What Do You Believe About What You Believe?

So you believe what you believe, and you share that belief amongst those who believe like you do.

You might even go so far as to defend that belief amongst those who do not believe what you do.

You might be friendly about it, or you may stoop to nastiness and disrespect for those who do not agree, for holding a belief that does not align with your own.

You may even choose to disregard everything they say about anything else—related to the topic at hand or not—since if they (shockingly!) believe what they believe, how can you trust anything they might say about any other matter?

You know all the things that you know.

The truth of all that you know is experienced as more true than simple beliefs.

Therefore, it is easy to support and build your life around these “truths”.

However, what makes you (and me!) so sure about the validity and reality of all of these thoughts, beliefs and truths?

It seems that somewhere in the cascade, we need to believe something.

We lean on sources that we declare as undeniably reputable, indisputable, and irreproachable.

Perhaps a particular person.
A publication.
A body of acquired knowledge or beliefs or wisdom that we deem worth leaning on when confounding viewpoints emerge.

This can take shape in a staunch, undying belief in science.
In an ancient spiritual text.
Or in a new-age model of understanding the unfolding world of which we are all a part.

Somewhere along the line, we desperately and ultimately need to believe something.

Then we build our case for other things downstream from that belief.

It is an extraordinary phenomenon, and uniquely human.

What do you believe about what you believe?

What do you know as true because it just is?

Might you be missing some possible data by not being able to see life through any filter other than the one you choose to hang on to?

What makes you (and me!) so sure you are correct about anything?

Why, after all, would the people or sources who tell us what is so, trustworthy as they are, be interested in telling us the truth, or their truth, about anything?

What drives our quest for truth?

What then drives our willingness to share our own truth with others?

I know less about what I used to think I knew than I ever have.

Although there is some comfort there, it is at least equally disconcerting, especially when I get on my horse, searching with all of my energy for the Truth.

Happy Holidays, Humanity.

I love you.

And I love being part of you.

~Dr. Fred