If you are reading this blog, the odds are that you are already on broad with much of what I am saying. I am being more of a cheerleader to help you move ahead and to understand the rest of the like-minded people around you who just need a nudge to become more sustainable. And also, to help you understand the mass of people who are not yet awakened to the realities of the new world coming. I have friends who call me iconoclastic because I look at all issues from a broad perspective without leaping to judgment, which means I look at stuff outside the dogmatic mainstream. I ask questions to gain clarity for myself. I like amusing Youtube posts like ‘The Why Files’ because the host, A.J. (and his cute but annoying, often outlandish, sidekick Hecklefish) cover intriguing controversies from an entertaining perspective and then offer serious, well-formed conclusions. If nothing else, A.J., makes you look at your beliefs, which is something I always advocate. When you understand your beliefs, you gain a personal sovereignty. You become less, or unaffected, by mainstream concerns and illusions.
As physicist, Richard Feynman once said, “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned … We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question.” Carl Sagan often talked about the process of science and how questions are an essential process of how science advances. This is true of both the ‘hard’ (physics, chemistry, etc.) as the ‘soft’ (sociology, philosophy, political science, etc.) sciences. That is why I disdain any authority when they make claims that any science is ‘settled’ and no more discussion is warranted for these steps in to the realm of ‘scientism.’ (I have covered this in depth earlier in this blog – e.g., see links 1 and 2).
‘Sustainability’ is seen by many as a series of techniques rather than a philosophy of living – the latter as something I focus on as regular readers are well aware. To be a ‘Sustainabilitist’ (as I call myself), you have to be willing to explore all issues from many perspectives. I also watch magic acts a lot. I’m not a stage magician but I love trying to figure out how they do their illusions. The Penn and Teller ‘Fool us’ clips on Youtube are intriguing as I watch stage magicians try to do acts that confound even these two gifted magicians. I was at a magic show in Las Vegas a couple of years ago, and even when I knew how the magician did one difficult trick, I was still in awe of the talent he showed in doing it, despite my knowing how.
Distraction, sleight of hand, brilliant technology are all part of the illusions they perform. When it comes to everyday life, the same kind of acts are going on. Once you start looking beyond the illusions given to everyone, you start to see life as it really is and not as the puppet masters want you to see it through their illusionary tricks. (An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people.)
Many people would rather wait until the shit hits the fan before they take action, assuming that the current systems will somehow keep going even if they do seem a little rickety and dubious. Like the ‘Wizard of OZ,’ even though many people know that there is a magician behind a curtain pulling levers and blowing smoke to impress everyone, they maintain a belief that this must all be fine since the wizard must be benevolent. I watch the world with sad amusement as a ‘Tragicomedy’ pushes people into ever widening polarization. As I look through Facebook, I am saddened by the numbers of friends and colleagues I once thought open-minded, have now become polarized and judgmental. The puppet master magicians found their triggers now, as they did during Covid in 2020. You lose any semblance of open-mindedness when all you do is seek belief confirmation to beliefs that are not really yours.
I saw the stage show ‘Wicked’ a few years ago (and the film recently) that turns the traditional view of a benevolent ‘Wizard of OZ’ on its head. It is interesting how many of these kinds of shows now exist that imply a malevolent hierarchy, e.g., The Matrix, Terminator, Hunger Games, etc. Are we being programmed with these shows to get us to be more accepting of a dystopian future? Or, are there creative minds out there trying to tell us something obvious, much like Huxley and Orwell did with their classic novels (Brave New World and 1984)? Even consider the idea openly and many will label you a conspiracist – what passes as the great insult these days to marginalize anything outside the mainstream narratives.
Open-mindedness is the foundation of harmony in a diverse world. When we accept others as they are, without imposing our beliefs or judgments, we create space for peace to flourish. This doesn’t mean agreeing with everything—it means honoring the infinite perspectives and realities that make up the human experience. Humanity thrives when diversity is embraced. Open-mindedness allows us to coexist, to learn from each other’s truths, and to recognize the beauty in paths different from our own. It’s a quiet strength, rooted in understanding rather than control.
“Open-minded people do not impose their beliefs on others. They just accept all of life’s perspectives and realities, doing their own thing in peace without judging anyone” Stephen Aitchison. (See link for more unique quotes that exemplify open-mindedness.) “Open-mindedness is the willingness to actively search for a diverse range of information, perspectives, and solutions when navigating through life. It’s the ability to admit that we always have more to learn, and that our experiences shape our perspectives” Diverse Educators.
Personal Sovereignty is a precious thing. It is real freedom regardless of what else goes on around you. Viktor Frankl made this the mainstay of all his work. My favorite Spiritual guru, the late Michael Roads, had this to say; “Real freedom is when you are free to freely choose.” When you are locked into patterns of thinking that are inflexible, your ability to choose freely is greatly restricted and even negated. Whether this be religious, political, or scientific, or whatever the source, rigid beliefs keep you trapped in sameness – Habit and dogma are locked-in with sub-consciously programming. Open-mindedness makes you more conscious of everything you think and do.
So, tell us how, I hear many of you say. The problem with rigid, deeply held, and unquestioned beliefs makes one ‘attached’ to deeply conditioned programming. Being attached to anything make one instantly reactive, instead of being thoughtfully responsive. As Michael Roads also emphasized, “If you have no attachments to an opinion or an outcome, you will find that you seldom, if ever get angry. If you have no attachments to what people think of you, good or bad, you have the foundations of inner peace. If you have no attachments to your own opinion, when other people disagree with you, there will be no emotional reactions, no anger. No trying to convince them that you are right! It is so peaceful living this way. This is a path to emotional balance.” This is important because in this new truly sustainable world coming (my preference at least, and I suspect for all of you readers), we will have to quickly learn to live together peacefully if we are to thrive and move past this artificial separation that has been imposed upon all our global societies. Now that is a big order but not necessarily a hard one.
It’s not about ignoring all the crapola going on in the world. Being open-minded means to see the world anew with all its possibilities and probabilities. To Be Continued …………….
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