[Video] How we can face the future without fear, together

I watched this TED Talk and thought you would find it interesting.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks: How we can face the future without fear, together
https://go.ted.com/CyNw

https://youtu.be/AMVgX8cXsHA

Interesting for me, as a multiple-times immigrant, was the manner by which immigration was seen as threatening in this video. In my personal experience; and I feel this is quite contrary to popular media reporting; immigrants actually put quite a bit of effort into immigrating - both book learning, language learning, and getting out there to experience the culture first hand - but it is tricky, as you're integrating into a society that isn't really there sometimes. I find I can't have a good convo with a native national about how awesome their nations' constitution is, because the person you're speaking to doesn't know anything about it. And then it dawned on me that the only reason I knew my own was because I had left; and needed something culturally familiar I could use to create context for myself in understanding a new thing - the processes I went through of becoming an immigrant had actually helped "solve" some of my contribution to the problem as it was described here.

Thank You for This video Master Rosalyn!
From my perspective, the more a person is absorbed by their history and the more they define their identity, the more they define their frontiers and cut themselves from what they are not. Once they have strongly defined who they are it is harder for what they are not to come close to them.
Keeping an open mind, being in the present, not knowing where we come from or where we will be next is a hard life, but it is a life of absolute acceptance.

This is a very nice sentiment but ultimately meaningless. The idea that we can compromise our views and come together in a more correct view is a false one. This is a logical fallacy, argument to moderation, because truth does not lie in compromise. This false idea lies in the belief that all arguments have merit when in fact they do not. In actuality, not all views hold the same weight as some are correct (or more correct) and others are not. And when we begin to erode those correct views in favor of false ones just so we can appease others we also sacrifice our integrity.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: This is a very nice sentiment but ultimately meaningless. The idea that we can compromise our views and come together in a more correct view is a false one. This is a logical fallacy, argument to moderation, because truth does not lie in compromise. This false idea lies in the belief that all arguments have merit when in fact they do not. In actuality, not all views hold the same weight as some are correct (or more correct) and others are not. And when we begin to erode those correct views in favor of false ones just so we can appease others we also sacrifice our integrity.

True Kyrin. Very true. Truth and fact shouldn't be compromised. However in our lives we often times see people holding things as truth or fact when they aren't. In the same manner to which you won't compromise, these beliefs won't be either. Much conflict comes from these stubborn acts to retain half truths and hyperbolic facts. We must be willing to be open to the fact that we are wrong. Otherwise we are no better than those who cling to lies and fallacy. If truth is the absolute goal, we have to be open to the fact that we don't know it all. We might run across a truth that questions our belief.

I highly recommend adding these folks' perspective to the discussion: http://www.beyondconflictint.org/home/compromising-with-the-other/. They apply the principles in doing nation to nation conflict management and peace work in some of the toughest real world situations, and they back it up with some of the best neuroscience studies on the brain and conflict around (working with MIT).

(Here's the quick link for the neuroscience studies, for anyone interested: http://www.beyondconflictint.org/neuroscience-and-social-conflict-initiatives/)

JLSpinner wrote: True Kyrin. Very true. Truth and fact shouldn't be compromised. However in our lives we often times see people holding things as truth or fact when they aren't. In the same manner to which you won't compromise, these beliefs won't be either. Much conflict comes from these stubborn acts to retain half truths and hyperbolic facts. We must be willing to be open to the fact that we are wrong. Otherwise we are no better than those who cling to lies and fallacy. If truth is the absolute goal, we have to be open to the fact that we don't know it all. We might run across a truth that questions our belief.

Yes that is the trick isn't it. Determining when we ourselves might be in error or hold false information. This is why critical thinking skills are so very important and we must always be open to the evolution of our beliefs. Sometimes this is a very hard thing to face - maybe even sometimes taking years. But as long as we never give up that fight we should be able to always progress towards truth in all aspects of our lives. In this process we need to also always realize its ok to say "I don't know" when faced with uncertainty instead of just making up something to make ourselves feel better. We don't have the answers to everything and we never will and that's ok as well.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote:

JLSpinner wrote: True Kyrin. Very true. Truth and fact shouldn't be compromised. However in our lives we often times see people holding things as truth or fact when they aren't. In the same manner to which you won't compromise, these beliefs won't be either. Much conflict comes from these stubborn acts to retain half truths and hyperbolic facts. We must be willing to be open to the fact that we are wrong. Otherwise we are no better than those who cling to lies and fallacy. If truth is the absolute goal, we have to be open to the fact that we don't know it all. We might run across a truth that questions our belief.

Yes that is the trick isn't it. Determining when we ourselves might be in error or hold false information. This is why critical thinking skills are so very important and we must always be open to the evolution of our beliefs. Sometimes this is a very hard thing to face - maybe even sometimes taking years. But as long as we never give up that fight we should be able to always progress towards truth in all aspects of our lives. In this process we need to also always realize its ok to say "I don't know" when faced with uncertainty instead of just making up something to make ourselves feel better. We don't have the answers to everything and we never will and that's ok as well.

Isn't it just safer to assume that we don't know the truth about anything? i mean 1 plus 1 = 2, 100% of the time so far, but what about 10 years from now when we find out its not always true, it just was the majority of the time. This idea essentially means that we only operate 100% of the time on assumptions, and not truth, despite the common quest for it. So should we be so focused on the someday or focused on the now? are the assumptions more important, or rather the educated assumptions, or what I'm sure someone will say is it's all about moderation in an attempt to seek as much truth as possible, knowing that in our lifetime we will never know whether anything is true or not, but rather seek to see as much of the big picture as our frail minds can comprehend.

What is “true” is often held in one’s perspective, and is akin to personal truth. This is not the same as the all mystical and ever allusive Truth. Reality shapes the world we experience.

When we look at stories like a Christmas Carol or the movie it’s a wonderful life, we begin to see that it is not the world that has changed but the individual perception of it. In each of these the world, for all the faults that were perceived to be in it, was good. And there was joy and beauty, as the world was meant to be in balance. Balance does not mean rainbows and unicorns. Nor does it mean that everyone always gets along. But your perception and how you choose to view the world, what you chose to focus your efforts and energies on will bring about the misery of the universe in your eyes or the joy that travels from one soul to another.

Fear is a product of the mind. An uncertainty of that which has not yet occurred, the future. With no hold on the present except for what we give it. In fact, it is the present that shapes the future just as the past shaped the present; and, not the other way around.

I feel for people like the guy in the video. I hope that each of you take the time to discover other peoples, cultures and groups and really get to understand them. Not just verse yourself in what they do or want to expose you to; but, the whys, reasons, histories and how it all ties together to form who they are and why they believe and decide what they do. Understand your place in the world and in eternity… the past present and future. And have the opportunity to live in that eternity experiencing the world as it really is and not how others see it or want you to believe it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wlO3KL4IIk

Thanks pastor for that . I shared it with my family and we all watched it togeather. The selfless - it comes in many forms from many places and from many ideas it has difrent colors tones and taste. I myself practice one form of the selfless. There are many. The toughest thing to do in a world full of " self pleasing" "me now" or the "me" glow -is to grow when it sourounds the selfless. You could say the conflict is as some say : seeds n weeds. Where our focus lies is to each of us ourselfs. Thanks for the return ! This idea goes well with our own family of thought !