What Should We Follow - The Old Knowledge or The Current Ones?

This is a sensitive topic if you take a wide look at the world around us.

We don’t feel it that way as younger generations.

But just ask a question to yourself – have you ever questioned something openly about the ideologies, rituals, and traditions you follow or the people around you follow.

If not, you think it is quite sensitive.

We have an abundance of knowledge today passed on to us through the past generations

Before moving further into my analysis, I’d really appreciate it if you take a moment to think about the question in the title.

Remember that the old knowledge and old principles are different.

Principles are the golden nuggets in the vast pool of knowledge that got transferred

Principles are the real stuff.

Even within knowledge, there are 2 types.

One is the way we’re implementing them, and the other way is the method through which it is recorded to transfer to the next generations.

If you have thought about your answer, please read what I think about this.

Statistically, we are smarter today than ever before the times when knowledge started getting collected.

We’re the smartest generation that ever has beeen on this planet due to the acquired knowledge from the past generations and evolution.

Also, we have more resources today than ever before.

A major reason that we became at the top of the food chain is because of our ability to evolve and adapt.

We’re not the fastest, strongest species ever lived on earth.

But we’re better at working together and adapting to the world around us.

We definitely have become better than 100s or 1000s of years back.

And we have more data and resources to do the analysis on what is the better way forward.

So how we think today would be much better than our past generations.

This is not on an individual basis but on a collective level.

On a collective level as a human species, we’re the best thinkers now with tons of data to draw insights from.

As a species, we are much smarter today than ever before.

A prominent reason for this is that we’re building on the knowledge that the past generations have collected and recorded.

So if a majority of us can agree upon what’s good for all of us, then we have the right to discard any other old knowledge on these topics recorded.

And I really emphasize here that knowledge is entirely different from principles.

Principles are the core reason why that knowledge was recorded.

Those principles can get diluted as they got transferred through generations.

Back then, we were not as great at working together, thinking on collective terms, and planning for the long term as we’re today.

Now we have learned better and think along these lines.

I just want you to take a moment and think.

What would you do if you want to run a society in harmony and in an organized manner?

Harmonious societies are better for human progress always – back then and even now.

What do I think would be this?

Some of the thoughtful souls in those societies would come together and discuss what is the best way to do it.

They then create rules and guidelines for the rest of the society to follow so that the societies progress and the people live better.

People don’t really have to know or think for themselves about why they need to follow the rules and the guidelines.

All they need to do is to follow those set instructions and it results in a happy and longer life.

When we have instructions, we need not think. All we have to do is just follow the set pointers. There can be good instructions and there can be instructions that had applications thousands of years back but not at all relevant today.

Now, if you think about it, this is the root of all the ideologies, rituals, and traditions we have today.

I can give you countless examples of this, but I’d really appreciate it if you just think for yourselves in terms of the ideologies/rituals that you believe in or follow.

Remember, we as a human species now have better resources to find better ideas and make better decisions.

Thanks to the principles that we got from the past generations and the evolution process.

The tech and scientific inventions that we have today are built on all previous inventions.

Any progress that we see today are built on all the past innovations of the previous generations.

Take a car for example – each of the parts and operating technologies that it runs on were major breakthroughs of past generations. Steel, tyre, leather, crude oil, fuel injection, braking systems, navigation, cruise control, electric cars,…

Every part and operating tech that a normal car has that we see today were breakthrough tech of past generations.

Looking from a different perspective.

The data we collected from experiences of the human species until now give us far more valuable insights than any rituals, traditions, and ideologies.

We’re far better today in terms of thinking and deciding what’s right and what’s wrong.

We as a human species today is the result of millions of years of evolution.

Evolution always sustains the best of the qualities of nature.

So our current state to think collectively is the best.

This takes us to the conclusion – the values we should follow for a collective good should be what we think is the best solution now.

Not 100s of years back’s text, rituals, traditions, values.

Yes, there are a lot of principles(the good stuff) that got mixed up in the recorded knowledge.

And we have to definitely follow those principles that are relevant today.

Now you can decide whether you have to do it through rituals, traditions, and a standard set of written rules or do it in your own way also making sure the relevant principles are followed.

Make your own choice when you’re in a dilemma. Yes, it takes energy and effort to do that and a mental model you create will help you in a lot of cases without reinventing the wheel each time.

But it should never be forced upon individuals in any case.

Let’s take another look at why the transferred knowledge is not the ultimate source of truth.

Sometimes, the principles can be misinterpreted through generations.

Even if we take science, it keeps discarding untrue conclusions on the way forward as we gain more data and insights.

Science is the best example of discarding untrue theories and predictions as we gain more data.

This should be the path for any transferred knowledge so that all the false concepts and ideas get filtered out as we evolve.

All we have in the end is the best set of principles in its pure state based on our current knowledge.

At times, the error in the transferred knowledge can be honest mistakes.

For example, Do A, then do B, then C might have become do B, then do C, then do A.

But no worries, we know how to make it right today.

And other times, the people in charge might have tampered with them because self-interest is one of the prominent human qualities.

We have to follow those principles in today’s terms(which will be the best potential existing solution until today).

We have to apply all those principles in ways that we think are the best today.

Now it becomes a terrible mistake if we tell the next generation to follow what we have written today.

Every generation has to follow the principles that are collectively believed to be good. And the rules and guidelines to follow the principles has to be changed with the changing times. The older generation can guide the younger ones in this process.

Things have to be changed and ideologies have to be modified with the changing times.

Now, what can you do to make sure that you follow the right principles according to the right times for the collective good?

Whenever you feel confused about following something, think it through, and do it the way you think is best. (after a good analysis).

If a lot of us keep doing this, it won’t be far from where we live in the best societies possible.

We are collectively far better off than people who lived 500 years ago to do the analysis. All we have to make sure is that principles are followed, not the knowledge.

Always remember that the instructions (ideologies, rituals, traditions,…) were designed to elevate us. If the results have changed, it is time to rethink and recalibrate.

All the divisions we have created together in terms of ideologies, propaganda, rituals, and traditions will simply fall off gradually. Only keep the ones that elevate us in some way.

And these harmonious societies in turn create the best environment for human progress.

Wish you the best.

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