I am always right. Almost always

I came across a post titled I am always right. Almost always and I loved reading it because it brought home some dark truths that I grapple with consistently.

Unanswered questions like:

• When does my opposition to fundamentalism become, in itself, a form of fundamentalism?
• Can someone's freedom of expression impinge on my freedom from oppression?
• Can I maintain my integrity by compromising my position in a negotiation or debate?
  

The latter was beautifully summed up in a previous post in 2006 which quoted Liberal Democrats (UK political party) leader, Charles Kennedy as saying:

"In politics you should position yourself behind what you believe in and articulate it. Then see if that's what the voters want, and if it's not what they want, well, that's democracy."

I think we can adapt to this to a broader philosophy on life.

I have always maintained that I will never compromise my principles - my integrity is my self. Without it I am lost in a sea of expressionless and unconscious beings in a "follow me" world.

That does not mean I am fixed and rigid in my opinions and perspectives, though it may appear that way. I know that I must be open to new information and willing to adapt to the truth when it is discovered, for my principles are based solely on my knowledge and experience to date, which may well be flawed or lacking the right perspective.

One exercise that I regularly undertake, and highly recommend to everyone, is to take your beliefs, one at a time, and ask yourself simply "why do I believe this?".

Often you will find the root of your beliefs in some distant childhood memory that, when given an adult perspective, seems ludicrous, illogical or irrelevant. At that point it is time to reassess that belief in light of the present information and understanding.

Only at that moment of extraordinary capitulation can we say we have grown wiser. I look for those moments daily and embrace them with joy.