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My belief on beliefs.
I am a man of beliefs. In my heart and in my mind I believe certain things. On the issue of abortion, I believe… On the issue of gay marriage, I believe… On the issue of gun control, I believe… On the issue of illegal immigration, I believe… On the issue of public smoking bans, I believe… On the issue of the war, I believe… On the issue of censorship, I believe… On the issue of standardized testing, I believe… On the issue of religion, I believe… THESE ARE MY BELIEFS!
My beliefs are just that, mine. I do not feel the need to bombard the world with them. Standing on a soapbox just does not seem comfortable to me. I have no desire to argue my beliefs endlessly with another knowing our bitter words will simply fall to the ground unabsorbed by one another. His will, his beliefs, unless unsteady and weak, will not succumb to my reasoning, or mine his. And, if his beliefs did crumble before the power of my words, if his will was broken by mine, would I even want this weak minded individual sharing my belief? My beliefs are steadfast and true . They cannot be easily shifted or swayed by another. And neither should anyone else’s. A belief cannot be changed unless one is ready to change that belief.
However, in our society, many people not only feel the need to vocalize their beliefs, but to also ram those beliefs down the throats of others no matter how uneducated they are on the issue or how disconnected they may be from it. For example, Hollywood actors and other celebrities espouse their beliefs on issues from gun-control to the war to the economy. However, their views are invalid. Their world is one of exclusivity and privilege. They live in multi-million dollar mansions, fly around in private jets, ride around in limousine and wear expensive jewelry, yet they will tell me what to think, what to believe? Sure, they visit impoverished countries, donate money and even adopt some of their children, but does this give them the right to preach to me and tell me how to live? Their world is nothing like mine. When they leave those countries they return to their lavish and often very decadent lifestyles.
They shout and scream and complain about the horrors of war yet have no qualm making millions of dollars exploiting wars in their make-believe films while our young men and women put their lives on the line for real. In their arrogance they tell us we need to be “green.” How many celebs have you seen car-pooling to a red carpet affair? How many celebs have sat beside you on a coach airline flight instead of hoping in their private jets? The Hollywood elite telling me how to live is just as preposterous as me telling someone living in a small dirt floor hut in some impoverished country on the other side of the world what to believe. I know nothing of their circumstances. I know not their joys and misfortunes. So, why should I, in my arrogance, tell them what to believe, or how to live? Why should I force my beliefs on them? I don’t live in their world and those who live in the world of celebrity do not live in mine. So celebrities, keep your beliefs to yourself! You may have played a president on TV but that does not make you a political expert. You may have played the role of an awe-inspiring teacher but that does not mean you can now tell teachers how to teach. You may have fought as a soldier in a movie but that certainly does not mean you have earned the right to judge the brave young men and women who have freely and honorably decided to defend our country.
Social and political activist groups also like forcing beliefs on people. However, they really don’t seem to care about the ramification of one following their belief, they just care that someone adopts their belief. Picture this: A young, poor teenager girl becomes pregnant. She decides to go to a clinic so she may learn about her options. Outside the clinic are two groups of people with very strong beliefs. On one side of the clinic the girl is being yelled at by pro-life activists. They scream at her and shove photos of aborted fetuses in her face in an effort to bring her around to their belief. On the other side, a group of pro-choice demonstrators tell her to go in and do what she thinks is right. They tell her, “Those people (the pro-lifers) can’t tell you what to do with your body.” Yet, in all the fire and the fury, no one cares about the girl or the fetus for that matter. Both groups only care about their individual belief. If she makes the decision to abort and one day down the road is filled with regret and remorse, will the pro-choicers be there to comfort her and help her through that trauma? Will those pro-choicers be there to teach her abstinence or effective methods of birth control so she will never be forced to make this kind of CHOICE in her life again? If she keeps the baby, will the pro-lifers help to provide food, shelter and clothing for the baby? Will they babysit while the young teen mother works a part time job and goes to school so she can better support her child? The reality is no side will be there to help that girl after her decision has been made. All they want is someone to share their belief, even if it’s just for a moment.
So what’s the solution? Do we keep our beliefs to ourselves? Surely nothing could ever be accomplished this way. How would any of us grow? First and foremost, we must understand that a belief is something that all people hold true . We must understand that as a society we do not have to change a person’s belief, we just have to figure out a way for people of different beliefs to live together. If my religion is different than yours and we worship separate Gods, does that mean we must hate one another? Does this mean we must try to convert one another? Does this mean we must alter each other’s beliefs? The God another person believes in does not affect me, unless that person tries to convert me. In essence, it is our actions that must change, not our beliefs.
In my life my views have changed. I have seen other perspectives and incorporated them into my own. But these changes have come about internally. I, of my own accord, have thought about and challenged my own beliefs, and through investigation, meditation and contemplation, some of those beliefs have changed. However, no one can break my spirit, change my mind or erase my beliefs through catchy slogans, protests or angry assaults. These things will only help to solidify my beliefs. Change can occur through intelligent dialog, research, and self-analysis but not through hateful discourse and manipulative rhetoric. We however, know nothing of this. Beliefs are attacked, ridiculed and assaulted often time for no good reason. And sometimes even the believers themselves are violently attacked and assaulted. Can your belief, really hurt me? Can mine hurt you? Only actions can hurt. Radical actions such as violence, bigotry, and hatred carried out on the basis of beliefs; these things can hurt. But why do these actions occur? These actions occur because someone is trying to force their beliefs on another.
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