What does it mean to believe? The neatly boxed up definition from the Oxford English Dictionary is that, “it is to accept that (something) is true, especially without proof.” But this limited explanation leaves no room for the many aspects and dimensions of what it actually is to believe in something.
Most children (but not all…) believe in the judgement of their parents. Intrinsically they come to accept that what is done for them is done out of protection and with their best interests in mind; it is simply the divine order of things that this is how a parent child relationship works.
What happens if a parent abuses and usurps the position of trust that they possess, what effect does this have on the child? It distorts their belief and thrusts them into a vortex of uncertainty, often culminating in their reassessment of the parent child relationship. They might question what it was they actually believed in; on some level they have been betrayed by the parent, yet it is the failure of the way things are supposed to be that does the most damage. The relationship is fatally flawed, the young person no longer has a complete and convicted belief in the actions of the parent and they come to question the trustworthiness of the relationship. They have been introduced to the reality of life; that unfounded belief, which is based on supposition and assumption, is brittle and prone to failure.
It is fair to say then that we are born with the inbuilt capacity to believe. We need to believe in something as a human being; it gives us some reason for existence. To believe affects every circumstance in life; we convince ourselves that there is a better quality of life, a better relationship out there, better employment prospects, that the world is full of good people or that circumstances are not as bad as they seen. Yet, think about it, often there are no grounds for such assumptions, we believe in these ideas to comfort ourselves.
Belief then is often a human coping mechanism. I’m not for one second saying it is wrong; self delusion is as much necessary for human happiness as anything else. If we didn’t believe we would find ourselves alone in a world of reality, and reality is not something that many of us wish to face.
If on many occasions, belief is often founded on less than solid merits then surely we must question it. Take religion for example. It is often said that on a patient’s deathbed they call for a priest or minister so that they can make their peace with God, even those having never believed in God at all. (My mother is a palliative nurse) Why is it in their most needy moment they chose to believe? Is it too much to assume that it is the very act of belief that offers comfort, and not the subject?
If this is so, then surely many of us should question the validity of our believing in a higher power. If a minister stood up on a Sunday morning and renounced his faith, tore shreds off the church and resigned himself to believing that there is no God after all, (perhaps it is that he is convinced and not in belief of this idea but that is another argument for another time), how many of his church would walk out and never return? What I’m saying is that sometimes it is the visual representative of religion that we believe in and when this is taken away we find ourselves with absolutely nothing to pin our belief to; religion becomes a belief because it provides feelings of safety, and not because we wholly believe that there is a greater power out there.
I assert that any belief should be pushed to the edge of reason. No one should be taken for a ride by any theme or ideology; in fact there is something totally sacred about questioning everything in life. Lets not find ourselves believing in something because of what the act of belief may offer us.
Call me cynical, but I would strongly advocate, at some time or another, walking away from any belief we hold. When we leave behind everything that causes us to believe, we are left with the very focal point of what we believe in. We become either persuaded beyond a shadow of a doubt that what we believe in is true and right, or we find that when all other attachments are stripped away, we are left with nothing but an empty idea. Either way, the outcome is positive; we deepen our belief or become disillusioned and enlightened.
So what I’m really trying to say is that we can easily believe in something for the sake of believing; to gain an identity or to experience a feeling of security. But lets not fool ourselves. Take a long look at where your beliefs lie, question and debate them until you are satisfied that beyond doubt they are founded in strong, convicted personal belief.
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