It was an interesting evening of honest and thought provoking conversation. A room full of gals. Chatting. Coffee and really getting down to business. The topic? Where do we really get those beliefs we have? Whether we’re dealing with religion, politics, or culture, when you break it all down, where do we get those strong, die-on-a-hill-for feelings? You know, the ones you can truly “prove” and back up. The ones worth “giving your life” over.
Sometimes, it’s from our traditions. Because our grandparents or parents “said so.” Other times, it’s due to the strong ways of the community we associate with and how they encourage us to believe. We tend to lean toward what those around us say or believe. But at the end of the day, when you lay down to rest, why do you believe what you believe? Where are you actually getting “that?”
Is it from ancient wisdom, or a new law? Is it from your personal convictions or past history? Is it from a well-meaning advisor or friend? What exactly IS your plumbline? Do your strong beliefs come from a desire to please or to not offend? Or, do they really come from something tried and true? Something that you know, that you know, that you know, stands the test of time, holds water and bears complete “truth.” In other words, when all the facts are in, the answer is clear.
Maybe this will help…for people who follow the laws of the land, the Law is the bottom line. If you are muslim, the Quran is the bottom line (outside influences are non-negotiable). If Jewish, the Old Testament and the sages are the key. If you are Christian, the bottom line is the Scriptures. Or, at least, it should be.
I am amazed today at the beliefs of people. And when I ask them, “Where did you get that?” at times, I must admit, they respond with a brief blank stare. They can’t directly point to the exact information or proof that gives them the cold hard facts they need. And I am finding many times, facts to them, are irrelevant. What they want to (or choose to) believe trumps the facts at hand. More times than not, they live their lives on their personal desires, or emotions, or convictions or beliefs. No real tried and true, over-the-test-of-time doctrines per se.
All I know is this, what the culture you live in now believes, in your country, today, will most likely vary from others personal beliefs in another country, tomorrow, somewhere. And it will most likely vary from what others in this country believed decades ago or will believe tomorrow. We will always differ. Cultures will always shift. So, who’s right? Who’s wrong? It’s hard to say. It depends on where those inner laws and beliefs come from. If you don’t have one common denominator or bottom line, where does your heart go to for answers? Are you perhaps embracing a shifting truth? If so, that really isn’t “truth” at all. It’s merely a wavering opinion. It’s a personal issue. For you. For me. So, when it’s all said and done, where exactly, again, did you “get that”? Do you even know? 🙂
It’s something to think about.
S.
