There are a few logical fallacies that exist when a person thinks in the above way: segregation, deflection, and a lack of accountability. The question of “Who Am I” is deeper than that. To understand why, let’s think about the fallacies as they are.
Segregation refers to the human tendency to separate things from other things. In my opinion, this comes from the desire to understand the environment in which we live and to have a sense of belonging to and contributing to that environment. Coming along with segregation is the idea of labeling things. These ideas of segregation and labeling seek to separate and estrange things that come from the same stuff. It is not wrong to seek understanding of the environment. It is wrong to be divisive and exclusive in society. It is not wrong to say we are Group A, and we like each other because we have the same beliefs. It is wrong to say that we are Group A, and our group is better than yours.
Deflection, in my use of the term, is when a person who has become close-minded to a fault. Whatever new concept presents itself is immediately deflected away from their core belief system. This comes from the fear that the belief a person has been following for all their life was wrong and that the person is themselves wrong as a result. It is a blow to the ego that drives us so strongly in this world and a blow that is insufferable to people with this mindset. Perhaps it is also fueled by the resulting belief that people have wasted their life believing misinformation. What they typically don’t realize is that they arrived at the final answer after having dedicated the time to the wrong belief. The time was not wasted because they found a better answer, the time was well-served because they took a bite of the cake as opposed to eating the whole cake in one sitting. To understand a concept, it’s easiest to approach the subject piece by piece, as we have done with science the last several hundred years. Deflection occurs when a person does not want to consider new information that may change the way they have been doing things traditionally. They are satisfied by the belief they hold and have held, and that in itself would be a great thing, but only if their traditional belief system doesn’t segregate others to the point of extremism, to the point where others are hurt and will continue to be hurt by the beliefs. For the betterment of human society, it is necessary to move beyond ways that separate others in harmful ways.
Finally, there is the lack of accountability. It would seem that there are people who believe it is not their duty to look inside themselves, but the duties of others. Therefore, they put off looking at themselves and searching for their imperfections, or they delay spiritual growth altogether and not consider it. Why would people do this? I believe it is because they’re afraid of what they might find when they look into the mirror. They’re afraid that they will be wrong, of what others would think, that they have a lot of thinking and changing to do, or they are afraid of fear. That is, they’re afraid of the unknown. The biggest adversary in the world is oneself. The inner self then becomes an indefatigable presence inside of a person that, over time, becomes too large and mysterious to face. What these people should realize is that it is fear that holds them back. There’s nothing to be afraid of, certainly, but tradition blocks even this idea. If a Muslim, for example, believes it is against religious instruction to eat the flesh of a pig, they’ll not do so, and sometimes without questioning why it’s not proper. After believing this for fifty years, they may suddenly be confronted with a Muslim who eats pork, and that Muslim challenges the beliefs they’ve carried all those years. They’re afraid of how Allah would judge them in the afterlife because they are ingrained to fear upsetting their god. The truth would be that Allah (or God, or Yahweh, or whatever) doesn’t care if you eat a pig. Once you get past that limitation humans set upon themselves, you open a door for new considerations and ways of thinking which will eventually lead you back to the idea that we are all one, that we all have our own will, and that there is no need to separate and do violence to one another when we believe differently.
So what is the one answer that will defeat all of these fallibilities of the human race? Release fear. It serves no purpose but to segregate and oppress.
Deflection, in my use of the term, is when a person who has become close-minded to a fault. Whatever new concept presents itself is immediately deflected away from their core belief system. This comes from the fear that the belief a person has been following for all their life was wrong and that the person is themselves wrong as a result. It is a blow to the ego that drives us so strongly in this world and a blow that is insufferable to people with this mindset. Perhaps it is also fueled by the resulting belief that people have wasted their life believing misinformation. What they typically don’t realize is that they arrived at the final answer after having dedicated the time to the wrong belief. The time was not wasted because they found a better answer, the time was well-served because they took a bite of the cake as opposed to eating the whole cake in one sitting. To understand a concept, it’s easiest to approach the subject piece by piece, as we have done with science the last several hundred years. Deflection occurs when a person does not want to consider new information that may change the way they have been doing things traditionally. They are satisfied by the belief they hold and have held, and that in itself would be a great thing, but only if their traditional belief system doesn’t segregate others to the point of extremism, to the point where others are hurt and will continue to be hurt by the beliefs. For the betterment of human society, it is necessary to move beyond ways that separate others in harmful ways.
Finally, there is the lack of accountability. It would seem that there are people who believe it is not their duty to look inside themselves, but the duties of others. Therefore, they put off looking at themselves and searching for their imperfections, or they delay spiritual growth altogether and not consider it. Why would people do this? I believe it is because they’re afraid of what they might find when they look into the mirror. They’re afraid that they will be wrong, of what others would think, that they have a lot of thinking and changing to do, or they are afraid of fear. That is, they’re afraid of the unknown. The biggest adversary in the world is oneself. The inner self then becomes an indefatigable presence inside of a person that, over time, becomes too large and mysterious to face. What these people should realize is that it is fear that holds them back. There’s nothing to be afraid of, certainly, but tradition blocks even this idea. If a Muslim, for example, believes it is against religious instruction to eat the flesh of a pig, they’ll not do so, and sometimes without questioning why it’s not proper. After believing this for fifty years, they may suddenly be confronted with a Muslim who eats pork, and that Muslim challenges the beliefs they’ve carried all those years. They’re afraid of how Allah would judge them in the afterlife because they are ingrained to fear upsetting their god. The truth would be that Allah (or God, or Yahweh, or whatever) doesn’t care if you eat a pig. Once you get past that limitation humans set upon themselves, you open a door for new considerations and ways of thinking which will eventually lead you back to the idea that we are all one, that we all have our own will, and that there is no need to separate and do violence to one another when we believe differently.
So what is the one answer that will defeat all of these fallibilities of the human race? Release fear. It serves no purpose but to segregate and oppress.
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