Whether we adopt beliefs from other people, ascertain them (sub)consciously from the observation of our surroundings or choose them based on our preferences, the only reason to maintain a belief is for a purpose.
We rarely assess our beliefs for what they are truly worth. Some beliefs lose their value over time. Some are just there because they were impressed on us by a dramatic experience. They had a purpose during their inception, but later its value gets lost in the context of every day life.
Believing that ripe strawberries are red is inherently useful. It allows us to make accurate judgments concerning this fruit. It prevents us from buying sour berries in the grocery store.
Beliefs carry a lot of weight in the way we operate in the world. Whether we know it or not, the range of our behaviour, perception and thought is largely constrained by the flexibility of our beliefs.
If beliefs have such a dramatic influence on the ongoing experience of our life, how come we don’t put in more quality control?
Beliefs don’t carry labels with expiry dates. How do we know when they our outworn and served its use?
So many beliefs have sneaked under the radar, we are barely aware of them. And even when we are fully aware of them, we take them for granted, whether it is working against us or for us.
Take for instance the ecomomic climate the world has been in the past few years. A lot of people have emphasized over and over again, how hard it is to make money, find a job and make ends meat. And for sure, across the board, for the general public, things have been tighter and harder. It’s backed by overwhelming facts, just look at the employment rates.
But our beliefs are a choice. Shouldn’t we consider the utility of our beliefs in helping us lead our life more productively? With great scrutiny?
There are also a bunch of people that have seen opportunities in this particularly rough economic patch. Many new millionaires have sprung up. Some industries have taken tremendous advantage of the dynamics of our times. Some people are coming out on top… part of that has got to do with their beliefs.
You will see what you believe and we easily miss what we don’t expect. It’s a scientifically supported fact.
But changing our beliefs, at least publically, feels like incongruence. People that change their mind often are seen as fickle, or even wrong.
And our beliefs shape our sense of self and reality. Any changes in that can feel threatening, as something to avoid.
But why not put some quality control in the beliefs that rule our thinking?
And the question I prompt myself when I’m assessing a belief I hold is a simple one: is this belief making my life better, or is it making it worse.?
Or in other words, I ask myself ‘What’s in it for me to believe what I believe’. Is it going to evolve me, is it going to help me grow, it is going to help me overcome my obstacles, does it make me a better person? If a belief can’t pass that test, I really have to question whether I want to keep it.
And if it fails these questions, I throw it on the compost along with the mouldy fruit.