Core-Belief

I was scouring through my drafts and I came upon this draft.  I figured I'd post it:


Core-Belief definition:

Core beliefs
(1) A belief is a premise, accepted with or without proof, which allows us to predict and build our future. Our beliefs (premises) become the foundations on which automatic, repetitive behaviour patterns are formed. As children, we unquestioningly adopted many of the beliefs and emotional patterning of our parents, siblings, friends, teachers and religious leaders. These core beliefs formed our foundational view of reality and became entrenched in our subconscious. As adults, we have grown consciously and chronologically, but some of our subconscious core belief systems may have remained suspended in their child states. By addressing outdated subconscious childhood belief systems, we can align our subconscious and conscious minds and resolve inner conflict. Once this has been achieved, we are free to live according to our own beliefs.

Someone from a message board I used to visit responded to this definition with:

"If we "choose" what we believe, then it isn't really a belief, is it? When I BELIEVE something, I don't see it as optional."

I think we can all agree that when people hear the word 'belief', they almost always correlate it with religion. It's obvious where this person was going with that statement above. (As an aside, I have to say that if I were their God, and someone believed in me only because they felt they needed to, that's a little less than flattering. Then again, it'd most likely be my fault since I did kind of threaten them with that whole lake of fire thing, so I probably shouldn't take much offense to it.)

I think many hold onto their beliefs since the world would be just that much more unbearable for them if they had to tarry without them. This is how the illusion of a 'non-optional' belief in something might be formed. An unyielding devotion to a belief almost renders the belief required, but not for the sake of the explicit devotion to the belief itself, but for the implicit alleviating comforts gained that holding this belief serves to the person holding it. The belief serves the believer. Beliefs are usually self-serving and serve a purpose that benefits the one holding it.

Obviously if abiding by a belief is non-optional, thereby 'required', this suggests that the person doesn't actually choose the belief, the belief chooses them. (There may be some truth to that, actually. i.e., beliefs your raised into, etc). So if believing in something is required (i.e., non-optional), then we can agree that believing in it does not make it any more or less true than another who is alternatively required to NOT believe in what you hold to be true.

I think saying that a belief in something is 'non-optional' is ultimately an illusion. There may be outside influences that are dependent on your belief and this is what subconsciously gives the illusion of it being 'required' to believe in so that it doesn't disrupt the equilibrium that is keeping your house of cards from crashing down. It may be that a belief serves as a defense mechanism, and a way to avoid inferences that the newly revealed truth may set forth.

You always have a choice to seek things out. Some handle new revelations differently. The thing is, people arrive at their beliefs much differently than others. Some arrive at conclusions by empirical means, others don't. And so it goes.