Life 101, A Wise Man's Advice for Adulthood

If it's true that no one, including ourselves, has a corner on the whole Truth and if it's true that we won't learn as much just talking with people who think as we do, as from those who think differently from ourselves, and if it's true that dialogue is a useful strategy for persons wanting, not so much to win an  argument, as to learn from each other, what do you do with someone who isn't interested in dialogue, but only in argument?  Especially if they're persuaded that they do  have the whole truth? There are such people. "Thinking Man", by Tim Holmes They are very much like the mental patient I heard of who was  hospitalized  because of his firm conviction that he was a corpse.  A young ward attendant who didn't know much about mental illness, thought he could "reason" the patient out of such an untenable position.  "So you think you are a corpse?" "Yes," replied the patient. "Corpses don't bleed do they?...

"There are three truths: my truth, your truth and the Truth." --ancient Chinese proverb Because of the truth of that proverb which I've repeated above. it's important for us to be in touch with people who see Reality differently than we do because there's always the possibility that we might learn something new and helpful.  A contemporary Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber , popularized the idea of dialogue as the best means for dealing with the differences of perception among us in our quest for Truth. Dialogue, he says, is much different from a pair of monologues, or argument, or debate.  The purpose of dialogue is not to win over an adversary, but rather to work cooperatively to draw closer to the truth.  The process of dialogue involves two things: on the one hand the willingness to articulate one's point of view as carefully as possible, and on the other hand to listen to the point of view of the other as carefully as possible. This means that liste...

One of the knottiest of questions in philosophy and in life is, to what extent are we free to determine what happens to us and to what extent is everything determined in advance ?  Some Christians, particularly the followers of John Calvin , believed that when it came to the question of who is "saved" and who isn't, God has already determined that.  The theory was called "predestination" and some people extended that to refer to all sorts of things in life.  A story is told about one such a person who took a bad fall down stairs and afterwards said, "Well, I'm glad that's over." "I Shot an Angel by Mistake", by Tim Holmes There are those who even believe that your time to die has already been determined.  I think the theory that all things are predetermined is, for some people somewhat comforting.  It almost relieves one of some responsibility and gives one a reassuring sense that things are in "someone else's" hands.  I...

What a time to be alive!  I remember my grandmother saying one time when she was about the age I am now. "I suppose I could just roll over and die any day now, but I'm just so curious to see what's going to happen next!"   The future has never been so unpredictable.  The possibilities, for good or for ill, seem to be without limit. The times are not only exciting, they're also to some extent dangerous. Earlier on we mentioned the importance of asking questions.  Warren Lane Melton put it rather starkly when he said, "I need one answer to one question:  What should I be asking now that the world is burning?" "Tsunami", by Tim Holmes As we begin this new millennium all is not well.  The pollution of the environment, the escalating and unjust distribution of wealth between nations and between people in our own nation, the increase in  ethnic violence and terrorism, the uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear war power– among other problems– make th...