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Becoming more experienced. Thoughts on what's right.
Posted by
vyntager
,
31 October 2008
·
1,787 views
Sometimes I'd see someone utter a deep truth and think "how cliché" - "how silly", only to discover later on, with more experience, that I've come to the same conclusion. That in itself is a conclusion I needed to reach by myself.
By all means it doesn't signify that all deep, experienced sounding statements are what they appear to be. And at any rate everyone is entitled to the right of walking their own path, making their own mistakes, discovering their own truths.
There's only one Truth, really. Only one way to understand and manipulate the universe, and by doing so survive and prosper. But no one holds that Truth (yet, and perhaps never), it's too big to fit in one head. There are, however, many truths, on a personal level, and many beliefs. In some ways some of these truths are as self justified as the One Truth, from an insider point of view, at the very least.
To be more particular, knowing the laws of physics can give you an edge in, say building a computer, but prayer doesn't heal cancer. In that sense, one truth is clearly superior to the other, and I personally think, and for good reasons, that it's the right way to see things, to use such a criterion, although I am conscious many other people would disagree.
But in and by itself you can never know anything for sure, and you can also believe in things that have no place in rational theory. No other justification than "because I want to" should be needed in this later case. That's personal freedom. Whether you give that freedom more weight than pushing truth down people's throat with the help of a funnel, is also a matter of personal choice, as some are more than willing to convert the others to their point of view, and they have a right, as far as their own personal freedom is concerned, in doing so too.
I guess the implications, on the long term, of this asymmetry, are pretty clear. People who like to convert others to their ideas may have a better chance to see their ideas gain prevalence while those who like to keep to themselves won't make it to history's big logs, on average.
I don't dare say or think too much about how I should feel about that; in a way it all doesn't seem very fair for those who try to remain fair. I certainly should feel some glee as well, since I know my viewpoint will most likely prevail, eventually.
But, and this is important, if you have any measure of compassion and care for your fellow sophont, never shatter the world of someone, never dissipate their hopes, beliefs or even delusions if it is going to do more harm than good, if you don't have something at least as good, or better, to put in stead of their now failing worldview. Here, for instance, I can't help but think of how cruel it is to dispel the belief of a religionist, in an afterlife, only to replace it with the staunch certainty that they are going to die and rot away. It may be bringing them closer to the truth ... and surely depression as well, as it does away with any considerations of the other's wellbeing.
Truth in itself is usually nothing but a means to an end. And even if you think there's nothing more important, other people may not feel the same way. The forced conversion and bringing of their world upside down would theferore likely be hard on them.
Of course, and once again, you may care or not care, agree or disagree with that truth too. Well if perchance we are to meet one day, I'll make sure to forcefully hammer it in your head. I may or may not feel compassion for how this is going to affect yourself. Who said I have to be fair myself ? In the very end disagreement is either settled by the change of at least one of the conflicting positions, possibly by negociation, compromise, manipulation or brute force. More likely a combination of them all.
It is preferable not to veer too much on the use of the latter though. Conflicts waste ressources, and may potentially harm all parties.
If the parties are of roughly equal strength.
If there's not a huge payoff in winning the argument.
If you care about not harming yourself.
If you're not too dumb to understand you may be harming yourself.
And who knows what other exceptions there may be to that.
By all means it doesn't signify that all deep, experienced sounding statements are what they appear to be. And at any rate everyone is entitled to the right of walking their own path, making their own mistakes, discovering their own truths.
There's only one Truth, really. Only one way to understand and manipulate the universe, and by doing so survive and prosper. But no one holds that Truth (yet, and perhaps never), it's too big to fit in one head. There are, however, many truths, on a personal level, and many beliefs. In some ways some of these truths are as self justified as the One Truth, from an insider point of view, at the very least.
To be more particular, knowing the laws of physics can give you an edge in, say building a computer, but prayer doesn't heal cancer. In that sense, one truth is clearly superior to the other, and I personally think, and for good reasons, that it's the right way to see things, to use such a criterion, although I am conscious many other people would disagree.
But in and by itself you can never know anything for sure, and you can also believe in things that have no place in rational theory. No other justification than "because I want to" should be needed in this later case. That's personal freedom. Whether you give that freedom more weight than pushing truth down people's throat with the help of a funnel, is also a matter of personal choice, as some are more than willing to convert the others to their point of view, and they have a right, as far as their own personal freedom is concerned, in doing so too.
I guess the implications, on the long term, of this asymmetry, are pretty clear. People who like to convert others to their ideas may have a better chance to see their ideas gain prevalence while those who like to keep to themselves won't make it to history's big logs, on average.
I don't dare say or think too much about how I should feel about that; in a way it all doesn't seem very fair for those who try to remain fair. I certainly should feel some glee as well, since I know my viewpoint will most likely prevail, eventually.
But, and this is important, if you have any measure of compassion and care for your fellow sophont, never shatter the world of someone, never dissipate their hopes, beliefs or even delusions if it is going to do more harm than good, if you don't have something at least as good, or better, to put in stead of their now failing worldview. Here, for instance, I can't help but think of how cruel it is to dispel the belief of a religionist, in an afterlife, only to replace it with the staunch certainty that they are going to die and rot away. It may be bringing them closer to the truth ... and surely depression as well, as it does away with any considerations of the other's wellbeing.
Truth in itself is usually nothing but a means to an end. And even if you think there's nothing more important, other people may not feel the same way. The forced conversion and bringing of their world upside down would theferore likely be hard on them.
Of course, and once again, you may care or not care, agree or disagree with that truth too. Well if perchance we are to meet one day, I'll make sure to forcefully hammer it in your head. I may or may not feel compassion for how this is going to affect yourself. Who said I have to be fair myself ? In the very end disagreement is either settled by the change of at least one of the conflicting positions, possibly by negociation, compromise, manipulation or brute force. More likely a combination of them all.
It is preferable not to veer too much on the use of the latter though. Conflicts waste ressources, and may potentially harm all parties.
If the parties are of roughly equal strength.
If there's not a huge payoff in winning the argument.
If you care about not harming yourself.
If you're not too dumb to understand you may be harming yourself.
And who knows what other exceptions there may be to that.
