The Last Time (Rhetorical Questions).

Alright.  Time to talk about something serious.  (I know, a big shocker, coming from me.)

This will be brief, hopefully.

I want to start with a question, as is my habit.

When was the last time you really took a step back and look at yourself?  I mean really, taken a deep, long look at your presuppostions, your priorities, how you relate to people?

When was the last time you asked a real questions of someone?  (By that I mean, not asking questions so you can tell someone the answer.  Or asking someone a question to set them up.  That doesn’t count.  I’m talking a question where you really didn’t know the answer.)

When was the last time you questioned your beliefs, and honestly wondered for a minute if you might be wrong?

When was the last time you evaluated your priorities?

When was the last time you looked at your life and compared where you are in your life to where you wanted to be?

When was the last time you admitted you were wrong?

When was the last time you, as objectively as you could, read a book or opinion that was contrary with yours for the explicit purpose of learning something about someone else?

When was the last time you learned something new. (And I’m talking genuinely new, not something that was along the same lines as something you already knew.  For example, so you’re a scientist–when was the last time you read a metaphysical text on it’s own merit?  Or, to give the other example, when was the last time you, as a religious person, read a scientific text and learned something?)

Here’s the point I’m trying to make.  I’ve been exposed to all kinds of ideas from all kinds of people in my life, and I’ve had some success at living my life in such a way as to answer these questions in a way that I’m willing to accept.  Obviously, there are instances and opportunities I missed, or could have done better on.  But overall, I’d say I’m relatively happy with the way I’ve handled this.  I question myself all the time, and I’m glad…it pushes me to do better with the opportunities that present themselves in front of me.  Are you as happy with your situation in regards to these questions as you could be, or are there areas in which you could improve?

I never cease to be amazed at the sheer volume of people from every walk of life, who make no attempt to do anything outside their narrow little construct of what the world is, and how it operates.  They spend their time reinforcing weak, unsubstantiated arguments with reading books about the people who disagree with them, so they can throw the knowledge back in someone’s face and accuse them without having to answer the question being posed to them.  They have no desire to explore their own ideologies, for fear of what it might mean.  They seek out people who will stroke them and their fragile ego and ideology, and they refuse to tangle with the tough sides of their own concepts.  I’m getting pretty tired of that, and I know there is nothing I can do about it, but man, it would be nice to actually have an honest question answered without people assuming I’m making a personal attack on them.  Folks, lemme tell you something:  I ask questions because I genuinely want to know where people are at.  I may not agree, but shoot, that’s not the purpose of the question.  I just want people to tell me what it is like to live in their shoes.  I make my judgements on that stuff, sure, but I’m judging the ideas, not the people.  I think most people are doing the best with what they know.  I just want to know how they got to where they are.  That’s all.  Everyone has a story.  Asking people to tell me about theirs shouldn’t get me kicked in the head for being intolerant or whatever.  The questions are honest.  I really want to know.