don Miguel Ruiz: Be skeptical, but learn to listen.

Be skeptical, but learn to listen. - don Miguel Ruiz 

 don Miguel Ruiz' fifth agreement sounds harsh at first, but the message is crucial to living a conscious and joyful life. Everyone has an opinion on many subjects and is ready to share those opinions - labeling them as "truth." Sometimes it is relatively easy to filter out these opinions. Upon hearing an ad for the latest weight-loss powder on late-night TV, our skepticism leaps to our defense. However, if we have heard the same opinion for years from our parents, friends, government officials, or religious leaders, we are more likely to believe without questioning than to raise our filter of skepticism and ask the hard questions. 

 Truth is not defined by how many people believe something. Ask. Question. Think. Decide - for yourself.

 Further reading: Ask questions 

  Mark Twain: It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so. 

  Honor tradition AND question tradition. - jlh