cuchulain Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Throughout my life, I have encountered many various claims about things. I have discovered, in my own life at least, that I have a tendency to believe people. I know, gullibility. In later years I have strove to overcome that gullibility, and the only way I have found that works for me is to take everything everyone says with a grain of salt, even things that seem to be true and everyone accepts. After all, the world was flat at one point, until people decided it was round, right? I spent some time in jail, and I watched many a person preach the word as they saw it, and I watched many other people just fall to their knees and accept, no question, no debate, no let me think on it. Just acceptance. Eagerly so. I have seen it in other places as well. People hear an idea that they resonate with for whatever reason, and it just seems like reason flies out the window. That sounds so good, I think I will just believe it wholeheartedly, not because of evidence, but because it sounds like what I want to be the truth. So I thought I would ask, has anyone hear fallen for the idea because it sounded like what they wanted to be the truth, and do you have examples? When I was way younger, in grade school, the one that always stuck with me was that hummingbirds can't fly, according to the laws of physics. Well, that is a bit obvious, they DO fly, so clearly that is wrong. But it always stuck in the back of my head, and when I was that age I didn't have the internet to be able to fact check the statement. Naivety. Gullibility. I think it happens to a lot of people, especially when they are scared, or desperate to believe in something, anything really. What are your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Kaman Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Yes. Then they either waste away or become crusty cynics like myself who don't trust anything anymore except themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuchulain Posted April 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 I am cynically inclined, nowadays, that is true. Still, I recognize THAT as a flaw as well, and so try to trust in some things, even as I question. Difficult balance to maintain, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Key Posted April 17, 2015 Report Share Posted April 17, 2015 Throughout my life, I have encountered many various claims about things. I have discovered, in my own life at least, that I have a tendency to believe people. I know, gullibility. In later years I have strove to overcome that gullibility, and the only way I have found that works for me is to take everything everyone says with a grain of salt, even things that seem to be true and everyone accepts. After all, the world was flat at one point, until people decided it was round, right? I spent some time in jail, and I watched many a person preach the word as they saw it, and I watched many other people just fall to their knees and accept, no question, no debate, no let me think on it. Just acceptance. Eagerly so. I have seen it in other places as well. People hear an idea that they resonate with for whatever reason, and it just seems like reason flies out the window. That sounds so good, I think I will just believe it wholeheartedly, not because of evidence, but because it sounds like what I want to be the truth. So I thought I would ask, has anyone hear fallen for the idea because it sounded like what they wanted to be the truth, and do you have examples? When I was way younger, in grade school, the one that always stuck with me was that hummingbirds can't fly, according to the laws of physics. Well, that is a bit obvious, they DO fly, so clearly that is wrong. But it always stuck in the back of my head, and when I was that age I didn't have the internet to be able to fact check the statement. Naivety. Gullibility. I think it happens to a lot of people, especially when they are scared, or desperate to believe in something, anything really. What are your thoughts?Growing up, I think the willingness to believe in people seems to stem from the open mind we held to absorb information until such point or evidence that we could no longer or weren't comfortable doing so. Usually, after someone had proven to be untrustworthy of our attention or alliance.We become cynical when we become more focused on the failings witnessed or experienced. So much easier than being optimistic until disappointed in unwanted events.While I feel I am still an optimist, I am less than I was as a child, and more realist as I grow older.As for eager acceptance, yes, human nature is to lean towards that which feels comfortable or convenient. The con knows this all too well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arglwydd Gruffudd Posted April 18, 2015 Report Share Posted April 18, 2015 (edited) Yes, I have fallen for it in the past. But over the years I have also become a cynic, carrying my proverbial lantern everywhere. Unfortunately, due to the current state of things, I just feel it is more practical to be cynical. If I prepare for the worst, and it turns out not that bad, then I am pleasantly suprised. If I constantly hope for the best, then I am frequently disappointed . Edited April 18, 2015 by Lord Gruffudd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emalpaiz Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 As I have grown older, I have learned to listen with serenity, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan56 Posted April 27, 2015 Report Share Posted April 27, 2015 (edited) I'm not naturally cynical, but after being burned and lied to repeatedly, the better part of wisdom has taught me that 90% of everything you hear in this world is b.s... I just walked away from what might have been an incredible deal on a house, simply because the owner wasn't being straight with me. What's sad is that she could have sold the house if she just answered my questions instead of trying to hide the truth.I guess we all learn to not fall for something by previously falling for something Years ago I bought stock in Worldcom, not because of what I heard, but because they say the numbers don't lie. Turns out the numbers were a lie, the company reported $11 billion in revenues that didn't exist, and the ceo Bernie Ebbers went to jail. And he was a freaking Christian too! Who can you trust? Edited April 27, 2015 by Dan56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panpareil Posted April 27, 2015 Report Share Posted April 27, 2015 I am not so much cynical as skeptical.To be cynical is think badly of others. To be skeptical is to be wary of others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mererdog Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) I am about as big a skeptic as you are likely to meet. I rarely take things at face value and while I don't normally assume people are lying I usually assume they are probably wrong. Yet, somehow, I still find myself regularly having to admit to myself that I've bought into some sort of bunk. It's so hard to find unadulterated truth and so hard to maintain a truly open mind, you know? So the urge to feel like I know keeps tricking me into believing nonsense and lies...And, come to think of it, that explanation may just be a convenient rationalization designed to keep me from acknowledging simple stupidity on my part.... Edited April 30, 2015 by mererdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonNoble Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 I have often agreed with those who say the more they know - the more they realize how much they don't know. Disappointment seems to occur most often when I, myself, had unrealistic expectations. Others are less likely to fail if I assign less rigidity to the outcomes I expect. Often others are not so much dishonest as the fault is in me when we communicate. Often I do not listen fully. Often I rush ahead without waiting to allow them to fully explain. I am an Olympian at jumping to conclusions. Taking time to fully digest what is said before responding is much more effective. Skepticism begins with my own ability to fully integrate the information to the best of my ability every time. Some days I just screw up, forget, am inattentive, impatient, I don't ask enough questions, I don't process critically, I am too lazy to push myself to think in more than one comfortable rut that I favor....so I am not sure that in large part, it is my own input causing faulty and frustrating output. von Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan H. B. Lobl Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 (edited) Over the years, I have looked into a lot of different types of energy/spiritual healing systems. Different types of Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Pranic Healing, Mahikari, different qi gong systems, etc. More are popping up. Surprise. Everywhere I go, they have the best, most effective methods or highest energetic vibrations. I fell for a few of them along the way. Well, live and learn. Edited April 28, 2016 by Jonathan H. B. Lobl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Umbraedeus Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 (edited) I have fallen for the same lie twice, although it was wrapped in different paper. As a teenager in the 1980's I studied Wicca, and I believed the then current party line that Wicca was descended from an unbroken line all the way from the ancients, starting with cave dwelling shamans, and carrying on in secret since the Middle ages right up to Gerald Gardner. In my twenties I studied with a Rosicrucian order which claimed to go back in an unbroken line all the way to Ancient Egypt. Now that I think of it, I actually fell for it three times, because I also studied with a Druid order that claimed to go back to the ancient Druids. In all cases I was motivated by the desire for "authentic" and "ancient" occult teachings. I eventually realized that the most profound occult knowledge I was going to find would come from within myself and my own personal connection with the supernatural. Another lie I fell for was that the gods are concerned with me or my fate. I used to follow after gods, first as a Christian, than as a Wiccan, Druid, etc., but I eventually came to realize that although other gods may exist, the only god I can truly count on is myself. The gods may actually be concerned with me now only because I refuse to worship them Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus, God of Shadow Edited May 25, 2016 by Umbraedeus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan H. B. Lobl Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 (edited) Let us not forget the other big lie. Eastern religion is more spiritual than Western religion. The grass is always greener in somebody else's Hell. Also, over the septic tank. Edited May 25, 2016 by Jonathan H. B. Lobl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuchulain Posted May 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 I have heard those before, Umbraedeus. Especially the Druid lie. That's always an amusing one to look back on. What matters when comes the wisdom, if it is wisdom? People(myself included at times) seem to think that age adds wisdom. In the realm of Wicca, I have had Gardner Wiccans get very hostile to me when I related their history as I knew it, and I wasn't rubbing it in their face or anything, simply telling them my understanding and asking for clarification. Johnathan, clearly you haven't BEEN to my heaven, or you would know there is no greener grass. Why not convert?(that's a joke, btw, since humor doesn't often translate well online) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan H. B. Lobl Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 1 hour ago, cuchulain said: I have heard those before, Umbraedeus. Especially the Druid lie. That's always an amusing one to look back on. What matters when comes the wisdom, if it is wisdom? People(myself included at times) seem to think that age adds wisdom. In the realm of Wicca, I have had Gardner Wiccans get very hostile to me when I related their history as I knew it, and I wasn't rubbing it in their face or anything, simply telling them my understanding and asking for clarification. Johnathan, clearly you haven't BEEN to my heaven, or you would know there is no greener grass. Why not convert?(that's a joke, btw, since humor doesn't often translate well online) Over the years, I have been involved with a few religious movements. In hindsight, they have left me wondering, what the hell had I been thinking? Mahikari, Nichiren Shoshu, PanGu ShenGong, Eckenkar, The World Light Fellowship, etc. There was also the time when my closest friends were hassidic. Wow. I've been stupid. It has all contributed greatly to my being Agnostic, now. There comes a point when even I have to snap out of it and grow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mererdog Posted May 26, 2016 Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 19 hours ago, cuchulain said: People(myself included at times) seem to think that age adds wisdom. I've always been more likely to fall for the "new and improved" claims, personally.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuchulain Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 I have heard that one as well, though not as often in matters spiritual or religious. Yet it is one that I rarely fall for personally because I am more skeptical of the new than the old. Almost seems backwards, doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan H. B. Lobl Posted May 26, 2016 Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 (edited) 59 minutes ago, cuchulain said: I have heard that one as well, though not as often in matters spiritual or religious. Yet it is one that I rarely fall for personally because I am more skeptical of the new than the old. Almost seems backwards, doesn't it? The fraudulent nature of new things is frequently more obvious. Consider the world of energetic healing methods. In the last ten years, the number of new methods in the marketplace has exploded. And they all begin by saying that they are better than Reiki. And they are all expensive to learn. My BS detector is working overtime. Edited May 26, 2016 by Jonathan H. B. Lobl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuchulain Posted May 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2016 Well I was going to offer to teach you enlightenment, Johnathan, for the low, LOW price of $19.99...but it sounds like you just aren't interested(joke, in case someone thinks I legitimately am offering this and tries to report it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan H. B. Lobl Posted May 27, 2016 Report Share Posted May 27, 2016 4 hours ago, cuchulain said: Well I was going to offer to teach you enlightenment, Johnathan, for the low, LOW price of $19.99...but it sounds like you just aren't interested(joke, in case someone thinks I legitimately am offering this and tries to report it) The real fraud out there is worse than anything you could offer. There is something so galling about spiritual fraud for profit. Well, the sheep are ready to follow the shepherd. All the way to the killing floor. You do know about real shepherds, don't you? They kill their sheep, eat their flesh and wear their skins. Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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