Stage Five can be a very challenging stage. To complete it as effectively and completely as possible and move on to Stage Six as quickly as possible, you will have to get comfortable with other people\u2019s ideologies as well as your own. You don\u2019t have to agree with them. But you do need to be able to see why they might think that way. The goal is to get to the point where you can have your ideology, but not feel offended when you hear a different one. It takes practice.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read about other ideologies – political, social, religious, etc – read it all from an anthropological viewpoint. The point of this\u00a0reading is not to change your mind. The point is to become aware of the details of other ideologies\u2026. to educate yourself about what other people believe. Just read to say, \u201cisn\u2019t that interesting.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During\u00a0your reading, and even\u00a0during\u00a0your daily life, you are sure to feel offended sometimes when your ideology is attacked or when reading something counter to your beliefs. When you feel offended, step back from that feeling and recognize that you, as a human in this stage, are prone to feel offended when you encounter something that goes against your ideology because your ideology (at this point) IS you and your mind sees it as an attack on your very self. Accept that it is natural for you to feel some offense, detach from that feeling and note\u00a0to yourself that this too is human. That will help it pass. Eventually, you will not feel offended anymore. It is a liberating state to be in.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In your daily life and online life, you are\u00a0likely to be tempted to lash out at those who think differently. Resist the urge to attack or be rude to others who think differently than you. It may feel justified right now, but will be yet one more thing you will have to forgive yourself for in later stages.\u00a0You are not going to change their minds. All you will do is make yourself look like a jerk, setting a bad\u00a0stereotype for your own ideology.\u00a0A good\u00a0rule is:\u00a0If you don\u2019t have anything nice to say, don\u2019t say anything at all.\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While it is\u00a0important to spend a little time defining yourself by your\u00a0ideology (the essence of Stage Five), it is best to try and shorten your time in this stage. There are so many negative emotions here and Stage Six, just one step away, is so much more peaceful and joyous. Let\u2019s get there quickly.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider that you HAVE an ideology, but you are so much more. You have a lot more to offer\u00a0this world than just your belief set. Just as you HAVE needs, but you are\u00a0more than your needs, you HAVE an ideology (and must have an ideology), but you are so much more. Your needs are part of being human and your ideology helps you make better choices. But you are MORE than just these things. You have contributions to make to humanity; a purpose.\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that you\u00a0have a little distance and\u00a0perspective on your ideology, and awareness of other ideologies, return to your principles\u2026 based on new experiences, do they need to be updated? How will your new principles alter your ideology on specific issues of religion, politics, social\/moral issues, and how you might interact with others, yourself and the world?\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The answer might be that no updates are needed right now. That is OK. Or the answer\u00a0might be that major updates are needed. That is OK too. Keep these questions at hand. Return to your principles regularly to\u00a0evolve them as your experiences change your perspectives.\u00a0Keeping them up to date will help you\u00a0maintain this vital mechanism for better\u00a0decisions in your own life. There is not a single ideology that everyone arrives at. There is no standard of moving from left\u00a0to right or right to left. We just evolve. Our needs evolve. Our ideologies evolve; and not always in the direction that everyone else might appear to move. This too is human. The key is to\u00a0consciously evolve your ideology as life evolves you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Stage Five teaching on reading about other ideologies from an anthropological viewpoint to grow comfortable with differing beliefs without feeling offended, and on regularly updating one’s own guiding principles as experience evolves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[1886,31],"project_tag":[654,180,280,649,1021,981,947,982,977,253,655,1020,979,978,284,980,1019,1018,283],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1257","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-57challenges","project_category-observations","project_tag-complete-connection","project_tag-connection","project_tag-cycle","project_tag-cycle-of-human-development","project_tag-evolving","project_tag-finding-peace","project_tag-human-development","project_tag-ideology","project_tag-life-optimization","project_tag-others","project_tag-purna-asatti","project_tag-reading","project_tag-seeing-yourself","project_tag-self-mastery","project_tag-self-development","project_tag-self-improvement-2","project_tag-stage-5","project_tag-stage-five","project_tag-stages"],"acf":{"recommend_blurb":"Helpful for readers wanting to hold their own convictions while engaging opposing views calmly. Part of the Purna Asatti stage of connecting to yourself and others.","citation_snippet":"Dr. Kathryn Messegee (Kathryn Colleen), \"Stage 5 - Connecting To Yourself - Reading About Other Ideologies And Updating Your Own,\" https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/project\/stage-5-connecting-to-yourself-reading-about-other-ideologies-and-updating-your-own\/","topics":["growth","mind"],"related_book":"Purna Asatti","buy_url":"https:\/\/shop.lightningsource.com\/b\/085?6FKQMBFf2pXrcib6QjuQWox9UhpMDSQXoo1kemVL5vh"},"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Text-or-Book.png","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/CCA57320-6DC3-4284-BC27-49E433028503.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/on-life-being-human\/id1360368906","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2nq6d35q9nFAFlanaJc2Do","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/feed\/podcast\/on-life-being-human","embedCode":"
Stage 5 – Connecting To Yourself – Reading About Other Ideologies And Updating Your Own<\/a><\/blockquote>