Everyone wants to believe that they're right, that what they see and how they see things are valid. And, for the most part, they are. What's difficult for the majority to digest, is that there are a great many valid, yet contradictory, truths.
As the fly buzzing at my window sees the world, there are always lots of pictures, all different. Some are slight variations and some encompass completely different pictures. But the fly knows that the most accurate understanding comes from accepting all the varying pictures as equally important and trustworthy.
Why is it so hard for our vastly superior minds to accept that other's contradictory view points can coexist with ours; and even enhance our over all understanding of the world? In a word: ego. There's a feeling of need to know that our certainty is justified and a fear of looking foolish by being proved wrong.
Ironically, in our efforts to create and protect a comfortable belief in the irrefutable truth of what we know, we prove ourselves to be delusional fools.
Personal truth is all that we can have, even when we embrace other's truths in creating our own. Ultimate truth is not a personal matter. It's beyond comprehension by our limited minds - even as a collective. We can move beyond the confines of our cognitive minds and the boundaries of framed time. But even the most enlightened individuals and the most potent spiritual experiences only glean a portion of the whole, in a fraction of its being.
Such experiences do give a broader understanding and the corresponding ability, perhaps even a responsibility, to help others to see more clearly and understand more fully. But they don't turn anyone into deities. Every truth and every perspective, no matter how small, is worth accepting and incorporating.
We, undoubtedly, have a much better grasp of the larger world than this wee fly does, but he still has valuable lessons to share with us, if only we're open to receive.
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This post sounds like an integral component of my own made-up brand of philosophy. I call it "Honestism". It centers around being Intellectually Honest about one’s own behaviors as well as concepts and ideas one adopts or criticizes. This does not mean one does not ever tell a lie, act immaturely, or irrationally. It simply means one accepts they had acted in such a way at some point after the act (the sooner one can do this, the more refined their Honestism). It's about achieving a zen-like happiness (which in turn becomes the base for appropriately overt happiness in life experiences). It's also about, as yout post addresses, recognizing one's own views and ideas are based on one's ego, and require self-analysis to settle in on what seems most LIKELY to be true.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have also realized that there may be a subset of people, perhaps a large subset, who will suffer severe depression or unhappiness if the application of honestism causes them to be lucidly cognizant of the profound adverse affects of their behaviors, and they can’t seem to stop behaving in such a manner. I.e., they are aware they are controlling their significant other with anger/jealousy, but become cognizant aware that they are while they are doing it…they simultaneously feel the unjustified anger/jealousy, and with full clarity feel horrible knowing they are exhibiting the behavior and can’t stop it. I have seen this is action. It’s very sad.
Thus, I am attempting to sketch out a means of applying honestism in baby-steps. It would be unforgivably arrogant and narcissistic to assume *any* normally functioning and otherwise socially behaved adult could face their flaws and ‘fix’ them in quick fashion.
None are without flaws, and fixing ourselves is a never ending endeavor.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me smile that you've named your personal philosophy. Good moniker.
I think we all have to have our own, at least those aware and motivated enough to direct their own development.