Belief (Part II)

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Le penseur" is still penseuring.

In the first part of this contemplation series, I introduced the idea that we cannot choose what we believe; we are instead convinced by it.

We do, however, retain the choice over the selection of ideas to which we expose ourselves:

Which thoughts will we choose to entertain?

Which books will we choose to read?

Which people, opinions, and media will we choose to listen to?

Additionally, we get to choose how we engage with these ideas:

Will we entertain them sincerely and curiously, with a genuine desire to seek truth?

Will we allow preconceived notions to taint our perception?

Will we allow fear to keep us from entertaining new ideas altogether?

Beyond this, however, there is another crucial way in which we exercise our ability to choose. It is one of the most critical decisions we can make, because if the wrong choice is made, any belief we hold becomes entirely irrelevant. Despite its importance, the question is simple:

Will I honor my beliefs?

Yes, this is a choice: to honor my beliefs; to abide by them; to align my words, actions, and way of life with what I hold to be true, so that all that I do and all that I am reflect what I believe.

This question is simple, but it is not easy. Countless forces try to draw me away from what I hold to be true. Fear, in particular, is forever pulling at my heart and urging compromise.

But what is a belief if it is not lived out?

A man who believes he ought to be kind, yet chooses not to be, is an unkind man all the same.

A man who believes he ought to be charitable yet has never given anything away freely is not a generous man.

Curiosity or defensiveness - I get to choose how to engage with ideas.

Belief: To think it is true and take according action.

True belief is not a matter of imagination or merely wishful thinking. It is a deep conviction of what is actually real; it is a sincere attempt to recognize truth. If belief does not pull at the reins of my life, driving me forward, then it remains only a caricature of what it ought to be.

True belief drives action.

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