TST Trainer
Wisdom Mix
MODE:
~
7 minutes
Religion:
Human attempts to understand the currently unknown and unknowable.
Truth is not a destination we possess, but a path we walk—with evidence beneath us and wonder above.
Wisdom Mix.
Here are 10 random key ideas and takeaways.
1.
.
The Buddha taught Mount Meru and the six realms likely as symbolic frameworks, not as literal cosmic geography.
Subject: The Buddha and Mount Meru.
The Buddha used Mount Meru and the six realms as metaphors to guide followers toward enlightenment. His teachings focused on overcoming suffering in this life, suggesting that the essence of his message transcends the mythologies of his time, urging us to seek deeper meaning beyond the surface of beliefs.
2.
Quote.
- Roger Williams.
- May 6, 1682..
.
We don’t know exactly when Roger Williams was born, nor died. For his birth, we don’t even know the year. He was born circa 1602. For his death, we know for sure it was 1683 and around March.
Subject: Roger Williams.
The exact birth and death dates of Roger Williams has been lost to history…so far at least. We think he was born around 1602, give or take a few years. We know he passed in 1683, and by April 1st. We also know he was alive on January 15th. We also believe he was about 80 or 81 when he passed. It’s interesting how much is lost to time for even the famous just a few hundred years ago.
3.
From History: Spirituality is exploration..
New Look.
When publicly discussing spirituality, distinguish thought of the material world, what we directly experience, from the spiritual interpretations beyond it. Organize each spiritual idea into agnostic, non-theistic, and theistic.
Subject: 2 Layers & Metaphysics.
Spiritual ideas have an agnostic, non-theistic, or theistic posture. They can also be calibrated to reality as empirically true, rationally true, speculative, or disproven. Speculative ideas remain open but unsupported; disproven ideas have failed against reality and should be released as truth.
4.
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Confucianism began as an applied philosophy of social order and moral normalcy, later becoming a foundational system for Chinese governance and education.
Subject: Confucian History.
Confucianism was never about abstract belief or the afterlife. It focused on how people should live together—through proper conduct, relationships, and virtue. Its endurance comes from practicality: ideas designed to stabilize society tend to survive, even as they adapt.
5.
Quote.
- Thomas Aquinas.
- circa 1265.
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Situational ethics, like Just War Theory, can be brought down to your life. When you cannot turn the other cheek, strive for a response that is proportionate and never exceeds the harm done.
Subject: Situational Ethics.
Life does not always give us peaceful people or clean choices. Sometimes you must respond. But living well means resisting the urge to escalate. Situational ethics reminds us that a proportionate response protects dignity, limits damage, and keeps pain from multiplying. Even when you must push back, do not let someone else’s wrong turn you into more of the same.
6.
From History: 1644.
.
Subject: Separation of Church and State.
The main philosophical idea taught by Williams, Locke, and Montesquieu was that power needed to be checked, which in turn protects individual liberties. Williams split state and church. Locke established natural rights and split King and Parliament. Montesquieu came along and said let’s split government into three branches of checks and balances.
7.
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To live your life well-lived, decide where belief belongs. Private meaning can guide your life, but when your belief affects others, you must answer to evidence, agency, and harm.
Subject: Epistemic Responsibility.
To live better, protect the meaning that is important to you without letting others control you. Private belief can comfort, guide, and inspire, but it becomes harmful when you tell others how they must live or others tell you. Hold your belief with humility, test public claims with evidence, and never use the unknown as a weapon.
8.
Quote.
- William Kingdon Clifford.
- 1877.
.
Clifford argued that personal belief is a moral responsibility to humanity, not just a private habit. You have a moral obligation to be careful what you believe.
Subject: Belief.
Belief is not just private. What you believe shapes you and the world around you. Although his suggestion is stricter than most like, I think he wants you to treat belief as a responsibility: seek evidence where you can, stay humble where you cannot, and do not let wishful thinking do the work of truth.
9.
From History: 1654.
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Let go of labels that shrink people. Roger Williams saw that calling Native Americans “heathens” was not just a word; it was a habit of mind that made harm easier.
Subject: Roger Williams.
The labels you carry shape the life you live. When a word reduces another person, it also trains your own mind toward judgment, distance, and harm. Learn to live with more care: see the person first, release the harmful label, and choose words that preserve dignity.
10.
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Biblical flood stories echo much older Mesopotamian myths rather than unique historical lineages.
Subject: The Flood Stories.
King Shuruppak, an ancient Sumerian ruler, is not Noah’s father but is linked to the Sumerian flood hero, Ziusudra. This story predates the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark by centuries and parallels it so closely that it may have influenced the later biblical account.
Done. Refresh for another set.
TST Trainer
(c) 2025-2026 TouchstoneTruth.
Writing and coding by Michael Alan Prestwood.
(c) 2025-2026 TouchstoneTruth.
Writing and coding by Michael Alan Prestwood.
