Not Believing Is No Option
Believing is not optional, the assumptions we live inevitably produce results, in ourselves and our environment.
It makes sense to broaden our perspective on ‘believing’. Believing has long had a strong religious connotation, but it seems clear that all our convictions are a form of belief, whether scientific, religious, secular or psychological. For example, my self-image (mainly emotional) is what I sincerely believe about myself in relation to the world (which does not mean that I am always aware of the entire content and its results).
Believing is a function of the mind
My hypothesis for (self) research is: “believing is a function of the mind.” What I believe (just everyday language) is essentially my perspective with which, or from where, I experience reality. People differ in part because no two people believe the same thing nor have the same life experience. For the sake of convenience, we do assume that (which often leads to stereotypes such as “all Buddhists are …”, or very popular nowadays, “all Muslims are …”) but we can see that that is very counterproductive.
I think (believe) that the world would be a lot more peaceful and compassionate if people take responsibility for what they have come to believe (as adults we are already immersed deeply in the consensus belief of the society we were born in) and the consequences of their faith. How nice is it to dislike or get angry at people who believe something else? If we have more insight into the mechanism that creates ‘belief’ in all its facets, then we can also look with more nuance at those who believe something else, and how counterproductive it is to try to convert or convince these others, with soft or hard hand.
From Believing to knowing
I think (believe) that believing has proved so unruly through the ages, through the function of belief (you can not not believe anything, because the regular consciousness always has content with which you identify — which we call identity). Believing is the mechanism by which we build and maintain an identity, and it is very functional in our survival. Spirituality is usually characterized by a belief — the possibility of realization or liberation is a belief until the moment it is realized, then it has become an experiential fact — that by application leads to liberation from the limitations that believing it in itself always entails.
This “awakening belief” can convincingly be based on experiences of others in historical accounts, living teachers and saints, however, until our own moment of (definitive) transcendence, it is a belief. A belief that can develop into knowledge through short moments of personal experience and practice. At that moment, believing no longer functions (in that area) and will dissolve.
You can not not believe
Finally, I have absolutely nothing against believe, in fact, I believe that no one who lives is without belief. We all have a self-image, an image of the world and our place in it. To restrict believing, and the discussion about it, to religious belief or the loss of it, is a missed opportunity. The urgent question in our current chaotic world is to focus on the content and the consequences of all our beliefs and to adjust them if necessary, by using our common sense (which unfortunately is often obscured by belief! a real dilemma).
For this, it is necessary that we are prepared to do critical self-reflection and to investigate the validity of our worldview, of our beliefs, whatever the content is. Using the logical reasoning that we have (also) acquired in the past centuries is, in my view, not part of the problem (as many religions want us to believe) but of the possible solution.
Believing is not a tenable excuse for not thinking for yourself, the consequences of thoughtlessness are simply too great for believers and alleged infidels. Believing is inevitable, but its counter-productiveness is not.
Remember, what we believe affects us and our environment, whether we believe it or not! Not in a magical way, as New agers want us to believe, but in a daily, observable way.
So, research ruthlessly your own behaviour, and your own beliefs and take responsibility for their consequences. And, if necessary, invest in the arduous task of adjusting them for your and our benefit. That is compassion in action, for us and for each other.
Take care!
