We Talk Friday
(WTF)
This is a semi-regular series that I will run on Fridays to hold discussions on a current topic from the week gone. The aim is to keep them light and conversational, though some might be heavier - regardless of the content topic itself though, just have some fun engaging and discussing with whoever happens to put in the effort in the comments section below.
WTFs have been a little too serious lately, so I thought this Friday I would take a more casual and personal look into something, and see what conversation comes of it. A lot of my blog articles are meant to be thought provoking in some way, so that people reading can break away a little from their normal daily life and engage with something a little bit random, but maybe valuable to them. I believe that slowing down a little for a few minutes a day and engaging with something out of the normal tasks or focus areas, can provide nutrition for the mind and body. It is not about entertainment or feeling good, or avoidance - it is about being part of something a little different.
However, a lot of the things I write about can be pretty heavy topics at times and often, will provoke emotion, not just thought. As a result, over the years a lot of people have got quite upset at different aspects of what I write, which is of course their prerogative. Most people though, and especially the people who have been around here a while, engage in the discussions with openness and bringing in their personal perspectives and experiences. This can make a heavy topic, far lighter, and I think that we should do more similar, so we can talk about the things that actually matter, without shutting down.
I am not blind to me being a ridiculous at times, or ranty, but that is the style I have developed. These articles, stories, poems and whatever other thing I write here, aren't meant to be doctoral dissertations or histories of the world, they are meant to be narratives of my life experience and observations, and the thoughts that have developed from them. It isn't about "truth" in the sense of fact, but rather truth in the sense of a rough set of rules and guides that could help improve our experiences and wellbeing. The "truth" itself is not truly definable by anyone, but I think we each have to spend a fair amount of time thinking about what our truth is, and testing it.
Belief doesn't make it true.
And if we aren't willing to explore whether our beliefs are actually true or not, how strong are our beliefs and convictions? Yet today, we seem to have a belief that anything anyone believes, makes it a truth. This is not the case at the factual level of course, but there is a "do as you please" approach to it, "as long as you aren't hurting others". But, what if the doing as you please is actually hurting others, just not directly. For instance, if everyone just throws their rubbish on the ground, everyone else is affected. Similarly, if everyone is just doing as they please and acting in ways that will negatively impact indirectly on others, even if it is their belief, is their "truth" valid still?
Personally, I like talking about philosophical discussions, but have very little interest in the academic positions. Some people spend a lot of time on philosophies without recognising that without practical application, they are useless. I prefer the rough heuristic approach, where it goes back to the root of the word itself.
The Love of Wisdom.
Philosophy isn't academic, it is practical, because wisdom is about judging the right action given the circumstances. It is about knowing what to do, when to do it, and being able to do it when that time arises. Knowledge isn't wisdom, until it is appropriately applied consistently. It is because of this that I try to look at areas of life that we all have some connection with and from the perspective of the mind, body, emotional and social areas. Most of my articles touch on all of them in some way, because I think that we are a whole. When we treat slices of us as "apart" from the whole, we end up performing actions that might not consider the ramifications to the other slices.
That is not wise.
Yet we all do it, myself included. And a lot of the fragmentation of society through disconnection and the topic-based, short-form media we consume, encourages us to jump from piece to piece rapidly, and at almost zero depth. The feeling of getting value from a soundbite might be there, but knowing it is not applying it. It is not wisdom.
In the image above is a statement.
To be able to make that statement requires feedback. Evidence. It is observational and experiential. If someone makes that statement on belief alone though, what they are doing is making an assumption devoid of evidence, leaving far more room for error. But have no doubt, we are always wrong, because we can only ever experience from our perspective, and while it might be true to us, it is never the whole story.
Should the people we say we love, ever doubt it?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Be part of the Hive discussion.
And you may be rewarded.
