Life is like a giant smorgasbord with more delicious alternatives than you can ever hope to taste.” – Ray Dalio
My earliest memories of growing up in Miami, Florida, in the late 1950s and early 60s, were of going out to dinner – a lot. You see, for the most part, my mother didn’t cook, and Dad’s idea of fixing dinner was heating a can of pork and beans. So, we ate out a lot – not because we were wealthy, but because we were hungry. Therefore, I found myself eating in any number of all-you-can-eat buffets, cafeterias, and smorgasbord restaurants. I can vividly remember the wonderful displays of food, and the incredible variety that was available. One of my parent’s favorite spots was Nohlgren’s Painted Horse, on Biscayne Boulevard. The restaurant advertised their SMORG-A-STYLE way of eating this way: “Remember . . . only at Nohlgren’s Painted Horse can you eat your fill of wonderful food for 99 cents. (Children Under 10, 49 cents).”
I only mention how I ate as a child, growing up in Miami, because ever since then, I have taken the same SMORG-A-STYLE approach to how I have made many of my life choices. Just like perusing the huge buffet available to me at The Painted Horse, I try to take the time to consider ALL of my options before deciding on anything. Even though I can sometimes be spontaneous in my decision-making, I really try to examine the pros and cons of, for example, where I decide to live, what I choose to eat, who I vote for, how I think – you get the idea. With rare exception, I have discovered that when I make a spontaneous decision, it is either a reflex action to something, or a momentary temptation to choose something contrary to what I consciously know is right for me.
What I often see in the world around me are many people who limit their viewpoints, and choices in life, as though they were ordering off of the original 1940 McDonald’s menu – burger (with or without cheese), fries, milk shakes (3 flavors), sodas (3 flavors), coffee or milk. That’s it (they think): “That’s all there is in the world for me to choose from, so I’ll make my choice based on that ‘menu’ alone.” Please don’t let these restaurant metaphors get in the way of what I wish to make clear – the more we can expand our minds beyond the limited choices which, at times, seem to be the only ones presented to us, the better chance we have of making, well, better choices in life.
So much of what we allow to “limit” us in life is based on our own “limited” perception, and little more. For example, if I had allowed myself to be limited to only the small “menu” of religious beliefs that were presented to me at an early age, I would never have expanded spiritually as a man (by studying other religions and spiritual beliefs). A good friend of mine once said that he was a better Catholic because of his study of, and adherence to, Buddhist teachings. I couldn’t agree more. Wherever, and whenever, I find a new pathway to truth, wisdom, or light, I go. I mean, what’s the alternative? To “limit” truth, wisdom, or light in my life?
Back to food choices for a second, – but only to make another observation. For me to say that I “buy into” 100% of the beliefs of any organized religion, or political party, is the equivalent of saying that I love eating every single item served on a French dinner menu (or Chinese, Greek, Cajun, or Thai, for that matter) – I simply don’t. With the exception of that one guy in Ohio who has, literally, never eaten anything for dinner except meat and potatoes, I have to believe that most people probably like at least 1-2 items from a multiple of ethnic food menus. So, then how does it happen that millions (if not billions) of “individuals” strictly adhere to only one set of religious beliefs, or political ideologies – without any desire to consider alternatives – when there are so many other views to choose from? I don’t get it.
My best guess is that so many of today’s “individuals” are not that at all – they have lost all sense of individuality, and become part of the mindless groupthink followers so prevalent in the world today. For it is mostly in organized religions, and political parties, where groupthink manifests itself so patently. And, at this particular time in history, as evidenced by the daily news, the groupthink police demand not some, but 100% of your loyalty – no perusing other ideas or “menus” for you. Independent thought, the greatest gift bestowed upon us by our Creator, has been slowly relinquished by those who find more self-worth by being “liked” on social media, but only because they “share” the same political views as their internet “friends.”
But here’s the problem with that. Groupthink breeds division and, oftentimes, hatred towards others – my group thinks this, your group thinks that; therefore, we are right and you are wrong. Every world conflict and, indeed, both World Wars were fought primary for that one reason. I have a hard time believing that, if every religion known to man, and every political leader throughout history, demonstrated a sincere interest in the alternative views of others, we would never have experienced such a history of religious and political strife.
Inclusiveness of other “foreign” points of view enrich our collective lives in the same way that sampling a taste from the wide variety of foods served at a buffet enriches our appreciation of international cuisines. As one who has held onto a central religious belief for most of my life, and stayed true to certain political principles, I still maintain an openness to hearing how other spiritual and political ideas can better me as a man, and the world we share together. I’ve never been a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Show me the way to the buffet table.
And let’s all eat together.
