Listen to a reading of this article: Most people never grow up. Not really. Growing up means maturing. It means becoming independent. It means developing into your own person and standing on your own two feet. Few people really do this. Because few people ever get around to extracting all the beliefs that were placed in their heads by other people.
I agree wholeheartedly with this. Our thoughts are not our own. But we must apply this to everything we think we "know", even if the subject matter makes us uncomfortable and open to derision or scorn, if we are to move forward.
Every single post you write is spot on! Yes, most people mindlessly repeat what they were told and trained to think. Then there are those who rebel. They think they are independent, but actually they are just ranting against the beliefs they still hold, albeit unwillingly. Many rebels never stop rebelling because they never find their own truth but stay fighting the propaganda they've grown up with. So they fall easily into a polarized tribe to rebel with. This is remaining an adolescent forever!
It is within that we find the response ability. Another brilliant piece, thank you Caitlin. If you ever need music for embellishment of your work, I have lots.
Our subconscious minds are being programmed constantly. Either you become a master of yourself and do your own programming or you unwittingly become a puppet for others to program you at their whim. It does take a lot of work, but it is the most worthwhile work you will ever do in your life.
As an educator (and a parent), I always find it humorous when people refer to children as "sponge-like imitators who soak[ed] up whatever [is] placed in [their] minds by trusted authorities." Kids are actually MORE likely to question what they're told or refuse to do what an authority tells them than most adults. And if you think their brains are like sponges, try to get them to remember ANYTHING you teach them if they're not motivated to learn it.
This doesn't negate any of the rest of this essay, which is awesome as always. It's just one of those thing we've been told over and over: children are like little sponges. My own experience (and that of many other adults I know) contradicts this bit of common wisdom. Personally, I've had to extract it from my mind and replace it with a different idea. That's good, right?
There is not a word in this post that would distinguish you from Alex Jones. Everyone thinks they are the mature thinker who has escaped the cave and seen the sun. Every follower of Ayn Rand thinks they are the Fountainhead. Every conspiracy thinker believes they are finally awake and can see the truth the sheople cannot. And every howling lunatic ragged schizophrenic, reeking of urine, believes they have found enlightenment.
This is like astrology: it says nothing and applies to everyone. That's exactly why people like astrology. But it's still bullshit.
If you want to define what a mature thinker would believe, then you will have to make an argument and defend it. That's harder than striking a pose. Real skepticism isn't just doubt, but requires a method of discovery, the best of which is the scientific method. And an essential part of that is peer review.
In order to know anything, you are going to have to trust someone. And you will have to admit that you don't know a lot, and defer to people who have put the time into understanding it. That takes humility and decades of research. Doubt is the beginning, but it is not the end.
This is right on target. People lack the ability of thinking independently, its human nature to surround ourselves with all these people that we follow/hero-worship and then end up unconsciously pursuing other people’s dreams and desires believing it to be our own. To extract these unconscious beliefs and to find our own truth will need super human willpower and infinite amounts of wisdom
I'm going to partially argue with this. First, I don't think we need to extract everything ever put in our heads, or we'd be gaping idiots who don't know how to walk or which way is up. Rather, we need to examine the beliefs our parents and other influencers inculcated, and decide which are worthy of keeping. It's not ALL bullshit. Secondly, I question the idea that it's possible to judge each idea that forms our worldview, and accurately assess which are grounded in reality and which are not. There is very little one can know for certain--to get through life it's absolutely necessary to take some things on faith. The key is to develop good JUDGEMENT. For example, I dismiss with contempt the argument that the world is flat. Enough people have flown around it, or sailed around it, we have images from space, I'm aware that other countries exist on the far side and that you Australians are not crawling around clinging to the upside down floor of your world. But I haven't flown over much of the world myself--it's remotely possible that all of that has been faked. I'm content to dismiss that possibility as absurd. On the other hand, many around me believe that because we were born and have lived all our lives within the territory known as the United States, that this makes me an American and a bad one if I am not loyal to this basically imaginary entity known as the United States.. I dismiss this idea too.
One other thing. I see one key place the people of the world, at least the so-called First or Developed world, really need to grow up--and that's in letting go of the adolescent notion that i's heroic to refuse to countenance limits. This dangerous idea is destroying the only planet we've got, on which we all depend like a newborn depends on its mama. If it's actually possible for humanity as a whole to grow up as Caitlin posits, we will reject this silliness and work together to figure out how to live well WITHIN planetary limits.
Great piece - thank you. "IT’S NOT A LIE IF YOU BELIEVE IT" https://www.theburningplatform.com/2022/12/29/its-not-a-lie-if-you-believe-it/comment-page-1/#comments ......"I wish I could go through a day without having to reference Orwell and Huxley when observing how the ruling class is able to manipulate, subjugate, and propagandize the willfully ignorant masses through lies, deceptions, disinformation, and fear. But here we are, living through a dystopian nightmare blending the worst aspects of Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World."
It is only as I got to middle age, I had a eureka moment and knew I had to question everything, it opened my mind. I wish it had happened earlier now. It was there for a fleeting time when young, then disappeared as I brought my famly up, too intent on basic living. Thank you for your insight, this old granny has become again what I always was.
Reminds me of something I heard early in my career: "Some people have 25 years of experience, and some have 1 year 25 times."
I agree wholeheartedly with this. Our thoughts are not our own. But we must apply this to everything we think we "know", even if the subject matter makes us uncomfortable and open to derision or scorn, if we are to move forward.
Every single post you write is spot on! Yes, most people mindlessly repeat what they were told and trained to think. Then there are those who rebel. They think they are independent, but actually they are just ranting against the beliefs they still hold, albeit unwillingly. Many rebels never stop rebelling because they never find their own truth but stay fighting the propaganda they've grown up with. So they fall easily into a polarized tribe to rebel with. This is remaining an adolescent forever!
There's another word for this extraction and reevaluation of installed beliefs...it's called wisdom.
It is within that we find the response ability. Another brilliant piece, thank you Caitlin. If you ever need music for embellishment of your work, I have lots.
Our subconscious minds are being programmed constantly. Either you become a master of yourself and do your own programming or you unwittingly become a puppet for others to program you at their whim. It does take a lot of work, but it is the most worthwhile work you will ever do in your life.
As an educator (and a parent), I always find it humorous when people refer to children as "sponge-like imitators who soak[ed] up whatever [is] placed in [their] minds by trusted authorities." Kids are actually MORE likely to question what they're told or refuse to do what an authority tells them than most adults. And if you think their brains are like sponges, try to get them to remember ANYTHING you teach them if they're not motivated to learn it.
This doesn't negate any of the rest of this essay, which is awesome as always. It's just one of those thing we've been told over and over: children are like little sponges. My own experience (and that of many other adults I know) contradicts this bit of common wisdom. Personally, I've had to extract it from my mind and replace it with a different idea. That's good, right?
There is not a word in this post that would distinguish you from Alex Jones. Everyone thinks they are the mature thinker who has escaped the cave and seen the sun. Every follower of Ayn Rand thinks they are the Fountainhead. Every conspiracy thinker believes they are finally awake and can see the truth the sheople cannot. And every howling lunatic ragged schizophrenic, reeking of urine, believes they have found enlightenment.
This is like astrology: it says nothing and applies to everyone. That's exactly why people like astrology. But it's still bullshit.
If you want to define what a mature thinker would believe, then you will have to make an argument and defend it. That's harder than striking a pose. Real skepticism isn't just doubt, but requires a method of discovery, the best of which is the scientific method. And an essential part of that is peer review.
In order to know anything, you are going to have to trust someone. And you will have to admit that you don't know a lot, and defer to people who have put the time into understanding it. That takes humility and decades of research. Doubt is the beginning, but it is not the end.
This is right on target. People lack the ability of thinking independently, its human nature to surround ourselves with all these people that we follow/hero-worship and then end up unconsciously pursuing other people’s dreams and desires believing it to be our own. To extract these unconscious beliefs and to find our own truth will need super human willpower and infinite amounts of wisdom
"Will we avoid another world war?" someone asked Carl Jung.
"Yes," the doctor replied, "if enough people do their inner work."
I'm going to partially argue with this. First, I don't think we need to extract everything ever put in our heads, or we'd be gaping idiots who don't know how to walk or which way is up. Rather, we need to examine the beliefs our parents and other influencers inculcated, and decide which are worthy of keeping. It's not ALL bullshit. Secondly, I question the idea that it's possible to judge each idea that forms our worldview, and accurately assess which are grounded in reality and which are not. There is very little one can know for certain--to get through life it's absolutely necessary to take some things on faith. The key is to develop good JUDGEMENT. For example, I dismiss with contempt the argument that the world is flat. Enough people have flown around it, or sailed around it, we have images from space, I'm aware that other countries exist on the far side and that you Australians are not crawling around clinging to the upside down floor of your world. But I haven't flown over much of the world myself--it's remotely possible that all of that has been faked. I'm content to dismiss that possibility as absurd. On the other hand, many around me believe that because we were born and have lived all our lives within the territory known as the United States, that this makes me an American and a bad one if I am not loyal to this basically imaginary entity known as the United States.. I dismiss this idea too.
One other thing. I see one key place the people of the world, at least the so-called First or Developed world, really need to grow up--and that's in letting go of the adolescent notion that i's heroic to refuse to countenance limits. This dangerous idea is destroying the only planet we've got, on which we all depend like a newborn depends on its mama. If it's actually possible for humanity as a whole to grow up as Caitlin posits, we will reject this silliness and work together to figure out how to live well WITHIN planetary limits.
Great piece - thank you. "IT’S NOT A LIE IF YOU BELIEVE IT" https://www.theburningplatform.com/2022/12/29/its-not-a-lie-if-you-believe-it/comment-page-1/#comments ......"I wish I could go through a day without having to reference Orwell and Huxley when observing how the ruling class is able to manipulate, subjugate, and propagandize the willfully ignorant masses through lies, deceptions, disinformation, and fear. But here we are, living through a dystopian nightmare blending the worst aspects of Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World."
It is only as I got to middle age, I had a eureka moment and knew I had to question everything, it opened my mind. I wish it had happened earlier now. It was there for a fleeting time when young, then disappeared as I brought my famly up, too intent on basic living. Thank you for your insight, this old granny has become again what I always was.
You're amazing
There's a big ol' LIE in the word "beLIEf".
Good points. Well meaning parents and other relatives add to the mix of "influencers". This is why critical thinking must be taught in schools.