Although some people might disagree when I say this, I am very open to reason and not stubborn.--The thing is, I believe what I believe very firmly until I am presented with an overpowering argument. I feel like being stubborn is to refuse to listen to other peoples' arguments. Being stubborn is to not give people the benefit of the doubt. Being stubborn is when you fully know that you are wrong and yet you stick with it.--I'm not stubborn. Just like many rhetoricians instruct, I try to be open to the truth and argument and consensus.
I have been working on this weighty project for several months. It is a list of core things that I believe in. I have taken into account as many viewpoints as possible, I have asked questions, had discussions, and spent hours thinking about these things and I feel as though this list is a list of things that I stand firm in. I am open to changing my mind provided an overpowering argument is presented to me, but as I already stated, I've been working on this for several months--you might even say years--and these are the things that I have rooted myself in:
I believe in:
1.
Universal Truth and Universal Constants
a.
Yes, there is ALWAYS one thing that is true and
a lot of partial or non-truths.
b.
But the truth is trumped by how it affects
people.
2.
Life is a compilation of memorable experiences
a.
All we know is what we have experienced.
b.
Life is the combination of our spirit-body and
our physical-body.
i.
We existed in our spirit-body before we had a
physical body.
ii.
Our physical body can be destroyed.
iii.
Our spirit body is indestructible and
constitutes our whole persona.
iv.
Before we were born we were learning universal
skillsets, which are manifested as natural talent here in this life.
3.
Everything must eventually end
a.
There are only two things that will always
exist: our spirits and universal truth.
b.
Spiritual beings and universal truth is all that
really matters because it is constant.
i.
(1-b) Spiritual beings trump universal truth,
because spiritual beings are active and universal truth is passive and cannot
change.
c.
Everything must end because spiritual beings
exist
i.
Unlike universal truth, spiritual beings change
things and make an impact.
ii.
Spiritual beings aren’t always constant, they
may make one decision one day and another decision another day.
d.
More correctly, everything goes through a cycle
of phases: beginning and ending and then beginning again
i.
Once created, the basis of our universe—the
elements—can never be destroyed but are merely recyclable.
ii.
Endings are the pre-cursor to beginnings.
iii.
Things don’t begin and end—these are just
states—things change.
e.
Even though things are beginning and ending all
of the time, they are not returning to their original state; each time they
change they become different.
f.
Even when they change from one state to another
and back again they come back as a different version of the same thing.
4.
We--sentient spirits--are the most powerful
things in the universe
a.
Because we are spiritual, we have the potential
to affect everything in the universe.
b.
We are also the dominant spiritual being, more
dominant than animals because of our intelligence and power.
5.
What we experience through life is based on how
we react to new events in our life
a.
True, the events in our life shape us, but
ultimately we control how we react to them.
i.
We may not be able to control all of the events
in our life and therefore sometimes we are forced to make decisions and changes
ii.
But we can always control how we feel about such
things: positive or negative
b.
One of the greatest skills we can develop is the
ability to accept whatever life gives us
6.
When life is not forcing us to change and shape, we have unlimited possibilities
a.
We are such powerful beings that we can
accomplish anything that we set our minds to
i.
Our minds, the connection between spirit and
body, are so powerful that we can overcome our physical limitations
ii.
Our minds can reframe our realities into
enjoying the bad moments and we can find happiness from anything (but only if
we learn to use our minds)
b.
Even if life forces us to change, we can change
back so long as we want to
i.
Sometimes forced change is caused by universal
constants and other times it is caused by other people
1.
Universal constants are always going to force us
to change, and attempting to live contrary to them will always be difficult but
possible.
2.
Change caused by other people will not always
come by force and we can oftentimes find a balance between the wants of others
and the wants of ourselves.
7.
No two people are the same
a.
Our experiences shape us, and different
combinations of experiences have different effects on different people
b.
It is impossible for two people to experience
the same things
i.
Past experiences emphasize or de-emphasize our
present experiences
1.
Certain combinations of experiences in the
correct order shape people in similar ways, but having the correct combinations
is very difficult.
2.
Sex is one of the closest experiences two people
can share, because one causes the experiences of the other and vice versa.
ii.
Location and distance prevents people from
experiencing the same results in the same way.
iii.
The time when people experience similar things
can have an effect on how the individual experiences those things.
iv.
Pre-disposition, perceptions, beliefs, and
desires effect how people experience the same things.
8.
There are four distinct obstacles facing all
mankind
a.
Death
i.
We all die, but we don’t all cope with it in the
same way because we are different
ii.
To overcome death we either need to make
something out of the lives we are living, develop a way to live forever in
happiness, or find a way to live life comfortable with everything that happens.
1.
Making something out of our lives is called
building a heritage, and pharaohs, kings, and even great minds do this by
creating that their name gets attached to whether it is a tomb, a kingdom, or
an invention or way of thinking.
b.
Curiosity
i.
We are always striving to learn and experience
new things and make sense of things that don’t make sense. However, there is no
limit to the thing we can learn and experience
ii.
To overcome curiosity, we either need to accept
that there is no limit and to learn to be comfortable with what we do know and
experience, or to forever pacify our curiosity by exploring everything.
c.
Purpose
i.
No one wants to do things aimlessly. We desire
that everything we do contributes to a greater aspect of life.
ii.
To overcome our desire for purpose, we need to
have goals, dreams and desires and know ourselves—our wants and desires—then we
need to apply all of our actions towards those things.
d.
Desires for connection with others
i.
There is a universal constant related to the
change that is ever present from life (3-c), that as people change they move
apart from one another unless they are growing together.
ii.
If both people are not growing together, then
they are getting further apart.
iii.
To overcome our desires to connect with others,
we need to find people who are willing to grow towards us, and we need to grow
towards them.
9.
Relationships are what matter most in this life
a.
Because people are always changing and
everything else is constant, people are the catalyst of everything in life
i.
Although universal truth is important, it will
always remain the same and never change—once you know the truth you are no
longer curious about it.
ii.
Because people change, you can always point your
curiosity towards them.
b.
People contain infinite energy, infinite power,
and infinite ability
i.
It is easier to access the power inside of us when
we are joined with other people
1.
When people are paired, the reaction that one
person has on the other can spark a greater impact than for an individual to
make decisions and changes on their own.
2.
In good relationships one will improve the
quality of life and experience of the other through motivating and beneficially
influencing the other person.
3.
However, in bad relationships, the pairing will
have a negative effect; it can limit one’s potential, energy, ability and
power.
10.
Society and Community are important aspects of
individual life
a.
Society and community is an interconnectedness
of individuals to one another
b.
Societies require a slight contract in order to
remain in balance
i.
We are obligated to follow commonly consented
social contracts simply because we are a part of society
ii.
Unless we discover a way to truly live in
isolation, we will always have to submit to some form of society’s contracts.
c.
Societies help individuals accomplish things
they might not otherwise accomplish
1.
[such as peace, civility, freedom, etc.]
11.
We have a responsibility to act ethically
a.
There is a disturbance in the universe that
prevents
b.
Each act we make creates a consequence, which
causes that disturbance, therefore we need to align our acts with universal
truth as much as possible in order to balance the natural movement of the
universe.
12.
An Ethical act is one that brings about a good
outcome
a.
Regardless of intent or what it says about you,
the universally ethical act is the one that creates a good outcome.
b.
We can only judge other people, and ourselves,
by the outcomes that we bring about.
c.
We should make every attempt to create good
outcomes.
d.
It is our responsibility to correct all of the
bad outcomes we create, regardless of intent.
13.
Conflict occurs when the universe is unbalanced
a.
Conflict is a disagreement through which two forces
involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns.
b.
Sentient beings can have conflicts with Universal
constants.
c.
In order to overcome the human condition, we
have to resolve our conflicts with Universal constants and other sentient
beings.
I'm still working on this list and will continue to develop my ideas as I become more and more firm about beliefs I will add to it, though I have tried to start with what I thought was most important.
No comments:
Post a Comment