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Egocentrism
- Thread starter A-ManESL
- Start date
Eliot Wild
Irreverent Agnostic Jerk
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Granted, this is a bit simplistic. But it indicates to me that I am to consider the impact and effect of my behavior on others. I am to operate with a certain deliberate empathy. I am to try to put myself in the place of another. I am instructed to try to see things from their perspective.
Seeing things from another's perspective and empathizing with their beliefs forces me to mute my own ego, to displace my own selfish interests from the central focus of my thinking.
It does not force me to abandon my core beliefs nor to ultimately adopt another's way of thinking. But it does require me to look beyond my own egocentric models and interests in an effort to understand another.
"I find no absolution in my rational point of view;
maybe some things are instinctive,
but there's one thing you could do:
You could try to understand me;
I could try to understand you;
you could try to understand me;
I could try to understand you."
--Neil Peart, Rush
Of course, Neil is no Saint, not yet, but I think he kind of caught the gist of Jesus' teachings with these lines telling us to look beyond our egocentrism.
Granted, this is a bit simplistic. But it indicates to me that I am to consider the impact and effect of my behavior on others. I am to operate with a certain deliberate empathy. I am to try to put myself in the place of another. I am instructed to try to see things from their perspective.
Seeing things from another's perspective and empathizing with their beliefs forces me to mute my own ego, to displace my own selfish interests from the central focus of my thinking.
It does not force me to abandon my core beliefs nor to ultimately adopt another's way of thinking. But it does require me to look beyond my own egocentric models and interests in an effort to understand another.
"I find no absolution in my rational point of view;
maybe some things are instinctive,
but there's one thing you could do:
You could try to understand me;
I could try to understand you;
you could try to understand me;
I could try to understand you."
--Neil Peart, Rush
Of course, Neil is no Saint, not yet, but I think he kind of caught the gist of Jesus' teachings with these lines telling us to look beyond our egocentrism.