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Beliefs are important. They are the basis upon which our minds make split second decisions when confronted with circumstances as we perceive them. Since the decisions we make determine the quality of outcome it is no less important that our beliefs correspond to the reality we face. Our very lives as individuals and as a species depend on it. It is for that reason, when time permits, I've devoted much of my 'free' time to questioning my beliefs placing a priority on knowing.
The human mind is easily decieved (sic), no less so for lack of knowledge and experience. We come into this world with virtuely no comprehension of what's going on around us. As we grow and before we learn (if ever) to reason we depand largely on the explanations we are given from others in trying to make sense of who we are, where we are, the nature of the world around us and what we should do about it.
I believe religion has been the go to in the past for filling the void in our knowledge and understanding. In order to progress further is our capacity to reason that must be developed. It is through a process of reason we are enabled to question what we think we know, the means and process by which we acquire knowledge of the outside world and the pitfalls of failing to interpret the input from our senses correctly.
Knowledge is hard work, even if some seem to enjoy the process more than others. At some point we need to acknowledge we may never have all the answers and realise that it is the quality of our knowledge that largely determines the quality of our lives.
People believe all sorts of things about just about everything, even about some things that are not at all. Apart from reason tempered by knowledge and mutual experience agreement will always be hard to come by. Of the two, agreement or disagreement I value the latter far more for it is through disagreement someone if not both parties potentially stand to learn something new.
I appreciate your encouraging words Theland. We all still have so much more to learn.