Tag: Beliefs
The notches on tools and the end of the world
We are surrounded by tools. From the ordinary nail cutter to the kitchen knife, to our smartwatches, mobile phones, Wi-Fi routers, and computers. Tools of all different kinds are all around us as evidence of human ingenuity and entrepreneurship. Somewhere, someone saw a need and decided to create a solution for it. In that creating…
Myths give us power – The Power of myth
Source: Myths give us power – The Power of myth When we think of a myth, we tend to think of old stories. Those stories may be real, or at least what we have come to think of as real. Or those stories may be so far removed from how we understand life, we may…
Assumptions regarding the maturity of the self
Maturity isn’t a quality of only the mind. The simplicity of this understanding can have a transformative effect on an individual. It need not have any such effects on society. It might even be childish in itself to consider those ideas that can bind societies and lift them up. There have always been individuals in…
Bipolar disorder – the inner conflicts arising from trying to reconcile the Old and New Testament writings
Bipolar disorder has become the accepted name given to the manifest inner conflicts of disturbed individuals. While there are questions and concerns over the diagnosis of bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness) itself, there are special considerations that arise as a person’s beliefs are considered. The source of those beliefs also invariably comes into question. Aside from…
How the diagnosis of bipolar disorder keeps a person psychologically trapped?
If you have had even a minimal contact with books on psychology and psychiatry, it is impossible that you have not heard of bipolar disorder. It was previously known by a more sinister name, manic-depressive illness. The words, bipolar disorder, evoke a vivid imagery; manic-depressive illness is even more evocative! The idea of a person…
What kind of conversations can truly produce change in society?
Conversations are the most powerful tool to bring change in society. In a civil society, it is the only acceptable tool. It is true, we have to make an assumption about a society being civil in the first place. Aside from a limited personal experience and association, a very cursory reflection on the whole of…
Cults of black-and-white thinking – a lesson from Jehovah’s witnesses
Cults – what does the word bring to mind? There are thoughts of blind devotion. There most certainly is the charisma or power of a leader over his followers. Finally, there is the absolute certainty of purpose. Whether one thinks of Jim Jones, Hitler, or the Messiah of Israel, these things are to be found…
What is required to even consider changing one’s beliefs to explore better possibilities for the future?
The last post went through a consideration of the possibility of changing one’s beliefs. It is a task best considered worth undertaking for the sake of survival. Beliefs are also to be considered as a subject for change in the interest of preservation, longevity, and continuity. Our existing generations would not be the first to…
Can we change our beliefs to formulate better predictions for the future?
As hard as one may try, it is not possible to entirely avoid the practice of predicting the future. Why is it that people want to predict the outcome before it happens? The reason is quite simple. There is a desire to have certainty about the future. Predictions give us a feeling of security. We…
How the medical myth of drug treatments has created a whole culture?
What is a myth? A myth is a traditional story consisting of events that are ostensibly historical, though often supernatural, explaining the origins of a cultural practice or natural phenomenon. The word “myth” is derived from the Greek word mythos (μῦθος), which simply means “story”. Mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. Myth can…
Self-worth is not for society to determine
Even the strongest person cannot face an endless challenge. There are some challenges that are imposed upon a person. These can be due to health or family, for instance. On the other hand, there are challenges that are accepted by a person due to the way society is made up. These challenges are also imposed upon…
An imaginary world built through radio, television, and the Internet challenges reality
Mankind stepped into a new era when information could be transmitted over invisible waves to bring audio, and then, a combination of audio and video to so many people.
How is hope the basis of a social movement?
So, really, it is not just the changing objectives but hope that is keeping the ideology of a movement in continuation. If there is a hope worthy of maintaining, the social movement will find regenerative power.
The vicious cycle of paranoia and extremism
During times of difficulty and great anguish, the subtlety of human thought suffers. There is not the attention to detail, and nuance seems only hypocritical. What a relaxed mind, one at ease in a secure environment can do, a stressed mind cannot. This is easily understandable. This understanding should have caused humans to aspire for…
Are your beliefs a response to external information?
Beliefs are one of the most fascinating, and some would say, the most significant component of the ideas that a human being holds. It wouldn’t be wrong to say, there is always some emotional connection to any idea that forms a part of the beliefs of any human being. When a wife believes her husband…
Observation – Satan’s absurdity, and Eve’s naivete…and many questions
The claim is often made by individuals with specific objectives and interests that, the Bible is outdated and no longer useful. It is also believed that, there is nothing profound or worth learning from a book that many others consider to be the revealed will of God. It is possible that, the Bible falls short…
Indian government’s demonetization step – rooted in the concept of the divine
Try as one may otherwise, the human mind by necessity needs to have some basic concepts about the world around us. The concepts we have could be, should be, of a more general nature. Upon these basic concepts, details are added through observations, experiences, training, and learning. If the basic concept is correct, they will…
Indian government’s demonetization step – the test of behaviors
It would be the prime accusation that, the Indian government under the current BJP rule was hasty in announcing, executing, and implementing the decision to demonetize 500 and 1,000 Rupee currency notes. Does this accusation stand to reason? Yes, it does stand to the reason guided by observation. There is more to the faculty of…
Indian government’s demonetization step – an object lesson in today’s world
In the life of a nation, there come times when landmark decisions are made. The decision itself stands to define the future course of that nation. As it is, we are now part of the global whole and therefore, significant decisions create waves that easily go beyond national borders. The ideas of governments, their ambitions,…
How personal convictions challenge social peace and justice?
There has to be a necessary coexistence in society for an individual to flourish. A society is a huge factor in the development of an individual. There are individuals who can and want to take up social causes, offer practical suggestions, and assist in bringing changes that will bring possible improvements. The flourishing of all…
Is the future determined by our beliefs?
Think of belief as a future destination. Yes, there are beliefs of such nature. All beliefs are ideas, and ideas can travel through time.
The natural order of things as a basis for justice
There is a natural order of things. Nature works because, it has its own system. The most gigantic interaction of living and the nonliving makes up the system of nature. In this system, there are many parts and subsystems. We can discern, there is an order to the way all creatures interact with the environment…
Does justice emanate from belief?
Human beings are unique among creatures on this earth, for we have even deeper than the conscious, the very instinct of justice. Even without thought or much deliberation, a human can have the instinct for justice. This sense of justice brings rivalry among brothers, it brings favoritism, it brings inequality between the genders. On the…
The flawed and biased employment of critical thinking
The website, “The Critical Thinking Community” carries this definition of critical thinking, on one of its pages: Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form,…
Criticizing the institutions – what lesson in Jehovah’s witnesses and others?
The short answers is, it depends on the person to join or criticize JWs or any other institution. An important separation between the institution and the individual should always remain in the mind of the observer. The difference and the connection should be a constant, and an obvious fact.
Extreme views: Seeing the world from the edges, or rooted in a view
The greater the sense of confusion grows, so grows the desperation to find answers. Finding oneself unable to compete in a world of ever-growing divides, even those with experience find themselves thrown off-balance. Falling down the slippery slopes of divided views, people find themselves secure at the very edges. From the very edges they establish…
Overcoming disappointment with Jehovah’s witnesses, and humans in general
I was never interested in organized religion. Organized religion meant the confining and defining of any real faith a person might have. The worst taste of religion for me – deeply organized and correctly identified as a cult – was with Jehovah’s witnesses. Right from the time I was studying, I could see some crucial…
Individualism and the challenges to democracy: uncertainties in the hands of men
The rise of individualism and social congregation of like-minded individuals on social networks is, most certainly the end of traditional democracy. Already there is a kind of reactionary leadership, leading to a weakening of authority.
The section of the world, we want to see…none see all!
When you put a query into a search box of an engine like Google or Bing, are you not already directing what kind of information will be presented? The direction you put yourself in contact with connects you to a stream of information. That stream of information and what flows to your eyes and ears…
Why the growth of extremism in recent times? Is there a remedy?
It would be a mistake to confine extremism to religion or political ideology or a nationality. Extremism can be found anywhere, even in music and art. It is usually a response to some external trouble. It could be seen as a means of countering the negative influence of outside forces, and as a means to…
