Things Are Not Always as They Seem

Have you ever had a strong belief that you had to give up based on new information or growth of character?

I have.

Knowing that I have had to change my beliefs in the past makes me question that beliefs I hold now.  The truth is that you can’t be certain of anything.

So, knowing that our beliefs can be faulty, should we temper our commitment to our beliefs? Should we hesitate to commit towards fighting for our beliefs? For me, the answer is no.

It is not immoral to defend a false belief. If you believe in something, then you would not be true to yourself if you didn’t stand up for your beliefs. What is immoral is continuing to defend a belief when you know it is not true.

There’s this temptation to reject any information that contradicts something you’ve believed for so long, especially when you’ve internalized that belief and made it part of your identity. Giving up on it may mean that you are no longer the person you once were. It is terrifying to give up on long held beliefs and try to figure out who you are now they are no longer part of you. Until your figure out who you are without the belief, it can feel as if you have no identity.

It is better to struggle for years trying to rebuild your identity, than it is to take the default, false identity that came with your initials beliefs.

Too many people take the beliefs of their parents without question. This may be why we still struggle with racism, homophobia and misogyny despite the many enlightened leaders who have been giving evidence to the world that these are false beliefs and have no place in today’s society. Our culture as a whole has moved on from these outdated ideas, but there are still individuals or even sections of our society that refuse to give up on those beliefs that their parents and grandparents defended as the world changed.

I’m not asking anyone to replace their beliefs with mine. All I’m saying is that a person who wants to be true and whole, must question their beliefs. One way to start the questioning process if to ask if a belief is based on the truth as you know it or on the truth as it was told to you by those who want or demand that you believe what they do.