Monday, March 29, 2010

Maybe I should wash my dirty mind.

We all have our preconceptions. Some are stronger than others. But we have them, none the less.



None of this means you are necessarily wrong. It means that you would probably believe the same whether or not you are wrong.
Sure, there are other factors involved. Our personalities play a great deal in our beliefs.

I'm a synic by nature. I tend to not believe in things unless I have proof. The greater the claim, the more proof I require. Some people are not as cyncal, they believe without much questioning. I don't understand them. But I understand that they might not understand me either.

I suppose the point I wish to put acroos is, don't accept things as true or false just because you come from a different perspective.
We see it often.
In politics, republicans and democrats often disagree merely based on party lines. Some of what the other side does and says makes a lot of sense, but we fail to see it because "they are not us". Stop that!
In religion, people can see the flaws in someone elses faith, but fail to see glaring flaws in their own. Christians hate Muslims, Muslims hate Jews, Everybody hates those pesky Hare Krishnas...Stop it. You're all delusional to a point.

Can't we just accept that we all are a little different. Those differences are what makes it all so fascinating to me. Go on, give it a try :-)

37 comments:

Fireblossom said...

I was brought up in a materialistic environment as part of a staunchly conservative family that always voted republican and attended (protestant) church regularly.

I am a lesbian liberal poetess and lapsed (converted) Catholic.

BUT, the Red Wings rule and the Sharks drool. There's this thing called the third round of the playoffs. Ever been there, Sharks? No. You haven't.

mac said...

See, that wasn'to hard was it.

You've broken your mold, so to speak, FB

And, I'm glad to see the lapsed part in your Catholism. I worry about staunch catholics.
:-)

Big Mark 243 said...

Interesting post. I think my cynicism was inheirted from my Mom... so does that make me questioning of things a prejudice or is that a good thing.

I don't know if I have any 'belief' as everything is malleable... except in hockey, where the Red Wings indeed rule!! Original Six, baby!!

Senorita said...

We get that you are a pervy Harley rider, Mac. And we love and accept you for who you are.

I grew up in a very religious, conservative environment, myself.

I'm still somewhat conservative, but nowhere even close to how I was raised.

Fireblossom, please be easy on the Sharks. I live right across the street from the Shark Tank in San Jose, they are my team, even though I couldn't really give two shits about hockey.

Please just go a little easy on them.

mac said...

Mark, never stop questioning!

If whatever it is you are questioning does not accept your questioning, or hold up to the scrutiny of the questions, is that really something you should believe in ?

mac said...

Sie können finden, dass Sie pervy Reiter von Harley genießen, wenn Sie einem einen Versuch geben, Senorita ;-)

Scarlett said...

I really like the video.

We do need to be careful about just accepting what we're taught.

Riot Kitty said...

Amen, brother. This is so well-said.

Anonymous said...

Wow I totally agree with everything you said here. I too need proof. I hear something and I so want to believe in it. But my head says "don't you believe it"

So I read Senoritas comment...You are a pervy Harley rider? Right on! LOL!

Fragrant Liar said...

Yes! I was raised by two conservatives who just keep getting more conservative with age, and they are the ones who raised me to think independently and speak my mind. They did such a good job, they now get frustrated with my liberal ways! :))

But the fact is, party lines alone make for the wide and bitter divide we now see in American politics. You have to be open minded or you end up with the extremists and nutso militias and terrorists. We all gotta share this planet, so I just wanna say to the close-minded: get over yourself.

KrippledWarrior said...

Harley riders rule. I believe that without questions.

mac said...

Thanks, Scarlet. We agree all the way around :-)

RK, you're much nicer than I imagined a kitty with a machine gun would be ;-)

Christiejolu, being a perv is serious business...stop laughing, dammit.

FL, You're stinking up the place in a beautiful fashion, thanks!

Of course we do, KW. But, I have proof of that, no need for questioning!

Senorita said...

I was finally able to watch the video.

Below is a link to the video to show the extreme of what happens when you blindly believe what others tell you and you don't question others.

I found this video to be hilarious, but there is so much truth to it, and I have lived it personally thanks to decisions of my parents. Everything that happened in that video is how I lived my life growing up, even though it seems exaggerated.

So while I believe in God and have other spiritual beliefs, I still very much respect your decision to be an Atheist and question everything.

So happy to be free.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnNSe5XYp6E

Candice said...

Everybody IS delusional in their own way.

That's the damn truth!

Carma Sez said...

true. seriously who is to judge who's religion is better than another's - based on what????

I'm about as cynical as they come...

Anonymous said...

Fascinating differences, that is man vs. woman!

Heff said...

Amen, Brother !

Me-Me King said...

I worked on Capitol Hill for many years, you haven't seen cynical until you've talked to me.

pboyfloyd said...

I disagree that we're all suffering from the delusion that everyone thinks like mom and dad and/or the World should be as we remember it from childhood and/or we're all a bunch of bandwagon jumpers, which seems to me what 'the' brainwashed would do.

I refuse to believe that the unbrainwashed are somehow just as much brainwashed as the brainwashed, and it seems to me that this 'we're all brainwashed in some way', is ... brainwashing.

You all seem to be perfect examples of people who are mostly NOT brainwashed but are willing to have this small point about brainwashing sudsed, rinsed and hung out to dry.

Magical thinking is NOT as valid as scientific thinking, in fact it's not valid AT ALL.

So (raspberry).

mac said...

Take back that rasberry, pboy. You might want a snack later ;-)

While you may not refer to it as brain washing, you have a set of ideas you operate from.

If we accept your ideas of no free will, then surely we get our influences from "Mom and Pop", or the memories of childhood, or SOMETHING.

Perhaps brainwashed is too flaky a word. But we do all have preconceptions.
Yours, pboy(and mine), is an anti-religious set of preconceptions. It's right. But it does color your world view.
I just so happen to like that same color.

Unknown said...

Just take this magickal thinking test....Are you happy?

mac said...

As my old TKD master used to say, "The purpose of life is to be happy"

Now, happiness may not be acheivable, but the pursuit of it is our purpose. That pursuit encompasses all religions, cultures and genders. Whatever we do, is done in the effort to make us happy.


Yeah, Minx. I'm happy today :-)

pboyfloyd said...

Um.. sometimes I AM happy, sometimes, not so much.

Does that 'mean' something?(are emotions magick? That's setting a really low bar for magick, isn't it?)

As for your reaction, mac, well, you know me, you know that I was trying to provoke a reaction.

Whether or not we 'have free-will' or not probably depends on how 'free-will' is defined.

No doubt the same for 'brain-washing'.

With no free-will, I think whether we consider each other more or less brainwashed would depend on how 'deep' we question our reasons for what we do and what we think, and why.

For example, if you've tried to read a book or two on philosophy and one seemed like a telephone book full of authorities and the other seemed to be bickering over the meanings of words, you might end up thinking that this subject is way over your head and basically 'give up' and 'give them' your 'will' on this 'branch of knowledge'.

You're basically saying, "It is confusing/boring to me, therefore my feelings on this subject are actually these other people's feelings on this subject."

Rita said...

This is a good post, because for one thing, our preconceptions & prejudices should be questioned & examined once in a while.

Like the video says, our perceptions of other people starts in childhood. I read somewhere that there is a inherited genetic element in our makeup that creates a predisposition(?)to have preconceptions(something to do with self preservation). In other words it's instinctual. This instinct IS re-enforced in us as children, mostly to protect us. When you tell a kid to "Stay away from strangers" for instance, you force him/her to have a notion of a stranger, a mental picture, or a point of reference to draw on. This is the way it's always worked. As long critical thinking skills are also instilled in children, or they have the knack for them, (like you said personality has a lot to do with it), they can at some point come to a reasonable & rational understanding of other people. Like good manners, tolerance & compassion are mostly acquired skills.
There's also a bit of human evolution involved...thanks to a few thousand years of progressive & enlightened thinking, philosophical concepts of liberty, freedom and individual human autonomy and scientific truths have stubbornly plodded foreword, despite, our ignorance & human failings.
That's what gives me hope for the future of mankind anyway. :)

Unknown said...

I would say, Mac, that you are nearly right. For me the purpose of life is discovering the true meaning of love.

Pboy, magick is in the simplest of thinking and doing, so I suppose it depends on how high your personal bar is.
BTW do you normally use the paganic spelling for magic, or has this witch somehow influenced you?

Rita said...

This is just an experiment. I'm trying to figure out my blogger commenting issues...testing...1,2,3

Rita said...

Well, that worked. :) Am I the only one having comment problems?

Anonymous said...

No we can't accept differences. That would lead to a semblance of peace.

Who wants that? Who would I sell weapons to? Who would care about the length of my shmeckel? Well I guess I would.

Critical thinking...tsk tsk mac.

Judge you!

:-)

pboyfloyd said...

Truth is, Minx, I used that spelling in response to your comment.

Having considered it now, I DO think that this spelling invokes more of a spiritual(things of the mind) sense than 'magic' which could mean legerdemain.

Rita said...

Harry Pharisee why don't you have a blog that we can comment on? You are a funny guy.

pboyfloyd said...

Yea Harry, call it Don't heckle my schmekle!"

Anonymous said...

Rita,

Lovely, offer. But it's oneblood.

Harry's my 'Droll,' I created him after having a semi-inspired, semi-stupid back and forth with mac and Brian.

I ditched my blog in favor of my "sanity," but since Harry's on a different email, he didn't get erased(?).

I figure I'd pay mac et. al. a visit or two or five-hundred, and give them some shtick.

-Not in that way pboy, you pervert.-

So I'll probably just pop in from time to time, and lay it on thick. Just as long as I keep everything balanced. School's kicking my ass...

Anyway, hope you're well rita :-)

As for you pboy I hope you're whipsmart, grumpy, and Scottish... too late. :-P

KittyCat said...

Very interesting post. I am also not a "follower".

I believe that, just cause you say it, doesn't make it freakin SO.

You better have so damn good facts for me to go along with something.

rita said...

Harry
It's nice to know you are still kick'n. School is waaay more important then this. Right Mac? :)

mac said...

Uh, I dunno, Rita.

As my Uncle Joe used to say, " I have no class"

Mashuga Mom said...

Mac, your TKD master was right, but can we pursue happiness or does it just strike at the oddest times?!
Happiness is that feeling I get when I finally RELAX and realize I am having a good day and enjoying life. I am not stressed about stupid crap that plagues me. It sneaks up on me, that feeling, but when it comes...I realize I am enjoying life. I just wish I could bottle it and keep it and maybe sell it and make some money... that would ROCK!

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