11-12-2015, 04:29 PM
I was interested in hearing some of your thoughts regards how these 2 concepts interrelate; that is, the notions of naivety and discernment.
Are they diametrically opposed?
With naivete, there is a certain innocence and inexperience, which can verge into the gullible.
With discernment, there is a rigorous comparison of data-points, and subjecting opinions and claims to analysis; and yet skepticism and cynicism can also result from an excess (in my opinion).
Do the two form some sort of balance? Especially when it comes to spiritual matters, and claims are made which cannot be fact-checked or subject to lab analysis; then one is left with going on 'vibes' and an individual's reputation.
My feeling is that sometimes we can suspend our own discernment, and willingly be gullible in the desperate hope for changes that we don't think are achievable by our own means.
Spiritual Seekers can come in many varieties. There are those who have founded their understandings on concrete experience; and then there are those who turn to spirituality, because they've somehow given up on everything else in their lives, and it's their last lifeline. The latter can definitely transition into the former, given the re-instatement of discernment.
Are they diametrically opposed?
With naivete, there is a certain innocence and inexperience, which can verge into the gullible.
With discernment, there is a rigorous comparison of data-points, and subjecting opinions and claims to analysis; and yet skepticism and cynicism can also result from an excess (in my opinion).
Do the two form some sort of balance? Especially when it comes to spiritual matters, and claims are made which cannot be fact-checked or subject to lab analysis; then one is left with going on 'vibes' and an individual's reputation.
My feeling is that sometimes we can suspend our own discernment, and willingly be gullible in the desperate hope for changes that we don't think are achievable by our own means.
Spiritual Seekers can come in many varieties. There are those who have founded their understandings on concrete experience; and then there are those who turn to spirituality, because they've somehow given up on everything else in their lives, and it's their last lifeline. The latter can definitely transition into the former, given the re-instatement of discernment.
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