Beliefs are tools. These tools are useful to gain understanding of things, which allows you to better interact with the world around you. However, these tools can also be misused - leading to complacency - where you cease growth in wisdom and knowledge and become not the user of the tool, but the tool who is being used by others for a means to an end.
Circular Belief Systems and Scapegoating
To utilize beliefs properly requires honesty with one's self and the right motive. A good way to check if you're being honest with your self is to examine your beliefs by asking yourself "Why you believe what you believe" and tracing it back to it's root origin. If you find that your beliefs lead to no particular origin, but are in fact circular in nature, you are not being honest with yourself. I'll give an example of a Circular belief system.
Ex: The tooth fairy is real because the tooth fairy told me so in a letter he wrote and left under my pillow.
As you can see, there are some issues which aren't addressed in this belief. 1.) How does the person in the example know that it was the tooth-fairy who wrote the letter? 2.) How do they know the said "tooth-fairy" can be trusted?
Ultimately the premise of the tooth fairy being real is never backed up, but rather a vague and immeasurable premise is given to justify belief.
So why does someone choose to believe in a made-up fantasy over truth? It's because they don't know how to deal with truth. When dealing with problems we have two options. We can solve the problem or ignore it and hope it goes away. Circular Belief systems follow the latter and ignore the problem. They're there to cover for the fact that the person has not solved the problem yet.
Often times the person knows the solution to the problem, but may not like the outcome. They'll create an entity to pass the problem onto. This is known as scapegoating. I'll give an example.
Ex. Jimmy is a little boy who has a habit of blaming his wrongdoings on his imaginary friend Ralph. One day Jimmy takes a ring from his mom's jewelry box without her permission. Later on his mom finds out about it and confronts little Jimmy. "Jimmy", she says, "Why did you take my ring without my permission?" Jimmy replies, "I didn't do it, Ralph did!"
Here, Jimmy uses a scapegoat (his imaginary friend) to avoid discipline as opposed to telling the truth. His habit was built off the fact that he wanted to avoid an undesirable outcome. Whether the perceived outcome he had in his mind happens or not is irrelevant. It could have been many things like, "my mom will think less of me" or "she might spank me/punish me". Whatever the reason, it was counted as undesirable and therefore a scapegoat (the imaginary friend Ralph) was invented.
The Dangers of Misusing Beliefs and Moral Relativism
As with most tools, there are right ways and wrong ways to use them. Using a tool outside of it's purpose can result in injury to one's self and others. In the example I gave of little Jimmy and his imaginary friend, Jimmy causes harm to himself - by lying to his mom - and to his mom. He may not know it yet, but in lying he has lost credibility or trust. This problem could grow indefinitely, depending on whether or not this behavior continues throughout his life.
If you choose to misuse beliefs for extended periods of time you end up inflicting blindness on yourself. You might as well have gouged out your own eyes (figuratively speaking). You start to lose touch with reality the more you misuse beliefs, becoming desensitized to the world around you. Sometimes it could take years for you to get a grasp back on reality, other times you remain blind until your death. The belief system that represents this blindness is none other than Moral relativism, where everything, including the most taboo of the taboo (Ex. Rape, baby-killing, serial murder), become "OK". Truth no longer exists for such a person, hence they are blind to it.
Using Beliefs Positively
To use beliefs properly you must be honest with yourself and have a good and strong motive. Just as the builder of a house needs a strong foundation for the house to last, you need honesty with self and the right motive for your sanity, life, and accomplishments to have meaning. I think the parable of the wise and foolish builders attest to this sentiment quite well.
A wise man is one who builds his life on the pursuit of truth. When your life's work is built on truth, nothing shakes you, nothing stops you, you become a hero. When your life is not based on truth, everything shakes you, because you know that you're dishonest with yourself and that it could catch up to you eventually and stab you in the back. It is this fear that causes many to let go of reality; to wish concepts like truth away.
The pursuit of the truth comes at the cost of beliefs, perpetually. The pursuit of beliefs come at the cost of the truth, eventually.
Now ask yourself: "Am I the Tool or the Tool-user?"
Circular Belief Systems and Scapegoating
To utilize beliefs properly requires honesty with one's self and the right motive. A good way to check if you're being honest with your self is to examine your beliefs by asking yourself "Why you believe what you believe" and tracing it back to it's root origin. If you find that your beliefs lead to no particular origin, but are in fact circular in nature, you are not being honest with yourself. I'll give an example of a Circular belief system.
Ex: The tooth fairy is real because the tooth fairy told me so in a letter he wrote and left under my pillow.
As you can see, there are some issues which aren't addressed in this belief. 1.) How does the person in the example know that it was the tooth-fairy who wrote the letter? 2.) How do they know the said "tooth-fairy" can be trusted?
Ultimately the premise of the tooth fairy being real is never backed up, but rather a vague and immeasurable premise is given to justify belief.
So why does someone choose to believe in a made-up fantasy over truth? It's because they don't know how to deal with truth. When dealing with problems we have two options. We can solve the problem or ignore it and hope it goes away. Circular Belief systems follow the latter and ignore the problem. They're there to cover for the fact that the person has not solved the problem yet.
Often times the person knows the solution to the problem, but may not like the outcome. They'll create an entity to pass the problem onto. This is known as scapegoating. I'll give an example.
Ex. Jimmy is a little boy who has a habit of blaming his wrongdoings on his imaginary friend Ralph. One day Jimmy takes a ring from his mom's jewelry box without her permission. Later on his mom finds out about it and confronts little Jimmy. "Jimmy", she says, "Why did you take my ring without my permission?" Jimmy replies, "I didn't do it, Ralph did!"
Here, Jimmy uses a scapegoat (his imaginary friend) to avoid discipline as opposed to telling the truth. His habit was built off the fact that he wanted to avoid an undesirable outcome. Whether the perceived outcome he had in his mind happens or not is irrelevant. It could have been many things like, "my mom will think less of me" or "she might spank me/punish me". Whatever the reason, it was counted as undesirable and therefore a scapegoat (the imaginary friend Ralph) was invented.
The Dangers of Misusing Beliefs and Moral Relativism
As with most tools, there are right ways and wrong ways to use them. Using a tool outside of it's purpose can result in injury to one's self and others. In the example I gave of little Jimmy and his imaginary friend, Jimmy causes harm to himself - by lying to his mom - and to his mom. He may not know it yet, but in lying he has lost credibility or trust. This problem could grow indefinitely, depending on whether or not this behavior continues throughout his life.
If you choose to misuse beliefs for extended periods of time you end up inflicting blindness on yourself. You might as well have gouged out your own eyes (figuratively speaking). You start to lose touch with reality the more you misuse beliefs, becoming desensitized to the world around you. Sometimes it could take years for you to get a grasp back on reality, other times you remain blind until your death. The belief system that represents this blindness is none other than Moral relativism, where everything, including the most taboo of the taboo (Ex. Rape, baby-killing, serial murder), become "OK". Truth no longer exists for such a person, hence they are blind to it.
Using Beliefs Positively
To use beliefs properly you must be honest with yourself and have a good and strong motive. Just as the builder of a house needs a strong foundation for the house to last, you need honesty with self and the right motive for your sanity, life, and accomplishments to have meaning. I think the parable of the wise and foolish builders attest to this sentiment quite well.
A wise man is one who builds his life on the pursuit of truth. When your life's work is built on truth, nothing shakes you, nothing stops you, you become a hero. When your life is not based on truth, everything shakes you, because you know that you're dishonest with yourself and that it could catch up to you eventually and stab you in the back. It is this fear that causes many to let go of reality; to wish concepts like truth away.
The pursuit of the truth comes at the cost of beliefs, perpetually. The pursuit of beliefs come at the cost of the truth, eventually.
Now ask yourself: "Am I the Tool or the Tool-user?"
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