The word "heretic" comes from the Greek verb "hairein," which means "to take," or "to choose." One way to look at it is that heretics only believe the parts that they choose to believe. Some would call that kind of choice "critical thinking." But there is much more to it than that.
Henri Bergson taught that it takes more than mere reason to make sense of this world: we also need intuition, if we are to grasp it more fully.
Another Bergsonian, Maria de Naglowska, said that there are two ways of knowing: one is with the brain, and the other is with the heart. Of these two types of knowledge, she said, the more important one, the real knowing, is the knowledge of the heart. I've been on the planet long enough to have learned that this is true.
Many decades ago I came to the conclusion that we don't exactly choose our beliefs; we just believe what we believe. For example, for most of those decades I've been a believer in reincarnation, whether literally or in some other sense that is deep and inexplicable, but for me, undeniable. I am forced to hold this belief in some form because of many experiences that I've had. Similarly, I believe in some sort of spiritual survival after physical death. It is not that I want to believe this, but experiences that I have had, and am having still, leave me no choice but to hold this belief. For the same reason, I believe in telepathy--I have had experiences with it that leave me no other option.
I cannot tell you why or how any of these things work--those are things for the brain to figure out. The heart just knows that they are true.
Another thing that life has taught me is that I will always have the guidance that I need. Perhaps I am just guiding myself, but I ask you--what is wrong with that?
Text and image Copyright © 2020 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler, ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.
