Core beliefs

Principles originate in beliefs so I shohave experiencedseit would be insufficientmyenuld do my best to outline those:

• The universe is infinite and my mind is finite. Therefore any attempt on my part to grasp reality/truth will be incomplete as I cannot fully comprehend the totality of existence. The same would apply to my belief in G-d
• My ability to perceive reality is limited. Even if I could understand all that I have experienced, it would be insufficient to grasp reality as it truly is, because I can only perceive through my limited five senses (and what I can test indirectly). While I might be able to create generalizations (theories) about how things work, they won’t reflect what is actually happening. Again, even if I could take in all that I encounter perfectly, I am constrained by both my ability to remember it, and more importantly, recall it later. I'd then have to merge it all simultaneously.
• Empiricism (science) has its limits -  we can only measure what we can manipulate. As we gain control of smaller and smaller particles we can get more and more granularity about the essence of matter and how particles interact, but eventually we will hit limits. The same goes at the opposite end of measurement, there are many things too large or too far away to experience/experiment with. I have no opinion on whether matter exists in continuous waves or particles, I just know that within my lifetime there is too much to grasp, and so much we won't figure out, that I know it is pointless to set such a lofty  as a goal.
• Time is limited, but I do have at least the present moment. I will die, but I am still living now. The main takeaway here is that I have a brief amount of time to experience things. I also I don’t have a way to not act/believe/participate. While I may frame my decisions as what I am not doing, I am still doing something.
• Others experience a similar reality as my own. While solipsism is the most logical course of action, my 6^th sense, my intuition tells me this is wrong. It simply doesn’t feel right. I have no logical basis for this. However, In the same way I cannot perfectly understand reality, I also do have faith that I perceive parts of it and I act with the faith that this is what works. I believe it with the same cautious reflective and skeptical understanding that I apply to reality. More generally, I feel that others also have hopes & dreams, experience sadness, want to be loved, get angry when they feel they have been wronged, display compassion to those in need, have a sense of awe and wonder when they see something beautiful and have anxiety about the future. All of these things can change in magnitude, but a large majority of people do share a basic humanity.   

These three facts lead me to several conclusions:

• Doubt is necessary. If I cannot understand, if I cannot perceive, and I cannot remember correctly, all I can do is hope.  
• Highly probable” is a best case scenario. Both because reality involves randomness and because I cannot grasp it fully. 
• I shouldn’t trouble myself too much with my own inability to understand things. I am human and this is the human condition.

These three views influence how I take information from others. I can happily listen, evaluate, process and take in whatever observations, feelings, and views they wish to share. However in the face of our limited powers of perception and competing claims of understanding, I exercise thoughtful consideration. I sift through this collection of human thought and belief and weigh the claims against my own reality. What has worked, what feels true, what makes me feel tied to the world. To the extent that I value and affirm the consciousness and experience of others I should also seek to make their lives as easy as possible. I should seek to end unnecessary suffering (both theirs and mine). 

To be continued...