Tricks of the mind

That is the essence of belief. We use words as though we know what they mean and behave and think as though they are facts.

Beliefs are convictions based on a lack of proof. Our beliefs are so built into our way of thinking that it is difficult to separate real facts from imagined. In fact, we cannot separate our thinking from our beliefs, no more than we can separate ourselves into emotional, rational, spiritual and physical parts.

 

Yet we can put words on those things as though we really know what they are as though we can see something in our behaviour that identifies each separate part, but in fact, they are never separate. They are all part of the one and same person.

 

That is the problem. Words do not necessarily match the facts. We can talk about intelligence, for example, as though we really know it exists, but we have a difficult time proving what it is.

 

Just because we can speak a word that we can look up in a dictionary does not make it any more factual than another word which we do not believe.

 

What we believe now are truths. What others believe are myths and therefore evil.

Whether we choose to believe something or not doesn't make us superior to anyone else or give us any special advantage. They are our beliefs.

 

Often we believe something because we are told that unless we believe it there will be consequences. Believe this or you will be punished either now or later.

 

And we can all prove our beliefs because we have conducted a lot of mind experiments even if all thought experiments are just science-fiction. Every science fiction book I read when I was twelve was a thought experiment.

 

We all make assumptions and judgements living day to day. Choose to believe or not believe, it makes no difference. You cannot prove a belief either way. And you are still just believing.

 

Beliefs are something we know because we just think it is so. We interpret our experience as though it proves what we know.

 

And round and round we go again.

I believe it is important to believe and to allow others to have their own belief unless they threaten the well being of others.

 

But then, maybe it is all just tricks of the mind.