How serious are you?
When people talk about being serious, there is very little humour in it. For many, sincerity cannot be delivered through happiness, it is reserved for difficulty and struggle, death, sickness and business. Exactly the kinds of times a little humour and lightness is required.
Seriousness for me is not devoid of joy and laughter, if anything, it is a source of it. To me, if one is serious about anything at all, they do whatever it takes to improve the situation, find alternatives, develop new methods. To be serious means to not turn away. Not stop.
This creates a fundamental problem. What if we are wrong?
And this is very likely. It doesn't matter what you want to get serious about, what you know today and what is possible to know about it, are different. There is likely no way to ever know all there is to know about any subject. There is always more, new angles slight changes in perspectives, testing methods, precision.
Being wrong is not comfortable. It is not the recommended position to be yet, that is where we stand at any given time. Different degrees of wrong. If perfect is flawless in every way, we are not it. Well, at least we are unlikely to be acting it.
We may be flawless as creations with each difference, curve, bump and blemish perfectly placed through evolution. But in our thinking, ideals, beliefs and theories? They are wrong. All of them.
This can be also viewed as different degrees of right where with what methods, tools and skills we currently have, we can do and be no better. This may be a practical way to look at it also but, the issue remains. We are still going to discover that we are not perfectly placed.
There is always a discrepancy between perfect and knowledge because knowledge is forever bound to be limited, it can never be complete. If knowledge was complete, than there would never be a reason to move again, grow, discover, speak, evolve at all.
But most are not interested in this view as they believe themselves already on the right side of wrong. They cannot entertain the possibility that they may need to adjust, reformulate their position or, destroy it altogether.
They will argue their views earnestly, with honesty and seriously. This does not make them correct. It does not make them wrong either but, if they are not willing to take the position that they may be wrong, in my opinion, they are not serious at all.
There are many of them in this world. Zealots. Arguing with these people is futile for they will do all they can to protect themselves in order to maintain their assumed position of correctness. They will deny until there is no opposition left to argue with, and they will think they have no made their point clearly, that they have been proven right, that they have won.
Being right and thinking you are right are two different positions. If the house is on fire and one inside denies this, they can maintain their conviction until they are ashes but, they burn just the same as the kitchen chair with no understanding of the danger at all.
If one takes the position of denial over the chance of being wrong, they are not serious. If one backs away from discovery for it threatens their position, they are not serious. If one will not entertain the thought that they may not be correct, they are not serious.
The joy is in the journey, to deny there is a journey takes away any chance of joy. And to take a position of infallibility means no journey, no gaps to close. When there is no joy, that is a serious matter indeed.
How serious are you?
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
this is a beautiful text, my friend. I love to sprinkle in humor in political talks mostly sarcasm ^^* and people will often think that it is not a serious comment or even worse that I dont take the discussion seriously. Both are not true, but I often avoid humor for those reasons.
This is such an important statement. I will remember it! I have very strong opinions, but I discuss to challenge them not to protect them.
From your comments across authors I read, this is apparent. Also, when you find something interesting, you go away and research more. That is taking it seriously. And it is fun. :)
I have yet to meet someone who is or can be more serious than people who truly exercise, talk & spit freely their minds out with full and plain joy and laughter through an indisputable sprinkled Sense Of Humor on their speech.
"Humor is something that makes you think without being aware"
There are many other great & interesting points on your article to which I will try bring on board later. But for now, I just will finish my comment with this quote below. :)
"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows." - Epictetus
I guess that is where an Epic quote comes from.
Not knowing what's right or wrong can paralyze people. It's why most people don't take journeys.
What if taking the journey and not taking it are of equal value? I guess some denial or naivety is required in life.
Just random thoughts.
Thanks for sharing.
What thoughts are not random? :)
You are right, it can paralyse people so moving forward knowing, 'I am right at the moment, but that might change in a moment' could satisfy both positions.
Journey / No journey are likely of equal value. So acceptance of both positions would be required to remove conflict. If you believe you are right, and do not want to journey fine. But part of that acceptance is to accept all that is and not want to have any change. For to want change would be the creation of conflict and to search for change is movement and a journey starts.
Lovely post. How I could relate to it.
So true. This begs for another question though: can one find joy without the journey?
I am glad there was value in there for you.
It is possible but takes complete acceptance of all that is.
Indeed. I was gearing more towards the newer possibilities as in: What if there was ANOTHER choice or an option to find joy...
If joy exists, and it exists in the journey, it might as well exist elsewhere. :)
I would assume it could exist anywhere but that would take a shift, movement, something if one wasn't already in an experience of joy. So , is that still a journey?
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I absolutely loved this portion. I totally agree with you that there is always something more to learn in life. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Life itself is education", you are also speaking along the same lines.
Awesome article. Followed and upvoted.
Thank you @maya7
There may be nothing in life that is not possible to learn something from although For efficiency and effectiveness, Ghandi is not a bad source.
Thanks for your support, it is greatly appreciated.
Nice this is similar to some thoughts I had today too. Not quite the same, but we were definitely tapping into the same source. @thatgermandude pointed out your post to me. Resteemed.
It is partly what we each consume. It leads to similar places. This is why I (we) discuss what we do, you are what you eat as they say and we are trying to introduce a little fibre to the diet.
Excellent post. It has my brain working and I like the way you describe your opinions. It truely does deliver the message to the reader. Thanks, Upvoted and followed.
To facilitate thinking is all I plan for. Yoir support is gratefully received.
Your welcome. Look forward to seeing more. Thanks