Conversation

I used to make a lot of effort in trying to reconcile seemingly contradictory ideas. It was too forced and therefore mentally exhausting, fragile, and rigid. Now I mostly entertain ideas on their own terms, and let their synthesis arise naturally from my own mind or from others.
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Sometimes however, I resonate with something that seems to contradict a cherished value, and I am compelled to 'hard think' about it. This can be valuable too, but as the exception instead of the rule.
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But, I will add, the number of paradoxes that I feel painfully compelled to resolve has decreased significantly by addressing core existential anxieties at their root. I am still seeking the truth, but out of intrigue instead of fear.
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Replying to
Comparing notes with you here.. I'm thinking my apparent lack of existential anxiety says more about my lack of imagination than it does about my having addressed anything. I wonder if I have dark nights ahead.
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Think there is also a tendency to confuse practitioner personality & circumstances with practitioner accomplishment. Some people clearly suffer fewer anxieties than others. Sometimes, that's a sign of accomplishment. Other times, they're just baseline psychologically healthier.
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