A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog saying that I felt like I needed to do a bit of soulsearching.
I'm skeptical and I take a lot of pride in that. Critical thinking IS important, and I'm passionate about it. I can't bear the thought that my reluctance to speak out about something may cause somebody to go on to make a bad decision based on a false belief. To me, that's akin to knowing that the brakes in somebody's car don't work and not telling them about it, letting them find out when it's too late. I could never do that, and I'm sure that most people here couldn't either.
The problem is that it's hard to be a skeptic and still have friends. Pointing out a problem in somebody's viewpoint makes you come off as some jerk know-it-all, when really all you're trying to do is be honest.
I suppose it's a similar mindset to religious followers who actively preach their beliefs and try to convert people. While I strongly disagree with the basis of their beliefs, I totally understand their motivation to spread the word: if I believed that all non-believers would burn in hell for all eternity, I would work tirelessly to try to help all of those around me, especially the people I care about the most, to avoid that! I would devote everything I had in me to save all of the good people around me from never-ending suffering.
But if you try to talk people out of a belief, you come across as... well... a prick!
This really had me reeling quite down. I know that skepticism and critical thinking is important, and it's one of the few things that I'm passionate about... it's probably the one thing that I'm MOST passionate about. But I need to have friends and live with people. I felt kinda trapped and a bit miserable.
And then I found this: How to be a skeptic and still have friends.
Makes a lot of sense to me. Advice I can follow.
I feel a lot more relaxed now.
I'm skeptical and I take a lot of pride in that. Critical thinking IS important, and I'm passionate about it. I can't bear the thought that my reluctance to speak out about something may cause somebody to go on to make a bad decision based on a false belief. To me, that's akin to knowing that the brakes in somebody's car don't work and not telling them about it, letting them find out when it's too late. I could never do that, and I'm sure that most people here couldn't either.
The problem is that it's hard to be a skeptic and still have friends. Pointing out a problem in somebody's viewpoint makes you come off as some jerk know-it-all, when really all you're trying to do is be honest.
I suppose it's a similar mindset to religious followers who actively preach their beliefs and try to convert people. While I strongly disagree with the basis of their beliefs, I totally understand their motivation to spread the word: if I believed that all non-believers would burn in hell for all eternity, I would work tirelessly to try to help all of those around me, especially the people I care about the most, to avoid that! I would devote everything I had in me to save all of the good people around me from never-ending suffering.
But if you try to talk people out of a belief, you come across as... well... a prick!
This really had me reeling quite down. I know that skepticism and critical thinking is important, and it's one of the few things that I'm passionate about... it's probably the one thing that I'm MOST passionate about. But I need to have friends and live with people. I felt kinda trapped and a bit miserable.
And then I found this: How to be a skeptic and still have friends.
Makes a lot of sense to me. Advice I can follow.
I feel a lot more relaxed now.
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Saying that, it's not like I'm trying to convert them. More than anything I just like knowing people have thought about their decisions thoroughly and have a good reason to believe what they do.
Yeah, I still sound like an arrogant prick. x