The downsides of open-mindedness and philosophy

[LSD-Rumi]

Don't get me wrong I love and appreciate open-mindness, I have always allowed my mind to go to any place it wants in seeking truth. This allowed me to change a lot of beliefs and adopt new ways to understand reality. On the other hand, the more open-minded I became, the more I was less sure of myself. I became more susceptible to gaslighting by others and even by myself. Let alone how you feel unstable in your life because you don't have concrete beliefs to rely on during your search for the truth. Also, thinking and philosophying can cause a lot of stress and anxiety in periods of confusion or when thinking about uneasy and strange ideas. It also distracts you from practical things like pursuing material success.

I personally suffered from all the above, I also developed many mental illnesses because of being obsessed with philosophy , including OCD, multiple depressive episodes and anxiety.

But at the end of the day, seeking wisdom is something I absolutely love and I would seek it again and again even if it kills me. But I would have done it in a more balanced and gradual way. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by LSD-Rumi

[hyruga]

Yes when you are open minded, it could mean that you accept other people's ideas easily and that does not mean people will accept your point of view easily. 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by hyruga

[universe]

Could you be open to the perspective that there is no suffering. And that victimhood robs you of all your power?

[LSD-Rumi]

7 minutes ago, universe said:

Could you be open to the perspective that there is no suffering. And that victimhood robs you of all your power?

What does this has to do with my post? 

I am stating what I experienced during my journey and I think other people may have encountered  similar issues while being open-minded.

Edited March 6, 2023 by LSD-Rumi

[universe]

If that is a question I invite you to have a chat over DMs.

If not and I offended you I'm sorry. That was rude. I see how being open minded can lead to suffering and overthinking. Which in turn can be a cause of stress. I hope you had time to heal and that the positives still outweigh the negatives for you. That's the path that was laid out for you, and it made you who you are. I'm sure you experienced a lot of Growth from your experience.

Love

❤️

[LSD-Rumi]

@universe No I wasn't offeneded, I just thought of it as some spiritual giberrish answer to anything . I think sometimes spiritual advice can be dumb, Like if you saw a person writhing in pain because his leg is broken and you tell him pain is imaginary, lol.

[Bob Seeker]

@LSD-Rumi This has been a major sticking point for me. 

[LSD-Rumi]

38 minutes ago, Bob Seeker said:

@LSD-Rumi This has been a major sticking point for me. 

You experienced similar stuff?

[r0ckyreed]

4 hours ago, LSD-Rumi said:

I think sometimes spiritual advice can be dumb, Like if you saw a person writhing in pain because his leg is broken and you tell him pain is imaginary, lol.

Even if you are writhing in pain, it is still imaginary.

Don’t confuse openmindedness with gullibility. Radical openmindedness means that you are also open to the fact that you could be deceiving yourself and you entertain that thought to the fullest. Openmindedness isn’t just anything goes. 

Become so openminded that you close your mind off to BS. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by r0ckyreed

[Osaid]

These are symptoms of closed-mindedness, not open-mindedness.

Simply venturing into new ideas is not open-mindedness. Open-mindedness is more like the ability to see things without bias.

It actually takes a lot of open-mindedness to see you are being gaslighted.

[Ulax]

18 hours ago, LSD-Rumi said:

Don't get me wrong I love and appreciate open-mindness, I have always allowed my mind to go to any place it wants in seeking truth. This allowed me to change a lot of beliefs and adopt new ways to understand reality. On the other hand, the more open-minded I became, the more I was less sure of myself. I became more susceptible to gaslighting by others and even by myself. Let alone how you feel unstable in your life because you don't have concrete beliefs to rely on during your search for the truth. Also, thinking and philosophying can cause a lot of stress and anxiety in periods of confusion or when thinking about uneasy and strange ideas. It also distracts you from practical things like pursuing material success.

I personally suffered from all the above, I also developed many mental illnesses because of being obsessed with philosophy , including OCD, multiple depressive episodes and anxiety.

But at the end of the day, seeking wisdom is something I absolutely love and I would seek it again and again even if it kills me. But I would have done it in a more balanced and gradual way. 

@LSD-Rumi I really relate to this.

In my experience, the answer is to:

1) Limit who you let into your life. Be that casually or long-term.

2) Meditation and Shadow work

In my opinion, its not actually that any intellectual idea or attitude is destabilising in of itself. Its adoption can lead to destabilisation of one's mind. But in my opinion in depend where that mind is at.

If you have a strong healthy sense of self, say from years of successful depth psychotherapy, I imagine these new attitudes and ideas will be much less destabilising than someone who is traumatised.

Or if you have done a lot of successful meditation, then your mind is adept at handling any idea or attitude. And so I believe such a mind would be much less destabilised by taking on these new ideas or attitudes. 

[Manusia]

 

On 3/6/2023 at 0:46 PM, LSD-Rumi said:

But at the end of the day, seeking wisdom is something I absolutely love and I would seek it again and again even if it kills me. But I would have done it in a more balanced and gradual way. 

I can relate to your experience, as it reminds me of my old self. Looking back, I realize that my pursuit of wisdom was at times more of an addiction and mental stimulation rather than a grounded practice. The insights I gained were not always applicable to my daily life.

On 3/6/2023 at 0:46 PM, LSD-Rumi said:

I personally suffered from all the above, I also developed many mental illnesses because of being obsessed with philosophy , including OCD, multiple depressive episodes and anxiety.

If this already happen for some time. Where do you think your wisdom in this? and why this even happen?

While I understand the desire to seek wisdom, it's important to prioritize developing healthy habits and a sense of self before diving too deeply into philosophical inquiry. Without a strong foundation, the pursuit of knowledge can become overwhelming and even detrimental to one's well-being.

[Nemra]

@LSD-Rumi 

Open-mindedness is genuine in its nature. You either are or aren't.

Yeah, it is dangerous.

Be open-minded about how you could/should be open-minded.

Explore it and find out.