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Monday, January 30, 2006
Beliefs are ideas which are mentally accepted as to be true. When a person believes in something, he consciously judges the idea and then attaches the value of correctness to it and in the process of doing so, also attaches his feeling of correctness to it. Therefore, a belief is not only something you think is true, but also something you feel is true. Some time ago, I was compelled to re-examine my beliefs and question myself why I believe in what I believe - including my religious faith. I remember there was once I declared to a good friend that having no religious faith is better than having one because faith, per se, can be dangerous. Indeed, it is. Faith is a more intense belief; there is a very strong emotional attachment to an idea one thinks is true. And faith is an important element in any religion, for without faith, there can be no religion because religion itself requires a certain degree of submission to a fixed set of ideas. As much innocuous as faith seems, the potential dangers lurking therein are very real. In recent times, we have witnessed for ourselves the enormous extent of destruction of human lives and property wrecked by terrorists, who placed unquestioning, fanatical faith not in just their religion, but also in the ostensible religious leaders who have a far murkier private agenda. Such is the power of faith, that could drive a person to do the most unimaginable things. If you most implicitly believe that you could go to Paradise by dying under the right circumstances, you will be most predisposed to die under those circumstances - even if it means deliberately activating bombs on your body and killing other people (not just yourself) in the process. Such is the power of faith. Evidently, our beliefs permeate and influence much of our behaviour. Let's not debate about whether we should have beliefs or not but it's undeniable that beliefs play a crucial role in how we function in and interact with the external world. Because of the way we think, we inadvertently bring to life our thoughts in our speech and actions. Therefore, when we take up a belief so easily and so convincingly and not challenge it, the belief becomes dangerous. And it was on this premise that I told my friend that religious faith is dangerous. Because religion has an inherent tendency to explain the world in its dogmatic absolutes and command absolute belief in them - blind faith. And so, I had been questioning myself whether what I had believed all along was truly and indeed based on blind faith. Did I believe because it was stated in the books? Did I believe because my parents do? Did I believe because everyone says so? Did I believe because it is comfortable to believe in what I do? Did I believe because my past experiences seemed to suggest so? As these questions slowly sank in, it became clear that it was the ultimate question: What is true and what is not? Instinctively, we believe in something because it is grounded in the reality, the truth. Yet, who is to know whether it is really the truth beside this thing called Belief which adamently insists that it is so? And is that something really the truth in the first place? That is when a sceptical attitude is necessary in curtailing the dangerous power locked in religious faith. Ultimately, all, if not, most religions endeavour to alleviate suffering in one way or another by prescribing their believers a system of morals and conduct to follow. But instead of merely accepting it, we should be really asking ourselves: Is it really? We should rise to the challenge of actively questioning and testing those truths against reality and realize those truths ourselves based on human experience and then embody those truths in our speech and behaviour. The crux is then not a matter of whether God or whoever dictates us to do it, but a matter of how we live our lives. Faith through practice then transcends blind faith to become something more personal and more real. Because this faith then possesses the testimonies of your inculcated virtues of compassion, wisdom and perseverence. Then, what is really true and what not do not matter anymore. Because you have attained the goal of perfecting yourself, at least to the best you can. In the process, you, too, have alleviated much of your suffering. And it was this simple realization that I knew I am believing healthily because - well, wasn't I questioning and contemplating my beliefs just now? Posted by |z|r| at |
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kindly. SHOUT. archives credits |
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