The devil is in the details...

[Guest guest]

The devil and a friend of his were walking down the

street, when they saw a man pick something up, look

at it carefully and put it in his pocket.

The friend said to the devil, " What’s that? "

The Devil said, " He has found a bit of the truth. "

" That is a very bad business for you, then, " said

his friend.

" On the contrary, " the devil replied,

" I'm going to help him organize it. "

 

What happens when people take relativistic truths

to be absolute truths?

 

Humans are never so unreasonable and atrocious as

when they believe that they have " the truth " as their

exclusive property. Once they believe that they have

" the truth " they begin the grave and sombre task of

organising and systematizing it into a grand narrative,

and when the grand narrative has been erected, they

enthusiastically set about murdering one another

in pointless and meaningless wars.

 

The licensing of infamy: religious and political

ideologies have given the licence and the cover

for every kind of sin and vice imaginable. As the

Taoist Sage, Chuang Tzu, pointed out: the greatest

crimes are committed in the name of noble ideals;

in the name of freedom, entire populations are

enslaved; in the name of peace, savage wars are

fought; and in the name of truth, falsehoods are

propagated.

 

It is unthinkable that men would even think of

committing heinous crimes so cheerfully and fiendishly

without believing the notions of " the truth " and

" necessity " are on their side. Possession of " the truth "

is one of the one necessary requirements to really do

some serious mischef; the other being, the facility

for a lack of critical thought.

 

When it comes to any grand system, the devil is really

in the details. The most bitter and fractious wars are

fought over minor points of pointless doctrine. Like how

angels can dance on the head of a needle. One

shudders to think how many millions of people have people

have been needlessly killed because of a copyist’s error

in some holy book...Only a minor detail but such tragic

consequences.

 

_______________

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[Guest guest]

Nisargadatta , " brother beatnik "

<beatnik_brother wrote:

>

>

> The devil and a friend of his were walking down the

> street, when they saw a man pick something up, look

> at it carefully and put it in his pocket.

> The friend said to the devil, " What's that? "

> The Devil said, " He has found a bit of the truth. "

> " That is a very bad business for you, then, " said

> his friend.

> " On the contrary, " the devil replied,

> " I'm going to help him organize it. "

>

> What happens when people take relativistic truths

> to be absolute truths?

>

> Humans are never so unreasonable and atrocious as

> when they believe that they have " the truth " as their

> exclusive property. Once they believe that they have

> " the truth " they begin the grave and sombre task of

> organising and systematizing it into a grand narrative,

> and when the grand narrative has been erected, they

> enthusiastically set about murdering one another

> in pointless and meaningless wars.

>

> The licensing of infamy: religious and political

> ideologies have given the licence and the cover

> for every kind of sin and vice imaginable. As the

> Taoist Sage, Chuang Tzu, pointed out: the greatest

> crimes are committed in the name of noble ideals;

> in the name of freedom, entire populations are

> enslaved; in the name of peace, savage wars are

> fought; and in the name of truth, falsehoods are

> propagated.

>

> It is unthinkable that men would even think of

> committing heinous crimes so cheerfully and fiendishly

> without believing the notions of " the truth " and

> " necessity " are on their side. Possession of " the truth "

> is one of the one necessary requirements to really do

> some serious mischef; the other being, the facility

> for a lack of critical thought.

>

> When it comes to any grand system, the devil is really

> in the details. The most bitter and fractious wars are

> fought over minor points of pointless doctrine. Like how

> angels can dance on the head of a needle. One

> shudders to think how many millions of people have people

> have been needlessly killed because of a copyist's error

> in some holy book...Only a minor detail but such tragic

> consequences.

>

>

 

yes.....there is nothing to " kill and die for " .....

 

isn't it?

 

Marc

 

 

Ps: there is as much devil in the world...as the there is devil in

the mind.....looking......

and dreaming