The question was: Do your thoughts create your beliefs, or do your beliefs create your thoughts? (See the post 'Your Opine, Please.' just below.)
I shall now attempt to give you my thoughts…beliefs…oh boy here we go! These are merely my viewpoints. Each individuals view on this will be influenced and shaded by personal life experience, environment and association. Therefore I suppose (glad I didn’t say think?) each answer is as special and unique as the person themselves. There never has and never will be another exactly like you! So my answer may not run in the general vein as most of the replies and that is just as it should be….each with his / her own opine.
Perhaps the best way to provide my answer is with a few more questions. Are you up for that?
· Can you believe something without thinking about it?
· How strong could an unthinking belief be?
· From where would we acquire such a belief?
· Can you think something without believing it?
It seems to me that you can have a thought without believing it, but can you really have a belief without thinking about it.
You may think about what you believe, but do you believe every thought?
It is my submission that, as adults, we have to think about something before it becomes a belief. As children our beliefs were instilled, in us, by parents, teachers, preachers and others that were a part of our development. And that guidance is essential to our growth. As thinking adults however we should begin to ask ourselves questions about the beliefs we hold and do we really believe them or are they there by default.
Many of the things of which I was quite certain (beliefs), as a youth, have developed and grown (after personally thinking about them) to support new ideas and philosophies (i.e.: beliefs). I have not abandoned all the teachings of my childhood rather; I have strengthened some and replaced others with more appropriate thoughts and thus beliefs.
So I question again, can you believe something before you think about it? How confident would you be in a belief about which you had not personally contemplated.
Let’s take this exercise for an example.
Are you thinking about your belief…Which comes first?
Well, I hope this has been fun for you. It has been great fun for me.
And now that this reply is complete…
I think I’ll catch a ride with Dee. And you can believe that.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)