Navigating Complexity: The Dangers of Ideologies and the Power of Embracing Ambiguity

Chapter Ten | Free One Million Minds: Ideologies & complexities: Navigating the Unseen Layers

12/23/2024

Duration | 3 minutes 39 seconds
Guest: Dr. Symeon Rodger

synopsis

In this chapter, Jamie Meyer and Dr. Symeon Rodger discuss the complex nature of development, ideologies, and the human tendency to seek simplicity in a world full of ambiguity. Dr. Rodger explains his perspective on development as a holistic, embodied process, distinct from isolating or compartmentalised approaches. He emphasises the dangers of ideologies—be they religious, political, or otherwise—which offer false comfort by providing simple answers to complex realities. The conversation touches on how different cultures, particularly in the East, view the rigidity of ideologies and narrow perspectives, recognising that life is inherently complex and requires embracing ambiguity.

dialogue summary

Jamie Meyer:
And so your biggest differentiation between, is less between Western and personal development and ancient methods of development and Eastern methods of development. And it focuses more on the difference between isolating development and embodying development. I would say that’s true.

Dr. Symeon Rodger:
Yeah, because I don’t in my own mind make any harsh differentiation between what is Eastern or not Eastern. In fact, I don’t really even know where East ends and West is. You know, it’s very hard to say. I had someone recently ask me—one of my own clients—so with the ancient Christian mystical tradition, which we often refer to as Eastern Christianity, or a version thereof, um, is that really Eastern or is that Western? Well, I don’t know.

It depends on what you’re talking about. These are just labels, you know? We can argue geography, we can argue all kinds of things, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter. And that’s, of course, one of our obsessions in the West—we love labels, so we can put things in little boxes that we understand. We’re very uncomfortable with ambiguity.

But any inquiry into reality brings you right into the very base of ambiguity. It’s right in front of you. You begin to realise you know a lot less than you think you do, and you don’t have all the answers. Maybe even as a species, I’m not sure we have all the answers. But you have to be okay with not knowing.

If you’re looking for something to make yourself just mentally and emotionally comfortable because, you know, “I have all the answers,” well, that’s an ideology, okay? It could be a religious ideology, it could be a political ideology, but it’s an ideology—an artificial schema of how the world is, how the universe is, which doesn’t bear any resemblance to reality. It bears a superficial resemblance, maybe, but you subscribe to this because it makes you feel good, it makes you feel superior to other people, but in the end, it doesn’t give you anything. It’s a prison. And then, of course, people use an ideology for what purpose? Well, to hit other people over the head with it. It becomes a weapon.

But clinging to an ideological perspective, interestingly enough, in more mentally advanced cultures, is looked down upon. They often say in traditional Japanese culture that to be obsessed with a particular idea or have a very narrow point of view is looked upon as being immature because life is complex.

Jamie Meyer:
We don’t do complex well, do we? We like complicated, but we don’t do complex very well.

Dr. Symeon Rodger:
That is a beautiful distinction.

Credits Roll

references

Personal Development involves activities that improve self-awareness, skills, potential, and overall effectiveness.

Ideology refers to a system of ideas, beliefs, and values that influence individual or collective behaviour and societal structures.