章 45: How To Become Smarter - The Art Of Open-Mindedness
This very moment of time and space is occupied by everything that exists.
You, me, and everything in between.
We are all experiencing this same moment, and we are all experiencing this same moment differently.
Even if you and I were to look out the exact same window at the exact same street at the exact same time, it is likely that we would both see and experience something different.
Perhaps you might enjoy watching all the people walk by and musingly ponder about where they could all be coming from and where they could all be going.
And perhaps, I might look at all the traffic and become tense with anticipation of the chaos that I will be faced with when going outside to commute somewhere.
Or perhaps you see the latter and I see the former.
Regardless, it is likely that we both have two different mental experiences of the same thing at the same time.
But how is this possible?
How can we live on the same planet, sharing the same reality, looking at the same objects, yet all have different experiences?
We all have uniquely coded DNA.
And we all have unique pasts with unique upbringings, influences, and environmental conditions.
All of these factors, and perhaps some others, work together to form the lens out of which we see the world and experience the life that engulfs us.
And it is this that we form our self-identify out of.
How we view and feel about things is all we know.
It is our truth, and for our truth and identity to be challenged is to feel the existential sting of a thousand bees.
And as a result, everyone has something to say about everything.
And everyone likes to think that they are right.
But yet, we are often all saying different and conflicting things.
And so perhaps sometimes, just because we know we are right, does not always mean that we are.
Amidst the world, there are countless ideologies, philosophies, and perspectives that simultaneously exist in direct conflict with each other.
There is Catholicism and Atheism, Monism and Dualism, Nihilism and Existentialism, and endless more, all very different yet equally as real and true to those who behold them.
The spectrum of ideologies in life is unending and overwhelming.
What is the right one?
How do we know?
Can we know?
And if not, should we even subscribe to anything at all.
In general, an ideology is simply a system of beliefs and theories on how to live or function.
But that is it.
And problems arise when we let our identity and ego become so deeply engrained in a particular ideology that we neglect to remember that that is all it is.
That it is not a rigid and universal fact of life.
It is just ideas, theories, and principles constructed in an attempt to combat the inexorable uncertainty and complexity of human life.
Truthfully, we are all in conflict with understanding the life around us.
And when forming our beliefs and perspectives, our goal should not be to subscribe permanently and exclusively to something that sets limitations for our self or others regarding what we can experience, believe, and consider.
There is no universally correct ideology.
Perhaps there are some that consistently hit closer to the sweet spot of common sense, but there is currently no one-size-fits-all.
There are too many variances in the nature and nurture of individuals for everyone to agree on one ideology, and life is too complex for one ideology to apply every facet of life.
If life is complex and constantly in flux, so should we be, along with our beliefs and perspectives.
True intelligence comes with the admission of ignorance and the admission of our incomplete pursuit of knowledge and understanding.
Intelligence is to engage in discussion with other opinions, ideas, and perspectives and consider them for what they are with openness and reason.
If we want truth, we must be willing to pull from varying ideologies, however dogmatically contradictory they may be.
We must be able to consider individual concepts and issues for what they are, using a combination of scientific understanding, empirical evidence, self-knowledge, personal reflection, and reason.
And we must do so, not seeking to see if they fit within our existing beliefs and ideologies, but to simply find the most accurate and applicable answers to our questions.
To move fluidly with life and not get left behind in our stalls of expired self-righteousness.
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