Are you ever in contradiction with your own philosophical thought?

I mean, contradictions or hypocrisy, be honest...

If you believe in peace, neutrality (instead of positivity - joy or negativity - unhappiness) - do you ever still let your emotions get to you in some situations?

If you believe in ONEness do you ever feel like an individual? Like you are different or separate from others and out of place?

This can even apply to people who follow the golden rule "treat others as how you want to be treated", do you ever break it?

Is anyone really fully ever practicing that philosophy 100%? Are you a hypocrite by a mistake, since sometimes it is too difficult? Are you something unknowingly going against your own philosophy/view of life, without realizing it until later and then going "Oh my! I can't believe I was being a hypocrite and I did not realize!"

I think I may have been in a similar situation. I realized that there were a few things that I did not see with my philosophical view and that makes me a hypocrite, and I didn't even realize it!

Has this ever happened to you? Do you believe it is possible to follow a philosophy 100%?

reply to post by arpgme


I'm not even sure exactly what my philosophy is, so sometimes I end up following slightly different ones by the day. I'm still learning. Even if I did know, I'm pretty sure that I would slip up sometimes...

The closest one I follow would be "treat others the way you want to be treated" and I break it, yeah...

I also have a philosophy about helping others, but I found out that one got complicated, because it turns out a lot of times I think I'm helping I'm hindering... so even though I was able to do that most of the time, I sometimes hurt situations without even knowing.

reply to post by darkbake


So I guess the negative is unavoidable anyway. If that is the case, why so much focus no the "good", instead of "reality", "truth", "honesty"...

Why follow a philosophy that is not fully with human nature?

I am not specifically speaking of yours I'm saying any that this applies to...

I dont think you are supposed to follow any philosophy 100%.

You adapt a philosophy into your being, and start testing it in the real world. This means breaking the philosophical principals sometimes, however without trail and error, how are we supposed to know what works for us?

I think its all part of the infinite learning process, to question and be hypocritical at times. How can you know the light if you have not experienced the darkness ?

Namaste.

Also to answer the actually question, Yes i have, many a times.

If i had not, i would have never climbed my way out off the hole i dug for myself.

Namaste.

reply to post by arpgme


I do not hold beliefs because beliefs are like prison cells.
I stick to the one truth that i know and that is; I am.

In our current society, even if you believe in oneness, or better yet, experienced that oneness personally, to live by this experience is a very hard thing to do, because just about everyone else out there believes they are seperate. So no matter how hard you try to be one, and treat others as you would like to be treated, there will always be situations where you simply cannot act the way you want to and will indeed find yourself a hypocrite. This does not mean you strayed from what you believe it, it simply means that you are in a world full of semi conscious people, that have no idea they are one. If everyone experienced that oneness, then we would all be able to live a love filled, positive life that would be full of joy, with no negativity. And all I can do is hope that is what 2012 is all about, a massive global enlightenment. I have personally felt the oneness, and I can tell you first hand, that i have been referred to a shrink on three separate occasions. People think I'm weird because of it. That is only because they have no experienced it themselves, Those who are seen dancing are thought to be weird by those who cannot hear the music. We live in a world full of confusion, full of different beliefs, and we go to war over these illusions of separateness. The instant we all realize we are all one, is the instant all the negativity in the world goes away.

Originally posted by xxshadowfaxx
In our current society, even if you believe in oneness, or better yet, experienced that oneness personally, to live by this experience is a very hard thing to do, because just about everyone else out there believes they are seperate. So no matter how hard you try to be one, and treat others as you would like to be treated, there will always be situations where you simply cannot act the way you want to and will indeed find yourself a hypocrite. This does not mean you strayed from what you believe it, it simply means that you are in a world full of semi conscious people, that have no idea they are one. If everyone experienced that oneness, then we would all be able to live a love filled, positive life that would be full of joy, with no negativity. And all I can do is hope that is what 2012 is all about, a massive global enlightenment. I have personally felt the oneness, and I can tell you first hand, that i have been referred to a shrink on three separate occasions. People think I'm weird because of it. That is only because they have no experienced it themselves, Those who are seen dancing are thought to be weird by those who cannot hear the music. We live in a world full of confusion, full of different beliefs, and we go to war over these illusions of separateness. The instant we all realize we are all one, is the instant all the negativity in the world goes away.

Oneness is not a belief. And if you know oneness how can you speak about 'others'? You say when the 'others' realize, it will be better.
Oneness is the truth but you think there are 'others'. How can there be 'others' when it is one?

Better implies more than this. This is all there is - it is one.

reply to post by arpgme


I think that hypocrisy and self contradiction is our most common struggle as humans. Personally, integrity is the most important goal I have in life, and yet, I am not sure it can be totally reached while manifest in physicality and duality. I think we can work on it and at least improve it anyway. This is the way of the Warrior.

The problem is that we have a dual nature, and whenever we fall outside of moderation and balance, we will be opposing the other side of ourselves. The intellect can try to control everything and organize it, but the body and it's emotions will not be synchronized then.
Our emotions and instincts may lead us, but then the intellect will often be not synchronized.

The only way to bring them together is through that middle- the eye of the needle. And it is never just "done"- it is a constant process... like life is us, walking across a tightrope.

One thing I foudn is important is to not only develop self awareness and evaluation, but to recognize the value of the perceptions of others as well. The ego evaluating itself, along it's own principles, that it used to create itself, can be pretty sterile.

reply to post by arpgme


Yes.

Contradiction of our own feelings, however well-rooted, is inevitable.

At worst, we work through it and realise that the momentary lapse has helped strengthen our overall resolve and faith in an issue. At best, we find a new way to think.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for people who have the confidence and courage to actually hold their hands up and even consider, let alone admit, that they might have got it wrong.

Being able to ponder other possibilities - whether it makes us a hypocrite or not - is a wonderful, important part of the human experience.

Originally posted by arpgme
reply to post by darkbake

 

So I guess the negative is unavoidable anyway. If that is the case, why so much focus no the "good", instead of "reality", "truth", "honesty"...

I think this is a great idea, it is kind of what I was thinking of doing.

The ego evaluating itself, along it's own principles, that it used to create itself, can be pretty sterile.

This is a very good point -

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
reply to post by arpgme

 

I do not hold beliefs because beliefs are like prison cells.
I stick to the one truth that i know and that is; I am.

When I read "I am," I see some daring assertions that would be difficult if not impossible to prove. Are you sure that it is you that "am"? How do you define "I"? Is it your entire body or are the fleshy parts merely along for the ride? Secondly, to claim that "I am" would mean that I know what "am" or being means, when all we have to do is look at the history of philosophy to know that no one knows what being is. There's no immediate certainty or truth in this statement. "I am" is just as likely as "I am not."

I'm only trying to show that there are no cardinal truths in philosophy. Every idea has holes in it; and no one should cling to their beliefs, no matter how much one loves them.

reply to post by LesMisanthrope


Can you negate your own being? Are you or are you not? To be or not to be?

I am does not state what it is. I am. It is boundless.
I am/this is.

Is the being of the present moment a belief?

reply to post by Itisnowagain


Ok, I guess the only think that I could know is that "I am.", however, I also know mathematics, that it does not change 1+1=2 always, so this is real/truth. There is more things than "I am", there is also "I was" which makes the "I am", and "I will be" which prepares the "I am".

If you say "I am", you are saying "I exist" or "I am truth" or "I am real", because existence is reality/truth, to speak of that which does not exist is illusion.

Originally posted by arpgme
reply to post by Itisnowagain

 

Ok, I guess the only think that I could know is that "I am.", however, I also know mathematics, that it does not change 1+1=2 always, so this is real/truth. There is more things than "I am", there is also "I was" which makes the "I am", and "I will be" which prepares the "I am".

If you say "I am", you are saying "I exist" or "I am truth" or "I am real", because existence is reality/truth, to speak of that which does not exist is illusion.

'I am' is said in present tense because only the present exists, only now is true. 'I was' and 'I will' be are mental projections - images made in the mind and believed to be true. Only now is true - only presence is true. In the presence all appearances appear and disappear. I am is always present.

In (my) presence all things appear and disappear but (my) presence was there before and after every appearance.

Before Abraham was, I am.

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
reply to post by LesMisanthrope

 

Can you negate your own being? Are you or are you not?

Am I or am I not what? Nothing? Everything? Something? The statement is incomplete.

I am does not state what it is. I am. (period) It is boundless.
I am/this is.

Then it states nothing and is meaningless.

Is the being of the present moment a belief?

There is no present in something continuous. As soon as a moment is thought of as present, it is already in the past. So yes, it is a belief.

Of course I have many contradictions with my own thoughts etc.

A prime example is that morally and ethically I am vehemently opposed to capital punishment - however, I know for a fact that if anyone seriously hurt any of my close family and friends then I would do everything within my power to seek revenge and depending on the seriousness etc possibly even try to kill the person(s) responsible.
I'm not particularly proud of that, but I know myself all too well.

I think anyone who has strongly held convictions must have the occassional personal conflict otherwise I doubt they can have given things serious consideration.

Personally I try to avoid labelling or pigeon holing anything - I try to view anything on it's own individual merits and refuse to follow any particular or specific religion, ism, philosophy or belief system.

reply to post by LesMisanthrope


If you do not recognise the fact of your own being more words are pointless.

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
reply to post by LesMisanthrope

 

If you do not recognise your own existence there is nothing more to say.

I'm only showing that the statement "I am" is not a cardinal truth. In fact, it means nothing and proves nothing. There's no reason to cling to it. I recognize my own existence by existing, not saying a couple words.