“Or we try to cover up this emptiness with ideas, beliefs, creeds, fancies; then opinion, goodwill, and experience of others take on powerful import; then ceremonies, priests, Masters, saviors become essential and destroy self-reliance; then authority is worshipped.”
— J. Krishnamurti
The terms “principle” and “ideology” might appear similar, but they’re as different as apples and plastic apples. Ideologies are overtly simplified ideas, disguised as the truth that explains the complexities of the world. Like, “the earth is flat” and “it was the Great Flood that created mountains, valleys, and caves.”
Other examples of ideologies are “money is bad,” “the government is evil,” “only religion can save us,” and “you can only be successful if you’re a doctor or an engineer.”
The need for certainty makes us cling to ideologies. In the process, we become like flat-earthers, rejecting anything that doesn’t align with our outdated beliefs, and making authority-figures out of people who are extreme advocates of such beliefs.
Principles, on the other hand, are truths that apply to certain situations, and can change when circumstances change.
For instance, Tim Urban points out, Newton’s Law of Gravitation holds true in most conditions except extreme ones while Einstein’s Theory of Relativity applies everywhere… except when applied on a tiny scale, when quantum mechanics kicks in and a new set of rules is needed.
Curiosity makes us want to figure out how the world works. And the people valued are the ones who make stuff that is useful for others, stuff that makes others’ lives better.
Be curious, not content with what you know. In Steve Jobs’ words, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Never let go of your appetite to go after new ideas, new experiences, and new adventures.”
Without curiosity, life isn’t just boring, it’s also dangerous.