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- to become aware of the emotions that make us cling to old concepts,
- to make the effort to review and throw out worn-out beliefs,
even if all this makes us feel uncomfortable, takes energy and might require a complete re-thinking of the world.47
The starting points are easy to find. Whenever the presentation of a (new) concept provokes strong feelings within us (e.g. repulsion, stubbornness and even anger, but also exhilaration or enthusiasm), then it is worth the effort to examine these (new) concepts more closely. After all it is exactly these powerful emotions that chain us positively as well as negatively to old concepts and thereby prevent any openness towards something new.
Hermann Kuhn
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47 Though we consider ourselves flexible and receptive for anything new, we nevertheless hold resolutely fast to many worn-out, but cherished ideas about the world. Even if we consciously or subconsciously recognize that our worn-out concepts do not agree with much of our real experience any more, we intuitively sense how much of an effort it would take to fundamentally reexamine all our existing ideas. Afraid to jeopardize our present hard-won stability, we dread the (temporary) inner insecurity that might accompany this process.
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Holding fast onto old concepts solidifies our life into unmoving static that is easily mistaken for stability. But this static will always break up at the latest when our consciousness leaves our present body. In the state we enter thereafter we clearly recognize to what extent our concepts correspond with reality. We then judge for ourselves if we need further bodily experiences to access more comprehensive levels of insight.
Jain Education International
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In future embodiments we then might place ourselves in a similar environment as our present one to again stimulate the dissolution of rigid and flawed concepts. If we want to avoid these recurring confrontations, it is recommended to react flexibly and positively at the presentation of new ideas already in this very life.
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