The following thoughts are opinions only and not stated as fact. Throughout the course of history, humans have been searching for truth and wisdom. These are lofty goals, often full of vagueness and dead ends. Yet pursue them we must, it seems.
Naturally inquisitive, humans simply have to know the answer to every question, whether faced with a problem that requires resolution, or just responding to a need to sort through the idle meanderings of our constant companion, and often our nemesis, that wonderful human trait called imagination. To this end we have searched for the meaning of life, what or who is God, how did we get here, etc, etc, etc. Mental institutions around the planet are filled with bright-eyed lunatics who have embarked on such voyages, only to find they are mired deeply in thick gook that they somehow cannot extract themselves from. Although far from being a genius, I discovered a long time ago, that ambitions of this nature are inherently damaging, so I therefore gave up such quests. I am not suggesting that we should give up knowledge hunting, just that we should set our sights on attainable answers. After all, the complexity of e=mc2 didn't just fall out of the sky at 186,000 miles a second times a bunch, and land in our un-inquisitive laps. It was strenuously contemplated, and I'm sure a few hairs were pulled out along the way, or at least tugged at from photographic indications. The search for knowledge should be combined with the preparation that we might, in fact, find the answer. On the other hand, if one MUST know the answer to why we are here, they should first commit themselves to a nice white-walled institution, so that 3 square meals a day will be provided for the eternal trek up the topless mountain that one is about to embark on. There is no sense being hungry and unfulfilled at the same time. For the hyper-inquisitive, I think there should be a line drawn in the sand that one should seldom cross. When the need for an answer pops up, first determine what the probability of success is for finding it. If it is bleak, go look for another conquest, or at least resolve in your mind that you are prepared for the long haul. One should also pre- determine that not finding the answer in no way signifies failure. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Is question-answering an indicator of growing wisdom? Is knowledge of facts an indication of success? To answer these questions one should first determine what wisdom is. What is wisdom? The dictionary describes wisdom as "good sense", "accumulated knowledge", or "a widely held belief". I beg to differ. What is the benefit of heaps of knowledge if one is unhappy? My vague description of wisdom is ones ability to be happy in the face of overwhelming knowledge. Although capable of substantial knowledge, we really are emotional beings, evolving well past the time when instincts ruled our daily routine. Incidents of violent attack against us meant that we somewhere down the food chain from the top of the pecking order. We did not blame the attacker, we developed ways to avoid or out-smart it. There are many things to learn, some actually beneficial to our daily lives. To some, achieving knowledge is a sign of success. To me, a sign of success is a smile on my face, no matter what I have learned, or not learned. In other words, sometimes it may be more prudent to just dummy up and get on with not knowing. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
