Truth exists (Part III)
Fear is an idea that grows in power when we react to it, like smiling to make us happy because being happy makes us smile. React to the concept of truth and watch it become powerful.
Ideas can become powerful, and this very notion is why life is the way it is.
Why do we exercise?
To be healthy and strong so that we can live long and experience more of life. We know life sucks; pain in every corner and stumbles on every step, and disappointment from everyone, including yourself. Why would you want to experience more of this? You must believe in the idea of things to be better, and so you push on, and this action makes life worth living.
The above example is true in every way. Instead of experiencing better the longer we live, we experience the fear of those pains, stumbles, and disappointments. We do because we react as if those struggles are real and it can affect us. The feeling is backward, and no wonder we are a living contradiction. If A always causes B, then B is A. We think of them as separate things. Here is an example: If humans create humans, humans can create. Everyone has a mother, but we get stuck on who was the first mother and why they were created.
Live your life.
Why would you like to live someone's life? Because you see that life as worth living, but you are living too, why can't yours be worthwhile? Remove the external factors, strip down the basic functions of any life, and compare that to yours. What do you see? Now it gets better; those living the life you want, what advice do they typically offer? "you too can do it." They offer this advice because they see themselves in you, and that's true.
There is the false consensus effect in psychology, which assumes that your personal qualities, characteristics, beliefs, and actions are relatively widespread through the general population. In other words, we are close to a hundred percent wrong when we think everyone must share our views of life. Understanding the false consensus effect should be reassuring that people can be wrong, and you can be wrong.
The above effect should reduce your reaction to fear. Let's look at the example parents mostly try to scare their kids with, "If everyone is jumping over a cliff, would you follow them?" Your response is quick, "no." Well, how do you know that they are not jumping into safety or that a predator is chasing everyone, and they discover that jumping gives them the best chance of survival? Oh, and by the way, people at the bottom are saying to jump because it's safe.
People do things that represent their beliefs.
Act scared because people are crazy. That is your perception, have you seen everybody? If we were so crazy, why are we multiplying? Act as if truth exists because you have no idea if the truth doesn't exist.
The story of the Chinese farmer by Alan Watts highlights this concept quite well.
Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.” The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”
The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.” The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”
The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.
— Alan Watts
We can substitute any situation in the story, and the result will be the same; you can end up with a good outcome or a bad outcome, but you have no idea what that means. If your life is miserable, live it anyway, and don't assume life is better for everyone else. And add truths in that journey or don't.
We will explore further in part 4.
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