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should a person's natural instincts define what they believe
or should a person's beliefs decide how they live?
does any one else think about this?
or should a person's beliefs decide how they live?
does any one else think about this?
I think you’re right that if by “instinct” you mean “some innate feeling that leads us to act in certain ways and have certain beliefs,” we don’t really have any instincts anymore. Or if we do have them, they’ve become so buried by life itself that they aren’t recognizable anymore. Furthermore, since we do inherit a lot of the way we are from our parents and the human race in general, it may turn out that we never even had “instincts” at all… that is, they were never even present to be buried by our life experiences.
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Caleb,
I wonder if it’s really true that the “better way to live… [is] a destination that will never be reached.” Don’t you think that the best way to live is the one where you come to the point where you don’t want to change? Sure, its really hard for anyone to get there, (and I doubt that any of us will say we’re at that point), but why be so pessimistic? I’d think that one feature of the best way to live is that we’ll stop wanting things to be different. We’ll settle in. It’s hard to visualize what that place would be like, when we’re not in it, but I do think that we should strive for the best life possible.
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In general, I do find myself wishing I didn’t have such a negative outlook on life. Living in Iowa is great, but it’s also really lonely. While I do feel like I’m living out a dream I’ve had since I was way younger -having a job that I love and find fulfilling-, I often wish that so many crappy things didn’t get tacked onto living out that dream when I wasn’t looking. But I do like the idea of acting positively for something rather than always fighting against something. We all need to relax a bit more.
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i think that "a better way to live" is not a set of beliefs but more having to do with one's outlook on life and completion of desires and goals.
for me, i thrive on change and i feel happy with my life when i have a certain constant hunger, and a want for more. to me, achieving a goal is almost a negative thing because thats one less goal to keep me moving towards something. change is exciting. rest is boring.
maybe on my deathbed i will understand the reasons why i could never sit still, maybe i'll be happy then with all of the people i've been and places i've seen.
in conclusion, i agree partly with both answers to my original question. i think that as we live life, we should work to form strong beliefs based on mistakes and a long and short term outlook. progress will keep us young and happy. repeating mistakes makes you old and tired. but sometimes i think that progress can be made by simplifying our lives and returning to insticts that were worn down by "life expiriences". i agree with kate when she said that sometimes it is best to return to the little children we hide inside ourselves
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I like the idea that "progress can be made by simplifying our lives and returning to instincts that were worn down by 'life experiences'." My life currently revolves around a strict schedule, because of my teaching and classes. It can be very life-draining. Some of the best moments are on weekends when I walk to the liquor store, get a 1.5 pint bottle, and then wander around downtown until I find somewhere to hang out with people I know, whether at a show or a smoke shop, etc. What's nice is those nights are pretty unplanned, and I end up doing whatever I feel like doing. I might stay at a certain place way longer than I ever intended, getting sucked up in an interesting conversation with someone I know just a little bit. Being able to do whatever I want, without worrying about whether it "fits" with the rest of my life, can be really great. I wish my schedule allowed more of it.
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