Tweets - November 27th - Pursuit of truth

I make for a poor philosopher, so I don't even try. There are 3 things within me that guide me: be honest with myself (about my feelings, my actions, about what I see in the world, etc.); treat others in the ways I'd want them to treat me; and walk by faith. These are mutually inclusive, and not exclusive - one does not supersede any other. These are my worth, they are the only gold I own.

So when I find myself stirring up my feelings because of some debatable issue, after some time, I take a step back and understand that I don't see clearly and I don't have all the information; if I did see clearly and have all the information, there would be nothing to debate. I could present my case, and the data (which includes its context) would speak for itself. If my case cannot speak for itself, then what exactly am I doing? What value am I truly bringing? I'd be like a wise preacher convincing well-off well-meaning people to drink poisoned kool-aid because of some feeling that we all felt to be honorable and true, which is often enough in this world to justify every horrible thing.

Does this mean that if I am willing to present my case that I certainly have all the information? Of course not. Others may have even more information, and our combined data paints a more clear picture. But our combined information is far more valuable than well-constructed philosophical teachings or years of opinionated arguments, debates, or encouraged guilt trips.

So then, by me taking a step back, and asking myself, "What do I know so far? Am I being fair and is there any miscommunication?", I am allowing myself to be honest with myself and I am treating others in ways I'd want them to treat me. Assuming I'm not dealing with a sociopath, we will now be able to move forward together, or I have to take a step back by myself - either works just fine in our pursuit.