CHLOE’S STORY - 4
Granted, I wasn‟t sure what exactly I was looking for, but I figured the answer would be obvious when I saw it. Unfortunately, but not too surprisingly, nothing I checked out that day had anything even remotely coherent to say. So after I finished those books I checked out some more. When those didn‟t pan out I checked out some more…and then some more…and then some more.
Some of the things I read had promise, but without exception they were all flawed in one way or another. Most of the self help books were oversimplified fluff. You could sum up most of them with the phrases, “The meaning of life is a good cup of coffee.” Or “Love everybody.” Nice sentiments but vague to the point of being useless. The books written by self-proclaimed spiritual gurus tended to ramble incoherently and not be based on any kind of evidence whatsoever. The authors just said, “This is the answer.” and expected the reader to accept their mystical conclusions without asking for any logical or empirical proof. As for Western philosophy…I know I‟ll get crucified for saying this, but I‟d describe most of what I read as 9 parts academic masturbation and 1 part insight.
Hands down, the biggest problem I ran into was that most of the authors I read claimed to know the one true way and asserted it would be foolish, arrogant, or outright immoral to question them or to believe any opposing belief system. Well, obviously, all these books with their contradicting ideals couldn‟t be the one true way. Somebody had to be wrong, but since they all said it‟s wrong to question them or to believe any other system then in order to believe anything (or nothing) I would have to commit academic or spiritual blasphemy by someone‟s standards.
Granted, I wasn‟t sure what exactly I was looking for, but I figured the answer would be obvious when I saw it. Unfortunately, but not too surprisingly, nothing I checked out that day had anything even remotely coherent to say. So after I finished those books I checked out some more. When those didn‟t pan out I checked out some more…and then some more…and then some more.
Some of the things I read had promise, but without exception they were all flawed in one way or another. Most of the self help books were oversimplified fluff. You could sum up most of them with the phrases, “The meaning of life is a good cup of coffee.” Or “Love everybody.” Nice sentiments but vague to the point of being useless. The books written by self-proclaimed spiritual gurus tended to ramble incoherently and not be based on any kind of evidence whatsoever. The authors just said, “This is the answer.” and expected the reader to accept their mystical conclusions without asking for any logical or empirical proof. As for Western philosophy…I know I‟ll get crucified for saying this, but I‟d describe most of what I read as 9 parts academic masturbation and 1 part insight.
Hands down, the biggest problem I ran into was that most of the authors I read claimed to know the one true way and asserted it would be foolish, arrogant, or outright immoral to question them or to believe any opposing belief system. Well, obviously, all these books with their contradicting ideals couldn‟t be the one true way. Somebody had to be wrong, but since they all said it‟s wrong to question them or to believe any other system then in order to believe anything (or nothing) I would have to commit academic or spiritual blasphemy by someone‟s standards.
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