11-12-2015, 06:10 PM
I don't think they are diametrically opposed. I have been slightly influenced by Mark Passios "Natural Law" seminar however which leads me to conclude they are not. What Mark described as being the opposite of naivete, was "scepticism". He used a bell mouth to articulate where sound or balanced judgement would lie. And that was somewhere near the centre, while naive and sceptic were on the extreme ends.
So you could say that naivete is lacking in discernment, as is scepticism, using the analogy I have shared above. Or, if naivete is being oriented towards taking things at face value and accept what is offered, then it's opposite would be refusing to accept what is offered with a bias towards suspicion. So the balance lies with developing discernment for both opposites, as they are both assumptious positions. That's how I see it at least.
Also, I don't think going on 'vibes' as a discerning indicator should ever be underestimated. For me personally, a smile tells me all I need to know. It informs me whether I can trust the person or not. That said, this does not actually validate the data that a person I deem trustworthy has shared with me. More it informs me that they are not being knowingly deceitful. I cant quantify this type of smile like a body language expert might be able to, which is why I rely on the 'vibe' thing.
As for the variety of spiritual seekers, I imagine I would fall into the latter generalisation. Although, "There are those who have founded their understandings on concrete experience" reminds me of Amber Jayanti, where she emphasizes to her avid readers, to "seek what is real!".
So you could say that naivete is lacking in discernment, as is scepticism, using the analogy I have shared above. Or, if naivete is being oriented towards taking things at face value and accept what is offered, then it's opposite would be refusing to accept what is offered with a bias towards suspicion. So the balance lies with developing discernment for both opposites, as they are both assumptious positions. That's how I see it at least.
Also, I don't think going on 'vibes' as a discerning indicator should ever be underestimated. For me personally, a smile tells me all I need to know. It informs me whether I can trust the person or not. That said, this does not actually validate the data that a person I deem trustworthy has shared with me. More it informs me that they are not being knowingly deceitful. I cant quantify this type of smile like a body language expert might be able to, which is why I rely on the 'vibe' thing.
As for the variety of spiritual seekers, I imagine I would fall into the latter generalisation. Although, "There are those who have founded their understandings on concrete experience" reminds me of Amber Jayanti, where she emphasizes to her avid readers, to "seek what is real!".