Let's take a step back. Where is this voice coming from? Is it your friend? Is it someone on TV? Are you hearing it within your own mind? What exactly have you been hearing? Does it sound like you or someone else? Does the voice sound trustworthy? Do you trust it?
What is the voice telling you? Chances are, the body of the message may say some of the following:
-The law is just.
-The law is moral.
-Work hard and then retire.
-Be a good person.
-Be polite.
-Respect your elders.
-Strive for a goal but be patient and careful about doing it.
-You should do this. It is the right thing to do.
-I think we can all agree that this is the right thing to do.
When an animal is born, it relies on its mother to teach it how the world works. It can then react properly to all stimuli. But then... animals are not really capable of making important decisions in the world. That's what humans are for. But humans have their own problems. They tend to believe everything that they hear and base their entire life around messages that are just floating around.
Why?
Let me ask you something. Are you truly a being of independent thought? I'll answer it for you. You are. You can form your own conclusions (whether right or wrong) and make your own decisions. You even have a choice whether or not to believe anything I am saying right now. I'm not controlling you. You are controlling you.
It seems a lot of people tend to think that a person only comes down to who they are willing to believe. But as to those they believe, who do THEY believe? Where does it all begin? Is popular opinion really all that significant? If someone on TV tells you that coffee is bad, does that mean coffee is bad? Does the fact that they are on TV give them credibility? Does the amount of money they make give their opinion credibility? Do they have more of a right to tell you the difference between right and wrong, and should you believe them at all?
Now, I want you to take everything you ever heard from anyone ever and simply forget all of it. Just let it all go. Ignore all of their lessons and reasons for everything. It's not easy, is it? You are dealing with something called indoctrination. It's when you allow others to tell you what to think. Over time, it feels like they are your own thoughts. It becomes who you are. It hurts to let it go. It feels so safe.
Independent thought is when you are deciding things for yourself. You have probably been told that it is a bad things. That's where evil dictators and cult leaders come from. And that is right. They do come from that batch. But simply forming your own conclusions based on the content of who you are does not mean you will become something horrible. It simply means that you are thinking clearly without the assistance of other minds. With independent thought, you can finally realize who you are and not what people think you should be.
Every human being does have a responsibility to think for themselves and draw their own conclusions for better or worse. If they become a villain then so be it. At the very least, that person was who he was and not someone else.
I hear a lot of people telling me to be myself. Well... I am myself. I am entirely myself. I act entirely on how I perceive the world. I could be wrong in how I see the world. Perception is not an exact science. Nevertheless, I do the best I can. I don't let people tell me how I should act or how I should think. Ultimately, I am free.
What makes it so hard is that there are so many people in the world who will turn on their TVs, get told something, and they allow it to be their opinion too. I can get poked and prodded by these people about the fact that I am not conforming. I'm sorry. I'm just not interested in outside programming. I just want to be me. I am T.K. Wade. I am an author of fiction. I am a creator of music. I am a director of film and audio. That is who I am and who I intend to always be.
All humans have a choice to be human.
Thank you for reading this blog! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Either way, you can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Thanks!
The brain is a computer. You can use your computer however you will within your aptitude. Others may use your computer. It is easier if you let them. You are in trouble if they are unfriendly. Yes, we are CAPABLE of independent thought. Though brainwashed growing up, we hear what rings true. We ignore the ring... or we answer its call. What we say to the truth is entirely up to us... unless we let someone else do the talking.
ReplyDeleteWe all want to be useful. It amazes me that people will make the choice to be someone else's tool and then complain that their lives feel meaningless.
DeleteIndependent thought requires we stop seeking the truth from outside sources and instead seek from within. Tune out all the information being streamed at us and listen only to that which calls to our very core. The individual decides their own fate, if we choose to be a puppet then that's all we'll ever be. If we follow the Way, and seek the Truth we will find the Life that was meant for us.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like we are told that independent thought is a sin because we could be wrong. Someone might be hurt by it. That is true, but living a life of constant second guessing is very lukewarm. Action is preferable to inaction.
DeleteThis world is filled with those who seek to control others. That is where power comes in: to make another person suffer. There is no greater pain than the loss of oneself.
ReplyDeleteWhat pain? You need to freaking exist to feel pain. These people are living ghosts. They don't feel pain. They don't feel anything but what they are programmed to feel. And half the time they don't even label those feelings correctly.
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