...if we can not analyze, then we will not survive. How is this disagreeable?
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Seems pretty obvious to me, kinamic, yet in order to justify some choices/actions, or non-choices, humans have made all kinds of attempts to deny this. This ties in with what I wrote on your thread regarding your choice of embracing a religion or some other form of "seeking." Some folk tend to let themselves be guided by their feelings. By doing this many will abandon their ability or choice to analyze a problem/situation. Their ultimate choice of what to do--or not to do--may be correct in some instances, but I equate "letting one's feelings be one's main guide" with an unjustifiable gamble. The same with the choice to allow "faith" to override our ability to reason.
We already have what it takes to make the most of our human survival. We have our brains, our minds, our human consciousness along with the rest of our amazing body. Throughout our history Man has been faced with one challenge after another to discount his own abilities--Man challenging Man. Rather than face up to this unfortunate truth, some men buy into philosophies that provide excuses for anti-man behavior; rationality that is truly not rational. Not in the long run; not in the bigger picture. Some do it in ignorance. Some know they are wrong, but take the easy way out.
If we abandon the proper use of our mind, and lose our thought, we lose our conscience. Once we have lost that, there is no telling what would or could happen. As far as I can see, it is happening, generation after generation, a bit of our conscience dies out. With no conscience it would be "okay" to kill, steal, and destroy. In the long run, that is the real threat to all living things.
It does seem at times that an overwhelming percentage of our fellow men have lost some or all of their consciences. Yet I think Man is entering a phase of history where we're actually standing on the brink of another age of enlightenment. The popularity of "spiritualism" has increased in recent years, but I think
one of the primary reasons for this is because people are hungry for
truth. In some cases, they're starving for it. Science has gained a stronger respect and Religion has had to combat that. The outcome of such a battle (in a war that has been going on for much of our history) creates a variety of causes that nudge people to question and to seek.
Still, irrational methods of "surviving" have been on the intellectual market for a long enough time that these seem to have at least some credibility. People have been given reasons to
fear trying to live Life without being certain about various "unknowables." Such notions are embedded in our human culture. Some philosophies, particularly religions, claim to have enough correct answers to relieve what are actually unnecessary human fears--in my opinion.
Men living in our age have the benefit of more human history to reflect upon, and much improved abilities to communicate with the rest of the world, to do research. Thus, they have more to support their doubts, and are, I think, more skeptical than were the majority of people who lived a hundred years ago--and even as Today's Man encounters more counterclaims that abandoning the ability of one's own mind-tool is the way to go. These counterclaims just don't add up and larger numbers of Mankind appear to be coming to terms with this, albeit slowly.
Fear is an extraordinarily powerful tool. But I agree with all who've made the statement before: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Because we
also have our wonderful minds which we can use to diffuse "fear" in all its anti-man guises.
Btw... for a more in-depth discussion about how the mind works, inasmuch as we understand it to work so far, there have been some very intriguing posts offered on the "The Nature of Thought" thread.
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Thanks for the input, kinamic...
Counterbalance
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