Personal Meditation No. 161

"Everyone chooses their level of involvement. We might share the same place BUT that does not mean we share the same space. Not everyone in the congregation is Christian."

Embrace the Within.

The main conversation I have with freethinkers is convincing them that the majority of people do not consider life and this journey the same as they do. And I see that a lot of echo chambers set us up into looking at the vastness of human experience through our own lens. This inherent bias of believing that most people think what we do, believe what we do, value what we do, is one of the main errors in thinking and examining the world that we can make as humans. There is a lot of life out there that we haven’t experienced. There is a lot of life that I do not want to experience as well. BUT that wide array of possibilities shapes what we think, what we believe, what we value, and who we are. And no one thinks, believes, values, and is the same.

Freethinkers do not believe they’re different from system followers. They think system followers are just as readily primed for thinking about things differently and freely. Freethinkers have this idea that since folks are intelligent and work in the same space as them, then those folks should definitely be able to see the same world as they do. BUT, intelligence and space do not also determine the same experience. We can go to the same church, enjoy the same sermon, and get two very different meanings.

A lot of people do not like the same movies as me and some folks do like the same movies as me BUT no one likes the same movie in the same way as me. Sometimes I don’t even like the same movie in the same way at different times because the me that is watching that movie has changed. And I think a lot of folks have a really difficult time understanding that idea.

The longer I teach literature, I find this idea of shared interpretation of literature a disturbing way to evaluate knowledge and understanding. I am far less concerned about the theme someone pulls from literature and much more concerned about their ability to explain and elaborate on the meaning they constructed. Anyone can read the story and get the right answer from a list of choices BUT that is low on my list of concerns. I want to know that you can explain how the literature spoke to you. And you can do that explanation in a way that shows your understanding to someone else. Your ability to share your experience in terms that others can understand and even gain empathy from your explanation is far more important in communication and understanding than picking a correct theme from a shopping list.

So, choosing your level of involvement in your life and your journey is much more important than getting the right answers. You can go to church and learn all the right answers BUT if you’re not working that journey every day, then what is the point? You can read all the right books and learn all the right answers BUT if you’re not involved in the narrative, involved in controlling your own narrative, then what is the point?

You determine your level of involvement in life. Your intelligence does not. Your experience does not. Your beliefs do not. You get to choose how you live your life. “Your beliefs are your actions. What you say is just what you think.”

Have the day you want. I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoGodsNoMasters #MyBodyMyChoice #MakeYourselfGreatAgain