Fundamentalists of any stripes tend to think they have the answers. And they do, in their own mind.
Fundamentalism is not only found in religion, politics and at times science, but also in the apparently small things in life: My wife shouldn’t leave dishes around the house. The neighbor’s dog shouldn’t chase our cat. They shouldn’t use noisy leaf blowers. And fundamentalism is also found in our more basic beliefs: I need to live up to an image. There is a doer and observer here.
I find I sometimes am a fundamentalist. I feel I have the answers, and if I don’t I can come up with some. I take myself as a doer and observer, and act as if it is true.
When I go into fundamentalism, I am in trouble. I take a lie as truth and I am in opposition to reality.
And when I take them as questions, with receptivity and curiosity, there is a more open landscape again. There is more room for natural intelligence to work, to recognize stories as tools only of temporary and practical value, and use the stories that seem most helpful in the current situation.
And this applies to the topic of this post as well…. Do I take this as true? Do I take (see, feel, live) it as a question? What happens when I do one or the other, or a mix of both?
…………………
…………………
Initial draft….
Fundamentalists tend to think they have the answers. And they of course do, in their own mind.
I find I tend to do the same. I sometimes feel I have the answers, and if I don’t I can come up with one.
(Fundamentalism is not only found in religion, politics and at times science, but also in the apparently small things in life. My wife shouldn’t leave dishes around the house. The neighbor’s dog shouldn’t chase our cat. They shouldn’t use noisy leaf blowers. And it is also found in our more basic beliefs: I need to live up to an image. There is a doer and observer here.)
When I take those answers as true, I am in trouble. I take a lie as truth and I am in opposition to reality.
And when I take them as questions, with receptivity and curiosity, there is a more open landscape again. More room for natural intelligence to work, to recognize stories as tools of temporary and practical value only and use them with more freedom as seem appropriate in the current situation.
And this applies here too…. Do I take this as true? Do I take (see, feel, live) it as a question? What happens when I do one or the other, or a mix of both?