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January 27, 2007
Undecided
I am jealous of decisive people. Those who can be patriotic and imagine that whatever a country does is morally correct, those who can be religious and say that all other religions are wrong, those who can adhere to a point of view, a doctrine, a proper set of pre-defined morals, and then easily dismiss everything else. Those who can say that they are against evolution because their church says so, those who can say they are against shaking hand with ladies because their imam says so, those who oppose abortion because their political party says so, those who think women should be bound and feminist movements should be crushed because their political leaders say so.
I have always been liberally wobbly in my beliefs. Too relativist I have been called. I never saw anything wrong with feeling at home in four different countries and seeing good and bad points of all of them. I like Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Manichaeaism, Islam, and Baha'ism. They are all interesting and they all have good points. I think monarchists have a very good reason for supporting the existence of a monarch. Socialist insistance on the responsibility of the government on protecting all of the citizens (No One Left Behind?) is noble. Republicans have a good point about not letting the government get too big, Greens have a great point when they insist that the government should control how big businesses do business. Democrats are wise in chosing to give more rights to the individuals and insist on secularism. Those opposing Turkish style forceful secularism have a point that you cannot change the political traditions of a region by force, while I have seen with my own eyes that religion can be "das Opium des Volkes ".
I like all languages and want to learn the ones who are becoming extinct (Scotish Gaelic anyone?), but at the same time think that official languages, as manufactured as the idea of a nation-state, are necessary for the upkeep of the nation-state. I support education in local languages, but don't think that every little dialect should be taken as the sign of a need for independence. I grew up with a very strong mother and pride myself in often understanding those "female whines" and what causes them, but at the same time don't think all men are misogynists. I like to study hard and I enjoy my subject, but I also enjoy a good play, a good film, or a good concert.
I really envy the Sunni Conservative Pan-Islamists, Southern Baptist Republicans, Orthodox Pro-Israel AIPAC supporters, Hindu Nationalists, and Basque seperatists. I think the world is becoming more and more a place where you stick to an idea, however extreme, and manage to do anything and everything just because your religion/party/country/leader/guru says so.
Posted by Khodadad at January 27, 2007 12:53 PM
Comments
Khodadad, I agree with your relativistic attitude toward religious belief. I think that religions, whatever they espouse, have the potential to bring out the best in people, or the worst. So, I have long been of the opinion that it doesn't matter what people believe. Rather, it is what people do that makes all the difference.
With respect to morality, though, I have some very well defined, although not always conventional principles. You have reminded me of my once upon a time study of psychology. There is a famous psychologist named Lawrence Kohlberg who did a lot of research on what he termed as Stages of Moral Development. In a way, they are sort of an expansion on Freud's idea of the Id, the Ego, and the Super Ego. Most people operate morally on the basis of self-interest combined with societal acceptance. A very few people, conduct themselves on the basis of very altruistic moral principals. Such a person as Ghandi would be considered to have reached Kohlberg's highest stage of moral development. If you are interested, here is a link to a Wikipedia article on Kohlberg's theory:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development
Btw, did you ever read my five things, the extended version? I know, you are very busy studying! So, I understand, and I am willing to excuse your absense my friend. ;)
Posted by: David at January 28, 2007 11:05 PM
Excellent points. You forgot to add Shiaa fundamentlaists, Turkish panturkists, Persian paniranists, and arab panarabists, who each think that they are better than others and one thing they have in common is they oppose the largest stateless nation in the Middle East to become indendent.
Posted by: ART-in-Mind at February 5, 2007 09:21 AM