Can an individual think too much? What of thinking endlessly on things that have no answer, or no answer that the individual could ever be privy to? What about thinking to the point of missing life, beauty, and peace?
EVASION! How to blank out what you don't want to know
by Terry 34 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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ICBehindtheCurtain
Terry thank you, once again, your words are very true. Thinking is what will free the JW's that are still blinded, but that is the very thing they fear. I had a conversation with a newly baptised family member, and I related the NGO thing to her, she was very surprised but in the end said "well I really don't want to look it up, it might affect my spirituality", so I said very well, that is your choice, and let that go. They are afraid that if they see any blemish on their precious WTS whitewashed wall, they might do the forbidden thing and question the motives or beliefes which would lead to thinking outside the box, and that to them would be to terrifying, then the "but where do we go?" mentality would kick in and that would be the end of it. Thankfully, the WTS is shooting themselves in the foot to such an extent that it might just be the thing all these blind people need to see right through them, hopefully. Thanks, again.
IC
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LittleToe
I really like "Robin Hood", having been raised on the story since childhood. Personally I prefer the screen version with Errol Flynn, to the one with Kevin Costner. Which should I prefer? Hmmmm. Oh dear - Robin Hood may actually only be a myth - it's all moot. Bang goes another childhood dream.
Another page of innocence ripped from the chapters of my life!
What is my point?
Some beliefs are destructive and some are benign. Should we cut out each and every every benign cyst from our lives?
What you attack as "mysticism" is only one component of human life. It's a tool to help people interact with the world about them. Sure it can be misused, but so can a screwdriver! You're using it right now, in the belief that your paradigm is better than that of others.
I don't take any issue with your premise about "evasion" but, alas, you've continued to run completely off of the field with the ball. Do you really know what you're doing, by attempting to dismantle peoples' mental tools?
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YoursChelbie
What you attack as "mysticism" is only one component of human life. It's a tool to help people interact with the world about them. Sure it can be misused, but so can a screwdriver!
LT, I appreciate your point of view. Can you provide examples of how mysticism serves as a tool to help people interact with the world? Thanks.
YC
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BizzyBee
The problem is not a lack of thinking by JW's because all they ever go on about is knowledge, knowledge,knowledge (John 17:3 ad nauseum). The problem is what they think about. Their problem is a lack of considering all sides of the argument. They wilfully choose to only think about what their own leaders feed them.
Methinks that what we're really after is critical thinking skills. It is well-established that meditation, i.e., emptying the mind of thoughts for a period of time, is healthy - it lowers blood-pressure, helps one to sleep, gain clarity, etc.
However, you don't want to be practicing meditation while you're navigating traffic on the freeway!
Likewise, when you are evaluating a "truth" or an "untruth" - a religious belief, for example - you want to be fully alert, using your intellectual capacities to their fullest...............
JWs allow themselves to be put into a trance - ripe for brainwashing....
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LittleToe
YC:Aside from Terry's erroneous examples of "mystical" wax fruit, sure. It's been used since cavemen walked the earth and feared the forest full of it's unknown denzines. Here be food, here be home, here be danger!
What we don't know we fill in with conjecture. It allows us to have a reasonable framework with which to view the world - one which is continually updated as we constantly remap things. Your eye does it all the time, even when reading this sentence, where at least half of the letters and words will be skipped over, but the sense of the paragraph will still likely be conveyed.
If I were to tell you to read each and every word, double checking that each letter were correct, it would soon dismantle your ability to read with any great deal of proficiency. Likewise with the idea of deconstructing mysticism.
I should hasten to add that I don't take any issue with presenting facts to people, especially where they have been scientifically proven. However the idea of removing a major component of the way our minds work is debilitating.
Terry's original premise about evasion is a good one, IMHO. If we wont face facts then it's hard to remap. That having been said, there are times in our lives when we are literally unable to remap things. Too much is changing, nothing makes sense anymore, nothing relates to what we previously held true in our internal map. The end result is very often mental breakdown.
Let me give you an example that's close to home for most of us - "Bible Inerrancy". Can you hit a zealous JW with the idea that the bible isn't wholely from God?
Actually, with some you can! However with many you cannot, as they need baby-step, especially if they aren't used to using their mind in this fashion. It will likely be a long slow progress of dismantling inaccurate beliefs contained within the bible, with facts. Some will take, some will not, after all we can be irrational beings, sometimes. If someone is honest enough they might even have periods where they agree that what you are saying is correct, but they just cannot believe it. Why is that? I would suggest it's simply because they are taking a little while to remap everything they have learned. Information overload!
Where there is a preexisting strongly-held map, you can't simply present a new map and expect to have it adopted, because our minds literally don't work that way.
This is where an element of mysticism comes into play, too. Our mind might take a flip and conclude "I don't know why this is right - it contradicts my previous beliefs - but it's a fact, and so I'll leave it in the realms of mystery while I work it out".
I've waffled - sorry - I hope it helps explain my perspective some.
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THE GLADIATOR
“EVASION is the willful suspension of one's consciousness.”
People evade reality without suspending their conciousness. They watch soaps on TV and allow themselves to become emotional involved as if it were real. They do crosswords an immerse themselves in novels. Quieting the mind and exploring ourselves is time better spent than being entertained by fiction.
People who attack meditation have usually suppressed their feelings and are afraid to still their minds and explore a deeper aspect of themselves.
What are you afraid of Terry? What you will loose or what you may find lurking in the depths?
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Terry
What are you afraid of Terry? What you will loose or what you may find lurking in the depths ?
It's you!
I'm afraid of you!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
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Terry
I should hasten to add that I don't take any issue with presenting facts to people, especially where they have been scientifically proven. However the idea of removing a major component of the way our minds work is debilitating.
Hmmm, I must have missed that part. Now what major component are we talking about???
T.
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Terry
It is well-established that meditation, i.e., emptying the mind of thoughts for a period of time, is healthy - it lowers blood-pressure, helps one to sleep, gain clarity, etc
My only complaint about "meditation" is that the concept is rubbery.
Are you emptying the mind or are you concentrating on something that eliminates everything else?'
Or, are you suspending the content of thought by constricting the flow of ideas?
Or, are you simply relaxing?
Or.....
Well, you get the idea.
I like to go outside and sit in a chair in the sunlight for an hour. I don't choose a subject or problem to "think" about actively. I allow myself to feel the warmth, feel the wind, hear the grass and branches and birds and smell the air.
It is just relaxation. No secret mantras necessary. No ritual behaviors.
To each his own in this regard.
I think OCD people crave rituals and turn everything into a performance task. Loosey Goosey people just relax.
T.