Why do humans have such a strong urge to distract ourselves from the real world?
Philosophizing is very interesting. It opens your brain to possible rational thoughts. The results of this process are on my blog. Today I will try to be blunt in this write-up. Let’s learn one or two things together!
When I entered university newly, I was introduced to Critical Thinking. This is a course that teaches you about arguments, what makes an argument valid, invalid, strong, weak, true or false. In this course, we were also introduced to fallacies which are the errors in reasoning. My lecturer then, Mr. Akande said in the class that not everybody that entered that same year will graduate from the university!
This was very shocking to many of the students especially Political Science students who were given the course as a compulsory elective. Everybody in the class started murmuring. The lecturer in question was not moved by that, he simply continued with his lecture.
Now is it the case that the students didn’t know that is a reality about life or they just chose to lie to themselves and ignore the reality? Before the lecturer could say that, he must have thought of so many things. Let’s see some of them below:
• Some people will die natural death
• Some will die from road accident
• Some will die by drowning since students cannot do without going to beach to party
• Some wont make the required CGPA and would be asked to leave the school
• Some will leave because they do not have money to continue
• Some will be killed by cultists
The above are some of the factors that could make a student not complete his education in the university. The fact is, not all of us graduated from the university. All the things listed above happened! Some drowned, some were killed by cultists, some left, some were rusticated, etc.
You can choose to rationalise it but you cannot run away from reality. The reality of life was presented before us as students but we thought the man was being negative. Life and death are part of existence and we cannot run away from these realities.
In Nigeria, if someone is confirmed HIV/AID’s positive, the normal procedure is to meet specialist and do what you are asked to do. AID’s is not only transmitted through copulation but people will rationalize it that an HIV/AID’s positive person must have gotten it by copulating with another being.
Also for cancer, instead of them to follow the normal procedure of chemotherapy, they will simply go to mountains to pray! This is very alarming!
I am not denying the fact that ‘miracle’ might happen, but why choose that path ahead of science when we know that the normal thing is to go to the hospital and not ‘mountains’? The reality is already before you and you just need to face it instead of running away from it.
If your food is poisoned for instance and you were told this before eating the food, would you eat it because you have prayed on it? This part is interesting! Yes you are a believer and you already have this belief that prayer does everything and I am not arguing that. My question is, will you just pray on the food and eat it? The reality before you is that the food is poisoned but you choose to ignore it because you know how to pray. You need to ask yourself: do respected ‘men of God’ that died in plane crash, on roads accident also prayed before living home? If they did, then why did they die? Perhaps, you will say it was their time to die? Exactly and that is the reality! Whether you pray or not, if it will happen that day, you cannot do anything about it and this is what we call que sera, sera – what will be will be.
You don’t need to shy away from reality! You need to face it and live a life free of illusion. I also tell people not to bring God into everything. You need to ask why ‘men of God’ are treated by doctors. Why can’t they just pray their way through?
We live to die and nobody can deny this fact. When it will be is what we don’t know and no amount of prayer can stop anybody from dying or to live forever. Sickness is part of life and I laugh when people pray that ‘you shall not sick’! That is not a prayer! We need to see realty for what it is and face it!
Thanks for reading my blog. Your boy @smyle the philosopher.
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Alot of times we cant stand the pressures of the normal world or to say the normal feeling..
So we tend to mend things to suit our condition..
Nice one you put up here sir..
I could likely post a comment that is of similar length as hte psoit, but ill compress it.
Beginning witht he lecturers comment of: "not everybody that entered that same year will graduate from the university!"
From what you write, this was likely a simple statement based on past experience and yes reality. Butseeing as it was a critical thinking calss it can also be seen as a statement to start questioning of what is stated. "how true is this that statement". And it can be viewed as an alegorical statement of life as a univercity.
But I whould argue that most chose to focus on the positives as it intuitivly tells them that it wil be more helpfulle to focus on whats is good. But what is lost is the understanding of a need for being aware of the negative as a tool. As in knowing what risk factors is pressent.
Regarding your rationalisation aorund sickness starting with HIV, the asumtion is based on what we are told, being that it is spread via copulation with others. hence that is asumed, as thats what we are generally told. So with no critical thinking we wil not question if that is 100% true.
But with cancer, tehre is actually alot of ways it can be treated that is not chemo that is way better, but not generally known. And regarding the choise of going to the mountains and pray is actually more "normal" to do then getting chemo. But then that introduces the question of "what is normal?". But praying wil not do anything, that is, unless you actualy understand what prayer is. And if you do then you, actually, heal yourself through prayer. And i think this is something that alot have an uncountious understanding of, but no real understanding of.
The alegory of poisened food, is an erronious alegory in my opinion. As that is a direct knowledge based situation, that is obvies. There is 0 cost involved in choosing not to eat that food. Chosing to go into a hospital and get chemo to treat cancer, however, have a huge cost attached to it. And it is a situation you put yourself in over time that wil not be fixed by chemo, if nothing else changes.
The univercity of life, is however the most challenging one of all, as truth is not made obvies in our pressent time situation. Philosophy, critical thinking and an open mind is important keys.
On the statement that 'not everybody will graduate', it cannot be faulted! Pragmatically, it was true because not all of us graduated. So nothing is wrong with the statement.
HIV/AID's is not based on assumption. It is not about what we are told but what science says which is proven to be true for now. Copulation is just one of the ways it can be transmitted.
The chances of curing such sickness by prayer are pretty slim. I don't see it as belief, it looks too extreme to me.
It will be very stupid to know that a food it poisoned and still eat it.
In all, i really appreciate your contribution.
This is true, as much as I try to understand science, economics, and ecology I also spend a lot of time on hobbies, games, movies, art that are distractions/relaxtions ... One also gets frustrated when the world doesn't conform to how we think it should be, we are all trapped in our own perceptions and biases.
This piece has said the reality about life @smyle. Well-done. Sometimes we don't take note of this but it is the reality.
Well said @smyle. Upvoted and followed
Nice post
Please contribute to post instead of writing 'nice post'! It is wrong! Thanks.
All you have said are correct, but we live in a world where if you dont confess positivity, the evil ones may capitalise on it and ruin things. I happen to be among those who are optimistic above life. But in truth some things are meant to happen, whether we accept it or not. May God help us
The above is probably because we live in Africa! I don't know if the 'White' have such idea of 'evil ones'!
Thanks for your contribution ma.