Tariq Ramadan – Ramadan Chronicles #15 Dogmatism

Among all these dispositions that we can find

with our mind, with our being, with our

way of thinking,

there is one very specific way of thinking

or dealing with others that is very negative.

And resistance here is very important. We have

to resist dogmatic

minds. We have to resist dogmatism.

And the way we have to think about

dogmatism is not exactly the same as arrogance.

Dogmatic means that we are looking at the

world to this binary and polarized way,

between what is right and what is wrong.

And it start with,

I'm right. So

by all, with all due respect, by all

the logic of this equation, you are wrong.

So you are wrong and I'm right. So

this binary vision, this way of

colonizing

the truth

or,

trying to,

put,

this relationship between you and the truth,

in a way where you look down to

people, and, it's the only way that you

can this,

cast the relationship

between truth and

and and and and

untruth, between truth and lies, between what is

right and what is wrong.

This way of being a dogmatic mind is

to look at it and to be not

only arrogant, but at the same time,

dismissing

any points that you cannot and you don't

have to learn anything from the other because

the dogmatic mind is saying, what can I

get from

the wrong? What I cannot get from the

bad? The only way is to look at

the way it is. And when you read

a text and you read the Quran, the

dogmatic

mind thinks that the only way to understand

the text is his or her way, and

there is no other way. So it's to,

think that,

truth

belongs

to you

while it's the other way around. We belong

to the truth, but truth doesn't belong to

any one of us. We're always trying to

get closer to the truth

and not to,

colonize truth as if we are the only

people knowing what it is all about. The

second thing that is coming was the dogmatic

mind. It's not about truth only. It's about,

being judgmental,

condemning the people. If I am right, so

what you are doing is wrong. So to

give oneself the right to judge in a

way which is definitive,

as if the truth is as clear as

my opinion

is clear to myself.

And what we have in the Quran even

when it comes

the

prophet, What you have to do is to

spread the word, is to say

what is the message, and then ask to

condemn and as to reward,

that's none of your business. You have to

let me do this. This is god's,

dogmatic mind looking at the truth and defining

what is right and what is truth and

what is wrong and what is lie.

So this is not for you to decide.

So once again, it's all connected

with the way you deal with your ego,

the way you deal with, the world, and

to avoid starting with this simplistic way of

dealing dealing with truth. I'm right, so you

are wrong. And there's, this,

truth that I know I got, and this

is the wrong answers that I know you,

got.

The starting point is here once again,

opening up, understanding that with complexity

and apprehending complexity

is the starting point of being humble and

knowing the very meaning of humility.

Never forget to tell the people you love

that you love them,

and remember,

life is fragile.