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Author
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Topic: Inability to question ones opinion?
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WaterNymph
Knowflake Posts: 1762
From: London, UK
Registered: May 2005
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posted May 18, 2006 06:42 AM
 
Do you think this stifles the process of growth? Do you believe “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.”  or do you believe it’s important to stick faithfully to your own beliefs, without letting it alter? And perhaps letting it change is a sign of weakness??What do you think? IP: Logged |
sesame
Moderator Posts: 1304
From: Oz
Registered: Nov 2003
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posted May 18, 2006 07:34 AM
What great questions! Of course, my answers are my opinions etc, but I do love the answering process, so here goes... quote:
Inability to question ones opinion?
I think all people have an ability, but like all abilities, they should be practiced and nurtured. Talent is giving the appearance that abilities are effordless. Always question. quote:
Do you think this stifles the process of growth?
Not practicing stifles it. To keep things alive, many things are required like air, space, warmth, love, etc. Time is an important requirement for everything. Nothing can exist without it.
quote:
Do you believe “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.”
Partially, but how does one discern? I saw somewhere a quote "If something seems stupid and works, then it isn't stupid". When do you know when something works? The great Dalai Lama has said that the path to happiness is through making choices that lead to fulfillment. Each choice must be weighed for its ultimate purpose. "Will I be happy, or not?" Based upon this question exclusively must one ask oneself. How do you know what will make you happy? Meditation, or email the Dalai Lama.
quote:
or do you believe it’s important to stick faithfully to your own beliefs, without letting it alter?
Sure, keep to your faith, but never religiously (tha was a fun pun). Try not to be swayed by others, but likewise, a leaf cannot fight the wind. Sometimes floating feels great and can take you far distances.
quote:
And perhaps letting it change is a sign of weakness??
Not at all. There is no such thing as a negative experience, just negative feelings of experiences. Its up to you how to interpret your experiences. They are completely personal. To be told how to feel could be a sign of weakness, but through understanding weakness can come great strength. If you feel completely strong, then you are completely vulnerable without knowing it, which I feel is worse. Better to wear a raincoat in the storm, than to walk of a cliff blindly. There you go, mixing metaphores!
quote:
What do you think?
Like all gems before me, I think I think too much sometimes, but there's nothing wrong with that. This world is sometimes pretty provocative, but sometimes, so damn enigmatic. I'll leave with a quote, which I feel inspired to add to my signature: quote:
I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don't even know it.Sue Monk Kidd, "The Secret Life of Bees", p79
Heaps of Love,
Dean. IP: Logged |
WaterNymph
Knowflake Posts: 1762
From: London, UK
Registered: May 2005
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posted May 19, 2006 07:08 AM
Cool, Thanks for replying Dean  quote:
“What great questions! Of course, my answers are my opinions etc, but I do love the answering process, so here goes…”
I didn’t know in UC you can chat about philosophy  quote:
“I think all people have an ability, but like all abilities, they should be practiced and nurtured. Talent is giving the appearance that abilities are effordless. Always question.”
When do you know if something needs to be questioned? Is it important to “shake up” your beliefs and opinions once in a while, update them if you will. To examine them. quote:
“Not practicing stifles it. To keep things alive, many things are required like air, space, warmth, love, etc. Time is an important requirement for everything. Nothing can exist without it.Partially, but how does one discern? I saw somewhere a quote "If something seems stupid and works, then it isn't stupid". When do you know when something works? The great Dalai Lama has said that the path to happiness is through making choices that lead to fulfilment. Each choice must be weighed for its ultimate purpose. "Will I be happy, or not?" Based upon this question exclusively must one ask oneself. How do you know what will make you happy? Meditation, or email the Dalai Lama.”
It’s hard to tell if something works. Something may works now, but later on you realise it doesn’t…or vice versa. You’re right, time is an important requirement, and experience is a great teacher. You can email the Dalai Lama?
"Will I be happy, or not?" yes, that is important…and maybe/hopefully with practice helps decide what makes a person happy...hope it works with me anyway lol quote:
“Sure, keep to your faith, but never religiously (tha was a fun pun). Try not to be swayed by others, but likewise, a leaf cannot fight the wind. Sometimes floating feels great and can take you far distances.”
That’s a really good metaphor. Having a stubborn streak can make it difficult to decide, do I fight or float? Certain things are easy to question. But there’s also that belief that all opinions/morals are created by society. Like is taking a life immoral? It’s something decided by society and religion. So are morals subjective?
Till I die, I will believe it’s wrong to kill…but there are exception, so I‘m flexible about it. But where do you draw the line? Which opinions do you question, and which do you leave alone? But leaving something alone without questioning it is dangerous…to internal growth anyway - or is that subjective too hmmm  quote:
“Not at all. There is no such thing as a negative experience, just negative feelings of experiences. Its up to you how to interpret your experiences. They are completely personal. To be told how to feel could be a sign of weakness, but through understanding weakness can come great strength. If you feel completely strong, then you are completely vulnerable without knowing it, which I feel is worse. Better to wear a raincoat in the storm, than to walk of a cliff blindly. There you go, mixing metaphors!”
I believe that too! That pain is about perception. And in weakness you find strength, so very true. quote:
“Like all gems before me, I think I think too much sometimes, but there's nothing wrong with that. This world is sometimes pretty provocative, but sometimes, so damn enigmatic.”
haha I’m an over thinker too. quote:
“I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don't even know it.
Sue Monk Kidd, "The Secret Life of Bees", p79”
That’s a lovely quote, and more subtle than my Confucius one!Thanks for taking time with your post Dean 
IP: Logged |
sesame
Moderator Posts: 1304
From: Oz
Registered: Nov 2003
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posted May 19, 2006 11:42 AM
Hey, not at all. Do we philosophy in UC? Do we do anything else? That's what I love about this forum, the world is open to debates from karma, to ghosts and not so plausible theories. There's a debatein itself - are ghosts theories?Well, it seemed you only asked a couple questions, some seemed more rhetorical, so I'll just comment informally. "When do you know if something needs to be questioned?" Well, funnily enough I always wondered this myself, and thought I asked too many stupid questions, or that I didn't know enough to contemplate asking, until I met a new workmate. She continues to ask questions all day, and since I'm her mentor am expected to answer all the time, but how do I get any work done? She made me realise that I didn't really ask too many or stupid questions, not that hers are stupid, just different. Like the angle they come from, or the prelude into a question. I like when people say "Um, Dean..." and wait politely for my attention, but she'll just ask and expect an answer straight away, so my mind goes "OK, stop what you're doing, try to remember where to pick up, turn to her, try to decipher the question, may need repeating, may need clarification, may need to know why the question is asked, may realise that the answer was easily attainable from several different sources, why ask me? Then I'll site the sources, give the answer, give advice on how to tackle the customers ot approach similar problems, and go back to work - where was I? Ten minutes later the process starts again. I'm learning patience. Well, trying Nah, I don't shake up beliefs unless there's no foundation. They usually just evolve and expand to allow more data. Definitely continue to examine as life changes continuously.
Yeah, dailai.lama@enlightenment.org  Nah, I lied. Yeah, I can't remember exactly what he said. It was in a book called the many paths of happiness or something. I think if it doesn't hurt, it might be OK, but really, how does anyone see into the distant future?
Yeah, don't get me started on society! I once wrote a poem that can be found here -> http://www.megspace.com/science/porsche911/astrology/Lexigrams.html Everything's subjective including society. They'll probably legalise euthanasia once they realise the yearly cost of keeping people alive against there will. Hey, I wonder if someone will sue one day because they're not allowed to die? Like their pain is a direct result of the institutions failure to meet their needs? Yes, I think we have to ignore lines. That's ghostism. To see people and ghosts and different, just because we have lines. Ah, the life of bees. Definitely making me contemplate atm. And as Linda has said, its physically impossible for the bumble bee to fly. Thank You,
Dean. ------------------
I realized it for the first time in my life:
there is nothing but mystery in the world,
how it hides behind the fabric of our poor,
browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don't even know it. Sue Monk Kidd, "The Secret Life of Bees", p79 My numerology program based on "Star Signs" by Linda Goodman
Logically Magical Logic is Magically Logical Magic! (and vice versa!) IP: Logged | |
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