--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Archer" <rick@> wrote: > > > > From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > On Behalf Of TurquoiseB > > Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 3:50 AM > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Stories > > > > What if we lived in a universe in which ALL of the stories > > we tell to ourselves and to others are "true," and just > > *seem* to be contradictory? What if the universe supported > > ALL of these seeming contradictions, without missing a > > step, and found a way to reconcile ALL of them? > > > > It seems to me that we DO live in such a universe. If > > it can reconcile all these seemingly contradictory > > stories, why can't we? > > > > We can, by being more universal, which is what we're trying > > to do, if we aspire to enlightenment. Learning to recognize > > one's cherished stories as relative perspectives that are not > > necessarily more true than their opposites is a powerful > > technique for enlightenment. > > At the same time, though, we don't want to > mood-make ourselves into a state in which we > lose sight of distinctions and relative > values, which can happen if we're told that > being "more universal" is "better." > > It's fine to be *able* to take a universal > view, but we ought to be able to operate in > the realm of distinctions and values as well. > > One of the most important distinctions is a > meta-distinction, that between facts and > opinions. Another is between opinions that > are well supported by facts and logic and > those that are not, and between "stories" > that are honest reflections of one's > thinking and perceptions, and those that are > made up to for the purpose of looking good. > > Yet another is between Zen-like contradictions > (paradoxes) and self-serving contradictions > due to intellectual laziness and/or dishonesty. > > Taking the "more universal" stance should no > be used as an excuse to avoid making > distinctions and assigning values when > appropriate.
I respond to an earlier post of yours today, and to the two ideas celebrated in it -- the value of facts and the value of honesty -- with one of each. Fact: That makes 34 posts; one more and you are 'over and out' for the week. Honesty: I hope you use your last post wisely.
