in, but we still seem to be comforted by them. We like to hold on to our reasons for feeling righteous.

What gives you more satisfaction - being right or discovering the truth? Of course, the ideal situation is discovering that we were aware of the truth all along. We all like being validated. That's why we strive to win arguments rather than try to learn more about the other side or the other person.

A concept I often bring up is how life is a journey to be savoured. The destination is not the most important thing. It's the same thing with Truth, with Knowledge, with Ideas. Many people claim to have found the answers, then from there, they become complacent, bloated and self-indulgent. But what if what they found wasn't the Truth? Can Truth really be found? Or is it meant to be relative, nebulous and eternally inchoate? What if the whole point was to keep looking for the Truth?

Socrates was fond of saying that there are only two kinds of beings who don't need philosophy - the gods, who are already wise, and the fools, who think they are.

Human beings aren't meant to have it all figured out. It's not our nature. It's not our destiny. We are meant to be imperfect, incomplete. Our beauty is in our flaws, our weaknesses. Our Truth is our lack of wisdom and our lifelong quest for it.

Don't let anyone fool you into believing that there is a "right" way. Just because everybody else buys into it doesn't mean you have to. Just look at popular culture - entire industries fuelled by widely-held beliefs that make no sense. What about politics? Never accept an idea just because everybody else does. As Bertrand Russell, the British mathematician once said, "The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatsoever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible."

Hang out with people who aren't afraid to admit that they don't have all the answers. Doubt those who claim to have found the Truth. Think for yourself and have fun with it! Approach truth-seeking like a five-year-old playing a new game. Don't get caught up in the regulations, and don't keep score. Who cares who's winning?