Musing

Musing

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Points of View



we all have them - as cognitive, living beings, they are part and parcel of who we are.

what is deemed right by rationalists could be an expression of pure evil by moralists..

all, without exception, defend their own - even those who say they are men of god, will defend their own god !

so who is right ? what is wrong ? and more importantly, what makes it so ?

decades of religious strife would seem to indicate that there is no answer... so let us put that on the back shelf for now - that falls into the category of what "others" think or feel.

the question is :  why do YOU hold a particular point of view of right or wrong or believe in this god or that one or none at all ?

most would pause at this question and stay silent, some will deflect, some will instantaneously and aggressively launch into the defense of their point of view with meaningless cliches ( "it is written", "it is my family tradition", "isn't is obvious" and my favourite "that is how god intended it to be" ) but few will actually be able to answer...

what that would indicate is that a large part of who we are, we are without knowing why !

yes, we have a point of view, but is it a reactive one or a considered one ?  i slap you, you slap me back - that is a reaction, like dogs barking at passing cars.  i slap you and you pause, ask me why and then decide to slap me back - that is an action after due consideration :)

what differentiates the 2 ?    the pause.   what occurs doing that pause? which part of you is accessed and brought to bear ?

if what you think and feel is the bedrock upon which you live, wouldn't it behoove you to think about why you think and feel this way ?

yet most don't.

again cliches like " god's will", " it was meant to be" and "who cares" will fall plentiful from the tongues of the obtuse.  and that is fine if you are happy to live that way.   but if you are not, then you may want to re-evaluate and reconsider or re-affirm and benchmark yourself to a higher standard - one that you have actually studied, applied and found to have merit in elevating not only your own existence but that of creation as a whole ...

this has nothing to do with religion or metaphysics  - we are not priests or prophets, saints or sanyasis - we are normal everyday folk, all trying to do the best we can to get through the day, put food on the table and keep our families safe and maybe find a little time to watch TV.  we have responsibilities, we have problems and for most, life is really tough.

so where is this extra time going to come from ?  this time to think ?  this time to reflect ?

it's tough to find the motivation to "waste" the precious time we have to spare on "these things".
here's the way i see it: if you had cancer, you would find the time to go for chemo - why ? well, you don't want to die just yet.   in truth, we are all dying all the time ... ever day lived, is a day less left to us.

so the final question is, how to do YOU really want to live this short and precious life  you have been blessed with and please, forget about how others "should" live !

take a little time to ponder and you may just change your point of view.

live well.

2 comments:

  1. To be honest this is first one i have read entirely...
    And well its written beautifully is all I can say to keep it simple...
    We all generally live our lives precisely the way you have mentioned...
    But we all got to make an effort to "ponder".. It can really change alot...

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  2. You have a point there! That there is a difference between an action made on impulse and another after a thought "pause" is well highlighted and reflective as well. Thank you

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