Changing Life Views and Philosophy as you age - Are you ever "right"?

To quote Alan Squier from one of my personal favorite plays and film adaptations (1936):

"Oh, I'm eternally right. But what good does it do me?"

 

The only "right" thing I am finding thus far is the religious path that I chose some years ago. Since few people on this board are sufficiently knowledgeable about Islam, I'll say that my path is a bundle of astronomy, Eastern/Western philosophy (along with various world religions), biology, and mathematics. These ideas fundamentally have certain things set in stone while the rest change with new developments and discoveries.

Although my formal education did not include many of the above subjects, I have taught myself during my free time. I also befriended people who specialize in these fields, and joined organizations which they belong to and met more of their friends and colleagues. The more I delve into the worlds of these people and these subjects, the more I appreciate life and the planet which we inhabit.

I am fascinated by things which people don't care about anymore. For instance, I sat under the shade of a tree in a remote area of the world where I spent the whole day simply observing the sky. Afterwards, I had a profound discussion of my experience on that trip with a blind and elderly woman. We ate fish together, and we talked about the skies that we had seen and their colors. Besides people who do that for a living and/or research, I know no one who does or would like to do that. It took someone who lost her sight to understand the beauty I had seen; and more importantly she understood this greater thing that I am trying to find.

Before, doing nonconformist, "nerdy", and generally weird things would bother me. Now, I care much less. This path feels more "right" as time goes by. What I do now for fun, I never dreamed it would interest me. When younger, what drove me were running for political office, creating and owning a business, and competing with my friends in various areas - salary, career path, attractiveness of spouse, automobiles, etc. They seem dull in comparison to my current interests like that old record that you loved listening to in junior high. Consequently, it's getting harder and harder to relate old friends because their interests are very different than mine.

TL;DR A combination of science and philosophy has been the only "right" thing so far in life. The more I do this right thing, the more changes I notice in me and my perception. I spot the arbitrary standards and definitions that other people make, and I no longer care that I fail to meet them because I glimpse something far greater beyond all of us. Although I lost some friends who couldn't see what I see, I am becoming happy again.

 

I'm 60 but I still have the same moral and political 'truths' that I had at 20. But I live in a pretty small world apart from most struggles, having had the benefit of some ridiculous luck. It's like being born with Super Powers ; you don't have to compromise yourself.

 

But facts do not = right or wrong. You've heard the cliché "perception is reality". To assert "rightness" or "wrongness" means you have to assert some value judgments on top of the facts. Facts in and of themselves are meaningless. So let me ask the question another way. If there is no spoon, then why do you keep calling it a spoon? Are you wrong for calling it a spoon if it doesn't exist?

Why are we dogmatic about being right and wrong? Because we are biologically programmed to overcome adversity to keep ourselves alive. The goal is to stay alive. If you are still alive, then you were successful (aka "right"). We are programmed to see patterns which we promptly dismiss (or rather we process patterns subconsciously). We only notice things that deviate from patterns (aka things that are "wrong") because those things might cause is harm.

However, things that are in patterns are not always right (e.g. stereotypes) and things that deviate from patterns are not always wrong (e.g. art).

Wise people know how to apply context when assessing stereotypes and art. Therefore, making judgments on stereotypes and art doesn't lead to a right or wrong answers. The answer is ..."it depends".

Are you right or wrong? It depends.

Is there a spoon? It depends.

Wise people understand those dependencies. Unwise people imposing their own value system to reach conclusions. While one may be "factually" correct (whatever that means. I suppose that means you can frame the context to meet your criteria for relevant facts while inevitably dismissing other facts.) that doesn't mean others will agree with your value system and therefore dispute your set of facts.

In the end, it isn't really important to assert "right". What is important is that we can get along with those around us to achieve some sort of desired result. So if the goal is to achieve desired results, that changes throughout life.

 

p***y-whipped?
wish i still was

 

what you are speaking of is living in the now, it is a goal i seek myself. much easier said than done, however. i believe that we know so much more than we think we do. it takes work/prayer/meditation to live life "knowing" how to live in the now, to not overthink, to live life as you "know" it should be lived.

 

Yes. I am right. Now get off my lawn.

 

When it comes to knowledge consciousness about a particular subject, there are 4 types of people.

1. Somebody who thinks they know a lot and really do
2. Somebody who thinks they know a lot but really know very little
3. Somebody who thinks they don't know anything and really don't know
4. Somebody who thinks they don't know anything lot but they really do.

If you are true to yourself, you want to find which one you are given a particular subject. Research and listening to opposite views is the key to this.

 

I'll take 60 years of experience over 1 year experience right out of college.

And yes, you do get more "right" with age.

 

I feel like this thread has become a philosophy survey course.

 

Never right, always searching. I love the search.

 

As you age, you typically acquire more wealth, have children, and see your responsibilities increase. As we learn more about the world, our views evolve. For those that pursue their self interest (a noble endeavor, that makes this world function), their philosophies and values will adjust as the drivers of their self interest change. Safety and security rise in importance, as you have more to protect, as an example. The young naive dreamers also receive an education from the world through trial and error, which also modifies believes. All of these factors contribute to my assertion that the youth vote and popular culture are both horrible guideposts to follow, as they are driven by the under-informed and naive.

 

Old people are wrong because they act based on convenience and familiarity. They lack the energy or optimism to fully explore alternate options or viewpoints. They rationalize it by drawing on experience and select the one choice, opinion, or social group that has garnered a plurality of positive outcomes.