Re: How Many? May 5, 2002 20:22
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Simon:
Thanks! I’m interested in why a Brit would use Ernesto “Che” Guevarra as their icon? Obviously, he rebelled against the status quo and his particular upbringing, but why an Argentine and not someone British, say Thomas Paine or Bertrand Russell.
I’m in the middle of a biography of Che by Anderson, very long, but very interesting. I’ve also visited the area in Argentina – Cordoba - where Che spent most of his youth – a very beautiful place.
Earnest:
If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?
What we know and understand is continuously revised, updated, thrown away, and changed. As you pointed out, even the best minds that have existed have been mistaken, badly mistaken at times. Those great minds were also blinded by their culture, their time, and the limited knowledge they possessed.
That’s also why continuous self-examination is necessary. That’s why hearing more than one side of something is so very important. That’s why knowledge is so tenuous. That’s why we shouldn’t be too dogmatic. Life often has a way of humbling one.
I also think you’re being a little hard on yourself. You have as much capacity as anyone to learn and grow. You seem to be looking for hard and fast answers. I don’t believe there are any. Those who think they have them feel comfortable and cozy in their illusion, but again as you pointed out, even the best minds have been wrong.
I find it amusing that so much time is spent arguing about the nature of God. We don’t even understand ourselves nor the universe in which we live. Yet, so many expend so much effort trying to prove that they know the nature of the ‘true” God (who supposedly created all this that we do not understand), and are so certain they are correct. The sheer arrogance is astounding.
What seems to me to be important is to enjoy the trip. Learn, discover, experience, and enjoy as much as you can.
Regarding those with a simple faith, most people are sheep, literal sheep looking for someone to lead them, to tell them what to do and what to believe. It may appear comfortable, but what results is that one is at the mercy of those who would choose to lead you. As this forum is a testament to, often one wakes from a blissful slumber only to find that what they’ve been led to is a lie, and that they’ve been used and manipulated for something other than their own good, oftentimes for the benefit of those doing the leading. And I don’t believe that all of them are as comfortable as they would have you believe. If they were, they wouldn’t be so insistent that everyone agreed with them.
And once you take of the blinders, look behind the curtain and begin to discover your own truths (notice the lower case “t”), you can’t go back to being at the mercy of another.
Cpiolo
P.S. Here’s a link to an insightful look at organizational truth:
http://www.freeminds.org/fishin/ideas.htm
When you confer spiritual authority on another person, you must realize that you are allowing them to pick your pocket and sell you your own watch. -- Alan Watts, Still the Mind
Edited to remove repetitive content.