Are You a Truth Seeker?
(A continuation of the page Are
You a Seeker of Truth?)
Listen to Others
If you are the smartest person in the world you can still
learn from other people. You have to learn from others. Listening
to people not only gives you new ideas, but shows you how people
comes to believe what they do. That gives you better ways to
think directly, or reminds you of errors you may be making. You
might see an mistake in a man's reasoning, for example, and recognize
that you are making the same mistake in thinking about other
issues.
Also, people may be wrong in particular and yet right in the
principles they point out. For example, a man may repeat some
unproven idea, like "80% of our results come from 20% of
our efforts." We can see the silliness of such an assertion,
and that any study "proving" this probably has questionable
ways to measure "results" and "efforts."
But at the same time, we can see the truth of the underlying
principle that some of the things we do are much more effective
than others.
Don't Accept a Vote on Truth
A truth seeker learns from others, but never makes her own
thinking subject to majority rule. If the whole world is wrong
on some point, she is willing to stand alone and proclaim the
truth she sees. This isn't a matter of ego, but a recognition
that her mind has to be the final judge. Even choosing to rely
on an "expert" or a group consensus means her own mind
must decide which expert or group to believe, so that in the
end, there is no other way to arrive at truth but by her own
efforts and trusting in her own mind.
Accept the Uncertainty of Life
A man may be very decisive and yet still use the words probably
and maybe. This is because he sees that we have to act without
full knowledge. From such a perspective, a decision never means,
"I am doing this because it is certainly the best thing
to do." It means "I choose to act, and to do the best
I can with what I currently know."
Most things we call knowledge are "probably" or "likely"
true. Like a scientist, a person who seeks truth is ready to
act while recognizing that life is uncertain. At times (perhaps
most) "probabilities" are all we will have to work
with. Accepting this allows us to do the best we can. Pretending
there are more certainties than there are means we cannot so
easily see better understandings as they present themselves.
Be Skeptical - Not Cynical
A cynic is "A person whose outlook is scornfully and
often habitually negative," or "A faultfinding captious
critic." This is not a useful. In its ultimate expression,
it becomes a reluctance to believe anything, even as "operating
principles." Whatever the "ultimate" truths turn
out to be, clearly there are better and worse (more and less
useful) ways to see things.
A skeptic, on the other hand, is "One who instinctively
or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions
or generally accepted conclusions." This does not imply
any negativity. It is simply a recognition that much of what
we "know" is eventually overturned by better knowledge.
It makes sense to doubt and question our beliefs - and then use
them anyhow until better ones are available. It is the questioning
that might bring about the better understanding.
Be Creative and Analytical
Critical analysis is necessary to test the validity of our
ideas, which means how close to the truth they are. Creativity
is what gives us those new ideas to test. Both are likely to
be among the mental habits of a seeker of truth.
Be Reflective
We have to be wary of our own internal motivations. There
are thoughts and ideas and beliefs which are important to parts
of us, and will resist change. In other words, not all of one's
mind is interested in arriving at the truth.
The truth seeker, then, has to reflect on what is going on
internally. Is a point of view based on honest observation, or
is it promoted by some feelings or motivations that are not interested
in how things really are? For example, an environmentalist may
believe that "using pesticides is always dangerous,"
but upon reflection realize that this conclusion is based on
a lower level of evidence than she normally requires.
Once aware of that, she might observe that she habitually
lowers her standards when the conclusion is one that fits her
previously stated views. In other words, her standard of truth
is contingent upon whether she wants to believe something. Recognizing
this thinking error, she can correct it.
This kind of reflection and self-observation is crucial. Honesty
has to start with being honest about our own tendencies, motivations,
limitations and possible thinking errors. Without some level
of self awareness, we will often be mislead by those parts of
us which do not seek truth.
Change Your Mind Easily
If you want to know whether a man is interested in the truth
or not, see if he ever changes his mind. Ask him if there are
issues he has a different view on now than he did in the past.
Ask yourself if you've seen him change his beliefs in the years
you have known him. If neither of you can come up with examples,
he probably shouldn't be considered a seeker of truth.
The same is true for yourself, of course. While we can speculate
on the possibility of a person always finding the best expression
of the truth on the first try, life experience tells us this
is so unlikely that it verges on impossible. Moreover, life continually
presents new evidence that must change honest minds. If we are
always looking for more insight into the nature of reality, we
will almost certainly have to alter what we believe on many things
many times.
Are You a Truth Seeker?
So do you habitually look only at things which support your
existing beliefs, or are you willing to overturn anything and
everything you know as better understandings are discovered?
Are you open minded, willing to listen to others, creative and
yet analytical? Look over the list above again, and see how well
you fit the profile of an honest truth seeker.
Click
here to get your copy of Beyond Mental Slavery |
