Posted by: Homeyji November 9, 2011
Do you still believe in God and/or religion?
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Chaurey,

You think you know everything. You are very arrogant and close minded. You need to open up your narrow-mind and smell the roses, my friend, and listen. I suggest you read this:

Seven Steps When Learning Really Important Life Lessons

How quickly one can go through these phases may define how open minded someone can be about learning something new. There is no hurry. One may take all the time in the world moving forward. Simply being honest and humble with oneself and others is the main requirement.

So here it goes:

1. IDEALISTIC

Wonderful. I know what I want and I know why. My ideals are solid and I'm right. Of course I'm right! I have my ideals, and fair enough, I have many reasons to be idealistic. And that can be a good thing!

But just when I thought I was cool, someone comes to me and presents me with a whole new and sound concept that may go against my idealistic perspective. After some honest debate or the simple acceptance of my ignorance, I then becomes Frustrated because I realize I'm not as 'cool' as I once thought I was.

Needless to say, this stage is always the most difficult to deal with. An overly idealistic state can be surrounded by hubris, and hubris is the ultimate killer of learning. So I know that if I am to learn something new I must be humble and accept that I may not know it all.

However honest I am, here comes the following progressive emotional reactions upon learning something new contradicting my original idealist views.

2. FRUSTRATED

This state of frustration is some sort of anger. It really sucks being wrong, and even more so when proved wrong. So I'm angry, and rightfully so. And subsequently I become Defiant also. That can't be true!

3. DEFIANT

Even if it means a few seconds... or a lifetime, this state of defiance is actually quite natural and it can be used for further learning. At least I'm feeling something. I now know that I will have to Synthesize such new data and this can be painful. But I know I have to do it if I'm to be cool again. That nagging feeling that I was actually not so correct in my assumptions hurts the ego.

So sure enough at some point I simply, Resign!

4. RESIGNED

I give up on it. I just don't want to talk about it, hear about it, and I don't care. I will go to sleep and eat chocolates. Maybe that will bring some Awareness..

5. AWARE

If I'm serious about learning and once some of these emotions are under control, I realize that I am now aware that I may have actually learned something new. Being aware means to accept it, and in fact I am grateful for such learning experience itself.

Now I need to do something about it.

6. DECISIVE

Now I can make better decisions based on my Awareness of what I have learned.

7. COMMITTED

Inevitably I commit myself to action, which is where anything really happens as the change I want to see.

I can easily become paralyzed in any of these phases for any indefinite period of time, or I can also go through these in one single day; depending on the depth of the subject and its relevance.

The main danger is always pride. Since the cycle repeats itself, once I think I am Aware and Committed I may also become Overly Idealistic again.

Knowing these has helped me go through a few things, become more accepting, and not so jaded simply because I don't know something and can't do anything about it. It's a good way to simply accept the learning process for what it is.

 

 

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