Diversity

There are many different kinds of Christianity, many different kinds of Islam, many different kinds of Hinduism. There are many different ideas about God: who he or she is, what he or she wants from you.

What if God doesn't have a gender. What if you are praying to a God that doesn't exist. What if you are praying to someone else's God. What if you are praying to the wrong God. Catholics and Protestants have been fighting gruesome wars over the years because of their different beliefs. Sunni and Shia Muslims are fighting gruesome wars today.

Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and atheists are also fighting each other because of their different ideas about God.

What if there is no God. What if there really is a God somewhere whom no one has discovered yet.

There are also many different kinds of philosophies, many different kinds of meditation, many different kinds of spirituality, many different kinds of liberalism, many different kinds of socialism. There are many different kinds of ideas and beliefs in this world. Not even the scientists are in agreement.

How can you be so deeply convinced that your view is the right view among so many others?

What if you are completely wrong. What if you have misunderstood everything. What if you are desperately clinging to a misconception.

Questions

Are we all nuts in one way or another? What do you think?

Can some misconceptions be helpful and others create misery? Can a self-image, a worldview, a religion, or an ideology be beneficial? Is it possible to see things clearly without distorting lenses? Is it possible to free oneself from delusions?

Can you believe whatever you like as long as you don't create problems for yourself and other people?

Have you ever questioned your own beliefs?

Not on the same page.

You have to find someone who can teach you about life and how you should live it: a Guru, a spiritual teacher, a pastor, a mullah, a life coach, a philosopher, a rock star, a political leader...

Someone must show you the direction. If you don't know your destination, you need someone who can tell you where to go.

It's wonderful to know where to go and how to get there. It's wonderful to sit in an audience and listen to someone who knows the way. It's wonderful to have a leader.

If you listen to another guru he or she will probably point in another direction. There are gurus for all directions, full circle. There are even gurus who tell you to stay where you are. Some believe in the perennial philosophy, others don't; some believe in a true self that you can find, others don't. Some believe in God, others don't.

Belief systems

Gloomy thoughts, grumpy thoughts, nice thoughts, clever thoughts, stupid thoughts, wonderful thoughts...Thoughts are just thoughts. They come and go and they are seldom worth bothering about.

Your philosophy of life, on the other hand, is very important paying attention to. It can ruin your life. It can also ruin other people's life.

So, what is your philosophy of life really like? To find out you have to observe your actions, not your thoughts.

Some people claim that they Christian, but they do not turn the other cheek and they store up treasures on earth.

Others claim that all humans are equal, but they use an indifferent tone of voice when they talk to the plain-looking and uneducated and they talk ingratiatingly to those who are attractive and successful. 

Some advocate the benefits of positive thinking but they depend on antidepressant medications to survive.

What is your actual philosophy of life? What philosophy of life you are living according to?

What comes first? Pleasure? The importance of not being a nobody? To have an identity, a title? To be knowledgeable of something, meditation, sailing, literature?

What ideas do you refuse to give up? What do you refuse to see?

Do you believe that career climbing is important? Do you believe that the rich and strong are blessed? Do you despise yourself? Do you trust yourself? Are honesty, uprightness, and friendliness important to you?

Is it possible, do you think, to give up one's actual philosophy of life and start anew, to be born again, without adopting another belief system?

Do you believe that it is possible to live without a philosophy of life, or do you believe that it is a matter of replacing bad ideas with good ones?

Do you believe that the meaning of life must be created or discovered?