Never neglect you FEELINGS!!! It is the important I, in I AM, telling you,
Hey, you may be ON TO something !!!!!

Perhaps this is an illustration of my limitation, but I do not really think that what I am experiencing are ‘feelings’ – feelings are ‘deep emotions’, if you would like, and as a somewhat autistic person (Aspergers, to be precise), I tend to differentiate rather abruptly between ‘feelings’ and ‘thoughts/cpnclusions’. It seems to me that they emmanate from an entirely different part of the brain.

Beliefs, as I understand them, are ‘convictions, despite evidence’ – and as such, I cannot find a way of subscribing to them.

You say the very act of doubt requires thinking: OK, so? Thinking does NOT imply the existence of a ‘thinker’!!!! Nor, does it in any way imply that I can know the wholeness, on anything, really, about the ‘thinker’ or its nature…

I have no evidence as to who or what is doing the ‘thinking’ – or if ‘thinking’ itself is an illusion brought on by some freak combination of natural phenomena, and thus quite independent of ‘a thinker’ (my post ‘I think therefore I am…I think).

For example: it is impossible to doubt that you are a thinking thing–because the very act of doubting requires thinking! So in one way or another, a certain amount of belief is forced upon us, whether we like it or not.

And do not worry about a lack of philosophical training. Philosophy is difficult, I’ll admit, but everyone has to start somewhere!

You are, of course, right that the statement that I cannot hold beliefs appears to be a belief in itself! So, please, let me qualify the statement:

‘I have examined my attitudes, opinions, conclusions, prejudices, and other thoughts and thought patterns I suffer from the impression I am experiencing, and it appears to me that none of them would conform to a definition of ‘belief’, as in ‘profound belief’, along the lines of ‘religious faith-type belief’, according to my limited understanding of that concept.’

This extends into my past, as far as I can recall. I have no idea of what the future (whatever that concept may entail) may bring. I don’t even ‘believe’ that I am self-aware!

I hope that makes more sense…it sure confused me! ;0)

But, in ‘common speak’ – I do find it difficult to have an unqualified opinion…though I do subscribe to ‘ought to beliefs’ in the sense of ‘I believe all humans ought to be treated equally in the eye of the law’….

After all, you do believe that you are unable to form beliefs, which is, in itself, a belief. : )

One, No One & One Hundred Thousand by Luigi Pirandello (trans. from italian by William Weaver).

Publishers Weekly: “It is Pirandello’s genius that a discussion of the fundamental human inability to communicatre, of our essential solitariness, and of the inescapable restriction of our free will elicits such thoroughly sustained and earthy laughter.”

Looking at history, many societies existed with their dogma unquestioned UNTIL something came up which made people realize that they COULD question the ‘dogma’. So, even when there were ‘questioners’, it often did not occur to them that some things might even be subjects of questioning…

Confusingly written here, but will be subject of future posts….