Thoughts at 4:45 AM

This morning I had a huge epiphany.  This is the story of that.

Well, I began my huge epiphany with the thought that what sets me apart from out people in my thoughts.  I have as much time as the next person to think.  We all have 24 hours in a day.  It is what we think about is what sets great thinkers apart.  I could spend all day thinking about food, or girls, or video games.  I could read some philosophy book, or I could spend my time analyzing how I play a game and how to improve.   

If I choose to spend my time thinking of a game, or of sports, or of girls, then I feel like I waste my time.  I am not trying to say that thinking of these things is bad, but I believe there are more important things to discuss and think about.  I love to consider some of the thoughts that humans have not come to a consensus as to their meaning.  Things such as “What is truth?” “What is love?” “Is there a God?” “What are morals?” 

Why do I consider these things important?  Because I believe when people stop thinking about these things is when they are most easily controlled.   These are not the only important things each and every person has to come to their own understanding of, but some of the ones I can think of right now.   And how are we controlled if we don’t come to our own understanding of these things?

When you are unsure if something is true or not, if presented with an option or opinion on something, you are very likely to believe what you are told on the subject.  If told something is evil we build up prejudice against it.  When told there is no God at a young age, it is quite possible we will carry this belief with us as we grow older.

It is fairly easy to control a person when you tell them what to believe and what not to.  If you drill a concept, such as 2+2=4 then pretty soon they will just accept this fact.  Now, this is in fact a fact, but something we need to take for granted.  Since someone came up with the concept of math they are forcing others to agree with them in order to effectively communicate.

There are many things we must take for granted in this life.  We must take it for granted that certain things work a certain way regardless of how we believe they should function.  Gravity will always function no matter how much we wish it would not.  2+2=4 no matter how many ways you try to prove It is not true.

When told that fire will burn me, I most likely believe that it will.  But something inside me tells me to test it, to see if fire really will burn me.  I will soon learn that fire is hot, and causes discomfort to any part of my body.  I think it is important to test different things out so that we know for ourselves if something is true.  We are all told things, but we need to continually test our beliefs to see if they are correct.

This is why we need to consider the questions I listed above and many others.  If we become complacent with our beliefs we fall into a trap.  That trap is the belief that we, and no one else, knows exactly how things should be in this world.  We close our minds to opposing ideas; we dismiss things that may help us learn and grow into better people. 

This type of attitude can cause social problems.  Racism is the belief that people of different skin colors or of different nationalities are inferior to your own.  When we are racist we dismiss everything that a black, Hispanic, or white person has to offer.  They might make the best food, but if we are racist we don’t eat their food based solely on their skin or nationality.  We miss out on amazing food because we have closed out minds to the things those people have to contribute to society. 

We all are on a journey thru life, so why not make it enjoyable for everyone?  Why not consider that others of different beliefs and cultures have much to offer?  Why not join in friendly discussion with others about topics that matter to us all?