Be confident in what you believe, knowing you could be wrong

In one of Huston Smith's books he mentions a Zen friend who has a new koan: "I could be wrong." I loved those words when I came across them. 

This is the crux (or at least one of the crux's... or cruxii?) of being human. 

We have to go through life confidently. Dithering is a poor excuse for genuine living. And dancing. I learned this early on when my wife and I started taking ballroom dance lessons.

The man usually is the leader.

It's much better if he decisively does something wrong, then hesitate while the beat of the music goes on. His partner can respond to a strong lead, causing dancing to happen. May not be perfect, or even good; but at least it is dancing. 

Likewise, each of us is the leader of ourselves.

Not that there are two people inside my head -- me and myself. However, we humans are complex enough to often feel like we're being pulled in different directions by ourselves. "Why did I let myself eat that second piece of cake, when I'm trying to lose weight?"

Life goes more smoothly when we trust our decisions, actions, thoughts, emotions, beliefs, assumptions. I'm not advocating impulsiveness, just confident decisiveness.

After reflection, which could last a moment or a decade, if it feels right, do it. With the caveat:

Keep in mind that Your Way is not The Way. Rarely is there a single path to anywhere. Nor, usually, is there universal agreement that this is the where to be sought. 

I resonate with Taoism because it teaches that The Way is a verb, not a noun. There is wayfaring, not a way. Every waking moment of each person's life involves choices of some sort. No ultimate right or wrong is involved. We have no way of being certain what the long- and short-term results of our actions will be.

We choose, because this is what life is about. Feeling "this is what I must do" without knowing the why's and wherefore's.

Earlier this year I blogged, "Believers in God, others believe like you. Just not in God." Pretty much the same theme as today's musings. 

This is the source of religious faith: primitive areas in the brain. Evolution apparently has selected for feelings of certainty. Which makes sense. 

Could be a tiger in the bushes... or maybe not... could be a rabbit... not sure what to do... maybe wait and see what emerges..., anyone who carries around that gene in prehistoric days probably wasn't going to live long enough to reproduce.

Doing something confidently, even if it's wrong, seems to be a better recipe for survival. So a feeling of certainty in the absence of conclusive evidence is part of being human. 

Religions, though, elevate this commonplace sensation into a divine virtue: faith. Now, though, certainty is applied to a supernatural realm where God and other invisible entities are believed to exist.

The brain's Certainty Producing Machine cranks up a pleasurable feeling of "i'm right because I feel that I'm right, and that's all there is to it. I know God exists. Don't ask me why. There's no why. I just know it. For sure."

There's nothing wrong with the sentiments in that last paragraph. Everybody has them. I know that Cream was one of the great rock bands ever. I knew it in the '60s, and I know it now whenever I hear one of the band's songs.

No reason needed. 

It's the "for sure" that is problematic, though. I can be absolutely sure that I believe what I believe, know what I know, feel what I feel, think what I think. 

Note all the "I's."

I'm only talking about me, what I experience as the being I call "myself." I can confidently be certain that this is how I am experiencing life while simultaneously understanding that others can see things very differently.

What I believe may not be believable to others. What I know may not be known by others. What I feel may not be felt by others. What I think may not be thought by others.

Recognizing this, I can engage with other people on a non-dogmatic playing field. I can put forth my own points of view with confidence, realizing they have their own viewpoints. Cultures have their various rules for playing discussion/communication games. I can take this sport seriously, but not that seriously.

I believe in objective reality, yet I accept that I could be wrong about this being truly existent. I believe in the scientific method, yet I accept that I could be wrong about this being the best way to know the objective reality that may not exist.

Everybody is doing the best they can. Me included, of course. We struggle to live our own life happily, confidently, decisively, energetically, while undertanding that other people have their own ways of living their own lives.

The beat goes on. Until it doesn't.

[Update: Driving home from the Salem coffehouse where I wrote this post after my Tai Chi class, I listened to Sirius satellite radio's Classic Rock station. I was sort of hoping to hear a Cream song, given my mention of the band in this post, but not really expecting it. No Cream... boo-hoo... until I pulled into my driveway. Ooh! Strange Brew. Great song. But not the greatest Cream song. 

I walked in the house and told my wife this little story. Amazingly, she said "Who is Cream?" Wow. Where was she in the '60s? Oh, in the mid-west, whereas I was in the San Francisco Bay Area. Where great rock bands were appreciated more. For the un-Cream'knowers, here's one of the greatest rock bands in history, playing Sunshine of Your Love in their farewell concert. Heaven!]

 

Comments

[cc]

"Every waking moment of each person's life involves choices of some sort. No ultimate right or wrong is involved. We have no way of being certain what the long- and short-term results of our actions will be. We choose, because this is what life is about. Feeling "this is what I must do" without knowing the why's and wherefore's."

Yes, but we're choosing from what we have or have not learned from experience, so our response is always conditioned. Our choices and decisions are not acts of free will but the past playing out in the present. Whether it's a snap decision or a deliberated one, it's informed by experience or lack of it.

This may be beside the point that we're compelled to respond, but it's worth noting that some people make better choices and decisions than others because they learn, whereas most keep repeating mistakes.

[Roger]

Would free will occur when one isn't compelled to respond? Are there brief moments of 'free will' found within some of those better made choices and decisions?

[777]

or

moments of 'free will' found within some of those horrific made choices and decisions?

[cc]

Would free will occur when one isn't compelled to respond?"

If you're conscious and reasonably sensitive, there's no such thing as non-response. Response can't be helped. Eyes react to light, ears to vibrations, and the mind responds to perceived phenomena depending upon how experienced it is and how much or how little it has learned from that experience.

[cc]

"moments of 'free will' found within some of those horrific made choices and decisions?"

How can you know whether free will is reality or fantasy? Looking back on your own behavior you may not be able to explain your response, but to assume it came out of nowhere (or was divinely inspired) is to jump to an irrational conclusion. Believing in free will is like believing in God. There's no evidence to support the notion, and more than enough to doubt it.

Any time we speak of freedom, we're talking about a relative condition. The more you know about something, the more likely you are to respond adequately and appropriately to it, and the less you know, the more likely you are to blunder. In this sense, knowledge frees you from the likelihood of error. Though at times what you don't know about something can be to your advantage, more often than not it's to your detriment. If you think it through, the notion of free will makes no sense.

[sgl]

bill fleckenstein, a money manager since 1982, and also writes a weekly column: http://money.msn.com/common/commentary.aspx#fleckenstein )

One of his mottos: “Often Wrong, Never in Doubt.”

you can even buy a T-shirt with his picture and the motto on it:
http://www.gearology.com/fleck-gear/bill-fleckenstein-t-shirt-never-in-doubt

[777]

Free will depends on your level

Near The Source it is big

Far from it , it is small, like at the end of chess game : that makes sense of submission & humbleness

If in case of solopism the doer has 100%
but not if She applied terrifying amnesia

In case of Love , nothing matters

777

[the9thGate]

My favourite Cream song is "We're going wrong"...great lyrics...and eerie and apt.

[Roger]

cc,

Very good comments.

relative 777,

"Free will depends on your level"

---yes, your level is relative.

[777]

Solopism is very interesting

In Brian's universe where nothing exist which wasn't him's can it be YES

while in Rogers's it's NO

while for me it does not matter

Multiverses on the go . . . !

0=1

777

[Mike Williams]

I can never have free will
....because I have no will

[Brian Hines]

Dude, you need a will! Put me in it! If you die before me I'll spend your wealth more wisely than your children, wife, other relatives, or some dumb charity would!*

* By "wisely," I mean "selfishly on myself."

[Mike Williams]

Paraphrase Brian,
If you leave me in your will, I will
spend your money wisely.

Im am sorry Brian, but that's excactly
what I am afraid you would do.

I am leaving my money to The 9th Gate.
This way I can be sure the money will
be spent on bad women, bad stocks .....
and great beer.

[Bob Russo]

Here's something to go along with your Eric Clapton collection!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKAYGVIkbok'

Enjoy!

Bob

[Roger]

"......bad women, .... and great beer."

---HEY WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!

MR. MIke.....I want a piece of that action, please put me in your will too!!!!