Have I ever met a true skeptic?
I’ve known a few ‘skeptics’ in my day. The one I know best is myself, IF my definition of a skeptic is used (not expecting anyone else to share my definition, however). It tallies more with the ancient definition that did not include shutdown or attacking behaviour against others, as we are seeing abundantly in the so-called ‘skeptics’ of today.
My definition is: someone who is on a committed search for Truth, requiring solid proof of it (not restricted to reductionist science or intellectual argument) instead of blind belief, someone who will question the validity of appearances until reaching something essential that feels true and holds true, and ‘stands the test of time’.
Crucial in my definition of a true skeptic is genuine openness, that is, being open to all the possibilities and not excluding or ‘being blind’ to any because of a position of bias, fear, judgment, discomfort, comfort, vested interest, or any other agenda.
It is an openness that will allow the opportunity of actually feeling the Truth when it is right there, going: ‘Look at me!’ It is an openness to admit having held an off-track view or bias, and made mistakes based on it: in short, an uncompromising honesty with self and others. It is an openness also to accept that there is no perfection in this life, and that using lack of perfection as a justification for skepticism about something is a neat trick, but very dishonest.
With this openness must come the understanding that we look dispassionately at our own ‘beliefs’ again and again as new things come up that we should not ignore. It might mean our view has to be modified, or totally and uncomfortably thrown out, if it’s shown to be no longer correct or serving the bigger picture.
By my definition, I have met very, very few true skeptics in my life, even among the scientists. I aspire to be a seeker of Truth, and would happily throw out the word ‘skepticism’ as now being too loaded, contaminated and abused to be of any further use to humanity.
My ‘brownie points’ are I suppose, that throughout my life I’ve let go of a multitude of deeply held ‘pet beliefs’ when Truth came a ’knockin! Does that leave me empty? No way – fuller than ever! And yet, acknowledging imperfection and the gradual process of personal and group evolution, I’m sure I have many more beliefs yet to root out and discard…
From the Past… into the Future
There is a schism going on in science: on the one hand, modern physics is increasingly realising the utter connectedness and oneness of all, that everything is energy, that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe, physical matter is illusory (although rather real to us), and that everything happens because of energy and consciousness.
On the other hand, the ‘old guard’, particularly in biology, is sticking to the view that all consciousness is merely a product of the mechanical behaviour of physical matter, i.e. in our brains.
A network of consequences of this materialist, reductionist, so-called scientific, so-called skeptical view of reality is that there is no divinity, no purpose, no big picture, no God, no higher love or mind, no ultimate good, no life beyond death, no real connection between people: we are all terrible islands of matter in a random universe of separated things.
There’s no point in being ethical, honest, religious, true and loving, all are a waste of time and energy. Why not just indulge, explore, play games, be ‘bad’, be ‘good’, do what you want? Nothing matters anyway. What dreadful emptiness this view gives rise to!
No matter how much the holder of such a view tries to fill that emptiness with relationships, work, wealth, pleasure, pain, peace, fighting, possessions and achievements of the mind and body, the self-created, un-fillable void is there niggling away in the background, influencing every choice, every moment of life.
This view also limits the ability of science to expand to its true capacity, as some modern scientists are coming to realise and express.
So here are some observations on a few of the beloved ersatz skeptics I have known personally – not of course devoid of my imperfect attempt to keep my judgement and biases out of it! But you’ll feel the picture. The reason I share this is to make very personal and relatable some of the strategies we humans use to avoid the truth, and hide under an apparently respectable cloak of ‘being skeptical’. Perhaps it will resonate with some and bring in a fresh wind of awareness.
Skeptic #1
Skeptic #1 subscribes to the above materialist, reductionist school of thought.
Skeptic #1’s way of denying and covering over and trying to fill the unfillable empty void that sprouted from lovelessness in childhood, that cannot be filled with relationships, work, pleasure, possessions and even outstanding achievements, is with drugs: mind-altering substances, any number, any amounts, any combination as required to not feel the emptiness.
But here’s the rub – how do you trust the thoughts and opinions of a mind that is constantly altered and swayed this way and that by recreational drugs? Although they may provide apparent epiphanies of perception, how ‘true’ are those perceptions? I speak from my own experience too, not of filling emptiness with drugs – I was a wake-up to that one at least – but testing them to see if there were any ‘valid answers’. Actually, no, there were not, and I quit completely.
Skeptic #1 rejected my expressions that consciousness is beyond physical brains, that separation is an illusion, that love is real and higher than emotions, and that life is full of meaning and connection.
Skeptic #1 often tried to win me back to drugs. It felt to me like an attempt to rationalise behaviour that was felt and known to be harmful by getting another to enjoin it. I would not, and this friendship fell away. I had begun to feel distrust and frustration with what felt to me like blindness, arrogance, inconsistency and harm associated with drug taking. I’m personally privy to the deep, old hurts that Skeptic #1 experienced as a child, and how they’ve continued to play out, unhealed and unaddressed, in adult life.
What Skeptic #1 is doing these days I don’t know, however perhaps the love and light dawned and true clarity was chosen instead of drugs. I feel to never give up on anyone – the seeds of healing lie dormant within all of us, and miracles do happen!
Skeptic #2
Skeptic #2 maintained an interesting, oscillating relationship with truth. Once again, I’m privy to the depth of personal childhood hurts and how these hurts have continued to run the self-beliefs, choices, attitudes, relationships and opinions of Skeptic #2.
Skeptic #2 dipped in and out of education and employment, a ‘course junkie’ for a while, but not following through with anything. This has had a big impact on the foundation of Skeptic #2’s living.
The course, job, project or activity would go along well for a while, providing much enjoyment and support. But then the ‘skepticism’ would rise to an intolerable level such that Skeptic #2 would turn around and denigrate that which had been providing satisfaction, and slide into dissatisfaction, self-criticism, depression, and rejection of the world and everyone in it; into a desolate cynicism that picked apart everything and found it wanting.
Every expert detail provided to meet acceptance was rejected… always more requirements, always more criticisms, always rejection, never satisfied. It kept looking like self-sabotage to me, but always blaming… blamed on another, and/or blamed on self.
An obvious question would be ‘why’? If there is genuine joy in anything in life to be found, why smash it and move away? Why the blaming and self-blame? It feels like an intentionally created vicious spiral. It feels like excuses – to not face or accept responsibility for one’s involvement in and commitment to life.
Skeptic #3
Skeptic #3 shared with me that they were deeply hurt by a parent’s consistent coldness and withholding of love.
Skeptic #3 expressed an enduring resentment and bitterness (and even disgust) for not having been loved as a child by the parent from whom that love was sought. To me it felt that what Skeptic #3 was most afraid of was admitting that the lack of love has been continued from within – they were not taking responsibility for loving and caring for themselves.
I feel it is for each human to connect to their own inner love, be it and express it, regardless of anyone else’s choice to be loving or not. At some point, we have to heal ourselves. Difficult as it may have been in childhood, continuing to blame someone else for not providing love is not true to who we are, nor is it a path to healing. We humans do not sit well with being untrue to the love that is our real essence, but we get entrenched in our habitual ways.
So in adulthood, when Skeptic #3 was dealing with a series of health problems which modern medicine was unable to help, those old habits were an obstacle to using some nourishing complementary therapies that were safe and effective. Skepticism reared its head, in the form of rejecting (from a position of ignorance) that there could be any value in complementary therapies, and not even wanting to find out.
Why would one not want to find out? Could it be there was denial and protection going on? How ironic that someone whose very profession and passion (science) was founded upon the ‘objective’ search for truth, should choose to suffer and be self-limited by the fear of truth! It was easier to go on suffering health problems (as a victim) than to look at the root cause of the suffering, and take responsibility for the years of choices that built it to the level that was now constantly being experienced.
Is it possible that to look at root causes would bring up guilt for being dishonest with themselves – in their choice to be angry, bitter, resentful and not self-loving over the years?
It amazed me that a scientist refused to look at the biology of nourishing the body. It made no sense. Then I realised that by doing so, Skeptic #3 would risk blowing the cover of victim-ness. Then the truth of the lack of taking responsibility for self-loving and self-nurturing would be revealed, the blaming of others for one’s own choices would also be revealed, and all would have to be faced, admitted, and addressed.
Going Deeper
This blog is not about slamming my beloved ersatz skeptics and all the hundreds of others whom I know and love or may not know yet. It is about understanding human behaviour arising from hurts, the persistent feeling of emptiness that comes from those hurts and how they govern our way of expressing.
Who hasn’t been hurt? Who hasn’t acted at some time or another in a way they knew was not true to themselves? All hands up!! Readers may have begun to realise that practically every one of us has pockets of the same kinds of ‘skeptic’ behaviours as we’ve talked about here: protective behaviours based on hurts and beliefs about ourselves in our own lives, to varying degrees.
In other words, there is something (or many somethings) that we don’t want to look at, that we shy away from the truth of, because it would highlight our hurts, beliefs and our lack of taking responsibility in some areas of life.
If you dig below the surface of the behaviours that come from our hurts and beliefs, you’ll find that at heart all humans are loving and responsible. To be otherwise is a v-e-r-y uncomfortable admission of not being true to ourselves and to humanity!
So we hide and bury our untrue-ness and lack of responsibility, pretend to ourselves that there’s no issue to look at within, and use skepticism as a protective cover to prevent the truth from being revealed. It seems easier to suffer and cause suffering for a whole lifetime than to ‘fess up’ and do what must be done.
Ironically, the very taking of responsibility and doing what must be done is the exact cure for the ills brought about by the continued hiding behind ‘skepticism’, which isn’t really skepticism at all!
In truth, there is no emptiness or nothingness in the universe, including within us, so something must fill the void left when an ’empty’ person hides behind ‘skepticism’.
But what fills it? Could it be something else, something untrue that just makes things look the way we want them to, but ultimately leaves us feeling just as ’empty’? It’s a vicious spiral – and the tragic irony is that we really do know this all along and choose to keep covering it up.
Many self-avowed ‘skeptics’ (in fear, denial and protection) are very vocal in specifying exactly what conditions do and do not meet their criteria for truth. But as soon as you meet their ‘criteria’, they will find some other conditions to require – conditions that get more and more detailed, ridiculous and irrelevant as they go along.
Eventually, their conditions end up including things, people, activities or organisations that are not even the target of their criticism, quite the opposite, thus deepening the contradictions. In short, they can never be satisfied, because protection is the name of their game, and it’s such a powerful controller of them that they can’t even stop to accept the ludicrous self-contradictions that they communicate.
So, instead of choosing an ‘us and them’ way, could it be time to recognise the shades and grades of skepticism within us all as an indicator of how humanity is not living true to itself?
By ‘us and them’, I mean we comfortably run with – ‘good us, bad skeptics’ or ‘good skeptics, bad whomever-they-are-attacking’ (depending on which side of the fence you’re on). Whereas, if this little essay has revealed anything, it’s that there’s no ‘us and them’ for we are all the same inside and all equally responsible for our hurts and their effects upon our collective human life.
A harming skeptic who becomes abusive, e.g. by cyber-bullying or denigrating others in any way, must not go unchecked of course. Being ‘hurt’ is no excuse. In those cases they should be severely sanctioned and prevented from doing further harm.
However they are the extreme cases (though growing in number exponentially) of a humanity-wide continuum and we would do well to look at their actions in the context of a much bigger picture. As members of society it behooves us to step up and take responsibility for calling out every instance of untruth within ourselves as well as that which is going on around us, no matter how apparently uncomfortable or ‘trivial’ it may seem to be.
By Dianne Trussell
Further Reading:
Religion, Philosophy and Science = Revelation
Giving Power back to Love: Making the Choice to not be Dominated by Hurt
Serge Benhayon brings philosophy to life
The Truth about Universal Medicine 
Hurts can and do cause various problems in our lives; surely it makes sense to heal them, and let them go.
There are such negative connotations to this word that I am surprised to see it presented in a positive light – i’ve experienced “skeptics” who are arrogant and think up themselves, never really considered a seeker of truth a true seeker.
Skepticism, is inherently coming with a judge-ment and possibly even jealousy as another has not found a level of Truth and Love that supports them in the understanding of what appreciation can bring to our society. Appreciation builds True relationships with everyone and these are intimate in the way we can express to each other and not hold back the Truth, enriching life and thus evolutionary.
“Committed search for Truth” seems the fundamental requisite in my books for holding oneself as a true skeptic. And that by no shape or form includes putting another down, attacking anything or being dogmatic about one’s own view. Instead it means holding the awareness that none of us is capable of holding the vastness of the intelligence of the universe, so our level of understanding will never be the end point. Thus being open always to discovering a greater depth and awareness to that which is already known.
A skeptic is a believer, a believer in their own idea of truth. Any evidence to the contrary gives them their name as they are ‘skeptical’ towards that evidence. Does that feel rather silly?
Something that you shared here Dianne that I have been observing recently myself is how much of our own behaviours and therefore reactions have stemmed from previous hurts in our life. So much so that we even go public with them and the media play ball with them, thinking that they are creating a story, but all that they are doing is enjoining the circulation of the hurt. Like with many words we use I am sure there is a truth to what a sceptic means, but unfortunately, the current view is so far away from the truth that what we think is the truth is far from it.
Many of the words used today have been bastardised, they have lost their true meaning; we have moved far away from what Truth actually is.
“something essential that feels true and holds true, and ‘stands the test of time’.” The Ageless Wisdom holds true throughout the ages.
What I most dislike about skepticism is not so much the denial of truth by one person but more so how their actions greatly impact on others equally having open access to the same truth because the skepticism reactions from their hurts muddy the water with lies
I like the ancient definition of a true sceptic. I try things out and am not convinced until they stand the test of time. Once it feels true in my body and is unshakable for me then I am no longer a sceptic, that is all the proof I need. Science can prove black is white and vice versa, so I would rather consult the honesty of my body.
Test if something is true for ourselves by using the wisdom of our body.
I love the open, fluid attitude of your definition of true skeptics. I can feel there’s genuine interest and pull to Truth, and no attachment to being right.
Thank you Dianne for deepening my understanding of what the meaning of a skeptic is. What you have shared makes sense. Our openness to life and to people will vary depending on our own experiences, what we have learned by them and how we have worked through our feelings of hurt. I certainly know people who have been hurt a lot through life, but they have not tarnished their openness to life and to people because of this.
If we allow our hurts to take over we disconnect from our essence, this gives space for other energies to take hold that can seek to harm and reduce those that are living truth and love.
The feeling of a skeptic is separation and non-closeness, and this is not love.
Skeptics are ones who do not want to know what they know so they play dumb to what they know and gorge at that.
The more open we are to the possibilities the more aware we become of what holds us back.
Very true, it is worth being skeptical about ideas that don’t increase our awareness.
Thank you Dianne for this understanding of skepticism – it makes total sense that in holding deep hurts within and not wanting to feel this emptiness, this colours our view and experience of the world and influences the way in which we express.
“It is about understanding human behaviour arising from hurts, the persistent feeling of emptiness that comes from those hurts and how they govern our way of expressing”.
Thank you Dianne for bringing to light what is really going on behind the actions of ‘skeptics’ in the sense that they are really not even truly open to the Truth and merely protecting themselves from further hurts by putting conditions on everything. I can admit that I have been one to be in a lot of reaction to skeptics as they always seemed to me to not really want to see the Truth even if it is staring them in the face, and seemed like chameleons when it came to changing their criteria on what they needed for ‘proof’. But you brought a whole other level of understanding here that really is helpful in dropping the judgment I have had.
The other thing I like about this article is that it invites all of us to keep vigilant, to be open to addressing anywhere our thoughts, hurts or beliefs are keeping us stuck in a limited way of thinking and living. Being aware of the skeptic within and addressing what pops up when it appears in our life.
This article deeply exposes the power old hurts, thoughts and emotions can have over our lives. It also explains with loving clarity that this doesn’t have to be the case.
“No matter how much the holder of such a view tries to fill that emptiness with relationships, work, wealth, pleasure, pain, peace, fighting, possessions and achievements of the mind and body, the self-created, un-fillable void is there niggling away in the background, influencing every choice, every moment of life.”
The constant feeling of emptiness inside is a ferocious drive that pushes us to constantly look for the next thing, that just maybe will fill us, but nothing is long lasting and we are again in the search before long. This is a very driven, exhaustive way to live life. But, we always have the constant choice to stop, let go of what we know doesn’t work and allow what we know to be true to again guide our choices.
Emptiness inside can mean we constantly search for fulfilment on the outside, and so get caught on the hamster wheel going round and round, yet nothing truly changes.
I would doubt that most skeptics have that search for truth built in, but instead start the approach with a negativity coupled with being shut down to open inquiry. The instinct is to say ‘No’ rather than to take that moment to feel what is being presented first before then making a judgement or appraisal.
‘At some point, we have to heal ourselves.’ Yes, pure gold Dianne. Living a life of victimhood must at some point be healed with responsibility for our ourselves. We may have been hurt at some point – and most if not all of us have been, but we don’t have to continue hurting ourselves.
Wonderful Dianne Trussell – thank you. True skepticism is probably a healthy thing, leading to a discerning approach to life but one that remains open to the discovery of what is true. What commonly stands for skepticism today though, feels more like cynicism fuelled by bitterness, self-interest and as you share here, the protection of our hurts. I don’t have an issue with a true skeptic – I have no doubt been one myself. What I do take issue with though is when skepticism becomes a personal attack on another, or a group of others who ‘find differently’ and live differently. There is no openness in this, and hence no true willingness to learn and discover what is and is not true. In this there is no love or honouring of each other – and no real opportunity to move forward and evolve. It is very possible to explore without cynicism, accepting with true decency what others have chosen in their lives. Where this acceptance and of others and openness to discover what is true is not present, there is something very amiss and something to look at within.
“being open to all the possibilities” including the possibility that our hurts prevent us from knowing the truth.
A super powerful article, such observations of human behaviours is much needed, as we all feel this with people, and if we are honest within ourselves. To have a healthy relationship with scepticism is one that will bring back to us the truth of humanity, our choices and reveal the value in feeling our behaviours.
“I feel it is for each human to connect to their own inner love, be it and express it, regardless of anyone else’s choice to be loving or not. At some point, we have to heal ourselves.” The choice to heal can only ever come from ourselves.
‘Genuine openness’ and the willingness to make and admit mistakes rather than hiding inside the solid fortress of so-called skepticism are the hallmarks of a true skeptic; someone who is willing to probe, discover, be surprised, find the unexpected, work for the good of all and not to shore up and defend personal hurts and disappointments.
When we get it and see that we can no longer blame our parents for the situation we find ourselves in we begin to take responsibility for creating our own lives. Our purpose changes where we become committed and focussed within instead of creating an agenda on the outside to avoid dealing with our hurts and the responsibility of living true to ourselves.
When answering questions like ” But are they really skeptics?…. ” can a person be a catholic “, ” can a person be a jew ” etc . The truth will always be no and the answer being no is from observing babies. And then from observing children who are turned into ” catholics ” by their family. A skeptic is formed from baby to child when they are turned ‘into something’ , then from ”the something’ into a skeptic . The skeptic is a consequence of ‘the something’ and therefore will always be influenced by ‘the something’ , until they get underneath ‘the something’ that has formed them to be skeptics.
The etymology of the word skeptic leads us to the Greek skeptikos (plural Skeptikoi “the Skeptics, followers of Pyrrho”), noun use of adjective meaning “inquiring, reflective.” These words are in themselves the foundation of a way of moving in life. A person with a doubting attitude (which does not honor the etymology of the word) reflects a very different style of movement, one where anyone becomes a judge that adjudicates what is acceptable and what is not based on the knowledge this person (or groups thereof) have accepted as acceptable. Yet, the only truth is that a person with a doubting attitude is one that has never felt truth with every cell of his/her body, hence a person who is a prisoner of his/her own bubble and who desires to make his/her bubble a home for all.
The more we develop our relationship with truth, the more awareness we gain to raise above the veil of illusion so once again we can reflect trust to the world around us.
There is so much more going on that meets the eye, that is what I get from reading this today. And that so much of our activity is based on a set of hurts, ideals and beliefs and layers of protection.
There is so much more going on that we do not see, or choose to be aware of.
I hadn’t thought like that before, but this offering makes me realise that detractors to truth are also having a relationship with truth in their own way and they are also going through their own development, just like I am.
I have never been involved in any Religion or Spiritual New age movement, nor have I been a part of a self-help program or group. The reason I was not a part of any of those things was due to me being very sceptical and in a lot of ways, I still am. To me, what was being spoken did not match how it moved, sounded or was in everyday living. I remember seeing people offering massage and pain relief whilst chain smoking cigarettes in between clients. I was sceptical as to what was being offered by a Practitioner and so I never had a massage from anyone but family.
The only reason I went to meet Serge Benhayon was because of the notable vibrancy and change in my mother and Aunty. Even with this living proof, I was convinced that it might still be some kind of scam. However, my family continued to shine inside and out and eventually I had to meet this “Serge character” for myself. One meeting was enough for me to feel his absolutely genuine nature and I knew that what was on offer was a chance to truly heal those long standing hurts we all carry; that this man had healed his hurts to the best of his ability, without perfection, and because of this he was able to provide a simple and clear space for others to do the same. The key message being offered was allowing the light that is already inside everyone to shine out, that hiding that light is actually a disservice to humanity. This was proven over and over, every day for 12 years after that meeting through consistency and light. So I am now living with an open heart but I am a forever discerner and if anything does not feel right I know that from the place I sit now I will be able to feel it in an instant.
A powerful and inspiring comment Sarah. Serge Benhayon is a true role-model for all to return to the truth of who we are from within.
“The key message being offered was allowing the light that is already inside everyone to shine out, that hiding that light is actually a disservice to humanity”.
Thank you Dianne for exposing in your examples all the different ways we can hide our hurts behind the cloak of ‘skepticism’. Uncomfortable to feel how often I have done that in the past but also really supportive in feeling less attacked by those around me who still use the weapon of skepticism to cover up their particular hurts.
Interesting to feel how the definition of scepticism has been bastardised to include attacking anyone who does not share your views, not just a complete lack of openness to any other views but a determination to exterminate anyone who dares to express anything that is contradictory.
Interesting, that even with a quick ‘google’ about the etymology of the word ‘skeptic’, that one can’t help but find references to being ‘inquiring’ and ‘reflective’… I appreciate your own definition at the outset of this blog Dianne.
Stark contrast it seems to the tone which seems to define the word in these times, where true reflection is so commonly abandoned completely.
We have it seems ‘damaged’ the word skeptic so that it has lost its original essence. ‘Inquiring’ and ‘reflective’ ‘sets the record straight’ again Victoria and reclaims the innate openness it is intended to convey and present.
We seem to lose, or have lost, the true meaning of many words; why are we choosing to bastardise the original essence of certain words?
It is very wise to look at what exactly may be the determining factors in anyone’s preferred way of viewing and thinking about the world… For if there is not a true seeing of things for how they are, there will indeed be hurts that cloud our vision and form the basis for which we will conveniently keep a door closed to the whole and absolute truth.
We’re all clouded whilst we harbour that which we don’t want to heal. And then, once healed, our capacity to truly see cannot but continue to deepen… Wise is the one who is willing to dismantle all that keeps us from the true and expansive view, where not only is all seen, but all can be held in one’s embrace…
Very much appreciating your definition of a true skeptic Dianne as someone who has a “genuine openness, that is, being open to all the possibilities and not excluding or ‘being blind’ to any because of a position of bias, fear, judgment, discomfort, comfort, vested interest, or any other agenda.” It is one that allows space for divinity, purpose, the big picture, God, life beyond death, and real connection between people.
You write that “using lack of perfection as a justification for skepticism about something is a neat trick, but very dishonest”. It is also very destructive if the person hurling this weapon reveals the utter devastation that they are feeling inside but are loathe to admit.
We do ourselves a great disservice when we do not live true to the love that we are. Seemingly ‘void’ of this love, we blame the world for the loss we feel because it hurts us to the core to not live it.
This is an interesting topic that is worth to be focused on. I agree with you that skepticism is a way of protection to not feel truth and see the dimension of our choices. By avoiding truth we avoid responsibility, because from truth everything is nakedly seen for what it is, and it makes it difficult to continuously live in a certain way that we probably are not wanting to lose yet. With skepticism we falsely buy time to stay where we feel secure instead of the insecurity, detachment and commitment of living the truth that we feel at each moment.
Scepticism is just pure and simply doubt – and doubt breeds distrust, uncertainty and suspicion. Instead of employing all these associated emotions to take us even further off track it would be far more sensible and simpler if we just observed everything in the world around us as either true, or not true.
I like that Suse, keep it simple, ‘everything in the world around us as either true, or not true.’
Your definition of skepticism certainly resonates with me Dianne, as does approaching life with genuine openness. Thank you for sharing your experiences and wisdom;
“My definition is: someone who is on a committed search for Truth, requiring solid proof of it (not restricted to reductionist science or intellectual argument) instead of blind belief, someone who will question the validity of appearances until reaching something essential that feels true and holds true, and ‘stands the test of time”.
I love your definition of a skeptic – genuine openness – that’s very beautiful. We seem to have reduced it to mean those who like to argue, disagree, discredit others’ point of view just for the sake of saying ‘no’ and nothing to do with a thirst for truth.
Dianne, you go big on this one and it’s definitely a post and topic I’d like to revisit. I’d never considered what you wrote about skepticism, nor had I known the definition. It strikes me that the bastardised version of the term comes from a place of individualism, where people feel they must protect (or fight for) what they believe to shield themselves from their past hurts. We work so hard not to be open, natural and loving, and I’m guilty of this as well. You’ve given me great food for thought, thank you.
A brilliant and powerful blog Dianne exposing the different types of skeptics and their behaviours they use to justify and defend their position. I notice when I am around skeptics how super important it is to be open and loving and to not feel crushed in anyway by their choices to live in such a reduced and loveless way.
Great point Anna, to remain open and loving no matter the situation we find ourselves in.
“I’ve let go of a multitude of deeply held ‘pet beliefs’ when Truth came a ’knockin! Does that leave me empty? No way – fuller than ever!” This is freedom. To be stuck in held beliefs makes me feel trapped, I was trying to work out why and I realised it is because we are constantly evolving, therefore what we think we know, we may not actually know once we look at it from a difference angle, or a different body. I would have thought there was nothing wrong with my sugar addiction from my sugar-addicted body, but take the sugar out of me, get over the detox period and I immediately feel the superficial buzz. My body has changed and therefore my sensitivity has changed, therefore my belief on what was harming and not harming changed….and not a book or a scientist in sight!!!
Your blog Dianne is very informative, knowledgable and wise. I really appreciate your explanation of what your blog is really about. Of course our challenge and responsibility is to not be governed by our hurts, but to understand and let go of what harms us; certainly a work in progress;
“It is about understanding human behaviour arising from hurts, the persistent feeling of emptiness that comes from those hurts and how they govern our way of expressing.”
Great point Dianne about learning to be aware of the skeptic within. This is sneaky and often has us in its grasp before we have clocked it. It is this septic that can cause us the most harm.
“someone who will question the validity of appearances until reaching something essential that feels true and holds true” When I first, second and third read the book ‘The Way It Is’ by Serge Benhayon I watched as so many of my ideals and beliefs were exposed as I had the realisation that I was reading something essential that felt true and holds true and continues to deepen my appreciation of the truth and the discarding of ideals and beliefs.
Being sceptical in life is actual being knowingly in denial of where you belong to and in that holding on to your ideals and beliefs that have been further entrenched by you holding on to the hurts you have because of this way of living. When you are in full acceptance and appreciation of who you truly are and in the knowing that you are part of that grander whole and actually do not belong to this world of creation, you would be unconditionally open for any truth that would be offered to you.
Dianne – I resonate with what you say here; ‘…an uncompromising honesty with self and others…’ – What an opportunity we have to start being honest! Something that I can put my hands up and say I have not been in the past. Even to the point of saying ‘I’ll take the washing upstairs’ and then the next time I go upstairs I don’t take it – I am lying to myself. Or when I let jealousy or comparison in, even the tiniest amount – I am in effect not being honest with my own self worth.
How very interesting while the skeptics appear to challenge theories and/or findings in order to get to the truth of the matter, I can feel a stopper at the different level of layers that gets activated when we know there actually is a deeper truth that we’ve so invested in not looking at and that is about to get triggered and we know ‘we’ need to change if we are to fully embrace that.
Understanding how hurts affect our behaviour is a key step in our true evolution and development of intelligence that serves everyone.
At some stage in our life we have all expressed some form of skepticism and as a result closed ourselves off from the power of being open to there being a depth of understanding we have not connected to and denied ourselves access to the truth within it. A great lesson in remaining open to what we yet don’t understand for the truth to unfold.
Thank you Dianne for helping us develop a deeper understanding of our behaviour, hurts, and the reactions that follow.
“It is about understanding human behaviour arising from hurts, the persistent feeling of emptiness that comes from those hurts and how they govern our way of expressing.”
Thank you also for once again sharing your experiences, wisdom, and knowledge.
As is so well said here ‘… at heart all humans are loving and responsible…’ For us to be irresponsible and put our hurts first is us just not wanting to feel our potential – as simple as that. We have really mastered the game of playing small and not living our potential – the thing is, until I decided to become a student of Universal Medicine, I could have sworn that there was no other way to be or live. That is how far the game sucks us in and this needs to be exposed.
For me its the skeptic that remains open that is the most vital – there is a saying that the I think was made famous by the Dalai Lama about observing a teacher and how they live for a period of 5 to 10 years, and only then giving yourself fully to their teachings. This is a healthy amount of skepticism… because you are remaining open to the possibility, rather than being shut off to the potential that lives in all of us.
Dianne, what a read, and an uncomfortable one at that. What I got to feel and understand is that we can all fall back into skeptical behaviours when we do not want to feel our hurts and take responsibility for the choices we’ve made and that in some (often many) cases we would rather hold onto those hurts and play the victim rather than feel and understand our responsibility in dealing with them and getting on with life. This highlights the need for honesty as a starting point to at the very least be willing to be open to the fact that we do not want to address something rather than hiding in the intellectualism and arrogance of skepticism; skepticism feels like a compounding and a burying of our hurts and it achieves little as we do eventually have to look at and address them. For now you’ve inspired me to begin to get truly honest about those places where I still play victim and demand that things be a certain way before I surrender, and writing this I’ve just realised that this is skepticism.
As always Dianne Trussell is illuminating the world… Taking such a thorny stance as the sceptics soapbox, and delicately lovingly dissembling it so that no sceptic worth their reliance upon the intellect could still stand and, with their sardonically amused intolerance cast their web of undermining intellect out to the world, is worthy of a standing ovation… Thank you again.
This is a great blog Dianne, I love the way you approach this subject, and yes bringing understanding to our hurts is essential, ‘It is about understanding human behaviour arising from hurts, the persistent feeling of emptiness that comes from those hurts and how they govern our way of expressing.’
Beautifully explained with much wisdom Dianne . You have exposed skepticism with in me in varying degrees. It has helped me understand the layers of protection from our hurts or not living responsibly with energetic integrity.
“I feel to never give up on anyone – the seeds of healing lie dormant within all of us, and miracles do happen!” When I first read this sentence I glanced over it feeling the resistance. I know it’s true but sometimes at those challenging times I have moments of giving up on another. It makes me realise of the investment I have in another to get it instead of accepting them for where they are at and each moment for what it is.
“As members of society it behooves us to step up and take responsibility for calling out every instance of untruth within ourselves as well as that which is going on around us, no matter how apparently uncomfortable or ‘trivial’ it may seem to be.” I couldn’t agree more and it can be uncomfortable and it may seem trivial to some but the more I commit to myself living from my innermost the more I cannot tolerate behaviours that are not from love. Expressing how I feel is incredibly important to me now and this way of being I am developing every day.
If we don’t deal with our hurts it is amazing how much it clouds us from feeling the truth. I have known some harmful skeptics that have such unresolved deep hurts within they easily abuse many innocent people around them. Eventually they will feel the impact of their choices and that living this way is harming themselves and others.
Re reading your blog Dianne I realise as you say we are all skeptics to a greater or lesser degree. It appears to be our lack of wanting to take responsibility for the way we live, and often don’t look after ourselves in the manner we deserve. We look outside of ourselves for reasons to not do so and blame others for their lack of love for us.
This is great to read, as it shows the ways of the skeptics that are not true to the true sense of the word. I can feel how it is all based on the protection of the hurts we all got, and thus lots of us have a part skeptic in us that is protecting our own believes we have taken on. It is great to feel this, and see that that is there, and knowing the love that is within makes it possible to untangle this barrier and see that there is much more to life than we know it. Being able to be a true skeptic testing life out.
Thank you Dianne for a great blog, showing all the dishonest ways we humans go to, to protect and not feel our hurts, the only way out is to take responsibility for our choices thereby allowing our hurts to be healed.
Revealing blog Dianne on the different forms of behaviour played out as a result of hurts
Oh my how the evolution of mankind would speed up if everyone became skeptical like you Dianne.
Indeed who hasn’t been hurt. Reading your blog Dianne gives us a greater understanding of human behaviour when we are hurt; having this understanding supports us in our healing and in making loving choices.
A very interesting blog to read Dianne with so much to ponder.
Thank you Dianne a great article with so much truth in it that we all search for and know is their somewhere but are often happy to stay in the comfort of not knowing or else searching for something we already in truth know , that is why we are searching for it. Life provides us with the opportunity to learn and discover for ourselves if we are prepared to heal and listen to our bodies and this journey of return is there for all of us to take by our consistent choices and loving ways.
Yes Jane 🙂 we do know and I have felt that exact same thing that you describe that in the moment there’s a not wanting to know because then ‘responsibility’ has to be addressed. It’s a funny thing that when I hear something out loud, like at the Universal Medicine presentations as you say, it’s like I can’t pretend anymore that I didn’t know – what a funny game we play thinking that if it’s not said out loud then we can get away with it so to speak.
Great point Shelly, what gets revealed is something we already knew, quite often it was an uncomfortable nagging sensation that was quite constant and consistent, but until it is spoken out allowed by someone else we play the game of pretend… absolutely crazy.
So true Brendan. There is great wisdom in not assuming that our current reality is all there is but accepting that we are forever students of life ongoingly learning from the lessons that life offers us.
Yes without this open, life become a bit of a dead end.
I used to shy away from the truth: as soon as I got anywhere near close I would dive left or right in an absolute abdication of responsibility and rejection of the glory, wisdom, love and divinity at hand. That was my individuated human-ness acting out when all the while I knew that my only place and purpose was alongside everyone else, surrendering to a unifying and responsible plan. Today I can still feel my slippery-ness when the call of life offers me another opportunity to expand, but through practise and building steadiness I more readily stay at the coal face for the days work ahead alongside all of humanity.
Totally agree Jane, maintaining a level of irresponsibility is totally comfortable it allows me to maintain a status quo to not rock the boat too much and truth cuts through this like a hot spade through snow! I have heard only truth at the Universal Medicine presentations offering me the option of a hot spade!
Simply beautiful, Dianne.
When you say, ‘Who hasn’t been hurt? Who hasn’t acted at some time or another in a way they knew was not true to themselves?’ – this is a huge reality check. To accept that this is true means one also accepts that we human beings are more alike than we are different. And if that is also true, and we can accept that, then maybe it can be time to stop protecting and defending our hurts. In protection we are only hiding from ourselves and not really fooling anyone. A good reminder for myself!
This is fact Dianne, that does not need to be proven because I know it .. “the self-created, un-fillable void is there niggling away in the background, influencing every choice, every moment of life”.
Any investment or protective mechanism that you need or rely on to keep you going in life requires you to fulfil it. This can be a partner, a career, a hobby or food, anything that fills the void. We are masters of fulfilling our needs and not being responsible to the fact our purpose is to evolve out of the voids not feed them.
“My definition (of a skeptic) is: someone who is on a committed search for Truth, requiring solid proof of it (not restricted to reductionist science or intellectual argument) instead of blind belief, someone who will question the validity of appearances until reaching something essential that feels true and holds true, and ‘stands the test of time’. Crucial in my definition of a true skeptic is genuine openness, that is, being open to all the possibilities…”
I resonate with this definition Dianne. I have always been a truth seeker, albeit with my meanderings and protection to cover my hurts. But always I have needed to explore and live a concept rather than accept a commonly held view or the appearance of something. I have always needed to dig deeper and brought an openness to the Truth. I have immense gratitude for Serge Benhayon for living his light and love in full so that his mastery of living has enabled the illusion we live to gradually be revealed, so that we have the choice to liberate ourselves from our hurts and live a truly loving life.
“In truth, there is no emptiness or nothingness in the universe, including within us, so something must fill the void left when an ’empty’ person hides behind ‘skepticism’.”
This is super interesting and fascinating to ponder. If we don’t choose the fullness of our own love, we leave the door wide open to be filled by a deceptive energy that may give us what we think we want for a time (or it may not), but always sustaining the illusory importance of perpetual motion, keeping us asleep to the truth we could otherwise be living.
An interesting look at the subject of skepticism Dianne. The skeptics you describe do not look like the skeptics I have seen as such, but the feeling I got reading your essay was the qualities that so many of us carry in varying degrees. I also felt the broader purpose of what you are expressing here: that we can latch onto beliefs, ideals and behaviours to confirm our ignorance and use this as a way of avoiding any real relationship with truth and the Divine bigger picture. Hence I see why you have discussed the importance of responsibility at length because in effect, we bury our hurts and form layers of protection to sustain our ignorance, pushing away the very thing that will bring the liberation our heart yearns for.
I love how you redefined what a skeptic is Dianne. We live in a world where re-definition of ‘what is’ is over-killed to defame truth and hide what is there. Universal Medicine presents the truth energetically. It goes to the energy of things to capture the true essence and meaning. It is a great school that is empowering how to discern what is truth energetically because energy cannot be bastardised no matter what is imposed on top of it.
Absolutely Rik, everything is energy, and Universal Medicine presents this. Universal Medicine is a ‘great school that is empowering how to discern what is truth energetically because energy cannot be bastardised no matter what is imposed on top of it.’
Thank you Dianne, I like your definition of a skeptic and that we are all in one way or another so called skeptics but that a true skeptic does not hide behind their hurts but is committed in their search of truth and is genuinely open to all the possibilities.
I had always viewed a sceptic as quite a negative person, yet from your new refreshed, or maybe old and wise, definition, scepticism is something we could be inspired by.
We humans do not sit well with being untrue to the love that is our real essence, but we get entrenched in our habitual ways.” Our human dilemma explained in one sentence.
“… using lack of perfection as a justification for skepticism about something is a neat trick, but very dishonest.” Thank you for pointing this out, it is true it is so easy to use imperfection as a justification that something can’t be right, but in the end it is only an excuse to not take responsibility.
Because attachment to ‘perfection’ is the always just out of reach carrot… the smoke screen that keeps us from living the fact that we are all that we need to be already. The cruelty and impact of maintaining this gap is hard to fathom.
It is so true that most skeptics are not true skeptics, i.e. someone unbiased in their questioning, but instead people questioning and doubting because of pre-judgments as a result of previous personal painful experiences. When we do this we hinder understanding and evolvement because we are stuck in the past rather than expanding and moving forward. Therefore we carry a great responsibility when we claim being skeptical – are we being truly being so or are we hindering development out personal fear of experiencing something painful?
It is interesting to unpack hurt and see what lies beneath.. and most likely we will find that it is not another that has hurt us, but we who have hurt ourselves first. all another can do is reflect that hurt to us.
Very true Annie and it really does hurt when we take responsibility and feel the impact of our choices but well worth feeling and letting them go.
What an amazing dialogue shared by all the posts here on skeptics and how our hurts can dominate our response to not what to accept something. Whilst if we feel into a situation and are open to not using past hurts as our guide we can often see things from a different angle and relate/understand more which can allow for more acceptance.
“Perhaps it will resonate with some and bring in a fresh wind of awareness.” Thank you Dianna for bringing the fresh wind of the true skeptic in life, always open and searching for the truth in yourself first. I feel a deep love to yourself and humanity in the way you are and present yourself and your findings of truth you share so openly with everybody that is ready to receive it.
How far away from the truth can we get when the definition of a true skeptic is someone who shows genuine openness to truly understand life and the universe? Modern day skeptics are anything but that. They have a tendency to ridicule anyone who does not see it their way and carry around the belief that everyone else is being fooled while they are not. What utter arrogance!.
Classic Brendan and absolutely true, the doggedness skeptics can hold onto their view shows how much we invest in.
I love how you have broken down how we can go into our heads to simply avoid the ultimate responsibility that we do know truth.
Indeed Gina, it feels we are completely exposed in all our ways of denying the truth. We all innately know that this lives within us and that we avoid to go to and in tour effort to cover this all up we have created many ways of convincing ourselves of our own fabricated truth and use a bastardised form of scepticism to cover ourselves from not being honest with ourselves.
This is an excellent article Dianne, and undeniable explanation of how our unresolved hurts dominate how we see the world and ourselves in it. We cannot make rational or thoughtful conclusions on any topic if we are closing our mind to stop us from feeling hurt. Nor can we joyfully explore new things with a natural unbiased curiosity.
Well said Bernard. We perceive the world through the lens of our hurt and not as it truly is. With a vision clouded by pain, truth becomes masked until we are ready to heal and wipe clear that which has come to stand in its way.
I like your definition of skeptics Dianne. That gnawing feeling that life is about more than what is being lived and or presented. When truth comes and knocks on the door we know it for what it is before we open the door.
So true Steve, and who will open the door? The true sceptic or the avoiding skeptic?
I think this is a great topic for a blog which has well and truly exposed those who claim to be sceptics but are simply agenda driven.
Oh what a joy it would be to live in a label-less world where our ‘titles’, or ‘what’ we do does not identify us, and where we know we are more than enough as we naturally are.
Wow, Dianne, what an amazing article. I also love the end where you say: “Being ‘hurt’ is no excuse”, and we have to keep exposing every untruth in ourselves and around us.
Yes Monika, time to stop avoiding dealing with our hurts.
“there’s no ‘us and them’ for we are all the same inside and all equally responsible for our hurts and their effects upon our collective human life.” No hiding or denying for any of us, only taking responsibility for the impact we have on each other.
I keep saying the same to my clients and colleagues: “If you dig below the surface of the behaviours that come from our hurts and beliefs, you’ll find that at heart all humans are loving and responsible.”
What you’ve shared here Dianne is great, and I can see how I have had a bit of the ‘us and them’ syndrome with my previous judgements of skeptics, so this is a good one to work on. Also, many times I have gotten the impression from people I would call skeptical of anything not physical and proven by a hundred repeatable experiments that their skepticism has a foundation in their inner self really almost crying out to accept that there may be more to life and a deeper meaning, and that they are almost obsessed with attacking another view that is more expansive and non-conventional so that they can be closer to the truth. This is a bit of an irony, but it makes sense, as the skeptic knows the deeper Truth in their heart, but is just fighting it to avoid the inevitable responsibility and being skeptical is their way of getting closer to eventually feeling the Truth for themselves.
“I aspire to be a seeker of Truth, and would happily throw out the word ‘skepticism’ as now being too loaded, contaminated and abused to be of any further use to humanity.”
I fully agree, a fresh approach and exploration of the nature of life without and preconceived ideas or beliefs that taint our ability to see and feel truth.
Dianne,I love how you have dismantled the wall of skepticism. “Ironically, the very taking of responsibility and doing what must be done is the exact cure for the ills brought about by the continued hiding behind ‘skepticism’, which isn’t really skepticism at all!”
“there is something (or many somethings) that we don’t want to look at, that we shy away from the truth of, because it would highlight our hurts, beliefs and our lack of taking responsibility in some areas of life.” Yes to this, Diana, and beautifully put.
“I feel it is for each human to connect to their own inner love, be it and express it, regardless of anyone else’s choice to be loving or not. At some point, we have to heal ourselves.” This is our responsibility without excuses.
As much as you have exposed what is known as skepticism today, you have also revived the truthful meaning of being skeptical: to not believe anything but to explore and reach one´s own understanding and relationship with truth in full responsibility and service for all.
Truth is known the moment it is felt, not learnt.
I agree Liane and we all can feel it; there are no excuses and then it is our choice as to what we do with it.
I absolutely agree with you on: “I feel to never give up on anyone – the seeds of healing lie dormant within all of us, and miracles do happen!”
When I read your: “A network of consequences of this materialist, reductionist, so-called scientific, so-called skeptical view of reality is that there is no divinity, no purpose, no big picture, no God, no higher love or mind, no ultimate good, no life beyond death, no real connection between people: we are all terrible islands of matter in a random universe of separated things.” Everything inside me says ‘NO’ this is not the truth. And this is exactly what humanity is being fed and why people give up, get depressed and don’t enjoy living their life. This is why so many drown in emptiness and try to fill it with ‘stuff/distraction’ so they don’t have to feel this.
“modern physics is increasingly realising the utter connectedness and oneness of all, that everything is energy, that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe, physical matter is illusory (although rather real to us), and that everything happens because of energy and consciousness.” Hurray for the start of truth in modern physics!
Trying to hold on to being right and having that justified is a trap to keep us in a spin of the right and wrong dynamic – of which no part is actually true, just another game to keep us away from truth.
The right and wrong dynamic is an important one Annie as it is a dynamic a lot of people often fall for to avoid to feel what is really going on.
So true Annie, it keeps us in a spin which supports us in avoiding our own responsibility.
By thinking we are right we act in a way that is superior to another. I am finding that this righteous behaviour is not easy to master but becoming more aware of it and calling it out is certainly helping me to let go of it.
False skepticism is a sophisticated way of indulgence in self-doubt camouflaged as intellectual all-knowingness.
True skepticism is knowing that you don´t know anything but being open to knowing everything at any time.
Brilliant comment Alex, what lengths we can go to to avoid connecting to our natural knowingness and the responsibility that comes with living this way.
Beautifully summed up Alex and I can also feel an amazing humbleness that is simply there from living as a true skeptic.
Well said Brendan! And yes in the end we always come back to truth whether or not we want to!
We come back to truth, whether we want to or not – through our body. Getting ill with something minor or major is truth coming to us and saying that something needs to be cleared from our body. We are free to ignore this truth but it is still the truth.
Hello Diane skepticism is not the same for me anymore since I have read your powerful little essay. Now I see skepticism as a world wild disease!
Same here esteraltmiks, Dianne’s blog has completely changed my in take on the words skeptic and skepticism. It is so healing for the body when the truth of words are exposed in this way.
I recognise so many parts of each version of skeptic at different times in myself. I feel many of us have done this to protect ourselves. Being hurt is a universal experience and by not wanting to seem a fool, I take a hardened position that I feel will stop that from happening again. The truth is that this hardened position of rejecting everything just compounds my hurt because it separates me from any truth that connects me with love and my loving brothers. To be open to truth and to accept that I may make mistakes but still be open to truth is courageous and I would rather be courageous and considered a fool than to wall myself up in that other lonely place of hardness.
There is no way of escaping truth, we might delay it, fight against it, reject the feelings of it, but truth is spherical and will always come around and be offered to us again.
Such a great blog, really exposing the many layers of thoughts, actions, belief systems that go with scepticism…
Another amazing blog Diane. I have only read about the first third this far and have to say that your definition of the word skeptic feels absolutely true to me. I totally agree that the word skeptic is today very loaded just as many have become from their true original meaning. Let’s take words like love, religion and God. These words in their true meaning are simple yet today through billions of interpretations and misinterpretations, stories and images attached to each- these lovely words have also become very loaded. But like you Diane I tend to stick with the original true meaning of words if I can, before they have been bastardised. I am looking forward to reading the rest of your fabulous blog now.
What type of a person is absolutely certain they are right, regardless of the evidence and does not brook any dissent. A skeptic, obviously but haven’t we seen such people before and aren’t there a lot of others like that around at the moment as well?
Yes, yes we have and yes, yes there are Christoph.
I love your meaning of a skeptic Dianne, needing genuine openness, if we could all be skeptics in that way it would rapidly speed up our evolution.
Me too Kev. Isn’t very interesting how the loaded and laced and bastardised version of words (sadly how many think they mean today) are actually seen as nearly being the complete opposite to their original and true meaning . . . Could this be something for us to ask why and how has this happened?
I have felt so uncomfortable with many words because of the beliefs and ideals I have taken on associated with them so when I read blogs like this one it offers me an amazing opportunity to begin to take responsibility and truly feel the words otherwise there is a tendency to carry on living in the ignorance of their true meaning.
I too love Dianne’s definition of a true skeptic. As I feel more deeply into it I can feel my body adjusting as I begin to let go of the false and bastardised meaning of the word.
Skepticism as a form of protection to not feel and deal with one´s hurts – from experience I can say it works for a while but at some point the inner emptiness becomes unbearable and there is a limit of how long we can ignore and override it with more emptiness before the house of cards build by intellectual calculus starts to be rocked by the emotional earthquake that unavoidably is created by the increasing pressure of ignorance. Meanwhile of course we can create a lot of havoc around us, especially with people as we must force them into our reductionistic scheme of the world to not be overwhelmed and questioned by what we try to avoid at all costs – to face the void created by undealt with hurt and reactions.
Very true and extremely well said Alex. Thank you.
Very clearly expressed Alex. Your image of the emotional earthquake that arises when we protect ourselves with either intellectual reasoning or any other protective behaviour is apt. The tension this inner denial creates is too great and needs release in one form or another.
Yes Alex that does seem to be the way when we hear of skeptics in the media. It is great that Dianne has explained this but also the nature of a true skeptic who is inquisitive and open and free to explore the world they observe before them, not fixed by superstition, religion, or popular culture.
I feel delighted by Dianne restoring the true nature and meaning of skepticism that is in fact a tool of evolution and self-development. With the true meaning of words and in this instance a human faculty we can reclaim and live it again instead of shying away from or feeling ashamed of something we don´t want be associated with. The bastardization of words is not trivial but a distortion of life that robs us of ourselves.
I can testify to the fact that at some point the house of cards crumbles to dust and you are left vulnerable and fragile – and at this point the only option is to look at the very depth of you and all that you hold dear to allow the rebuild with love.
This is a great blog Dianne, and yes, you are quite correct. Skeptics of today tend to display “shutdown or attacking behaviour against others” , which, is quite reactionary behaviour. This tends to evoke moral fear, panic and suspicion in anyone who listens to such a debate, potentially interfering with their own ability to question.
True Jo. When we compare how many view the word skeptic to Diane’s very clear and true feeling definition it makes me question why are they nearly polar opposite in how they each present the meaning of the word. If we consider this is happening for many many words it is almost like we are living in world that is a definition lie, through so much reinterpretation and misinterpretation of the original meaning of words.
I find this true also of debating there is no purpose to find truth only to prove your point, where as our time can be so much better spent working together for truth rather that exerting ones intellectual muscle.
Skeptic 2 has the quality of self-annihilation that spins like a vortex bringing everyone around them down with the misery and the pain of life without love and joy. This person is perhaps aware of so much, can feel everything that is going on, including all the intentions of people and the hurts that can happen everyday, but has forgotten that they are love and are in fact not powerless at all.
This is a very powerful blog Dianne that supports us in understanding human behaviour that comes out of hurt. With this increased and deeper understanding will come acceptance and allowing another to follow their own path of healing and return; supported by unconditional love.
‘No matter how much the holder of such a view tries to fill that emptiness with relationships, work, wealth, pleasure, pain, peace, fighting, possessions and achievements of the mind and body, the self-created, un-fillable void is there niggling away in the background, influencing every choice, every moment of life.’
Yes, spot on. I know this for myself – no matter what I did in life, or achieved, it was never enough. And although far more in hand today, there are remnants of this way of living still active in me today. Paired with a life-long quest for recognition through doing, it has been a difficult momentum to overcome. At least now my purpose is for humanity, not for self, and it is now about catching the old habits out.
Further to this, I can say that living sceptically (if I can put it that way) takes on enormous toll on the body. Trying to fill that emptiness shows up eventually in the body that, as Serge Benhayon has expressed, is the marker of all truth. For me, it resulted in adrenal exhaustion and complications from there. No wonder so many are worldwide struggling with our health. We are living the truth of our sceptical minds in our bodies, and if it doesn’t catch up with us this lifetime, it will the next.
I like this article Dianne. At the end of the day it’s about all of us releasing our inner sceptic/s and taking responsibility for ourselves. I recognised, as you suggested we would, elements of each of the types presented here as having been present in me in the past. It’s so interesting to have clearly laid out in this essay the twists and turns we can take in order to avoid what is true – the mind can lay out any number of arguments to distract us.
So many great points you make here; and I totally agree with your assessment that “skepticism (is used) as a protective cover to prevent the truth from being revealed”. And protection is a hard nut to crack as we hide and cower lest we be hurt again. And the irony? The more we try to protect ourselves, the more we get hurt and hurt ourselves.
It is indeed a vicious cycle sustained by a logic that is hermetically sealed against everything that would bring some light into the reduced view of life.
So well put Gabriele ‘The more we try to protect ourselves, the more we get hurt and hurt ourselves.’
The funny thing is that what is truth will never be anything other than that. We as a humanity is slowly approaching truth but we’d like to do it in our own pace. Meanwhile truth is forever there, waiting to be discovered. Some know the truth in beforehand and some might call them whatever they might call them but it doesn’t make them know truth any less. Some use the word ‘evidence based’ which I’d say is just another word for ‘I will get there in a pace that is not challenging my perceived truth too much’. If some choose to learn about truth in their own pace that is fine but it shouldn’t dictate the pace for everyone else.
Yes Brendan, whether or not it starts with truth, it is inevitable that is where it will end.
we can go around and around the sun and think the world is flat, sooner or later you have to let go and see the signs that it is round.
When I re-read this, i realise how powerful it is. The claim that ‘evidenced based’ science is trying to make the be the be all and end all f what is true and what is not is completely invalid and flawed.
Yes, this reductionist, empirical, scientific approach dismisses anything that cannot be measured or visibly accounted for or ‘proved’ as flawed. Thankfully the social sciences contain an avenue of investigation (qualitative research) that utilises human experience as data. However this too can be subject to reductionism and curious twists of logic – am some would consider it a ‘lesser’ science. This is interesting as surely those making these claims are busy experiencing their own lives and would consider these experiences to be real enough.
And to take this point a step further, if sceptics were truly open minded, they would be prepared – for instance – to set their pre-conceived biases and agendum aside (or at least nominate them) and experience, say, several complementary health sessions and investigate their responses to them. That would make for good research and a healthily sceptical mind. That’s what may of us have done with Universal Medicine – arrived open and enquiring, been honest about our reactions and explored for ourselves whether it feels true.
Good point Victoria it is pretty crazy to invalidate our life experiences just because they are subjective.
Absolutely Victoria, I have experimented with choices, impact and been blown away by how much change can occur and it was only through my openness and willingness to explore what was being offered that I could come to any conclusion.
Yes Victoria, I arrived open to what the sessions with Serge Benhayon and courses presented through Universal Medicine could offer and was blown away. Having been a serious seeker for many years I found answers to questions I had not been able to even frame to ask … and I finally started taking responsibility for my actions and healing my own hurts instead of expecting others and the world to make me feel better.
I wonder if in search for absolute truth “skepticism” has settled for controllable, measurable, verifiable so-called truth to at least have a straw to catch at in a world, inner and outer, that is overwhelming without knowing oneself to be held as a part of the greater all-embracing unconditionally loving whole that makes us who we are.
Great point, how can one be a true sceptic is there is no willingness or openness to experience for themselves.
Great assessment on skeptics Dianne, in summary those who are unwilling to take responsibility for their hurts and past choices
Having a view of the universe as filled with separate objects just floating around without any relationship or connection with each other feels like a cold and inhospitable place. This way of thinking cannot possibly make a child feel safe and warm, or cherished.
When I look at the stars and galaxy’s all I see is wonder, magic and divinity. Any other description is from someone not willing to see what is blatantly there to be seen.
Gorgeously said Vanessa 🌸 The heavenly stars are all the proof we need that there is so much more than we ‘believe’ so. It is just how open people are to feeling the entirety of it all
I agree Vanessa, looking at the stars and galaxy is a wonder, magic and divinity. It brings up questions in me and a knowing that there has to be more.
Beautifully said Vanessa and very true, how can you ignore the magnificence and beauty that constantly surrounds us.
Very true and reassuring Brendan, we will always come back to truth, no matter what.
A beautiful revelation that skepticism is no more than a protection mechanism in order not to feel our hurts.
So true Katinka. Dianne has exposed how we use the word ‘skepticism’ to hide our hurts so we don’t have to admit we know the truth.
What a brilliant essay Dianne, I can defiantly see how the skeptic in all of us can be used as a shield of protection from our hurts or inability at times to turn the other cheek so to speak and open our hearts to allow the magical side of life to play out and expand . This is the love that is within us all of course .
Dianne I appreciate the detail you have expressed through this blog in relation to skepticism as in all your blogs it opens up a deeper understanding to the why, of the way people respond or react the way they do and generally their reaction comes from not being willing to deal with their hurts and continue to blame another or circumstances for not taking responsibility for their choices. And Dianne, I also love your definition of a True Skeptic “someone who is on a committed search for Truth, requiring solid proof of it, instead of blind belief, someone who will question the validity of appearance until reaching something essential that feels true and holds true, and “stands the test of time” (As does the Ageless Wisdom) and “crucial in my definition of a true skeptic is genuine openness”. This to me, is a true scientist.
And as expressed by a Nobel Prize winner in an interview last year when he expressed that to be skeptical is to be skeptical of one’s own motives first and foremost, advocating genuine self-inquiry rather than just hitting out from the trenches all the time.
Woah what a great response Gabriele, so true.
Wow, that is profound! Thank you for sharing this gem Gabriele.
How refreshing to hear that there are still true sceptics who are true scientists of life; life including oneself as an object of study and thus the development of (self-)awareness.
I loved how Dianne defined a true skeptic too Deidre, as that feels like a way I have always been. I am a dedicated student of The Way of The Livingness but I always wanted proof from my body to see if any changes actually occurred after applying new loving ways to live and bringing more energetic awareness. I always make sure I introduce things in my time and not from a knowledge but from my bodies point of evolution.
What you describe here sarahraynebaldwin is a true student of The Way of the Livingness, one who listens to her body and acts from there.
What I love about The Way Of The Livingness is that it is science, biology, religion, philosophy, heath and wellbeing rolled into the perfect marriage that respects the fact that we are all have the answers inside of us.
Thanks for sharing this Sarah, I still find myself from time to time ‘wanting proof’ and it is at these times I have to look and feel more deeply where I am to step to next. More to be revealed and ultimately more to evolve to.
I think what you share is important Lee, as the body can be conservative, if we allow our minds to take over it can appear the body responds in one way, an example of this is someone eating quite a bit of sugar and fruit, craves it in the afternoon when they get tried, it seems like the body needs that pick me up, but if you cut out sugar all together for a week, the body has a chance to return to its natural state then the body would tremble and be very affected by that seem sugar that it thought it liked a couple of weeks ago.
Sometimes we do need to try things we are not used to in order to really get to know what is going on in here.
Thank you Sarah, great example and I totally understand that staying in the ‘known’ is truly admitting that you are comfortable the way the status quo is. This means that stepping outside of this looks and feels like ‘hard work’ the ultimate trick when as you present it is actually an adjustment back to our innate divinity. Simple not hard but may be a touch uncomfortable to begin with.
Exactly my friend, you sum it up well, its uncomfortably at first but when your back, its simple and the hard part was that you left in the first place.
Indeed Jane, it use to be my enemy and now we are BFF aka bestfriendsforver!!
I feel like one of the greatest and most humbling phrases we can become friends with is the saying, “I was wrong” to admit that a belief, ideal or outlook we have is not actually true is an incredibly powerful way to live, opening us up to making changes in our lives and removing patterns of behaviour that do not serve us.
Stephen just reading that word “I was wrong” without judgement or critique shows me that having that honest relationship with what we do or how we feel about something is the way forward. Opening up makes all the difference.
True Stephen, I find it incredibly freeing to be able to say “I was wrong” – it means that I can easily let go of things / ideas/ beliefs without feeling I need to fight to prove that I am right.
I agree – being able to say “I was wrong” is very liberating and cuts right across a whole lot of stuff that gets in the way of living the life we want to and can live.
I so agree, and sometimes it’s the hardest thing to admit to someone you’v been wrong in the past. But it opens such a door way for communication and healing.
‘I was wrong’ when expressed in its true form allows us to be honest and it gives an opportunity to see the illusion we have been living in. It’s an opportunity for personal growth that benefits ourselves and everyone else. ‘I was wrong’ not expressed truly can be used as protection, to back down from your truth and to play small. There is no personal growth only stagnation or worse for both parties, who can then continue to infect others.
Interesting that admitting a truth that may make us feel vulnerable instead of protected, and is associated with being weak or not good enough actually empowers us, but of course how can we be in our power when we are not ourselves to begin with but instead try to live up to an ideal that is a lie that completely robs us of our natural strength.
A skeptic gains their confidence from rules and ideas. “This is right” and “That is wrong”. That is a very brittle confidence and leaves the skeptic with nothing when their rules don’t work or are simply untrue as can be easily proven even with just a little logic.
It is a very stressful existence, hence why I see many of them show long term stress in their body.
That’s so true Brendon, the skeptic has already called out the truth but is making it a
” personal crusade” rather than feel and deal with there hurts and yes at every level we are all going through this process coming back to the truth. Same same!
I know a person I would have called a skeptic in the past but now can fully see the hurts that is carried, the result being he has withdrawn from a successful business and family life to go and live like a hermit for many years now. I can so deeply feel the protection and the wall of fixed opinions, blame, anger and non trusting of the world that becomes like a ‘security blanket’ against feeling his deep hurts. A normal life would be deemed impossible because of his lack of trust but to some degree we are all hiding behind the wall as a humanity which is not living true to itself, we all have a mistrust and hurt and we are all responsible for the effects upon our collective lives.
Agree ! Absolute different direction away from the truth of love and brotherhood. I know this well as I did this for many years, removed myself from family and friends because I was hurting, but in that it just isolates and it hurts even more. You cannot win when you reside in your hurts.
I know this skeptic you describe Merrilee, for I was this person. It’s amazing the more self love you have the more trusting you become with yourself, others and humanity. Sure I still have a wall but it is starting to crumble and my beautiful light is beginning to shine through the cracks.
That is very true Merrlie, we are all in varied degrees of hiding to avoid hurts. Some are obvious and extreme and others are subtle and well concealed. I feel myself still carrying mistrust and in that I demand proof of safety in relationships before I feel I can let people in.
Yes, we are often in hiding because we carry hurts but also if we expose ourselves, become visible with anyone to see all of us in full, there can be a considerable backlash. That, combined with any hurts we have, makes expressing in full a less than appealing prospect. What we forget is that when we are letting everyone in, we become fully aware where others are at and the don’t get hurt.
‘A normal life would be deemed impossible’, surely this way of living you describe Merrilee is becoming more and more ‘normal’ for those who bury their hurts!
Dianne this is so full of wisdom I have to re-read it again. Thank You for Your dedication and wisdom…deep care to share all this so openly with us. With love Nadine
Yes Nadine, there is so much presented here, a real richness and more and more is revealed each time I re-read it.
Yes Nadine, I have reread and gotten more out of this blog, Dianne is very generous in the way she writes and presents truth to the world.
I love your definition of skepticism as in not taking anything for granted and being open to see the truth and call out whenever something is not true. I agree that the word has been reinterpreted and started to mean something totally different in modern day life. Skepticism is now associated with being negative about life, with bitterness and a sort of withdrawal from life. Yet what I feel after reading your first part of the blog, is that a true skeptic is open to life and willing to see everything and not just see what is convenient to see and is willing to let the truth be seen.
I agree Lieke, skepticism is now associated with being negative about life which unfortunately is starting to lead to wars, killings and murders which are forever getting closer to our own front doors. We really need to start looking at the root cause of this negativity for one to understand where this person is coming from and two, for the person to heal and accept who we are – Sons of God, for this is one constant that is never going to change.
I know it is a whole different way of viewing skepticism and hiding from the universal truths.
As you say Diane, It takes a willingness to be proven entirely wrong and to let go of beliefs and set outcomes to be a true scientist. Without this opens we will always look through tainted glasses and we will never see clearly to truth.
Diane thank you for exposing the sceptic in all of us. it is easy to point a finger to those who are in obvious excess but the pockets we hold within ourselves and the hurts we are not yet willing to let go have just as much an impact on the collective human life.
Well said Carolien, Diannes’ blog is exposing the skeptic in all of us…
Calling it out like this Dianne, is very powerful. ‘It is about understanding human behaviour arising from hurts, the persistent feeling of emptiness that comes from those hurts and how they govern our way of expressing.’ I so recognise I have known those hurts and that emptiness, but I now know I don’t have to stay there, they are not me. We aren’t skeptics, we are simply licking our wounds, without realising we can let them go.
A true scientist is one who aligns with unconditional truth where as a skeptic places conditions on truth.
So as a skeptic of myself I have placed conditions on my truth.
From what you describe here Dianne we are all skeptics in varying degrees based on the fact that anytime we have unresolved hurts we do not want to look at and we lose trust in the world and then demand that the world prove itself to be true, trustworthy and perfect rather than looking inside at what might driving this demand for perfection, we are placing conditions on love and truth.
I like here Dianne how you have claimed back the true meaning of the word skeptic. It seems that these days hurt fuelled cynicism is confused with skepticism and it is great to point out the difference.
I agree with your definition of a true skeptic Dianne – of someone with genuine openess who doesn’t just blindly agree with others but discerns what feels true to them, a very healthy thing to do by all accounts. The word skeptic has though been very much been mis-used as an excuse for being stuck in a rigid mind-set, of hindering true progress, and being abusive towards others.
Dianne your sharing about skeptisism, really gives us something to ponder on, where do we fall into it or how have we been using it in life to not take responsibility of our life and speak truth. There is much shared in your blog and a lot to reflect and ponder on.
The feeling of the word ‘skeptic’ at least as it’s nowadays used definitely bears the quality of defensiveness fuelled by the want to not get hurt (again). So we make up a way to prove things, just so we make sure we wont get hurt (again). This some would say is science but it’s not, it’s just a way to again not get hurt, or get challenged because we don’t want to be exposed as being the one carrying the hurt. So we get so called sceptical to anything that might challenge the bubble I’m living in built just to protect myself from not getting hurt.
In this blog I love how you have brought awareness back to the true meaning of skepticism. It highlights how those who label themselves as skeptics are not so, as they come brandishing their owns agendas.
I’ve always associated scepticism with someone who didn’t want to see truth, a way not to be. Perhaps a new definition of a sceptic is a philosopher, someone open to seeing what’s out there, truth and it’s opposite, and one who knows when indeed the truth has been stumbled upon.
This is brilliant Dianne, and a great point to remind us that the first expression of truth begins with ourselves. We have a responsibility to bring as much honesty as we can to everything we do and and say, and with every interaction.
‘the first expression of truth begins with ourselves” ..absolutely as anything else comes there after and will be in the quality of this first expression. Truth will build on truth but cannot be sustained by anything less.
A great exposure of skepticism and the responsibility we all possess to address our hurts and beliefs, and the harm they can not only cause another but also life collectively.
Spot on Samantha, life becomes much simpler and true when we begin to let go of hurts and live who we truly are.
“In truth, there is no emptiness or nothingness in the universe, including within us, so something must fill the void left when an ’empty’ person hides behind ‘skepticism’.” This is a key teaching – that we are all vessels for energy to pass through. Thus, in every moment the question to ask is – are we a conduit for all that is love or, for all that is not?
‘Thus, in every moment the question to ask is – are we a conduit for all that is love or, for all that is not?’ Beautifully and simply put Liane.
Yes Liane, in a nutshell it does come back to that simple question “– are we a conduit for all that is love or, for all that is not?”
We are owned by our hurts until we choose to release ourselves from them by way of true alchemy – the ability and willingness to live what is true in a world not yet set up to support it. By virtue of this, the darkness and denseness we have fallen into by not living the light that we are, is transmuted back to the lightness and loveliness we are by the flame of our love.
Getting to the root of our dis-ease requires an enormous amount of transparency and honesty, for in order to see what has caused us such pain we need to take responsibility for all we have lived that has not been true to our essence, which is love.
Thank you Dianne for a great blog, especially these words, ” I feel to never give up on anyone – the seeds of healing lie dormant within all of us, and miracles do happen!”
These are the discussions we need to be having. What I got from this straight away was to be open. Discern and feel yes but don’t shut down without first being honest, open and feeling what is there to feel. The Gentle Breath meditations from Universal Medicine are a beautifull support in being able to do this. Also what you say here in not being willing to see the bigger picture is so true it just gives us an excuse to be irresponsible ‘There’s no point in being ethical, honest, religious, true and loving, all are a waste of time and energy. Why not just indulge, explore, play games, be ‘bad’, be ‘good’, do what you want? Nothing matters anyway. What dreadful emptiness this view gives rise to!’
“Admitting that the lack of love has been continued from within – they were not taking responsibility for loving and caring for themselves.” This is huge and it makes us squirm when reading this as one of our biggest hurts is that we did not take responsibility and loved and cared for ourselves when we left the dependency of our parents and could choose to do so. I didn’t even know what true care and love was and so I went on with what I had learned without stopping and truly feeling into myself. Our chosen blindness and ignorance is our downfall when it comes to being honest and live only truth. Thank God for Universal Medicine showing the Way, a very simple, but true Way.
And it only takes one or two people to call out the untruths for others to also feel empowered to call out what they see and feel as well, and exponentially the numbers grow.
“As members of society it behooves us to step up and take responsibility for calling out every instance of untruth within ourselves as well as that which is going on around us, no matter how apparently uncomfortable or ‘trivial’ it may seem to be.” So true Dianne…there is no point in expecting others to be responsibly honest when we are not being honest ourselves – the dishonesty is felt even without a word being uttered.
Dianne, this is a very powerful blog. You have exposed the fact that we all create protection to cover up our hurts, and that this can dominate our behaviour and our view of life to a greater or lesser degree. I love how you have used three people that you know as examples of the different ways this plays out. I’m sure each one of us can recognise these character types.
Yes Rebecca I recognised some behaviours in myself that I have done in my life in all three of these case studies of skeptics.
A truly insightful blog Dianne. I can certainly relate to what you are sharing within myself and within others. The call to take responsibility for our hurts is resounding because what is through the other side is so worth the effort and the admission of the denial.
Once again Dianne you have dissected the complex into its simplest form. Your definition of skeptic is very succinct and something we should all embrace.
Could we say then that a ‘skeptic’ is invested in (for whatever reason) something remaining exactly as it is? They themselves are the ones who don’t want to change. So what we hear is their resistance to the change.
That is a really interesting point, Brendan. In those instances, why place so much importance on proving another wrong? Why not just let them get on with their lives? As you point out, could it be that they are trying harder to convince themselves that the truth is false in a misplaced attempt to protect a deep pain? A pain that came from separating from the truth in the first place, and is only compounded by further denial of that choice.
Hi Dianne, great essay, thank you.
Dianne, your blog is a mind shaker! Absolutely brilliant. I totally had the wrong idea of the meaning of a true sceptic. I will be reading this over and over again as there is a huge amount to take in and digest in one bite!
A “mind shaker” indeed Tamara – love it!
‘I feel to never give up on anyone – the seeds of healing lie dormant within all of us, and miracles do happen!’. What a beautiful line of truth and one I have always felt.
What an incredible essay Dianne, you have change the perception I had of the word skeptic and expanded it to a much deeper understanding, not only the word but how people use it to avoid responsibility.
A skeptic is afraid of the truth. They cling to their rules and to their understandings, elevating these to absolute truths and measure everything against them. It is a bit like a scale that could be out by 10kg for any given measurement demanding for every measurement to be taken as gospel – whether it weighs a mouse, or a piece of cheese. The scale does not even realise the massive inconsistencies between each measurement.
True intelligence notices just how often even the best mind is wrong and not just mistaken but completely and utterly wrong while being equally completely convinced that it is right. If you have never noticed this in yourself then you are qualified to be a card-carrying skeptic. Congratulations!
Well put Christoph. There is such a stubbornness and battening down of the hatches when you convince yourself that you are right, in denial of what you don’t want to feel (but underneath really do know) and then cling to what you have created for yourself. Being slightly open, even if but a pin hole chink, to the fact that you may not be right allows for so much more to open up. There is a definite “ouch” and squirming in feeling where you have been mistaken and in what you have been defending (so be prepared for that), but once past all that there is a lightness that wasn’t there before and a new appreciation in the space you just created for yourself.
Yes, just following rules is such a pale shadow, such a poor simulacron of the truth. It is the ministry of silly walks equivalent of an elegant, claimed walk.
“I feel to never give up on anyone” – this is such a powerful line and so true. I feel as a whole world we need to not give up on anyone ever – too many people do this and this does not support anybody. How are people or even ourselves to know truth if we give up. We all have the potential to truly change, for our true divine spark we are born with never leaves us or goes away.
So true gyllianrae. We might like to ponder where we would be today if certain others had given up on us. That Divine Spark can surely be discovered in any moment for it is as you say, always present within us.
I agree gyllianrae and there have been times in my life when I have felt attacked by scepticism and also used it to attack. I know it is easy to react to skeptical attacks by isolating and judging the skeptic. I have experienced many people however when they are skeptical that they may be challenging and testing the truth to see if it stands up and holds consistent due to the lack of trust and hurt that they have inside. We have a responsibility to hold our love consistently to support us all to know it is safe to let go of the hurts and that there is love in this world.
To be a skeptic is a possibility like other ones. Why do people turn into skepticism? It is not just a mind thing, because you can only seek refuge in your mind after having made a choice to abandon you and your innate loveliness in the first place. Someone who honours itself first would never be a skeptic.
Well said Eduardo, true love and appreciation lives in the heart and not in the mind. If we resort to our mind we already abandoned ourselves. Wisdom comes from the heart, not from the mind and only a loved body can express true wisdom in full.
Eduardo and that would be someone that knows they are the son of God.
Skepticism can be a way of behaving of someone that is looking for truth (what is called here a true skeptic). It can also be a way of behaviour that dictates what are the acceptable avenues to access it.
The truth is that it is very different how you approach the whole skeptic business once you felt that there is something we can all agree it is true, which happens not to have too much a do with what society accepts as true. Once this happened, you see skepticism for what it is and not for what they pretend it is.
How our hurts colour everything, until we start to look at our hurts and heal them. Then we begin to feel the world as it is, rather than seeing it through our beliefs/ideal coloured glasses. This is brilliant Dianne. Something that I had not considered before was the bastardisation of the word skeptic. But it makes so much sense. As I was reading I was wondering why is it that we are all born into different circumstances, rich or poor or somewhere in between, with uniquely different things to learn (or unlearn)? One only needs to look at life to have many questions that have no answers. I know I prefer to sit in the wonderment of wondering and not knowing (or needing to know) and just accept that I will know when ready.
Oh yeah! “How our hurts colour everything, until we start to look at our hurts and heal them. Then we begin to feel the world as it is, rather than seeing it through our beliefs/ideal coloured glasses.” I look forward to the day when I can truly sing “I can see clearly now”.
A so-called skeptic is someone who has chosen the mind not just as refuge to walk in life, but also who resorts to it to protect against anything it does not like to hear in the name of ‘there is no proof of it’. It is a highly sophisticated form of protection that will never admit what their business is all about.
So true Eduardo, and if we lock ourselves away into our minds, we are in a prison and our view is totally restricted whilst we are in the illusion that we know it all.
I agree Eduardo, to create a fixed picture in out minds is like creating a room with walls we think will protect us. The walls however do not protect but keep us from the love that we are.
It seems that we are all skeptics in some form or another, we have all been hurt so we use that to make it hard to trust.
I love what you say about a skeptic being someone not afraid to truly enquire, explore, feel, not afraid to be exposed as ‘wrong’, is open and questions until a feeling is arrived at that holds consistently true. We are also that. We have a choice.
All abusive behavious comes from hurt. If we take responsibility for our own hurts and stop blaming others, there is no way we can abuse ourselves, nor others. When we deal with our hurts, there is space for love and where there is love, there is no room for abuse.
Exactly right Mariette. No matter how much we try to avoid it – the bottom line is we have to deal with our hurts.
Well said Mariette and when we realise that our hurts come first and foremost from separating from this love, thus creating needs that do not get fulfilled, there is no-one left to blame and the only way is to return to the love we are.
This is so clearly stated Mariette. Absolutely.
I understand the propensity to be skeptical. For thousands of years, and particularly in the last thousand years, the world has been ruled by the blind faith and hope provided by religion gone wrong. Science has been the enemy, and for a long time it was refuted and attacked for its potential to shine the light of truth upon all things. But science has now turned the other way, and yes there is a huge skeptical movement of people who have been deeply hurt by the abuse that has been done in the name of religion. Science for them provides a haven of certainty that they can touch and say – at least I know that is real. But in doing so, in shutting themselves down to the possibility of all the world might be, they shut down their own capacity to understand the immense profoundness of life. They are limiting their understanding of the world to the physicality of rock and stone, when the world is for the most part space – even on a molecular level. There is so much of the world we do not and cannot understand, and it is better to live in the majesty of such ignorance, than live in the arrogance of the illusion that because we do not know something, then it cannot possibly exist.
Gravity existed before Newton discovered it. That is an irrefutable fact.
There is an enormous arrogance sitting with skeptics: the truth about this world cannot be bigger than how much I am willing to handle. Underneath this arrogance, is a tremendous will to control what is true. Yet, in truth, we can only control how much are we willing to access truth. Truth exists independently of us acknowledging it as such.
‘Truth exists independently of us acknowledging it as such’. I love this Eduardo, we can only ignore and delay for the movement of love and truth is forever in motion.
Beautifully expressed Eduardo – of course, as hard as we may try, we cannot control what is and is not true “…we can only control how much are we willing to access truth. Truth exists independently of us acknowledging it as such”.
Love that Adam, fixated on rock and stone, when the world is most part space. With true openness we can know a vast amount about what seems unprovable. Of course what is not proven needs no confirmation or validity to exist.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom and understanding on this age old topic Adam. It has helped me enormously in gaining some clarity on a subject that I felt I knew in my core but did not know how to express it. So powerfully true “There is so much of the world we do not and cannot understand, and it is better to live in the majesty of such ignorance, than live in the arrogance of the illusion that because we do not know something, then it cannot possibly exist. Gravity existed before Newton discovered it. That is an irrefutable fact.”
I find it beautifully humbling to consider the impact of what we do not know and understand about life and have often pondered the fact that the very next discovery could turn everything on its head. ‘Better to live in the majesty of such ignorance’ and with the humble innocence of a child who is open to whatever the truth may present than to dig a pit and live in it just because there is an element of certainty there.
Great points Adam and I love your insight into the strong consciousness around science. How absurd is it that with the dishonesty of how science is approached that people trick themselves by a supposed realness compared to the blind faith and hope provided by religion. How can science be more “real” than what institutionalized religions are offering? Science today is equally a reduced form of truth and therefore just a different color of the same lie. Only if we surrender to the grandness of the Universe we will know that everything is already there and that it is not a question of proof, but of how much are we willing to align to truth.
Great point Rachel, science has reduced itself so much it has lost the view to the grandness of the universe.
What could be considered here is that science has lost its connection with religion, for reasons that Adam describes in his comment above and this loss is to its great detriment.
I love it Adam, gravity did exist before Newton discovered it and everybody knew about it too – we did not need any scientific proof to know that we can fall. And whilst the body holds this great wisdom it does make sense to be humble enough to live as you say “in the majesty” of our ignorance and allow the grandness of the university to marvel us.
I cannot own that one. Rachel Mascord once told me that analogy as a joke, and it has stuck with me every since.
Eloquently put Adam. Truth resonates.
I know in my own experience I have felt very open and willing to contemplate and explore the possibility that the life I am living is not it, however it has been extraordinary to observe how deeply the bias and belief systems are held within the human physiology. For true unlearning, true freedom is brought about by the intelligence of the body not the mind.
Wow, Lucinda what a quote!! “For true unlearning, true freedom is brought about by the intelligence of the body not the mind.” I love the aspect of “unlearning” as what we have learned is holding us captive and true freedom lies in our divinity and not in the human frame.
Agree Jane and Lucinda – to understand the body has an intelligence and wisdom that is very powerful is to truly appreciate all that the body offers us. As you say, to unlearn what we think is the way, we must embrace that our bodies are a constant reflection to where we are at, and listening to them every moment and honouring what we feel continues to confirm that depth.
That’s awesome Lucindag.
Thank you Dianne for sharing your full and revealing insight into skepticism – a blanket term that I have used many times against others without really being honest about where I was coming from. When we begin to embrace ourselves and accept our imperfections the hold of perfectionism lessens and we begin to heal.
Beautifully expressed Susan. Dianne’s blog further exposes just how much ignorance influences our thinking.
An awesome mini-essay Dianne, thank you for sharing 🙂 I absolutely agree with what you’ve written; everyone has indeed been hurt in one way or another, and the behaviours of the skeptics you’ve listed are those that almost everyone can relate to (in some way). It is also very true that all abusive behaviours stem from these hurts, and that we each have a responsibility to understand what is going on underneath the aggression, harm, violence, self-abuse etc., but also stand up and expose them for what they are – abuse, otherwise these behaviours will escalate in severity and commonness.
Well said Susie – when we make our hurts bigger than who we are or what we truly feel, then we allow in all sorts of protection. To be sceptic these days can easily be seen as overly cautious, controlling or guarded – and not the truth of the word which is in fact knowing truth and living it inside and out. We have allowed our hurts to change the meaning of words, that does say a lot.
Well said hvmorden. When we believe our hurts are bigger than who we are we use all sorts of protection for fear of feeling them – including bastardising the meanings of words.Giving ourselves the opportunity to feel our hurts from who we are reveals they are tiny compared with our majesty. We then see there is no need to protect ourselves but how our forms of protection harm us greatly. Restoring the true meaning of words supports us to reconnect with truth.
Spot on Susie…and so these abusive behaviours are escalating “in severity and commonness” and will continue to rise until those who expose the abuse outnumber the abusers – only then when we all take responsibility for our behaviours and call out the untruths, will abuse diminish in our world.
You have presented so much here Dianne and clearly explained what a true skeptic is. This is definitely a blog I will have to read a few times.
Thank you Dianne and Debra, I agree, this blog holds so much and is definitely worth reading more than once.
Dianne, thank you for shining a light on the multitude of behaviours we choose because of the hurts we have experienced. Having dealt with some of mine, I know that protective and unloving behaving naturally start to fall away, leaving space for more love to be expressed.
“A harming skeptic who becomes abusive, e.g. by cyber-bullying or denigrating others in any way, must not go unchecked of course. Being ‘hurt’ is no excuse. In those cases they should be severely sanctioned and prevented from doing further harm.”
So true Dianne thank you skepticism has a lot to answer for in its ill use when truly it is very revealing in knowing truth.
Absolutely Tricia, truth lays us open to the awareness that comes from being a true skeptic from “genuine openness”.
There is so much to appreciate in this blog – thank you for sharing it here Dianne Trussell. It is equally my experience that all the work I have done to let go of beliefs and belief systems in this life, and I have done a lot of it, leaves me feeling fuller than ever and not as one might imagine, empty or void of anything. It seems to me that it is in fact our beliefs that separate us from our fullness rather than connect us. It is in discovering whether what we believe is true that the ultimate value lies.
Spot on Richard “It seems to me that it is in fact our beliefs that separate us from our fullness rather than connect us. It is in discovering whether what we believe is true that the ultimate value lies.”
Very true Richard that they separate us from our fullness and they are our armour against feeling our hurts.
Absolutely Richard. It’s like I always knew the truth but wanted to deny that I chose to walk away from it. Belief systems then were my biggest friend to hide the hurt I felt from denying what I knew was true, I remember feeling this distinctly especially whilst at school learning about chemistry and sort of feeling superior over others with this knowledge. Now letting go of these by honoring again what I know is true has made me feel full again. It is that opening up I feel, and the connection to the Ageless Wisdom that surrounds us that makes me feel more expanded than ever before. There are moments the beliefs kicks back in, but the more I love myself the more I can embrace the truth of my heart.
Lovely comment Lieke van Haastrecht – as feeling of true celebration in your fullness.
As I finish reading this blog for the first time I am left with the awareness that we have to be explorers, willing to discover, or rediscover, willing to be proven wrong and not sitting in a trench, stubbornly entrenched in belief systems that may make us feel ‘right’ but leave us closed off to truth. We have to discover the joy of seeing that we have been wrong and of being humbled and the expanded sense of openness this brings. A true skeptic is surely a true scientist, and one who is feeling the magnetic pull of truth and will stop at nothing to discover it. Rather like Dianne Trussell really.
Love the picture this brings up Richard – awakening explorers rising up and climbing out of deep and dark trenches.
It is quite simple: Is our commitment to truth or is our commitment to proving that we are right? A skeptic’s commitment is to the latter as they cannot consider that they are wrong, completely wrong or deeply wrong.
I love what you share here Richard that we have to be willing to be open to the world and ready to rediscover as it does not make any sense to stay “stubbornly entrenched in belief systems that may make us feel ‘right’ but leave us closed off to truth.”
How is it then that we (I certainly do) find ourselves in exactly that stubborn place, trying desperately to hold on to things we know do not work but we think we won’t survive without?
Yes well said richardmills363, a willingness to be wrong, to be humble and open to greater truths, well beyond our ‘normal life’ parameters, is an essential part of having a truly joy-full life to me. To choose skepticism, is to choose a life without truth, magic, divinity, true love and joy and I for one, would prefer not to be here than to live a life like that.
So true Richard I agree and “humility” being key!
Yes Doug – and rather than indulge in self-flagellation we can instead celebrate the truth that we have rediscovered. True humility is a wonderful thing.
Dianne, your sharing about skeptisism and how much it keeps us away from truth is awesome. I could see in myself how much a very hidden form of skepticism measures my ability to being competely open.
I agree Kerstin – it is very much hidden but ever present in almost everyone, albeit in different degrees.
Yes I agree Kerstin, I see how skeptical I am with myself too much in life.
There’s so much in this blog to digest, I really love the description of a genuine skeptic who is open, and a seeker of truth, which is often contra these days, as some skeptics do come with their own view point or belief that skews the ability to be open.
When we bring this committed search for truth you mention Dianne, but use our findings not to tear down, but build lasting truth, this seems to me to be the foundation of true relationship with everybody. For the skepticism that reduces and rips apart does the very same to our connection with our heart.
Wow- what an awesome article Dianne! Lots to ponder on. You have definitely broadened my understanding of what true scepticism means.
So many great things you are grounding for everyone Dianne, perhaps encapsulated by the feeling as my reading progressed of light being caste on my inner world and somewhat discomfort revealed and it offered an opportunity to let go. Interesting that words can reveal something beyond words and invite a letting go that is very much a holding in the body and may not even need to be a rational acknowledgement. Perhaps this is how truth works and why skepticism can be a great tool or a great foil.
Yes Brendon, there are the ‘protect my hurts, ideals and beliefs at all costs impostor skeptics and then there are the real truth seeking skeptics. The later are far less arrogant and ‘noisy’.
By your definition Dianne, I am as self-confessed Skeptic and proud of it.
Dianne, you have really given us readers a lot to consider in your blog as we have all played with being skeptical in some some shape or form, but not always consciously recognised it as simply a form of protection from our hurts. On a general level, it is interesting to note the divide even within scientific circles that is currently occurring. It seems to me the one we are hearing the most about is from the biology side because people are wanting to pin their hopes on research in this area coming up with answers that will provide solutions to the huge rise in illness and disease in the world. Epigenetics is getting a bit of a look in but by and large the research is underpinned by a lot of money coming from the drug companies so it’s no co-incidence that biology is gaining the bigger reputation with the public.
Another call to truth, love and responsibility.
We can’t sit back and judge the cyber-bully because their skepticism is more extreme than our own. What contribution have we made to this group consciousness?
Generally, I find it hard to read anything related to skeptics (as against sceptics) and what they are or are not or what they say or think – it always sounds so mental to me and disconnected from truth and the whole. The Laws of life simply are and the Magic of God simply is regardless of what we may think or believe. For example, our bodies will eventually die whether we believe that to be the case or not and we will be reborn into new bodies regardless of what we believe, think or don’t think until such time as we evolve out of this cycle.
“I feel to never give up on anyone – the seeds of healing lie dormant within all of us, and miracles do happen!” – Such wisdom, beauty and grace in this line Dianne, not to mention absolute truth. Within us all lays a fiery spark; a light that can never be extinguished no matter the shadows that may move in to mask it. This is a glorious blog Dianne. I will be back for more.
In truth we are not separated from one another by virtue of our shared essence, but our rigid beliefs that we hold fast to for dear life divide us and as such, between us is felt a great chasm through which our emotions manifest. ‘Us’ and ‘them’, ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, ‘good and bad’ etc. are all polarities that play out when we separate from the true Oneness we are.
The Universe is not based on complexity, chaos and disorder. It is based on simplicity, precision and order. You cannot marvel at the geometric beauty and symmetry of a spider’s web if you are caught in it. When we observe and don’t absorb the Illusion, the Divine order is never masked from the all-seeing eye.
A blog about our responsibility for taking responsibility – the only real cure for our collective and individual ills.
Wow amazing blog. It is true I can feel the skepticism comes up in me, when I deny myself to live what I know is true. The best way to not feel that hurt is to ridicule the truth that I know even more, I would say this is a form of self-abuse that I didn’t recognise yet. As you share the best medicine for this skepticism is living the truth I know in my heart.
Love your definition of a ‘Skeptic’ Dianne, something has to feel true first and this can be felt and known in the body – great discussion and expanding in understanding.
There is much to address with living responsibly but to think we can avoid this responsibility and ignore it just accumulates more of the same. At some point our denial is so intense we burst at the seams wither emotionally, physically, as communities, nationally or globally. And we think this is a better option than responsibly address our hurts.
This is awesome Dianne – thank you. It seems to me the world at the moment is being held to ransom by what is supposedly ‘science’. Some parts of it trying to shut down everything that it can not out into the small box of what it thinks it can define by it’s own assumptions.
This is not the way forward.
Science not only provides the necessary ammunition for people who seek a cozy refuge in life but also feeds this idea that ‘you have to convince me’ that something is true. True is not about convincing but about feeling deeply in and with the body.
I sat with the sentence for a while “In truth there is no emptiness or nothingness in the universe, including within us, so something must fill the void when an empty person hides behind scepticism”. I can now really appreciate that it is our choice/responsibility of what energetically that ‘void’ is filled with. Very powerful sharing Dianne thank you.
Well said, Marion hawes, whilst we are not choosing be full of our selves, this is creating space for something else, for things that we are not. As we give ourselves permission to discard that which we are not, anything that is not supporting us, this then creates more space for us to fill with the love that we are, if we so choose.
The true skeptic will search for the essential, something that feels true and ‘stands the test of time’. Truth and love go hand in hand and what you expressed here Dianne makes being a true skeptic so very important: “I feel it is for each human to connect to their own inner love, be it and express it, regardless of anyone else’s choice to be loving or not. At some point, we have to heal ourselves. Difficult as it may have been in childhood, continuing to blame someone else for not providing love is not true to who we are, nor is it a path to healing. We humans do not sit well with being untrue to the love that is our real essence, but we get entrenched in our habitual ways.
I love this sentence Rosanna “The true skeptic will search for the essential, something that feels true and ‘stands the test of time’.”. It makes me aware of the negative judgement I held on skepticism. As if this is something very wrong. A strong belief. Where as from your comment I realise that being a True skeptic is actually somebody who’s very True to themselves, but open and wonderous to learn in life. Knowing that there is Truth out there, but only if the skeptic can feel this Truth, he / she lets it in. This is completely different then I ever thaught of.
This has been fascinating to read as I had skeptics pegged as those who just don’t believe and don’t trust ( this based on a few people I know who have called themselves skeptics) I love what you have said about genuine openness as my experience is that they have a belief that is the total opposite, not open and mostly wanting to shut down debate.
Dianne this is a brilliant blog and your true understanding of being a skeptic resonates with myself very much and the genuine openness of possibilities and change to what is presented at the time allowing genuine evolvement. I love your presentations of the different types of skeptics and the possibilities of where it all comes from and the blaming of our childhood hurts also. Finding the truth that is out there bit by bit being exposed to us as we build and allow our own love within in us to open up and come out and be expressed. Thank you for offering so much to ponder on.
Brilliant writing Dianne, I loved reading every word.
Great expression Diane and exposing the sceptical behaviours in us all …
Thank you for addressing this issue Dianne, So many people who call themselves skeptics I feel are more like cynics these days. As you say, even when all their ridiculous conditions are met they still refuse to accept certain possibilities. As you point out, this may stem from a hurt and the desire to protect that hurt so that the person does not get hurt again. There are aspects of this in all of us. For me, it feels important to understand where they are coming from but to call out the behaviour.
Thanks Dianne – another untruth debunked. I’ve felt that too in so-called skeptics – them laying claim to being such, but really it being as a way to identify themselves to avoid taking responsibility and dealing with their hurts and a way of hiding behind a cloak of so-called intelligence and the absolute refusal to be open to truth when it’s presented because it doesn’t fall into line with their formulated idea.
Thank you Dianne – I love the way you write with clarity from a deep love for everyone. Taking responsibility for our hurts and their effect on our collective human life is the way forward, it is the only way we will all truly heal.
‘I feel to never give up on anyone – the seeds of healing lie dormant within all of us, and miracles do happen!’ oh gloriously expressed Dianne.
Great article Dianne, one I will be coming back to as there is much here to read and reflect on. This feels very true to me, ‘there’s no ‘us and them’ for we are all the same inside and all equally responsible for our hurts and their effects upon our collective human life.’ I can feel how in society it is so common for the ‘us’ and ‘them’, for there to be separation, strong beliefs, even hatred of another for their belief, when as you say so simply we are all the same inside and so all of the fighting over different beliefs is utterly pointless when we know this truth.
Dianne when I read the line ‘It might mean our view has to be modified, or totally and uncomfortably thrown out, if it’s shown to be no longer correct or serving the bigger picture’, it reminded me of how, as a yoga teacher I had to throw out the belief that yoga in the way that I was practicing it, was good for me. That was pretty huge as it naturally included the realisation that yoga in the way that I had been teaching it had taken those I had taught yoga to away from truth and not, as I had thought, towards it. Hardly just an ‘oops’!
I can relate, Alexis. It does take something quite powerful to make us look at our lives with such honesty to say, “wow, none of this is what I thought it was”. The Way of the Livingness is that powerful for me. I too was invested in yoga, in a counter-culture lifestyle, in what I believed life was all about, and I thought I was getting things sorted out. But I was miserable, and really not going anywhere in my life if I was being honest, which I was’t. The truth of my own quality and the revelation that it is always mine to choose started me asking that question, “how did I actually get to where I am, and is this truly where I want to be?”
Letting go of the pre-conceived answer of, “of course I am!” and allowing myself to be honest about what I am feeling, opens up wide the gates of life, and allows for the space within to expand and encompass more of who I am.
word of the day for me…ersatz… for those yet to google it…”used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else.” …. it would seem part of my life has been lived as an ersatz soul.
Awesome Joel! What a great word and a great observation. Me too!.
Thanks Joel! A new word for me also!
That’s great, Joel! And beautifully and honestly used!
Dianne, I love the way you very neatly and thoroughly take things to pieces like this, deconstructing the beliefs and games we play, exposing the deceitful ways of thinking we use to our perverse advantage all to avoid truth and having to own up to the irresponsible ways we have lived. A great call to take a deeper look at what’s behind the games that we all play to one degree or another – thank you.
I’m with your Heather. Dianne has an amazing way of pulling things apart and dissecting them to reveal what is truly going on. She’s brilliant!
Your own definition of skeptics and how the world now uses the word made a lot of sense. Being open rather than closed down to life makes much more sense when opening up to see that it makes sense, but in that closed down state the rejection of what we know is very strong and forcefully stubborn to remain as such. ‘What if’ questions initially are a great step forward and it feels like I could do with siding up to my old friend ‘what if…’ again and applying it to your words to go deeper. Thank you Dianne.
Dianne, thank you for your absolutely thorough dissection of what it is to be a skeptic. It’s highlighted so many things for me and today I can feel how I consider myself open but any biases and opinions I may have coming from our hurts I have not dealt with will colour that openness and so in that moment I am myself a ‘skeptic’ even though I may not see myself as one – as you say there is a continuum here and each of us are on it and it’s up to us to address our hurts, take responsibility for them and become even more truly open. And the second thing that hit, hard too, is how we can hold onto demands that others love us and in the process not love ourselves and that is a choice, we do not have to continue this and yet we do, and use this as an excuse in how we deal with the world. I feel the huge responsibility called for here and how each of us determines how we love ourselves and we can choose to love ourselves no matter what another does. This blog I will definitely be re-reading, I can feel more insights and understanding bubbling with it.
Isn’t is crazy how the true meaning of a word can be bastardised so much that it is completely turned on its head. So I love how you expose the true definition of scepticism as being open to truth, as opposed to how we use the word ‘sceptic’ today to describe these people who are acting out from their hurts and emptiness.
Staying open has to be the way forward with any skeptic, as soon as we close off to love and truth then there is no where to go but to go round in circles trying to work out something that does not need to be worked out. I related to Skeptic 3 and my childhood hurts that my parents didn’t give me the love that I wanted…not ever considering that I would feel this love if I gave it to myself first. I feel from your blog Dianne we all have a skeptic inside us that plays out in different ways
I used to be pretty sceptical about a lot of things, needing physical and scientific evidence as proof of anything that happened. This quickly changed when I started tuning into my feeling sense and feeling energy in all its different vibrations, as I then realised that our science of today didn’t actually have all the answers to everything that was going on in our world, and there was much more to be discovered.
Indeed Eleanor, for when we begin to tune into our feeling sense and begin to discern the quality of energy, the untruths that lie beneath our feet, from the fundamental dishonesty of our relationship with ourselves to the involution of our world systems – connected to our innermost we are free to be our own true skeptics.
“Difficult as it may have been in childhood, continuing to blame someone else for not providing love is not true to who we are, nor is it a path to healing.” There is a great lesson to be learnt from this sentence. Blame is never going to help us reclaim the love we are as it only separates us further from it. For the hurts of childhood to be healed they need to be felt, expressed and let go of, whilst holding a love for the ones who were involved.
‘Crucial in my definition of a true skeptic is genuine openness’ I agree, for skepticism can only be that if it is held by one with an openness and a search for truth.
A brilliant blog Dianne bringing a deeper look at skepticism. Who hasn’t been hurt in some way or another in childhood, be it verbal, mental, physiological or sexual in varying degrees. These hurts continue to colour our view of the world until they are exposed and dealt with. This is painful and challenging – but it is the only way we can stop being a victim and blaming everyone else, the world or God for our life being so awful. Bring the focus and awareness within and the hurts can heal and the world is then viewed with very different eyes.
“As members of society it behooves us to step up and take responsibility for calling out every instance of untruth within ourselves as well as that which is going on around us, no matter how apparently uncomfortable or ‘trivial’ it may seem to be”.
It is an interesting phenomena that has created the identity of ‘the skeptic’, and that phenomena is completely exposed here, Dianne. Scepticism has its purpose, to not blindly follow or believe anything that comes along just because it might fit into what you need at the time is healthy and wise. But there needs to also be an awareness and an honesty that allows for the discernment of truth, and not the outright rejection of anything that is deemed to be ‘not normal’. Scepticism, in its truth, pushes us into further discovery of who we are by asking questions. What we have at the moment is a growing group of individuals who seem intent on maintaining not only their own blindness but taking the eyes of all others who might allow them to see.
“Scepticism, in its truth, pushes us into further discovery of who we are by asking questions.” Our world is jammed packed with givens, assumptions, these questions are here to undress these norms and expose the implications of ignorance.
Beautifully said, lucindag. Our assumptions must be questioned, so that we may come to truth, but they need to be questioned with an open heart, not an ignorant mind. Otherwise, we end up with the same again and again, just dressed up slightly differently.
I agree Naren. “The outright rejection of anything that is deemed to be ‘not normal’” means, from the bogus skeptic’s point of view: ‘not the normal I want because I’m afraid of the truth and don’t want to change.’ You can see this from the hurt individual mounting vicious smear campaigns in the media, right up to entire corporations and industries who want to keep the world the same and crush every ray of light to prevent change from shaking them out of their comfortable nests of lies.
The breadth of skepticism mis-used in that way is pretty astonishing, Dianne. It can range from the outright vicious attack with intent to destroy an idea or person who represents that idea, to the slow-acting poison of doubt, subtly injected into conversation or publicly stated in order to undermine. But the purpose is the same: to preserve the fortress of what is known as a way of protecting that ‘nest of lies’ that they find necessary in order to explain why the world has hurt them so, and under no circumstances to expose their own hand in that.
Being a true skeptic is the only way to find the truth that is out there and it starts with the love that is in all of us.
It makes total nonsense when people of science, especially biology, stay up all night doing research with no regard for their bodies, eating junk and sugary foods and fuelling up on caffeine and often nicotine. How true are the findings of this type of research?
I don’t know how anyone can even think clearly using all nighters, sugary and stimulating foods etc to get through whatever needs to be done. The moment I start to push myself, the first thing I notice is that my thinking changes. And yes, while I can still think, it is by no means anywhere near as clear as I am when I am not rushing, pushing myself or overriding my body.
Isn’t it interesting that we acknowledge the effect of junk and sugary food with children but we don’t see the effects on adults or we think it doesn’t effect us.
Well said Kevin, we cannot detach how we are in daily life from the results obtained. If how we live is abuse, then what we “produce” is laced by this. I experienced this myself so often, that everything is everything and that I cannot do something on one side and then expect to be different on the other. I either choose love or abuse, there cannot be a little of everything, love can only be love.
I think you just blew my mind Diane, for a start I had never thought that such scepticism comes out of peoples hurts but it makes so much sense .
I suppose the bottom line once again is the responsibility we all have equally to being open to the oneness we all are with each other and God so that by our livingness even the staunchest of cling to your hurts type skeptics can’t help but see that there truly is another way of being or thinking.
Indeed Kevin this is true inspiration, for it is the momentum of lived choices that are embedded in all that we express, this is our power, our inner strength.
The hurts they carry do not allow them to know that there is one Truth, one that they even deny ontological status.
Some of those ‘staunchest clinging to hurts type’ skeptics get very dangerous and destructive to other people (not to mention to themselves) like the ones turning the media against Universal Medicine. Every time these so-called ‘skeptics’ see or hear truth, they are compelled to attack it, lest it should ‘get loose’ and suddenly spring upon them as they go about their protected, fearful lives. To be exposed, unprepared, in their lies, anywhere, anytime – they are terrified by the thought! So their whole lives become enslaved to attacking speakers of truth. But you can’t stop the tsunami of truth, not with any amount of evil.
‘Crucial in my definition of a true skeptic is genuine openness’ this calls for us to let go of blinkered opinions based on second-hand beliefs that can be used as a crutch to hide what we innately know is truth. Genuine openness asks us to feel everything and everyone by who or what they are in essence not by any hurts or conditions.
The openness that is called for is the truth of being a skeptic. The challenge in being open is that we must also take responsibility for our past actions and choices. This can be very exposing and a step too far for some.
Wow thank you Dianne for exposing the sham skepticism that so many hide their hurts behind and for your call to ‘step up and take responsibility for calling out every instance of untruth within ourselves as well as that which is going on around us, no matter how apparently uncomfortable or ‘trivial’ it may seem to be.’ You clearly demonstrate the negative impact on people choosing to not deal with their hurts and how if we take responsibility for healing our own this frees us up to expose ever deeper levels and see more clearly what is going on around us and speak up about it.
Yes, thank you Dianne. It certainly is thought provoking to perceive that ‘sham scepticism’ is a means to deny and/or protect one’s hurts. I feel empowered to look deeper and uncover more of what I may be protecting.
Yes, I agree Helen. The call for each of us to step up and take responsibility for ourselves and anything that is not built on truth is huge. This taking responsibility can be very exposing for the so called skeptic. Hence it is easier to deny truth and not have to take responsibility.
So true Helen. The call for responsibility is so strong here.
The unhealed hurts they carry from something that is not true explain not only why they try so hard to protect themselves, but also they embark into a mission: saving people from being hurt by something that is not true.
Your description of skeptics is very through Dianne, it reminded me visually of the Skeksis characters in the movie The Dark Crystal.
The other type of skeptic, the one that when they ask you a question and you give them a true answer and you can tell by their reaction there is no way in hell they are ever going to believe you and they are so closed down to anything that they can’t touch they won’t even consider contemplating that there is another way, and think you are mad for even thinking that way are the people that keep the human race retarded.
Love it Kevmchardy, …I have met that skeptic too, they are not ready to see or hear anything that is not in front of their eyes and tangible, but that is ok somewhere in their body they can feel the truth, just not at that moment
Yes there are more kinds of skeptics, driven in the same way by the hurts they hang onto. Those ones who don’t ‘see’ can go to the extreme of going blank, zoning out, apparently not even hearing you or in some cases, they seem to not even be aware of your presence as you speak! Amazing how the mind can edit out anything, even to the point of influencing the physical senses to block stuff out!
Once again kevmchardy this confirms an all pervading behind closed doors society, “islands of matter in a random universe of separated things.”
That is the thing. Nothing ‘undesirable’ comes in. Their capacity to filter out anything that does not form part of the catalogue is stupendous.
A ‘skeptic’ will shout to the four wings that its ‘healthy’ attitude sets them free…..from the invisible, tailored made, self-created, jail they live in.
Many skeptics will believe anything but the truth, I have come across many of these who dance with many untruths and vocalise them against the true truth, trying to put the truth in the mashing pot so it gets lost.
Yes, I’m familiar with those skeptics too. I have met a surprisingly high number over the years, the ones who are adament that comfort is easier and than truth. It is so true Kevin that these skeptics keep us stuck in this trap of illusion repeating the same mistakes time and again leaving a ‘retarded human race’.
This is another thought provoking blog Dianne.
Scepticism is revealed to be so much more than I realised it to be.
‘Genuinely being open to all possibilities” makes much more sense to me and accepting ones own ” responsibility for ones involvement in life” and our need to “step up and take responsibility for calling out every instance of untruth” we see.
I agree Roslyn with what you have highlighted here. We need to be open to all possibilities. This does not make us gullible or un-scientific, but prevents our biases kicking in and excluding something before we have explored it.
I so agree Roslyn and Lee, to be truly skeptical one must be open to all possibilities, to not hold onto a belief or limiting perception while also being willing to re-examine the way in which one sees the world. A truly interesting topic to explore and one that exposes the limiting way we can at times choose to live.
We sure do Roslyn, and the more love we act with and allow in our lives means there will be much less space for ‘the persistent feeling of emptiness that comes from those hurts and how they govern our way of expressing’. I used to live my life run by hurts, trying my best to avoid them, instead of living and focusing on the love that I am. It is such a massive difference even though it may be subtle at first.
Dianne, this blog needs some pondering as there is much presented here. You have certainly clarified for me what a sceptic is or is not.
I agree Anne, it needs pondering and reading more, then to allow time to feel what has been presented.
I feel the same Anne, I will be pondering on this one all day.
This is great Dianne, gave me a great perspective on skepticism, a true one knows all and is open to all possibilities, while one protecting their hurts is only fighting for their own right and protection.
“At some point, we have to heal ourselves.” Its easy to denigrate, dissect and smash. But in the aftermath what are we truly left to live with? God bless you Dianne for your continued openness and dedication to examining the truth and sharing this with us in this opus. You show anyone who may exhibit skeptical behaviours that our salvation as a race lies in what we build not what we knock down.
Thank you Dianne for this elaboration on the skeptic in us human beings and the revelations you have given on that. It are our hurts and the ways we have build to protect these that have created the skeptic in us, the skeptic that avoids the truth instead of the true sceptic that is looking for the truth and doe snot accept anything less.
You really have broadened the meaning of the word skeptic for me, Dianne. It now feels like that a skeptic can be silent, not necessarily outspoken or argumentative, and even appear to be aligned, but can always have a pocket of reservation that is not quite willing to go all the way and say ‘Yes’ to a humongous possibility and the responsibility that comes with it, and that pocket can come in various sizes/colours/shapes. As you say, just different shades and grades, just how much/little we are allowing that energy to get in the way and act out. And I am no exception to that.
This blog came out at a perfect timing for me. I have been observing and feeling the recurring physical conditions and pondering what I need to address, and how I might have been avoiding to go really deep with it in the past. I would have never been able to see it from the angle you are presenting here, but my undealt with hurts nonetheless, which I am still allowing, have an affect on me at times. I can feel how I have chosen “to suffer and be self-limited by the fear of truth”. You have upped the ante for what responsibility means for me.
I had never stopped to consider what the word ‘skepticism’ actually meant, but it’s so true – what we often see in association with this word is to deny, reject and ridicule anything but their own held belief, and there’s rigidness in stead of the openness you describe, which really exposes the absence of genuine want for the Truth. And I could relate to some of the behaviours of all the 3 examples you gave as something I have done in the past, and I still do at times.
‘As members of society it behooves us to step up and take responsibility for calling out every instance of untruth within ourselves as well as that which is going on around us, no matter how apparently uncomfortable or ‘trivial’ it may seem to be.’ … I find this statement very inspiring, particularly in light of the fact that we are now being ‘asked’ to be more, to take more responsibility, there’s no room to hide. I also love your point, Dianne, that it’s equally important for us to call out instances of untruth within ourselves, allowing the openness and honesty, as it is to call out those around us.
Wow, there is so much in this article, thank you Dianne …. I love how you’ve brought back the true meaning of scepticism – I much prefer your ‘true’ definition, than the one I’d always believed to be true which was not coming from a place of openness – rather the opposite.
Hurts are our irresponsibility of not living deeper what we know is true, hurts have been made normal and therefore truth is now not the norm in our world. The responsibility of this awareness is to know there is only separation in people when we do not all take the responsibility that this world is created by the choices of every single one of us.
A great essay on skeptics Dianne. Particularly ….”there’s no ‘us and them’ for we are all the same inside and all equally responsible for our hurts and their effects upon our collective human life”… I have found that skeptics hold an attitude of ‘knowing more’ which comes across as being ‘better than’ which further separates people from people, rather than having the attitude of seeking truth with their inquiry.
I certainly can attest to knowingly filling the ’empty’ void with things that only serve their own existence and perpetuate the empty feeling – else I’d have no need to use them. But I’d pretend to myself this time, even for a nano second, they’d work and I’d feel full.
‘At some point, we have to heal ourselves.’ So true. So to rely on something outside of oneself to fill this emptiness is to continue the emptiness and not allow our own love to expand.
its a game that works both ways. Skeptics don’t trust people, and people don’t trust skeptics. This is what people use to justify their un-trusting, unloving behaviours and dispositions.
Amazing Dianne. We cant separate anything from anything, its impossible because all is connected. It would simply be un-wise and un-scientific for a sceptic to say they don’t have feelings, that they don’t feel hurt and that there isn’t more to life than when is tangible proof. Underneath all of this behaviour is will of someone who does not want to admit that they feel hurt, its so simple. You have described the fields of skepticism so well. Sometimes we do give up on trusting the world and people because it is literally so bad, its one of the protections people seek to avoid living with that knowing. Thanks for the great article Dianne.
I’d never before considered that a skeptic could be someone who is open to learning and accepting a diverse range of views. The word skeptic has been a word long associated for me with negative and narrowed opinion, doubt and mistrust. Yet I can see from what you write Dianne that in fact this is the very opposite of the words real meaning and it makes me wonder how often we accept words to mean things entirely skewed from their original definition.
‘what Skeptic #3 was most afraid of was admitting that the lack of love has been continued from within’. This is a very powerful comment… and it brought up alot for me – how we can carry a hurt on into our lives and always be labelling, blaming, processing etc but never realising that we are the ones that continue to give it energy. In the same way that we have the key to stop treating ourselves like that….
Absolutely Simon we make the choice to feed the hurt rather than deal with it.
Yes, this is huge isn’t it. We are indeed the ones who perpetuate the lack of love….and who can therefore ‘blow the cover off the victim-ness’ too.
You have to write a book or 12 Dianne!
Furthermore, if we are choosing this so called skeptical view we can stay rooted in the way we live. The very mentality is diametrically opposed to the idea that ‘our view has to be modified, or totally and uncomfortably thrown out’. It fosters stagnation, lack of responsibility, and lack of creativity.
This definition of being a skeptic is so far removed from the what is commonly referred to, which is more of a laissez faire, can’t be bothered attitude that is more a testament to indecision than any quest for truth.
You are amazing DIanne Trussell – This article absolutely exposes the choice to hide behind ‘skepticism’ in an attempts to debase the truth (an endeavour that is actually impossible). I feel that most of us do this at times to varying degrees. I am going to be on the lookout for the ways I use skepticism as a form of protection/irresponsibility.
Thank you Dianne once again a highly insightful blog. I love this line “use skepticism as a protective cover to prevent the truth from being revealed.” Made me go back in time and recall all the great men that have come before us, Jesus, Socrates, Nicolaus Copernicus and so many others who were persecuted for the truth they brought by some who were not ready for what they had to bring, so rather than let them be and allow for all those that were ready, they shut them down so no one could have the truth that was there to be brought. The ultimate in selfishness.
I love this Dianne – a great article exposing our hurts and the behaviours that can then follow. I loved your quote at the end ..’.step up and take responsibility for calling out every instance of untruth within ourselves as well as that which is going on around us, no matter how apparently uncomfortable or ‘trivial’ it may seem to be.’
This brings ultimate responsibility to skeptical behaviour – we can point the finger all we like externally, but having the same discernment for ourselves is very much needed. Thank you Dianne.
“If you dig below the surface of the behaviours that come from our hurts and beliefs, you’ll find that at heart all humans are loving and responsible.”. This is so true and we all know it. We are all loving and responsible but the majority choose not to live that way.That is one of the reasons for so much tension in our lives. Thanks for making that so clear.
Another Masterpiece of Truth from Dianne Trussel. Thank you Dianne for the clear and so needed reflections on one hand and the clarity that we’re all the same on the other hand. I loved this part: “Who hasn’t been hurt? Who hasn’t acted at some time or another in a way they knew was not true to themselves? All hands up!! Readers may have begun to realise that practically every one of us has pockets of the same kinds of ‘skeptic’ behaviours as we’ve talked about here: protective behaviours based on hurts and beliefs about ourselves in our own lives, to varying degrees.”. It is telling me that we’re all the same. We’re all carrying hurts. That should give us a bonding, rather then a separation. Because due to these hurts we are able to relate to each other and understand each other. Rather than telling ourselves and others off. All that is required is honesty. From more and more honesty arrives space and the more space the more understanding follows. We could turn things around, if we only started to be honest. There’s things we know and there’s things we don’t know – how beautiful is that. That makes life so wonderous. Says somebody who was very skeptical…
Thank you Dianne for diving in and giving your detailed view of skeptics you’ve known – this is a piece I could read over and over.
I too thank Diane for beginning this insight-full conversation and through this article overflowing with revelations, I am inspired to peel back many old beliefs and to release the many hurts that have restricted the way I observe and live in the world. In fact I am loving letting go of this heavy and unnecessary weight that I have been carrying for way too long and now welcome a new and expansive way of being. It feels truly liberating and full of endless possibilities.
Thanks Dianne – it is our responsibility to feel into the truth of all things, to challenge ourselves when there is the choice to hide or overlook what is really going on because it is ‘too hard’. An opportunity to checkin and expose if there is a ‘skeptic’ in me and draw it towards the light.
Thanks Dianne – it is our responsibility to feel into the truth of all things, to challenge ourselves when there is the choice to hide or overlook what is really going on because it is ‘too hard’. An opportunity to checkin and expose if there is a ‘skeptic’ in me and draw ti towards to light.
This is a very interesting piece on the hurts behind being a skeptic. I’d never thought of myself as a skeptic, but if at any point we’re cautious of Truth this is being skeptical. We can sometimes demand that Truth prove itself to us, rather than being honest first.
Awesome comment shevonsimon – ‘We can sometimes demand that Truth prove itself to us, rather than being honest first.’ ….. great point and a classic example of us not wanting to step up and take responsibility, we don’t allow ourselves the honesty to even go there, so we’re not faced with having to make a decision on our next choice. We are avoiding connecting to the wisdom flowing through our bodies.
Great point shevonsimon. Demanding proof of things rather than be honest and feel the discomfort that may have arisen in the body when something challenges us to be more open to truth, is a very clever trick that keeps us locked into old ideals and beliefs of not wanting to see there is a grand Universal rhythm that we are all part of.
Beautifully expressed Shevon, we all have the propensity to be a skeptic if we are in avoidance of the truth.
Skeptics (the not true kind) remind me of those childhood games where someone calls out the rules but then keeps changing them to suit themselves as the game goes on. It is quite funny really but not that much fun when you are part of the game and have to endure the constant changes and control! But it makes sense to see this as coming from unresolved hurts, and then it brings the understanding of the person. Once the understanding is there, it means you have been able to step back and depersonalise the situation and the behaviour, yet still stay connected to the person.
That is it Henrietta. Skeptics are people before they are skeptics. It serves too for those of us who have been skeptics to remember our own process that restored us to love and the will to live truth. When we remember this we hold the door open always and invite them in from the cold. Just as some of us came in from the cold.
Beautifully said Rachel – we are all people and we are all ‘brothers’. The moment we shut the door to this, then we become the skeptic (and not the true kind). Thankfully there is usually a few who hold themselves steady and strong and through this reflection remind us of the fundamental truths of life and our own capacity to restore ourselves back to the warmth.
This is beautiful Rachel, that we are all people first and always and we have all gone through (and going through) letting go of our hurts in some areas of our life and not in others. This is what brings understanding and respect for the choices we each make.
If we do not bring understanding we start to engage in a war of bitter words with the skeptics, keeping our hurts alive and the endless debate of who is “right” going.
Gosh Rachel so true and one can see this happening everywhere when we get fixed in our idea of what is right. I couldn’t help but think about politics in Australia and how it’s tit for tat politics, with one party doing things when in government to then have it all undone by the next, because they can and despite the previous party. All in the name of doing good, but the lack of openness to each other is causing great harm.
There is a disturbing level of hypocrisy in both scepticism and politics- truly it is a case of don’t do as I do, do as I say.
There are problems in science that the sceptics refuse to see and deal with, but accuse the alternatives of being a failure when they have the same problems. So too politics. Something will be the worst idea in the world when it is proposed by the government. When the opposition is in power, the same idea is pure genius, bestowed by God…and they experience complete amnesia in relation to their earlier complaints.
You have certainly turned my previous definition of what a skeptic is on its head Dianne: from a narrow minded, meaning twisting person, to one that is open to all possibilities, willing to let go of all preconceived ideas and willing to see “the Truth when it is right there” in front of them, and also willing to know that everything evolves, nothing stays the same. Having been brought up with a narrow and skeptical view of religion but a hugely open view of nature and humanity I am now enjoying seeing the interconnectedness of all, and that when I let go of all restrictive and separative ways of the past, the magic of life is presented to me with every breath that I take.
Raising one awareness of the many offered here….. ‘if’ non of it matters and humans can do what they like, why do people feel so reached with-in themselves?
It is this very human and real response that tells me absolutely and I am my own living proof with this – that what we do and how we live does matter, it matters immensely to our own well-being and flows onto all we do and everyone we know and beyond.
It is so easy to be dismissive of the skeptics who rely on “put downs” to make their points, or seek to humiliate others who have a different view. What is so beautiful about your article Dianne is that it brings understanding to what is going on inside them.
Many skeptics will deny any sense of hurt, or claim it is of no relevance, but once we embark upon healing it becomes clear that the state of our being impacts profoundly on the clarity and openness we bring to the world.
Thank you for this blog and the opportunity to see that skepticism can just be another form of armour we use to protect ourselves against the harshness of the world.
Beautifully expressed Rachel – in your comment you bring the understanding, the allowing of another to be where they are at, and a warmth that is palpable. What you have said regarding our state of being and how it impacts on the clarity and openness that we bring to the world shows us that we are responsible for our behaviours but that we don’t need to judge ourselves for straying off the path. We have a choice to be a true skeptic and be open to what is there or the choice to be the kind of skeptic that never allows anything through its protective armour.
Your comment has opened my understanding about protection Henrietta. We can use all sorts of things to protect us – skepticism, rationality, niceness, humour….
It is the craving for protection that is the problem. It is the sealing material we use proof ourselves against absorbing the world – and it is the control we try to exert over it. We imagine in our minds that we can bend life to our will and thus make ourselves safe in it.
This is nothing more than a fantasy…the wishfully thought of product of our minds.
If there is true safety in life it is not found inside the suit of armour, but in the being who wears it.
When we develop our being, the need for protection falls away, as extraordinary as this sounds. We discover that we are equal to life. It does not need to be shrunk from and the true sceptic, the open hearted observer, can prevail.
True safety is found in the quality of the being and not inside a suit of armour – now this is a quote Rachel! Love it and love you!
Dianne and Rachel – this piece does bring understanding to what is going on with people who are skeptical. Often cynicism accompanies the skepticism and can come with put downs, ridicule, sarcasm and dismissiveness. And behind all of that lie hurts – undealt with and a no-go zone, protected by the armour you mention here Rachel.
Dianne has offered such a level of understanding that it has allowed me to deal with my own sense of hurt in the face of skepticism. So often, in speaking to skeptics, I have discovered that their chief defence is a honed dogma, clung to like a drowning man holds on to life saving ring. It is impenetrable. They Know. That knowing is not the knowing of the heart that pulses to and evolves with life, but the knowing of mind made brick walls and fearful certainty.
Why should I allow myself to ever by hurt by the walls another has made to salve their own?
Love what you share here, Rachel ….. the way you are highlighting the understanding that Dianne brings as to what is going on inside the skeptics who rely on ‘put downs’ and humiliating others. It’s so important to bring understanding as without it we react and continue the vicious cycle of protection and hurts.
This is true. The cycle of defensiveness, once caught in, delivers nothing but more of the same cold rationality, reason and intellectual might…points may be scored, but life in its rich multidimensional beauty evolves on, responding to the far deeper call of the Universe.
Whilst we engage in these mouse well debates our ears are sealed to the same call, our eyes fail to take in the beauty and our bodies that feel the pull of multidimensionality are ignored.
This takes humbleness Jane. That is the difficult part. For myself the humbling came (and continues to come) from my body…for very little can penetrate the certain mind armed with facts. It is like teflon. Arguments merely slide off its impervious surface.
The body is another matter (pun intended). It responds to the Universal call. We can tell it what to do, for a while…but the day arrives when it can not sustain itself in the fictions we impose on it.
That is when, if we are willing, the humbleness arrives. The mind, if we allow it, becomes open, not to whatever it is told, but to its own body and heart. Its eyes can again see and its ears can again hear the truth.
Yes Dr Rachael Mascord. It’s the same game of protection gone to a deeper level and maybe even more pride to swallow with it.
Pride is easy to swallow when it is washed down with the draft of love.
Agreed Rachel, from reading Dianne’s blog I have an increased understanding of why one chooses to be a skeptic, that underneath all the bravado is a deep hurt. Saying that it makes it super clear how important it is that we each take responsibility for dealing with our hurts because great harm can be caused if we do not.
BOOM BOOM Dianne Trussell, a great essay on skepticism and the skeptic within. It is significant to feel the harm that takes place within ourselves and all that around us when we do not take responsibility to heal our hurts.
By holding onto our hurts allows us to create separation (‘us and them’) and to then hurt others. It’s a vicious cycle, one that we can choose to break by taking responsibility and choosing to heal our hurts.
Great blog Dianne. The skepticism we hold does give us a ‘kick’, a rush, perhaps one could say a thrill that is felt when we are ‘right’ and justified by the situation in our skepticism as it justifies the protection of the hurt. It’s a win win, we get to hide our hurts and justify it with fact to others! But this is never evolving for others and in-truth is deeply harming for all.
There is no us and them, for we are all the same inside. If we would live from this truth, there would be no war, not inside, nor outside. A truth we all know, deep down inside, yet as long as we have the desire to be different, special or better, the war outside and inside will continue.
Yes, we identify with hurts and like you say, even with hurts that are not ‘ours’. How would our life look like if we don’t identify with anything outside of ourselves and just be the amazingness and love that we are?
There is no ‘us and them’, but just all of us. Whenever we fight something, we fight ourselves at the same time
Absolutely, so true Michael very well said.
What is remarkable is that Universal Medicine has been the first place for me that not only has been completely open to being assessed in this manner, but it has actually offered support for me and others to build appreciation and confidence in honouring what we sense deep within. Which means Universal Medicine has actually been inspiring people to discern everything in life and “question the validity of appearances until reaching something essential that feels true and holds true, and ‘stands the test of time’” which includes what Universal Medicine presents itself. Such transparency, love and care for people, quite remarkable.
Totally agree Golnaz and I am totally inspired by their ‘transparency, love and care for people’. A loving reflection for humanity to heal our collective hurts.
Thank you Dianne for so beautifully returning truth and harmony to the word skeptic. I had started to associate the word with being closed off to new ideas and paradigms as well as deliberately putting up barriers against possible revelation in anything new. However your definition of “committed to search for Truth, requiring solid proof of it (not restricted to reductionist science or intellectual argument) instead of blind belief, someone who will question the validity of appearances until reaching something essential that feels true and holds true, and ‘stands the test of time’” sings to my heart.
Dianne I love this revealing and oh so exposing article! The games we play in the name of ‘healthy skepticism’!
“In truth, there is no emptiness or nothingness in the universe, including within us, so something must fill the void left when an ’empty’ person hides behind ‘skepticism’.
But what fills it? Could it be something else, something untrue that just makes things look the way we want them to, but ultimately leaves us feeling just as ’empty’? It’s a vicious spiral – and the tragic irony is that we really do know this all along and choose to keep covering it up.” Only a true skeptic comes to their life with the openness and honesty required of true skepticism.
I have made this choice at many times in my life….” using lack of perfection as a justification for skepticism about something.” How often have we judged ourselves for our lack of perfection and been our own harsh skeptic, using “shut down and attacking behaviour”, on ourselves? Second-guessing myself feels so debilitating and unnatural and I have been led down many a garden path in my own search for truth. Your blog has allowed me an opportunity to see a healthier choice with regards to being my own true, loving skeptic.
Skeptic how to guide, right here! or how to undo rather .
Really interesting post Dianne, when it comes down to it, I am sure many of us can relate to being skeptical about life or at least aspects of it. But as you shared skepticism is just another form of protection, something we can use to not feel the truth of our choices and the responsibility we each equally hold in living our all in the world.
Holding onto our childhood hurts, when we have had years of opportunities to re-parent ourselves, shows how we prefer the comfort of what we know rather than the potential joy of the unknown.
Golden statement Carmel, so much said in so few words. To let go of hurt and re-parent ourselves would mean having to look at our choices and take responsibility for them, there is no blame in healing just a raw honesty towards the lives we have chosen and why, easy to do and easy to let go and then as you say a world of Joy is available to all.
‘Holding onto our childhood hurts, when we have had years of opportunities to re-parent ourselves, shows how we prefer the comfort of what we know rather than the potential joy of the unknown.’ …. so true, Carmel. I’m sure we can all give examples of how we weren’t ‘met’ as children, in varying degrees. However, I feel that mostly people did the best that they could. If I hadn’t come across Universal Medicine, I know that my relationships would be a fraction of what they are today. We always have a choice with everything, we can choose to take responsibility and move on or stay where we are and miss out on our own divinity and sharing that with humanity.
Wow Dianne – you hold such an in depth understanding of skepticism. I have noticed there is quite a large skeptic movement on twitter (well this is what they call themselves). In general their comments are either quite confrontational statements backed by a fight, or cracking jokes that always seem to involve putting down another.
I have never met a skeptic who shows a warm heart. Always it comes with a cold and harsh tongue that lacks understanding and humanity.
What you’ve described here Abby doesn’t display an openness to another’s way – put downs and jokes at another’s expense is disrespectful and shows a closed heart and mind and seems aimed at shutting down the person they are skeptical of – insult them enough and they’ll back off and I’ve won, mentality. Classic bullying behaviour.
Great point Abby, anyone can call themselves anything however the energy behind what they say will expose the truth for who they are. People are not as easily fooled as it can appear, it is just whether they are prepared to stand up and say something that sets people apart.
That’s right Caroline spoken like a true master of someone who stands up to what is not true. How much you value what is true to you is how far you will go to honour truth for all.
It’s a sure sign someone is trying to protect themselves from being hurt when they go on the offensive.
Your point about there being a skeptic in all of us is true, I know that when I am afraid of being duped, or can’t feel what is going on that I hide behind all sorts of beliefs. Yet I love your definition of one of the primary traits of a true skeptic…”genuine openness, that is, being open to all the possibilities and not excluding or ‘being blind’ to any because of a position of bias, fear, judgment, discomfort, comfort, vested interest, or any other agenda.” it is a choice to be genuinly open to all, to trust what I feel. I may well make mistakes but I will learn from them as I develop my relationship with love and truth.
That is a key part to this Lucy… whether we are open, and can trust what we feel. If we do, then this can inform our way forward, finding the truth. If choose not to feel then we have no compass by which to navigate.
Yep, choose to feel and choose to consider the fact that we have not really been feeling all there is to feel!
How can we truly discover, if we are not truly open?
Another great blog – thankyou Dianne. “It might mean our view has to be modified, or totally and uncomfortably thrown out, if it’s shown to be no longer correct or serving the bigger picture” As I become more aware certain views of mine have certainly changed over the years – and will continue to do so I’m sure.
‘Crucial in my definition of a true skeptic is genuine openness’ jumped off the page to me Dianne. I agree 100%, being open to new ways of being that then stand the test of time shows us their truth. Life for lots of people is not great at the moment so something definitely needs to change.
I agree Gillrandall. Prior to reading this blog, the meaning of ‘skeptic’ for me was much distorted. This blog is brilliant, it reveals so much for us to ponder and truth for us to feel.
Well said Gill, genuine openess is the foundation to live a joyful life. Thank you for your inspiration to ponder on the word ‘skeptic’.
True Doug we have all been a skeptic. This blog blows away many ideals and beliefs keeping the skeptics there. I love truth – the energetic truth. The truth that the body does not lie. Dianne explains how our fogged minds are a fortress to protect our hurts. I know how I started out with my level of honesty to get to truth .. not so honest I was, when I know my feelings better than anyone. I was protecting my hurts – a true skeptic in design how I wanted it to be clever enough to change for the person or situation.
Thank you for bringing back the truth to the word “sceptic”.
Yes, me too. A valuable way of being as opposed to the convenient skepticism I have employed to avoid responsibility.
I agree felixschumacher8. There are far too many cynics who hide behind the title skeptic using poor science to justify a position that allows them to hide in their protection from the world. The truth will set you free.
Hear hear Felix. Today’s definition is heavy, loaded and nasty. It is refreshing to know the true definition is far from this, for it is about truth (which does not exist without love).
Dianne I have a new perspective on what a skeptic really is and the question arises of what areas within my self that applies to. I used to consider a skeptic as someone that did not belief in God yet that itself is, I now understand, very limited. As you shared “at heart all humans are loving and responsible”; this unifies everyone across the world and helps us understand that it is simply our range of hurts and how we deal with those that we end up meeting in each other, rather than the equality we all are.
Great comment David. It amazes how much we are governed by our ‘range of hurts’ if we are not willing to heal them. It affects us so deeply that we become blind to the harm it causes within ourselves and others. Our hurts suppresses our natural ability to express love yet why many of us choose to hold onto our hurts? Out of fear, out of lack of trust, and many other excuses whatever they maybe. But once we choose to take responsibility and choose to heal, we begin to return to our true self, rebuild our connection with ourselves, everyone around us and with God.