To what extent are your values in line with the society you participate in?
Increasingly, I am skeptical about political labels of Rep and Dem, liberal, conservative, etc. I am more interested in people's values, what really matters to them when it's all said and done.
People are much closer in values than the labels of identification would have you believe.
There are a couple of slogans I like:
We need not think alike to love alike.
Human beings may not have common beliefs but they do share a common experience.
It is not our common experience which tears us apart so much but our beliefs. Have you noticed that there is often a disconnect between what people say they believe and what they want to experience? This disconnect is how I define stupidity.
Most people want the same things but are very stupid about what they believe is the best way to achieve them.
Specifically - if you look at quality of life indicators between Blue and Red states they usually measure much higher in Blue states. This observation raises many questions, the main one being why are people in Red states so stupid?
There are many factors that contribute to this stupidity, the main one being the way they were socialized and conditioned to think by their families, communities, and societies with which they identify. So, what can be done about this conditioning and socialization facilitated by wrong thought systems and mind sets?
There are many strategies for changing people's mindsets and ways of thinking, the primary one being injecting curiosity and questioning. The old bumper sticker says "Question authority" not necessarily in a defiant and rebellious way but from a place of curiosity and desire to better understand which leads to making better choices which provide better experiences.
As we get older with more life experiences one might expect that a person grows in wisdom. Wisdom is developed from reflecting on one's experiences over the course of their lives and understanding better what were the right choices and the wrong choices. Another bumper sticker says "Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." As human beings we probably learn best from our pain and suffering but as we, hopefully grow in wisdom, we also learn from our successes and things that were satisfying and fulfilling.
Questions
What are the important choices and decisions that you have made, make now, and have to make in the future and what values helps you decide?
All the great philosophies say that self awareness is key to a happy life. So, what makes you tick?
To what extent are your personal values in line with the values of the family, community, society that you participate in?