– “There is a beauty that arises from withholding judgment and evading comparison, a grace in not demanding consensus.” -- David Romtvedt
There are three basic levels of “proof” that many people use to gauge what they believe.
- personal – feelings, choices, parents, etc
- interim - expert authority, consensus, believable, predictable
- ultimate - physical ness - space-time-form
- Ever believed something to change your mind later about it with more information? Everyone has. So how can you really trust anything you currently believe?
- Expert authority or consensus is even worse. Experts and everyone all knew the world was flat. But it wasn’t. The majority thought burning witches at the stake was a good idea. People often believe a lot as a society, but it changes with time. Not a good way to decide what you believe in.
- Your senses lie to you all the time. The sun does not dip into the ocean or bury itself into the ground at night. But that is why your eyes are telling you. The sun is bigger than your hand, but that is why your eyes are telling you. Railroad tracks do not meet in the distance, but that is what your eyes are telling you. Dog whistles actually make noise, but your ears don’t hear them? Your sense lie to you all the time.
So in reality none of them are valid, because the real world is beyond any of these. That is why they keep failing.
There is actually a 4 th way to judge reality. Your inner knowing. It knows and has direct connection with the mind of God. I like using My inner knowing to guide my beliefs and choices.
But like the quote from second hand lions (great movie by the way) goes is
“Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in.”
Believing in things because those things are worth believing in.
Instead of believing in things because they are right or true.
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