Learn From Everyone, But Be Your Own Teacher

It is important to exercise your ability to learn from every person and situation that we experience. Never allow yourself to limit your knowledge by ignoring information that may be contrary to your viewpoints. Even after reading our work, we urge each of you to continue your research so you can form your own unique opinions about what’s going on in the world. No single source of information should be the foundation of your world view. This dependency is equivalent to giving another person the power of thinking for you.

Much of the western world has been taught to look at society in a very polarized way. When certain issues are presented to us through mainstream circles, they are typically oversimplified to the point where all concepts are presented as black or white - as if there are always clear “good guys” and “bad guys”.

The reality of the situation is that life is often more complicated than that. There are usually many different ways of looking at things and many different sides to every story. This is especially true in the study of philosophy where terms are constantly being redefined and ideas constantly reexamined with every new generation of philosophers.

When it comes to the idea of governance, the situation is more complex than simply picking a political party or social clique and subscribing yourself to a whole system of beliefs based on other people’s ideas. Unfortunately, this is the kind of approach that is generally embraced worldwide, partly because this is how we have been taught to think. Also. because it’s a lot easier than doing all of the rigorous research and contemplation necessary to get to the bottom of important social issues.

Especially today, with the incredible amount of contradictory information that is available on the internet, people are becoming increasingly overwhelmed when trying to separate fact from fiction. Sifting through all of this information and cross-referencing sources is time consuming and not easy for some, but it’s a necessary part of achieving any kind of certainty in your research.

This is the difference between coming to your own conclusions rather than adopting the conclusions of others. There are plenty of people out there with great ideas, and there’s nothing wrong with having trusted researchers that you regularly look to for reliable information, but don’t take anyone’s word at face value and don’t disregard information purely on the source, without confirming its inaccuracy for yourself.

There are plenty of researchers out there who are very knowledgeable and on point in some respects, while still uninformed and off base in many other areas on which they comment. This is why we should critically assess all of the information we come across, and search for alternative views to get a well-rounded idea of what we are trying to figure out. There are researchers out there who are brilliant in terms of analyzing foreign policy, but who have terribly misguided views on economics, and vice versa.

No one is perfect and we should all be aware of our own strong and weak positions so we may continue to learn and grow. This is exactly why it is important to look up everything for ourselves, and check the source documentation to confirm that the information we are receiving is accurate. No one has all the right answers all the time, and if someone pretends to, you might want to proceed with extra caution.

For far too long, learning has been a top down process in our culture. It is up to each of us to educate ourselves and our communities using the power of the internet and other cutting edge tools, so that we may continue to mine one of the most vital resources on the planet - the human imagination.

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This was a selction from my book with Derrick Broze "Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion" which can be found on Amazon, or at the link in my bio below.

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Image: Pixabay

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:

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My name is John Vibes and I am an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. I write for numerous alternative media websites, including The Free Thought Project @tftproject and The Mind Unleashed. In addition to my first book, Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance, I have also co-authored three books with Derrick Broze @dbroze : The Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality, Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion and Manifesto of the Free Humans

I just won a 3-year-long battle with cancer, and will be working to help others through my experience, if you wish to contribute to my medical bills, consider subscribing to my podcast on Patreon. 

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