Having a rational mind means having the ability to identify correctly
Is that a delicious mushroom or a poisonous toadstool? IDENTIFY correctly and you'll be safe.
Is that snake venomous or harmless? IDENTIFY correctly and you'll be safe.
Is that approaching band of strangers a friendly greeting by neighbors or an army of extermination? IDENTIFY or you'll be sorry!
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Failing to use rational thinking for identification
Back when mankind was ignorant of proven facts they did the next best thing: they guessed through TRIAL and ERROR.
If they guessed wrong they died. Such lessons could be very costly!
Naturally, unless the lucky guesser passed along hard-won knowledge to his family (and by extension, his tribe) each generation lived and died by trial and error.
Guessers risked their lives. Those with proven knowledge had a huge advantage.
Growing older was evidence of being smarter at IDENTIFICATION.
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The rise of the ELDER
The very fact of living longer than others demonstrated you could IDENTIFY safe from dangerous, practical from impractical, true from false.
Wisely, younger generations turned to older (elder) leaders to avoid trial and error, avoiding accidental death and injury.
Thus, the idea of an ELDER was a practical arrangement.
What is a Patriarchy or Matriarchy but rulership/leadership by the oldest member of a family?
____________________________Dealing with challenges to the Elder arrangement historically
Is there ever a group of people without somebody or other standing up with a challenging opinion?
At the point of challenge, the leader in authority can do one of three things to deal with an upstart.
1. Banishment or imprisonment or even execution.
2. Accepting a challenge in the form of a test. (Battle, debate, test of strength, quiz, etc.)
3. Turning over the decision to the tribe as a matter of vote, loyalty, whim, in a kind of democratic selection process.
4. Claims of connection to an invisible power (magic, gods, demons, etc.)
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Non-practical/irrational methods of dealing with everyday life
As a practical matter, there are always alternatives to KNOWING and IDENTIFYING by tests and proof.
1.Pretending: (taking the matters of life and death as a matter of FATE) as though some other force/power has pre-arranged outcomes.
2.Surrendering: (allowing others to order your behavior by command, going-along-to-get-along by following orders.
3.Gambling: (risk taking based on sheer luck, chance, opportunism)
4.Denying: (refusing the current body of knowledge, rules, authority, world view) contrarian attitude going against the flow of common wisdom.
5.Talent: (reliance on personal talent, charisma, intution, natural superiority) winning by persuasion, intimidation, self-aggrandizement.
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Where does the above review benefit us in any way? What difference does all that make? What is the practical use of it?
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REVIEW of ALTERNATIVES
In the history of this world mankind has lived and died by means of resort to some process or other in order to survive.
1.Ignorance and blind luck
2.Superstition and appeasement of unknown natural forces.
3.Religion and resort to mystical appeal to the invisible through ritual, incantation and divine laws.
4.Philosophy: using rational thinking and logic to discover what is true and thereby arriving at universal truths
5. Science :testing best guesses and refining what is proved into theories (while trying to disprove them)
6.Technology: application of known facts about nature in creating artificial means of supporting life through improvements to knowledge base.
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There is a popular sayings that goes: IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T FIX IT
This boils down to one thing: we don't look for improvements unless we need them.
If ignorance worked we'd all settle for ignorance. But, ignorance is dangerous and slow poison to a happy life.
Superstition may facinate people, yet it is a time-wasting and unreliable resort for acquiring real information about what path to take to avoid harm.
Religion may be the most popular fallback for society but who can claim history has proved this has been a success and a boon in the face of its destructive legacy of conflict, holy wars, summary judgmental prejudices, etc.?
Science and technology have extended life beyond early calamity such as casual death, infection, disease, etc. But, neither contain a blueprint for
personal insight, internal reflection and fundamental reasons for goodness or empathy.
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It remains the task of every living person on earth to learn how to DISTINGUISH and IDENTIFY each and every piece of information they accept as true.
This is not a casual undertaking!
You have to know something in order to know something else!
Misinformation is more abundant than information.
Mythos is more exciting and mysterious than mundane facts.
Superstition is appealing and dramatic in a way that ordinary natural science cannot rival--at least until a basic foundation is acquired.
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When I first encountered JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES teaching I had no data base of information to judge it by!
I was a babe-in-the-woods.
I was ignorant and easily impressed by the incredible DETAILS the Watch Tower publications seemed to have.
I was fooled into confuting abundance of detail with assembly of rational proof!
I had no platform of independant data by which to TEST what I was taught.
Pointing to the Bible was NOT the means of determining true from untrue!
Without knowing what I did NOT know (and could not know) I was overwhelmed by a ponderous list of arguments based on MERE DETAILS.
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A dollar bill has value because it is genuine currency.
There is no value in one counterfeit dollar and certainly no greater value in ten thousand counterfeit dollars.
Mere abundance is not the test of value in either money or ideas or assertions of fact.
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We are born with a brain that divides details obtained from sensory input (hearing, seeing, scent, taste, touch).
It is UP to EACH OF US how we label, identify, categorize, test, sort and compile all that input.
HOW CAN WE AVOID A FAULTY METHODOLOGY?
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1. Organize things by what they actually DO rather than by what you are told they are supposed to do.
2. Recognize the difference between CLAIMS and performance.
3. Always ask what the source is for a proof. Identify the source and see if it matches completely.
4. Understand the difference between the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. All three must be present!
5. Identify things that waste your time on non-essentials. If something isn't productive it is automatically time-wasting.
6. Totally avoid arguments or fights and especially people who engage in them. On the other hand, closely analyze those who know how to
present arguments with reasonableness and who are willing to listen without prejudice.
7. Observe carefully which authorities rely on negative rather than kind, friendly and positive emotions to wield their power.
8. What level you are on intellectually LIMITS your rate of improvement in recognizing and accepting (or rejecting) false ideas. Be totally and truthfully aware of your own weaknesses. Work on them before you proceed. Self-improvement will never let you down.
9. People who whine or complain and accuse are dysfunctional no matter how much they've actually suffered. Failure comes from being stuck in your injury. Success always comes from moving on and moving up. Avoid negative people and learn to state your wounds positively with ambitious energy.
10.Mental hygiene is as important as physical hygiene. If you think trash, read trash, speak trash and are entertained by trash--sorry, but you've BECOME TRASH! What is "trash"--something useless because it improves nothing, sustains nothing and wastes your time.
11. Learn what "other considerations" are before you plunge ahead in the same old way. Do you automatically react? You are doomed by never improving your mind or stretching your point of view. Your kneejerk reactions are very bad habits. LISTEN before you dismiss. Try fresh reasons rather than stale.
12.If you are disorganized you are mentally CHAOTIC! Wisdom, knowledge and intelligence is always organized, simple, clear, indexed and instantly accessible. A disorganized person is a danger to themselves and to others. WHICH ONE ARE YOU?
13.Identify and become a person who can take responsibility. What does "responsible" actually mean? It means DOING what needs to be done in order to get done what needs to be done. OWN your mistakes don't look for blameworthy others. Step up. Step out--do it because it needs doing.
14.Be happy by being happy. What does your normal relaxed face "say" about your internal temperament? Is it rough, depressed, angry or. . .HAPPY?
You can't be happy by looking angry. Our emotions are like a spotlight revealing the signficance of our internal values. HAPPY comes from values which are positive, values which are progressive, values which are forward thinking, values which are productive. LOOK HAPPY. Say happy things. Wish others a good day. End every conversation with something cheerful. Sign your e-mails, Cheers! or All the best!
15. Don't tease, anger easily or lay blame when you can upbuild, confront with positive affirmation and explain how to improve rather than chiding.
16. Find yourself a role model who is the embodiment of who you'd love to be--imitate what they do until it becomes second nature.
17. Read good books. Read information rather than opinion. Read literature rather than fluff. Learn to identify great thinkers by the greatness of their ideas. Carry around great quotations (easily available by Google search) and read them to yourself throughout the day. Try creating a great quote of the day and share it with other people. GREAT WRITERS have GREAT IDEAS and you can't improve without them; BAD WRITERS have BAD IDEAS. Get it?
18. Leave each person who meets you feeling better than they did BEFORE they talked to you! You can improve the world so easily with just this one thing.
19. A waiter or waitress expects a tip because they have delivered what you asked for with respect, accuracy and promptness. How do you earn YOUR TIP each day if not the same way? Deliver what people ask for with respect, accuracy and promptness or explain what alternatives can be obtained.
20. PEOPLE TREAT US THE WAY WE TEACH THEM TO TREAT US. There is no automatic respect. Let everybody know with certainty what your standards are and they will not have to guess.
HOW CAN WE AVOID A FAULTY METHODOLOGY?
Know what isn't working about your life and learn what you can do that will positively change it!