Time to turn around

When beliefs become collective and unquestioned, they become a danger to us all. It doesn't matter if they are social, cultural, economic or religious. The result is always the same: massive death and destruction. I would like to think that we, as a species, are smarter than to keep falling for the same delusions, but I'm having a hard time maintaining that belief in the face of all the evidence to the contrary.

When we were looking at individual beliefs and knowledge, it was clear that this overshadowing threat was simply not present. For all intents and purposes, it really doesn't matter what any one of us, what any given individual, believes. It does not have a significant, and certainly not a negative impact on the world at large (though any misguided individual can wreak a lot of havoc and cause a lot of harm). The problem arose when too many people bought into a given ideology without critically questioning where the beliefs should lead. In all of the examples cited, there was one common feature that was the ideologies ultimate undoing, namely its focus on one particular group to the exclusion of others.

All of these ideologies are drenched in us-vs.-them thinking. It can be the Master Race, or the Master Class, or the Greatest Country in the World ... it doesn't matter: each and every one of these belief systems, these ideologies, is exclusionary. Any individual or any group who is not part of the "elect" will either be forced to acknowledge the superiority of the "true believers" or they will be forced to pay the price for non-believing. Isn't there a way to avoid this pitfall? I would like to think there is, but I'm convinced it can't be found in the ideologies themselves. It can only be found within ourselves as individuals.

This is the reason that I suggested not long ago that an alternative to reading this summer might be some intense or serious reflection. I don't think it's a bad thing at all when we are sure, when we have reasons, when we can make clear to others what we believe. We can (and should) do this independent of anything that anyone else might think. We don't need to belong to a group, formal or informal, we only need to be ourselves and be aware of our own, individual approach to life. We need to be sure of ourselves and in doing so, we become an inspiration, or a role model, for others.

But where does one start? Anywhere is fine. You can start with your economic or political or social or cultural beliefs. It doesn't matter. The most basic question is "why do I believe ? The rest is up to you, your desire, your intent, and your attention span. Find out what you believe, then find out why. If you can't find any reasons, the time has come to ask yourself whether you want to continue believing that or not. Another place to start might be the question, "When and for what reasons does (my) life make sense to me?" Or maybe, "What is the single most important thing that I wished everyone believed?" If you're serious about it, the rest will follow, all on its own.

It is very likely that none of us individually can solve the world's problems. The good thing is, we don't have to. We've all got more than enough to do with getting our own houses (selves) in order. If you're having trouble making sense of everything "out there", the least you can do is try to make sense of whatever you find "in here".