"It is natural for the mind to believe and for the will to love; so that, for want of true objects, they must attach themselves to false." ~ Blaise PascalWhy? Why do you believe what you believe? Do you know? Does it matter? I think many people go through life with a belief system that they cannot explain or defend if asked. This lack cognizance can span the spectrum of beliefs...religion, politics, cultural, scientific, and more.
Most of us inherit our early beliefs from our families. This make sense, of course, because this is what families do...they raise their children according to their own beliefs and customs. But, why did your family believe what they believed? Is it good enough to just believe something because it was passed down from your family?
Many people choose a political party based on their parents political affiliation. "I'm a Democrat because my Dad was a Democrat." Some rebel against their parents politics and choose the opposite party. Are either of these informed approaches? Do you know what the parties *REALLY* stand for? Do you believe that all candidates in a party stand for the same things?
Many people, when asked about their beliefs, speak in terms like "I just feel that..."or, "That's just what I believe." They think that simply feeling or believing something is validation enough and makes their stand true. Of course, they don't consider the question of what if someone else feels or believes the opposite? In that case, who's feelings or beliefs are true? Are both true? Do they cancel each other out and make both untrue? Maybe feelings and beliefs alone are not a trustworthy measure of truth.
There are very few things in life that we can be absolutely sure of...with no doubt or room for interpretation. Even in the world of science, we continue to discover new information every day...and sometimes this information overturns what we thought we knew before. Astronomy and astrophysics hold good examples of this changing understanding. Once, man believed the Earth to be the center of the universe...then he saw that instead, the Earth was only one of nine planets orbiting a star in a galaxy of billions of stars. And, even today, after the discovery millions of galaxies and the "Big Bang," the universe still holds mysteries beyond our comprehension.
But this lack of certainty does not, as some are apt to believe, make truth relative. The truth is the truth...whether we know or understand it or not. Belief should be based on our best attempts to discover THE truth. We may never be exactly correct, but we can base our beliefs on the best available evidence and sound principles. This evidence must be as broad as possible...and we should be open to new evidence that may change or adjust our beliefs. But, if we base our beliefs on sound and well reasoned principles, we will not easily be swayed by the latest wind of public opinion.
Do you believe in America? Why? What is the basis of your belief? Is it just because you "feel" patriotic about the land of your birth? Well, many Nazis fervently "believed" in Germany. Russians had national pride in the Soviet Union. And, let's face it, America has not been perfect, as most college professors will tell you. Can these countries be equally good?
Sound principle should be based not on emotion or conjecture, but rather on demonstrable, measurable or documented data, when at all possible. This can include statistical information, historical records, documented results. It should also recognize the reality of the world in which we live. No system of man is perfect. Anecdotal stories, either positive or negative, do not show the soundness of a belief system or set of policies. Part of the reality of this world is that there are always exceptions...outliers, if you will. Politicians are experts at taking the extreme outliers and depicting them as the norm, when it suits their purpose.
The Founding Fathers based the principles of this country on theories of government and actual political outcomes garnered over centuries of documented history. They studied what was good and bad in past kingdoms, tribes and republics. They considered what things had tempted and motivated the hearts of rulers and the ruled through the years. They discussed, debated, wrote, reconsidered and deliberated some more as they codified these principles into our founding documents. They also left us record of their diliberations, their reasoning and their intent. Through these records, we can know the principles on which our government was based, and judge their soundness by our history.
If your beliefs are based on sound reason, you will not be easily swayed by the whims of public opinion, or motivated by populist rhetoric. You will be anchored in a protected harbor. If your beliefs are based on feelings, you will be tossed by every wave, founder on the shoals and made the prey of tyrants.
You say you believe this...and feel that. I ask...Why?
I speak of "feelings" more in an earlier post, Emotions and Politics.
