I said last night that I’m doing what I believe is the right
thing to do with regard to my neighbors, their rude ways, and their bully of a
son. You may not agree with me and that’s okay. You may think that my son needs
to knock the crap out of the bully to get a point across, and that’s okay, too.
I don’t mind if you do believe that – as long as you have a solid reason for
your belief. I have one for mine.
For the past couple of months I’ve been seeing people post
all kinds of political propaganda on their Facebook pages for one party or
another. I’ve posted a few items myself, although it’s not a constant thing
with me; when I post something it’s because it struck a chord with me. I don’t
discuss politics with anyone anymore because when I did I got tired of hearing
the person didn’t like the other candidate “because he’s an asshole. He’s
messing up/will mess up this country.” No basis behind the belief and nothing
concrete to explain why they felt the candidate was messing up or would mess up
anything. They couldn’t provide one solid example.
How can a person have a belief in something without knowing
why he or she believes in it? I don’t understand. I’ve always been a critical
thinker; I ask questions about anything and everything until I’m sure I
understand. I ask questions, and I do research, then I take all of my
information and put it together to try to make sense of it. Sometimes it works,
sometimes it doesn’t. But at least I’m able to draw my own conclusions and believe
what I want to believe; I don’t just take it for granted that something’s true
just because someone told me it is.
I had an argument with a junior high school teacher one day
because I asked him to clarify something he was dictating for our notes. He
couldn’t answer the question; “I don’t know,” was his response. Then he went on
to explain that he read the teacher’s edition of the same chapter I’d read the
night before. So he was reading the same thing I was and telling me about it
the next day. Why did I need a teacher if he was only repeating to me what I
already knew? If he didn’t have the
information needed to answer my question then how did I know that what I was reading
about was actually true?
Come to find out that not everything we’re told is true. Imagine
that. George Washington wasn’t the first president of the United States, John
Hanson was. How could Columbus have discovered America when Vikings were here
before he was? Why is the birth of Christ celebrated in winter when he was
actually born in the fall? Are you seeing a trend here? Just because someone
tells you it’s true doesn’t make it so, yet I talk to people all the time who
believe what they believe because “it’s what I was always taught.” So what?
Some of my religious friends, as well as strangers, get
extremely upset when someone calls them on their beliefs. I’m not the type of
person to beat my beliefs over someone’s head the way others I know do, and I
have no problem if your beliefs clash with mine, but I will ask a question or
two when they bring up their beliefs. Some of my friends actually get offended
that I don’t hold their beliefs and that I make them question why they believe
what they do. Most of them say they were raised to believe what they do. Again,
so what?
When I ask if they’ve ever questioned or researched some of
what they believe they ask why they should, “The Bible tells me everything I need
to know.” Then by that same logic the history book you read in third grade must
be 100% accurate too, right? They’ll admit the history book may be wrong but
the Bible isn’t. Okay, that’s fine, but don’t tell me I’m wrong about something
when you can’t give me a solid reason why I need to change my beliefs. I can
give you reasons to change yours.
I have my own beliefs about everything: politics, religion,
the way I raise my kids…and everything else I do in my life. And I know why I
believe the things I do. I can back up any one of my beliefs with a logical,
solid explanation. Can you? I don’t want my kid beating up on a bully because I
believe that we need to be nice to people, even when they’re mean, because it
creates a more positive attitude and atmosphere within ourselves. And until all
outside avenues have been exhausted to try to diffuse the bully, being nice is
the way to go. There may come a time when the need to defend himself will come
into play but as long as my son can be nice to a bully without engaging in
violence, he will.
I believe what I do about politics and religion because I’ve
studied, spoken to numerous people of numerous affiliations, have seen things
happen, and have put together my puzzle pieces to make sense of all the
information I’ve collected. I do that all the time, on a daily basis. You can question
me on any of my beliefs on any topic and I’ll answer you; except probably
politics, like I mentioned before. People tend to get really nasty when you
disagree with them or bust through their reasoning. They get less angry about
religion, from my experience.
I just find it hard to believe that so many people can
harbor the beliefs they do and not have any solid reasoning to back up why they
believe it. I teach my kids to question everything; Zach even took the
information, with a reference, to his teacher last year to show her that John
Hanson was the first US president. His teacher was impressed and learned
something new that day. I ask questions, my kids ask questions; do you, or do
you hold beliefs that someone told you to hold? Have you ever thought about it?
Why not?
Until next time…peace to all.
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