Young Know-it-alls

That's because nobody holds fast to things they don't actually believe in. Just because we don't see our own flaws doesn't negate their existence. Don't worry... You will. It sounds like you're a very reasonable person, so I wouldn't worry about you being such a jerk that you'll dismiss anyone else's input without an honest evaluation.I think what you should expect is to be surprised with how your central beliefs will synthesize with time, be it good or bad, when you look back in retrospect.

---

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." -C.S. Lewis

Drew writes

quote:

---

I sometimes find myself wishing I could be ignorant, deluded and happy rather than analytical, right and depressed.

---

I've always said that being a human is both a blessing and a curse. Sure, its a blessing because you are endowed with superior intellect to grapple with the great paradoxes of life. Its also a curse for the exact same reason, which in and of itself, is a paradox.Or perhaps something of more pablum may get my point across better."Look at my cat. Why can't I live like that? All other animals except us do nothing else but eat and shit." -LagwagonMy interpretation of the lyrics: Man, it must be nice to wooed by nothing else but blissful ignorance rather than being plagued by all the world's ills. Because knowledge means knowing about the facade. I understand what he is saying. I have some spiritual connotations I could add. No, that's part of the depressing thought. If heaven is being consumed by earthly pleasures, then their is no point of heaven. Dreaming of earthly pleasures to come in the heavenly realm would be a source of depression for me.If I were a cat, as the song suggests, it wouldn't matter. But since knowing better, there will always be a source of malcontent for Drewski unless he embraces what he seems to already know his heart of hearts. A false hope is no hope at all. I'll ask the question that Pilate asked Jesus: "What is Truth® [reality]?Edited by Nemesis Juggernaut, : fixed italics

---

“This life’s dim windows of the soul, distorts the heavens from pole to pole, and goads you to believe a lie, when you see with and not through the eye.” -William Blake

There is an philosophy about that. Some people, likely even yourself, argue that things like religion impede "progress." One has to ask, though, what this supposed progress is? In order to "progress" doesn't one have to have in mind an achievement to be accomplishing? If we are perpetually striving towards something, what is that thing?In the final analysis, does it even matter if we plateau in our knowledge, in our evolution, in our advancement? If there is no purpose to this universe other than the one we assign it, what are we seeking to gain? Isn't it vanity if there is no purpose? This goes back to my previous statement. If happiness and contentment are major motivators in our lives, then wouldn't the fulfillment of that objective, irrespective of how it comes to pass, be the most important goal?If one is blissfully ignorant, you would not know that you are ignorant. So what does it matter? Why not opt to be the cat if that's the case?Now, I realize that you are saying this only in lieu of us becoming aware of a facade that we were living. You would prefer knowing the truth, presumably, even if the truth hurt more than the fictional lives we once were under.This begs the question: What is it about Truth that makes us yearn for it? Why is it so universally ingrained within us to strive for truth if the universe does not, itself, have any meaning? You obviously can't say that we give it meaning if that meaning is so universal and innate. It bespeaks of something grander than that, does it not?Weird. For me, knowing better means I no longer have to waste time on what is actually worthless.[/qs]Again, that presupposes a goal. What is the goal?(Just to clarify, I think many people feel this way. Its certainly not a strange thing. I'm just playing the devil's advocate here so we can uncover a few motivations). What do you suppose has real meaning? I think the point was that if he was more ignorant than he is now, he wouldn't have been worrying about it at all. Does the fly worry about when it is going to eat? Does it have the intellect to feel sorry for itself when it is hungry? Does it calculate its moves, or does it rely on baser instincts?I think the point of Drewski is that this life we live under the knowledge of the tree of good and evil (pardon the religious expression) we are cursed by that knowledge. I think he is saying that while knowledge can be a blessing, it can also be a curse.

---

“This life’s dim windows of the soul, distorts the heavens from pole to pole, and goads you to believe a lie, when you see with and not through the eye.” -William Blake

Right, hence the blessing and the curse. I guess it also depends on what is to be made known. If you had the ability to know when and how you would die, would you opt to know or not? Well, yes, of course. You are a human and therefore are driven by human pursuits. Yes I would rather know the truth, even if it hurt. And yes, it sometimes can hurt. For instance, say you had a bulge in your abdomen. You are thinking, great, another hernia. You are thinking its a minor inconvenience. You go to get an MRI and discover that its actually a tumor the size of a tennis ball. Ah, but don't you supply meaning to your own microcosm? If meaning exists beyond the self, then what supplies the meaning?

---

“This life’s dim windows of the soul, distorts the heavens from pole to pole, and goads you to believe a lie, when you see with and not through the eye.” -William Blake

I suppose it would have its perks, but I'm sure there are drawbacks, like knowing how you would die but don't know when. And then of course, you might always question whether or not you actually know the day you are going to die. If you knew the manner you would, like a car accident, would you constantly be living in fear? Is today the day? It might be maddening, in which case, you aren't living life as it comes, but fearful of the expectation of death. Alright, perhaps cancer was a bad illustration, since, yes, you would want to know as soon as possible so it won't get any bigger, causing more complications.What about your beloved wife cheating on you? Don't you think that truth might hurt? Sure, you would want to know the truth, but it would still hurt.

---

“This life’s dim windows of the soul, distorts the heavens from pole to pole, and goads you to believe a lie, when you see with and not through the eye.” -William Blake