From: Tony B. Csoka (csoka@itsa.ucsf.edu)
Date: Wed Mar 11 1998 - 18:07:53 MST
Harvey Newstrom wrote:
>......[SNIP]
> He thinks my constant striving for change to be strange, and actually
> complains that I change all the time. He finds it odd that I used to
> eat meat, then I became kosher, and finally vegetarian. He finds it odd
> that I searched various religions before finally developing my own
> philosophy for living. He seems to interpret change as failure and an
> admission that one's previous views were "bad". I have difficulty
> explaining to him that Christianity was great because it gave me
> purpose. Then I questioned and researched what the Bible really said,
> and found all sorts of other old texts. Then I researched more into
> history and why these texts said what they said. Finally, I question
> any divine purpose in the texts and believe they were earnest attempts
> by early philosophers to explain the unexplained. I didn't reject my
> former beliefs as much as I grew and evolved (or transcended) out of
> them. Whereas I value change as a chance for growth, he fears change as
> a chance for loss or failure.
>
> Since genetics doesn't explain the difference, I must ascribe it to
> attitude. Since early childhood environment wasn't much different, I
> must ascribe it to my reaction to the environment.
>
Your last few lines beg the question: why did you develop this attitude,
while your brother did not? Maybe there is no answer to this question?
Or perhaps there was some defining event in your life that set you on a
different course? Whatever the reason, thank you for a very interesting
post.
TBC
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