And I am saddened to see this. One of ways in which we, human beings, conceptual beings, are truly happy is are our ability to grow and learn. And that always means changing.
One of the main factors in the lack of people wanting to grow, learn, and change is facing the fact that they migth have or were actually wrong about something. So instead of unfolding into a new, better person, they grasp onto the old belief, clinging desperatly to prove something, whatever it might actually be, and screaming, “I’m not wrong! I’m perfect! Don’t mock my self worth!”
That’s not self worth. That’s not happiness. There are times when things happen that make you re-evalute who you are and what you believe. Do not be afraid of this! Embrace this! It is part of what makes us who we are.
And this is also something that needs to be done together. You need to share what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown with the people around you. But, with that, you also need to have people around you who really matter and who really care. Real people. People who are also willing to grow, learn, and change. The changes do not always have to be drastic or extreme, but they happen.
A really good example of what happens when people refuse to change their ideas and beliefs when reality proves them wrong is the book Towing Jehovah by James Morrow. I’ve mentioned this book before, but I want to bring it up again. (And again and again and again..) It is a fantastic read, but it also highlights from very interesting points. The book involves many different people of different theistic and atheistic backgrounds, and shows what happens when they get together in their self righteousness because God’s dead carcass has to be towed to the arctic ocean to be entombed. I don’t think I need to say more on that.
In the end here, I really want to make something clear. I am not rallying for extreme changes everyday. But, it is really important that as we learn lessons and we live life, we allow ourselves to be open and use reason to learn, understand, grow, change, and live. That is what it is all about.