So many of my past posts have talked about balance. That reflects the apparent fact that there are no absolute answers. If we want to live an ethical life, any decisions we make must balance our own needs with the needs of the group. If we want a good government, we must balance societal influence with societal interference. Even here on the internet we must balance keeping our lives private, and the desire to share who we are.
As a parent of adult children who still consider me a source of occasional advice, the most difficult questions I get are 'what should I do?' I can go over pros and cons, I can try to put things in perspective, I might even admit to what I might do if I were in a similar situation, and why. But life is a tightrope that we all must learn to walk. In the end, the decisions we make are our own, and we are the one's that must live with the consequences, be they good or bad.
The good news is most of the decisions we make have little lasting impact on ourselves or others. Even decisions that seem important when faced with them, can be seen through the lens of time as actually quite trivial. The decisions that have a lasting impact are occasionally unforeseen and seem trivial when initially faced. So there is a certain amount of futility to worrying endlessly about most decisions, and when we make our list of pros and cons, we should add in a spoonful of whimsy. Life is like swimming in a stream, we may swim one way or another, but the stream still carries us where ever it's going.
The concept of balance seems more important in eastern thought then western thought. Western philosophies seem to want to provide absolute answers, and dictate behaviors. Concepts such as good and evil are seen as black and white, and not a continuum. Eastern philosophies see balance as key, with such concepts as yin and yang. And perhaps this lack of absolute answers leads to a sense of fatalism. In the west we look to our philosophies for answers rather than guidance.
To lead a consistent life, and a purposeful life, each of us must come up with a personal philosophy. We can be guided by the great thinkers of our time or of the past, but ultimately we must synthesis the best of these thoughts into our personal guiding light. We need to see the correctness in the thoughts of our gurus, but we must also be able to see when they over-reach their authority and ability to provide absolute answers.
The problem most people seem to have with this synthesis, is that there is a natural desire to be seen as correct. So we pick our heroes, deify them, and then defend them to the death. This is part of how we define us, how we belong to a group. We see our way as the way, and deny others the opportunity to be even partially correct. We choose sides and vilify the other side.
We define ourselves not just in the thinkers that we follow for guidance, but various role-models that we choose, be they athletes, musicians, or leaders. We are all, at our core, fanatics and must resist the urge to be influenced too much by a single person, or a single group. We need to recognize that other people and groups may be right on occasion. In this way we can include many different view points when making a decision or judgement.
Having a personal philosophy, one that is well thought out, and not just a blind allegiance to some existing philosophy, is the best way to avoid the fallacies of fanaticism. Give passing acknowledgement to those that agree with you, but listen closely to those with whom you disagree. Thinking carefully about the arguments of those you disagree with will help you either hone your rational for why you are right, or see where perhaps you are wrong.
Unfortunately, that sort of critical thinking is like exercise, it is not something we are naturally inclined to do. But just as exercise is important for a healthy body, critical thinking is important for a healthy mind. So just as we must carve out an hour of our day for exercise, so too we should carve out an hour of introspection and meditation on who we are and how we live our lives. That will help us to keep our lives in balance.
No comments:
Post a Comment