Provoker writes:
Hello V:
What do you mean when you write: "I am truth based"?
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
Hi Provoker
Truth based?
Good question.
The contemplative life finds it's joy in discovering truth.
Now all we have to do is find out 'what truth is' to experience such joy?
Where does truth reside so I can pay it a visit?
Truth resides within us and is available; to us all if we just back down on the ego.
As my atheist friend Neil tells me, we all have an ego.
And as I've told Neil before, the prominence of the ego determines if we are truth based or ego based.
Certain Buddhists and Taoists I run into, especially the debaters, great philosophers and sensationalists, like to promote the idea of there is 'no true or false'. or 'no right and wrong' to judge in life.
Taoist's believe that if we do not favor right or wrong, good or bad, beauty or ugliness we will not become attached to such outcomes. They also believe that the cosmic forces do not favor any of these things but treat all with equanimity, so they wish to mimic the cosmos to be in unity with it.
While this extreme view of "no right or wrong" holds some truth, it also needs to be balanced with the idea of the conventual view of right and wrong to find a balanced "middle path" view of right and wrong if we wish to live within society.
So that is how I will approach your question by answering as imperfectly and perfectly as I can.
Sometime the truth is relative, sometimes it is a best fit scenario.
But generally we can say the truth is that which does not change.
Huxley may have said it best:
"The highest object that human beings can set before themselves is not the pursuit of any such chimera as the annihilation of the unknown: it is simply the unwearied endeavor to remove its boundaries a little further from our little sphere of action."
And if you are not a fan of Huxley, I will offer you some Aristotle:
"It is the mark of an educated mind to rest satisfied with the degree of precision which the nature of the subject admits and not to seek exactness where only an approximation is possible."
This in itself is a good indicator of whether you are 'truth based' or 'ego based' Provoker. For why would you favor one philosopher over another?
Why not favor truth?
I argue with no one Provoker. If I have the truth, I keep it and use it and share it. If you do not want it that is OK, I make no demands you adopt it.
If I am wrong and you have the truth I adopt it readily and now I have the truth as well. Wherever the truth is - that is where I go.
This is not so just because people have the cleverest argument to prove such things. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
If it was otherwise, the spin doctors would be the kings and queen of inner peace.
What is rhetoric based on?
Truth?
No...rhetoric is based on making the lie appear as if it was truth. Rhetoric is based on ego.
The truth can be tested Provoker.
The rhetoricians lies does not hold up to testing, it only holds up to lip service.
The truth can only be found from a choice divorced from need...we divorce the need to massage our ego and are honest with ourselves and others
As atheists and theists, we test practical application of a life that yields us and others inner peace.
Contrast this to faith based...hate based...instinct based...
Again all these apply to us.
Yes, even the atheist 'have faith' that their hatred wilt provide them peace.
But before one can test, one must be open to finding the truth.
Something the mind manacled, dogmatic atheist cannot do as their 'ego based instincts' block them from ever finding a new way to live.
Neither can the delusional faith based theist for that matter. But at least the theist pays attention to their religions prepackaged morals.
As a first step for seeking truth, we look honesty at what is said and not at who says what.
See:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.athe ... 01b4947eca
If one sticks to: true, false or don't know in one's replies they can avoid this trap by arguing facts and not personalities.
There is no such thing as 'opinionated' - 'provocative' 'controversial' subjects.
These are only subjective and prejudicial states of mind.
How do we know e are truth based Provoker.
When we have someone tells us the truth what do we do?
Do we thank them for the truth or do we hate them for the truth?
This is the acid test for determining truth based wisdom Provoker.
When we invest excessive time and energies in acquiring or building attachments these attachments become veritable extensions of our being and come to define us for ourselves as well as define who we are for others.
When these attachments take on this role we become susceptible to pain via these extensions. If the person, place or thing we are attached to gets rebuked it is a personal rebuke on us, if they get damaged or defaced so goes the defacement and damage to our very being.
It is hard to become full detached to ideas, for if we did we would be like a feather floating wherever the wind blew us and would pick up any old idea with no firm grounding of what we perceive as right or wrong.
But, we can practice being open minded and look at ideas without prejudice that we immediately hit ideas with. Learn to judge other less. We especially do this with everyone we meet...they are better or lesser than me type of thinking.
Fear based reasons for doing something, as theist mostly do, are not authentic and natural actions.
The persons actions are based on negative consequences otherwise they would not do them.
My actions are based on inner peace and if I stray - there goes my peace - it is my choice.
Put your inner peace foremost and you will have your answer Provoker.
When you align real and authentic actions with those that promote inner peace you are on the road to enlightenment.
Also See:
http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/ ... opic=470.0
http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/ ... opic=532.0
http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/ ... ?topic=4.0
http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/ ... opic=504.0
Take care,
V (Male)
Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher
AA#2[/img]
What do you mean when you write: "I am truth based"
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