As I stated earlier, I am revisiting old episodes of Lost. In the third episode of Series two, there is a discussion between Jack and Locke over what is easier to believe or not to believe? I for one always thought/felt that people who believed in things such as fate, destiny, serendipity, or religion seemed to be taking the easier option. Its nice to believe that things are mapped out, that there is someone who is taking care of us who is on the look out for us. It seemed to me that they were taking the responsibility of their actions and placing it in some other 'beings' hands. But then again maybe people who don't believe-such as myself-are also taking the easy option. We have decided that everything needs to be questioned, that everything needs to be challenged, which in my opinion is a good thing-but what if in some cases it is OK just to accept things? To let issues, dramas, people, situations just go! To believe that situations we find yourself in are part of a bigger plan, a plan to get us to where we are 'supposed to be'. That place might be good, bad or just neutral but it is a place. I know that I have thought it a number of times, if I had not failed my first year at university, I would have met the people that I ended up meeting, I would not have had the experiences I had. For sure the logic is I would have had others, and maybe they would have been better, but it shows you how things sometimes happen for with or without reason. I guess it how we read these 'reasons', 'signs' whatever you wanna call them, is how we become who we are.
In the case of Lost is is all about the button should they press it or not, should we believe that if we don't press it the world would end, so should we not press it just to prove that the world won't end? I didn't like that fact that they pressed the button-made them a slave of it in the end, I felt that Jack should have stood his ground. But at the same time I understood why HE had to press it, what if the world did end? Would someone want to have that on their score card? I guess also for a Man of Science like him-in my case a woman of science-its with a feeling of relief that we press the button...the we take the leap of faith, guess my question is why not sometimes just believe in something?
To believe or not to believe , you can't imagine how many nights I stayed in bed thinking about this , and here's what I came up with , believing Is taking the easy path , but it's not about the easy or hard path , it's about the right path , and I do believe that (most of us) should believe in something , it's the right thing to do, but ofcourse your allowed to have your doubts .
ReplyDeleteNow about you saying "Its nice to believe that things are mapped out" , well, you don't have to believe in that , I mean I do believe in destiny and fate but I do believe that things are not mapped out for us , cause if they were then we're all living with no free well , and that's not the case, for me life is a random series of choices , so every single choice you make can affect your whole life , no matter how little this choice may seem , so I'd like to think that we're in control of our lives and not just puppets in some play . sorry for the long post .
"What is easier to believe or not to believe?"
ReplyDeleteA lot of it depends on the evidence. If you have no evidence that something is true, but you choose to believe it, it is very hard to sustain that belief. Conversely, if you have mounds of evidence that something is true, but you choose to deny it, that is an equally hard positon to maintain.
Some people say that spiritual matters, such as the existence of God cannot be proven. But I think there is plenty of evidence available if we choose to look for it. Sometimes it takes patience to find that evidence-- like Jack finding out at the end of the season that the day the British guy didn't press the button on time was the day the plane crashed. He doesn't know if not pressing the button will really be the "end of the world" but he knows they're dealing with something very powerful. It takes patience and keeping an open mind.
@ rebecca : i'm a man of science , and that's why i used to not belive in anything untill i can prove it , and i didn't belive in God until recently , if you look hard enogh around you , you'll find that you can prove it all .
ReplyDelete"Guess my question is why not sometimes just believe in something?" - Interesting question. Personally, I am a skeptic. A radical skeptic if you mind.
ReplyDeleteNow, considering the "Jack" in your little story. Aparently Jack had no hard evidence to support the claims that failing to press the button would put an end to the world, yet if they have good reasons to favor one line of thought rather than the other then it would be wise to follow that line of thought... The point is, Jack was skeptical when he pressed the button. Although he pressed the button, he wasnt believing but rather pressed it just in case that was true.
"In my case a woman of science" - People usually doubt the existance of God, fortune, fate, tooth fairies; But why, oh why, do they not doubt science? As a radical skeptic i doubt the truth behind science. Nonetheless, I'd never abandon science unless a concrete alternative would be available. I describe my reasoning behind this choice in more details in this post which i suggest you read to elaborate on that - since i think its tightly related.