Your Mind is Your Reality

Dogma:
     1. An official system of principles or tenets concerning faith, morals, behavior, etc. as of a church. synonyms: doctrine, teachings, set of beliefs, philosophy.
     2. A specific tenet or doctrine authoritatively laid down, as by a church.
     3. Prescribed doctrine proclaimed as unquestionably true by a particular group.
     4. A settled or established opinion, belief, or principle; synonyms: conviction, certainty.

     Without realizing it, many of succumb to fulfilling a life of dogma. It’s not really any-ones fault, with the exception of those who have never questioned their environment, their surroundings, relationships, decisions, motives, REALITY!
     How can we grow, without learning and acquiring new knowledge? I’m not sure that we can, but I’m pretty confident that we can evolve greatly by being suspicious of everything experienced.
     Submitting to dogmatic practice and/or lifestyle in my opinion, can be extremely restrictive. It seems that shutting every door thought, and every window of learning opportunity, is no different than raising the bridge that crosses the moat. The result is nothing comes in, and nothing goes out.
     Many people get offended when their dogmas are questioned or ridiculed, maybe this is because they are finally faced with something they’ve been avoiding: TRUTH. The truth that their believe system is capable of being questioned, and very capable of flaws. Speaking of being ridiculed, perhaps to many, that very dogma being ridiculed is on trial because it’s ridiculous.
     On the other hand, the same people who hold their dogma on high land, in my experience will have no problem shunning any alternative concepts and categorizing them as inferior, or perhaps low-grade and sub-par. Consequently, the practitioners and participants are not hesitant to try and spread their principles on others, but would never consider any other set of ideas, that they have not already committed to.
     Do I think that committing to a set of ideas is wrong? Not necessarily, I believe that there is some comfort in certainty. Certainty doesn’t necessarily mean exiling yourself from foreign or alternative ideas, principles, or concepts. I personally enjoy learning about “exotic” cultures, ideas, practices, and even thought I may not agree with some of them or necessarily understand some of them, by not considering them at all, I would be as guilty of giving into dogmatic counter-evolution as committing to one dogma and trying to impose it on the rest of the world. So, by not exposing ourselves to other ideas, we are just as much at fault as preaching our already acquired way of life.
     But don’t take my word for it, find out for yourself, after all I don’t think either of us wants to live in dogma.