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Little ThingsAre You Right or Wrong? Most people, I think, live their lives by default. They accept what they're given rather than choosing their lives after examination and decision. People born in Asia are mostly Buddhists. People born in the Americas are mostly "Christian." People born in the Mideast are mostly Muslim. I put "Christian" in quotes because many Christians understand the difference between Christianity by choice and christianity by default. But this is not a blog concerned with that difference, therefore I won't mention it further. People born into Democrat families tend to be Democrats, and the same with Republicans. People born to poor parents tend to be poor, because that is the mentality they were taught, and they really think they have no other choice... because they never really thought about it. Yet, I think most of us tend to think the other person is "wrong" and our way is right. Baptists think the Catholics are wrong, Christians think the Muslims are wrong, Democrats think the Republicans are wrong. Conservatives think the liberals are wrong. Why? Because that is the way they were raised. Many people never stop to think that somebody has got to be wrong and why shouldn't it be them? Isn't it unreasonable to think we are right in everything? Why can't it be we ourselves who are wrong in religion or politics or both? Let's examine several important historical events and see where it leads us. The Roman Catholic Church doctrinally once held to the geocentric universe: the sun, moon and stars revolved about earth. Mankind was God's crowning achievement (as if we were qualified to judge God's success). Even the leading scientists and college professors in AD 1600 taught the geocentric truth, that earth is the center of the universe. But of course the leading scientists and college professors happened to be sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church. The church also demonstrated by the Bible that the earth was the center of the universe, such as in Psalm 19:6, "[The sun] rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat." But that doctrine eventually failed; it was wrong. In one fell swoop, church doctrine and scientific "truth" fell before the facts. Since both the church and science have failed in the past, why should anybody today think their own personal doctrines and "truths," which they inherited from others, are infallible without examination? The Southern Baptist Church taught that slavery was ordained by God and it was human nature that caused black people to be enslaved by white people. They used scripture, logic and science to prove their point. That doctrine lasted for about 125 years, and finally they apologized for their mistake and repudiated it. Now that is a masterful church. What other religion do you know has ever repudiated their own doctrine and apologized for it? What about politics? I give you Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. "Ah," you said, "but we don't believe Nazism was right." Of course your don't, but a whole nation of people did: Germany. So did Italy. So did France after it was conquered and embraced the politics of their masters. Here are nations of people who believed fascism was the way to go, and people born in those nations generally embraced the faith they were taught by their parents, schools, newspapers and magazines. Much the way it is today in the United States. Frustration and the Coward's Way Out Since it is so blatantly evident that everybody cannot be right, and nobody is wrong in everything, some people have adopted the philosophy that Everybody Is Right. It's easier to say "All religions have truth and all religions basically serve God," than it is to take self-responsibility and figure out "What will I believe?". It's easier to say, "All political parties are the same, they're all equally corrupt." than it is to take responsibility and discover what you truly believe and what each party stands for. It's easier to say, "I just cannot learn easily," than it is to take responsibility for yourself, apply yourself and learn what you're supposed to know. But even that Easy Philosophy shows the person has done some thinking about it. He recognized the difference of philosophies and took the coward's way out: he decided not to think about it any more but just accept everything. The more deplorable situation is when a person simply believes everything he was fed without further examination as the one and only truth. He's Christian because his parents were, and all other religions are wrong. He's Baptist without further examination because his parents were, and all other denominations are wrong. He's Republican (or Democrat) without further examination because his parents were, and other politics are totally wrong. And worse – not only does he cling to his rightness in everything, but he also argues the point with others, just as if he knew what he was talking about. Closely associated with that is the assumption, "You're just like me. If I don't know something then it's impossible for you to know it." I beg your pardon! Some people have actually put some thought into matters and have come to legitimate conclusions. Just because you don't know which political party is better doesn't mean nobody does. "The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates, 399 BC. Importance of Life's Big Decisions I've heard some people say that thinking of such things doesn't interest them. It's as if ignoring the issues will render those issues irrelevant to their lives. Those people, I think, probably deserve what they get, to be the menial workers and slaves of society. A person's religion and politics touch everything in his life to the very core, and they should be thought about. The politics of your nation determine how much money you make, where you live, whether your children go to school, whether you take a vacation, if you get to live in a house, how well you dress yourselves, what doctor you get to use, whether you get any medical care at all, if you get a car to drive, and every other physical thing about you. You may say, "How can 'politics' determine how much money I make?" In two ways. It determines the level of taxation and it determines whether you're a privileged citizen or slave. You may say, "We don't have slaves in the United States." Not today maybe, but we once did and we're only a vote away from bringing it back. Think of all the politics of other countries. What about North Korea or Sudan? What they have and what they do is all a matter of their politics. Today in the United States we have a good government... that's all politics. It only takes a persuasive, forceful speaker and one vote to take it all away. We only have what we have because of vigilance of people who do care about politics. You may ask "How can religion make a big difference to me?" If any religion is true at all, then you had better strive to figure it out, or else your soul is in deep trouble. If no religion is true, then you better figure out what you need to do about it. Religion brings inner peace and harmony with others. It livens you and strengthens you. If you reject all religion, then you need at least to decide to embrace some principles just as if religion were true. I know people will challenge me and say, "Religion brings wars and strife in this world." Notice, however, the people saying that have nothing to do with religion. They are outside of belief and oppose it. What do people with religion say? They embrace it and claim it gives them peace, strength and assurance. They invite you to share the blessing with them. Do you think if religion brought wars and strife that anyone would still have any religion at all, much less invite others to attend? Little Things I've found the surest way to resolve monumental issues in ones life is to attend to The Basics, the First Questions, the Little Things. These are the basic issues upon which other, greater, matters are built. The Little Things are decided by facts, logic and even intuition. It even gives you the understanding that you're free to change, modify and alter your Basic Beliefs when faced with new evidence, logic, facts and thoughts. Let's liken a major philosophy, such as politics or religion, to a tree. Pick a set of participants, such as a Republican and a Democrat, or a Baptist and a Catholic. They set to arguing the points of their belief: "We should have gun control versus We should not have gun control," or "The Bible is the authority of the church versus The Church is the authority of the Bible." That is like arguing over leaves in a tree. This leaf is better than that leaf. Once the leaf (or issue) has been resolved – if ever – it is replaced with a thousand other leaves and ultimately nothing gets resolved; the argument goes on forever. The argument should not be about leaves, the outgrowth of the trunk. It's the trunk in question, not the leaf. If the trunk is invalid, if the trunk cannot stand scrutiny, then everything it produces are by default illegitimate. It doesn't matter what fluent, persuasive words are used to prove each leaf true or false. If the trunk is wrong, the basis from which the leaf springs, then all the leaves have got to be invalid. It is the trunk, you basic belief, that you need to be sure of. From that, everything else falls into place. Little Things Like What? Here is a list of some of the basic beliefs everybody should decide in their own lives, especially before arguing about it with someone else.
Finally, think of some more basic questions that apply to your own life. Answer life's basic questions and most other things will simply fall into place. You won't have to stop and wonder which way to go, because you've already turned on the lights and you know who you ought to be, where you ought to go and what you ought to do. Mastering the Little Things in life make you Master of all.
© 3 May 2009, J. Brown
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