How Does One Accept New Ideas?
What deeply held personal belief have you had upended by objective facts or data? How did you accept it? Brian Kenner, A Learning Entrepreneur
This may sound strange, but I have no deeply held beliefs (in my unfolding maturity).
In fact, people (my family) often have difficulty with me because I will change my position rapidly—on new data that is. Talking with me can be disorienting (so my dear family says). As a result, others conclude that I do not stand for anything. This is simply not true. I stand for discovering the truth. I just don’t adopt any particular belief as absolutely true. I trust (so I suppose that this is my one deeply held belief) that I can discover the truth, so I am always looking. I evolve. I learn.
Moreover, I have few emotional attachments, and, I now have NO material attachments. But I used to. MANY. I am glad those attachments are gone now, but I am eternally grateful for their memory. I simply do not want to be in a prison of my wants. Instead, I really do want to be a pilgrim on truth’s journey. I know it sounds corny. But it is true.
How did I accept it?
So easy.
I know people have a hard time tolerating religiosity, but I have learned to accept that I might be wrong through a belief in God. When a person subordinates their belief in truth to recognize that God’s truth, or absolute truth, is the sole domain of God, and thus not knowable by any person, they escape adopting their beliefs as immutably true. It is a divine gift.
I honestly can’t say (with proof) that God is real. But, so that I can access my power of reason, I accept that he (or whatever God is) is real.
This how I accept that my beliefs may not be true. It works. And I am deeply grateful for it.
It is not irrational to believe in God.
