Open mind open heart
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:04 am
Open mind
Starting with knowledge and reason... one ends up inevitably with agnosticism. I don't know, nobody knows. Or differently put, if I can't be sure, there is no reason to trust others who do claim they are sure. It even be considered a risky thing to do.
Having an open mind means you don't blindly trust anybody, not even your self. "Things do indeed appear to be the case, but they could be different still - if not today already then certainly tomorrow." Sort of applying the scientific method to ones own experiences. In general I would say this is the natural state of mind and how we learn. Not because we choose to do so, but it is how we are wired biologically and necessary to survive in ever changing circumstances.
Open heart
By virtue of its meaning, it supposedly is something different. But what is it, really? And does it depend on an open mind, or can it do without? Does it mean one is able to cry with those who cry and laugh with those who are happy? Something else or something more? Anxiety and pain make us less open hearted/sensitive to the anxieties and pain of others, but it can also make us more empathic to others in similar situations when we have been there ourselves.
The teachings of Jesus, the way I read and understood them, are very simple. Have an open mind and heart the way children can. Share and help. As adults we are no kids anymore, but we can try avoid and reject all excessive baggage that would only confuse/f*ck up kids, and the kid in ourselves. The image if Christ on the cross to me is that of the death/murder of a child, any child. Resurrection is the return to simplicity, or the image of the child that survives the onslaught.
Starting with knowledge and reason... one ends up inevitably with agnosticism. I don't know, nobody knows. Or differently put, if I can't be sure, there is no reason to trust others who do claim they are sure. It even be considered a risky thing to do.
Having an open mind means you don't blindly trust anybody, not even your self. "Things do indeed appear to be the case, but they could be different still - if not today already then certainly tomorrow." Sort of applying the scientific method to ones own experiences. In general I would say this is the natural state of mind and how we learn. Not because we choose to do so, but it is how we are wired biologically and necessary to survive in ever changing circumstances.
Open heart
By virtue of its meaning, it supposedly is something different. But what is it, really? And does it depend on an open mind, or can it do without? Does it mean one is able to cry with those who cry and laugh with those who are happy? Something else or something more? Anxiety and pain make us less open hearted/sensitive to the anxieties and pain of others, but it can also make us more empathic to others in similar situations when we have been there ourselves.
The teachings of Jesus, the way I read and understood them, are very simple. Have an open mind and heart the way children can. Share and help. As adults we are no kids anymore, but we can try avoid and reject all excessive baggage that would only confuse/f*ck up kids, and the kid in ourselves. The image if Christ on the cross to me is that of the death/murder of a child, any child. Resurrection is the return to simplicity, or the image of the child that survives the onslaught.