Epistemic morass
I was actually alseep, but this thought came to mind and I absolutely must blog it down!
It seems that self-reflection isn't really helpful sometimes.
Are we who we are because of what other people think we are? Or are we what we think we are? More and more I begin to appreciate the former. It may seem enslaving, but sometimes what people think of us are the truest indicators of who we truly are inside. We maybe acting, but that's another issue all together.
For instance, we help a old lady cross the road, listen out for a friend in need of a ear, we feel geniunely concerned for our sick mother, and we act accordingly. But the sincerest people are not particularly self-aware of what they have done. They don't go around thinking to themself, "Now I'm a good person!". It's the same situation for bad deeds. No robber goes around saying, "Now I'm a bad person!" Anakin Skywalker or Darth Sidous didn't think to themselves," Haha, I'm Sith, therefore I am evil." A robber will probably feel remorse, but that's different from knowing that he is bad. The two anti-jedi may know that they are cruel, but will probably justify it away.
15"Beware of the (L)false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are (M)ravenous wolves.
(Matt 7:15-18, NASB).
Maybe one of the most insidous lies the devil ever seduced us with was that we can know what perfection is; what we lack is merely the power to achieve it. If we can show good faith, try our best, press on or what nots, it makes up for the shortcomings. I think that sin is more that taking away the power to do good, it is a corruption of our mind to even think of what is good!
So much for self-knowledge.
Growing spiritually or growing closer to God, can only mean that we put on more of Christs-likeness in our life. But it could hardly be described a process of 'understanding' to 'application' to 'experience'. It's more richer than that, sometimes even indiscribable in a narrative a.k.a 'testimony' that we give to 'edify'. It is a change from within, that we don't realize sometimes, but at the end of the day, gives a mild little surprise.
I would think that the moral choices that we make in overcoming temptation should not bring us to the conclusion that we are becoming better. There is nothing to conclude from our actions, we just do so. Let other people make the conclusions, even better, let the Holy Spirit make the conclusions.
No wonder Jesus said, " Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing..."
So then in a sense we are not actors? We may think we are actors in that we act out socially accepted norms contrary to who we are inside, but then again, if we were our true selves, our true selves is horrible corrupted to begin with, I guess it being pretensious to think that inside, deep deep inside we are really nice people. But somehow, if we continue to act out a good image, maybe by that act of imitation, we are really slowly being changed?
It seems that self-reflection isn't really helpful sometimes.
Are we who we are because of what other people think we are? Or are we what we think we are? More and more I begin to appreciate the former. It may seem enslaving, but sometimes what people think of us are the truest indicators of who we truly are inside. We maybe acting, but that's another issue all together.
For instance, we help a old lady cross the road, listen out for a friend in need of a ear, we feel geniunely concerned for our sick mother, and we act accordingly. But the sincerest people are not particularly self-aware of what they have done. They don't go around thinking to themself, "Now I'm a good person!". It's the same situation for bad deeds. No robber goes around saying, "Now I'm a bad person!" Anakin Skywalker or Darth Sidous didn't think to themselves," Haha, I'm Sith, therefore I am evil." A robber will probably feel remorse, but that's different from knowing that he is bad. The two anti-jedi may know that they are cruel, but will probably justify it away.
15"Beware of the (L)false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are (M)ravenous wolves.
16"You will (N)know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
17"So (O)every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.."(Matt 7:15-18, NASB).
Maybe one of the most insidous lies the devil ever seduced us with was that we can know what perfection is; what we lack is merely the power to achieve it. If we can show good faith, try our best, press on or what nots, it makes up for the shortcomings. I think that sin is more that taking away the power to do good, it is a corruption of our mind to even think of what is good!
So much for self-knowledge.
Growing spiritually or growing closer to God, can only mean that we put on more of Christs-likeness in our life. But it could hardly be described a process of 'understanding' to 'application' to 'experience'. It's more richer than that, sometimes even indiscribable in a narrative a.k.a 'testimony' that we give to 'edify'. It is a change from within, that we don't realize sometimes, but at the end of the day, gives a mild little surprise.
I would think that the moral choices that we make in overcoming temptation should not bring us to the conclusion that we are becoming better. There is nothing to conclude from our actions, we just do so. Let other people make the conclusions, even better, let the Holy Spirit make the conclusions.
No wonder Jesus said, " Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing..."
So then in a sense we are not actors? We may think we are actors in that we act out socially accepted norms contrary to who we are inside, but then again, if we were our true selves, our true selves is horrible corrupted to begin with, I guess it being pretensious to think that inside, deep deep inside we are really nice people. But somehow, if we continue to act out a good image, maybe by that act of imitation, we are really slowly being changed?
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on Friday, June 24, 2005 at 12:47 AM.
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11:50 AMvery well said! actually it relates sumwhat with a thought i had earlier regarding the creative process: no one can judge their own works or ideas - you need an outside party for that. guess the same goes for morality. ;^p
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