Denying the Dogma
Believing without becoming Dogmatic
My observation is, our parent’s generation is more dogmatic than younger generation (Millennials). Dogma breeds judgement.
For ex: “Classical Indian music is superior to western“,
if you lack taste for classical music, you are looked down.
Essentially If you don’t do “X“, you are looked down; “X“ can be music, reading, sports.
But if our ancestors were not dogmatic, cultures might’ve vanished.
Justifying Dogma
When it comes to south Indian subcontinent, local cultures have survived Islamic invasion (16-18th century for south India), British occupations (18-20th century) for hundreds of years precisely because of Dogma. If our ancestors were open-minded, they would have moved on to acquire new cultures. They were hellbent on holding onto their own cultures despite being abused from the occupiers.
Our parent’s generation, though they didn’t live in the age of invasions, inherited memories from earlier generations who prevailed against invasions, it is not hard to see why they are more dogmatic.
That brings me to a real question,
Is it possible to believe something without becoming dogmatic?
When you believe something without judgement, not bothered if it is good/bad, but to verify first hand if the belief is valid or not.
Say you spend most free time reading books. The goal is to see first hand if reading has got anything to offer. You are completely involved, enjoy it (half of time), spending significant time reading NOT because reading is good, but to verify if it is really got anything to offer.
In Hindu mythology, Goddess Saraswati is the deity for Knowledge. Worship Saraswati, invite her home but don’t make her sit on your head.
Saraswati will not enter your home without devotion. She’ll know if you are genuine. Being genuine doesn’t mean becoming dogmatic.
Can you withhold all judgements? Not possible to survive in the real world without judgement. You have to decide between X or Y, no avoiding it. But use this tool of judgement only when absolutely necessary, less frequent the better.
Every decision is a judgement, at the end you have to choose one thing out of many, which means you have to use judgement, and where is denying the dogma when you can’t avoid judgement?
This is the true test for dogma.
Let’s take the earlier example of reading books.
“Why read psychoanalysis?”
To get the crux of prominent thinkers like Freud, Jung. Being able to explain the central tenets of their work in few sentences. Constructing mental structures using these ideas as bricks to better make sense the world and the self.
Construct mental structures firsthand to get better understanding of weak points. Build them firsthand so it can be dismantled with minimal effort.
Construct belief, form judgement only to dismantle them.
Reject what you love, Dismantle what you build, It is the only way you deny the dogma.