Quote #21

“Men who know the same things are not long the best company for each other.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Many people are afraid of things or people that are different. People can be very intolerant of things they don’t understand or aren’t comfortable with.

Differences are the spice of life. If everything I said and did was exactly like what you know and also do, then you wouldn’t find me worth your time – you spend all of your time around someone who is almost exactly the same.

This idea translates into so many other things in life. People who have the same interests can only talk about those interests for so long. They may feel very comfortable together for a while, but they will not long be the best company for each other.

Similarly, things that we find abhorrent in ourselves, when they appear in others, become even more of a nuisance. The similarities between people may bring them together at first, but they are not the glue that binds us, they are not the spice that flavors our relationships.

I am fascinated by people, and especially people who are different from me. The more different they are, the more interesting I find them.

I find that there are many friendships and relationships in my life that began with a shared interest or two and solidified with the discovery of new and interesting things about the other person. There have also been some relationships that began with so many things in common that it was hard to believe we were two separate people. The fact of the matter is, unless there are differences, relationships of the second type usually go stale much faster than relationships of the first type.

I have made my friends from among the most different people I have found. Different from each other, and different from me. That is why I think we have been such good friends, and that is why I feel that my life is as interesting as it is.

I hope I never meet someone too much like myself, and if I do, please don’t make me spend too much time around him. I’ll get bored.

Quote #1

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
- Aristotle

 

I was talking with a friend today about this very subject.  All too often people are shocked when I share some of the thoughts that I have.  For this reason, I rarely share the thoughts I have with people unless A) the thoughts are tame or B) I know that person already accepts that I am a loon.

Just because you’ve never thought those strange thoughts yourself, or just because those strange thoughts may not be completely acceptable do you think that I never should have thought them in the first place?  I have a good, educated brain in my head, not a lazy one.  I am perfectly capable of entertaining thoughts without them posing a danger to my character or desires.

One of the teachings of my religion that I enjoy very much is the knowledge that we will be judged (by God) on the basis of both our actions and our desires.  The problem for most people is that desires are the product of becoming obsessed with a thought.  So, if you have a thought that is not good, it is best to avoid entertaining it so as to avoid the problem thought escalating into a desire that could one day manifest itself in your actions (thoughts are the seeds of desire and the fruit of desire is action).

However, what if you are able to entertain the thought with no risk of that thought becoming a desire?  You might successfully argue that nobody is completely immune to their thoughts becoming desires, so it is best to entirely avoid certain thoughts that could one day mature into horrible acts.  I agree.  I would never entertain thoughts of adultery, domestic violence or anything else for which I would not ever be able to forgive myself.

However, entertaining thoughts of other taboo subjects is acceptable for the educated mind, so long as the discipline to contain those thoughts and control them exists.  So, I shall continue to entertain the thought that I would make a good criminal and the idea that I really should have taken the bounty hunter’s career path several years ago, because mine is an educated mind with the power to prevent such thoughts from spawning desires that would get me into trouble.

Of course, the quote also refers to the idea that an educated mind can consider beliefs, thoughts and ideas that are not its own without accepting them or believing them.  I can entertain, in my mind, the teachings of another religion without accepting them.  (My friend, by the way, is very good at this.)

It’s just more fun to think about hacking the bank and living in Mexico with a trillion dollars to blow on video games, electronics, junk food, jets and a massive collection of books.