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Realizing Beliefs
Prior to entering college, I rarely analyzed my own beliefs. I always assumed that eventually I would determine my beliefs and spirituality but that I was too young, busy and impatient to figure it out now. Of course, I was incredibly wrong. Entering college and taking this course has forced me to examine and challenge my beliefs.
Through the exercises in Mindworks, I have realized the impact of one my central beliefs that hurting people intentionally is wrong. Although this may sound like a basic, universal belief, it has strongly influenced my interactions and relationships. There is a web of related beliefs tied to this main belief: It's wrong to cheat on your lover, lie to loved ones, make fun of others or harm others in any mental, emotional or physical way. Despite that I’m changing now, for most of my life, I avoided confrontation for fear of hurting or offending others. Especially when I was younger, my craving for approval caused me to avoid doing anything offensive and to change how I acted depending on the situation. This tendency has decreased significantly as I have developed more self confidence, but I still feel guilty if I think I acted rude, patronizing, or offensive. Since I hold myself to these standards, I get upset when other people intentionally harm others. I get annoyed with rudeness, uncomfortable with excess gossip, disgusted with racism and discrimination, and sad or angry with violence. I also believe in that I can create good karma through compassion. So in addition to feeling guilty when I hurt others, I often fear that I will suffer the repercussions latter.
My idea of karma isn’t identical to the Buddhist concept because I am unsure of reincarnation. Our class discussions of reincarnation have made me think about souls, after life and spirituality. Like the Dalai Lama, Bruce Lipton and many of the scientists in Quantum Questions, I believe science offers crucial insight into the nature of reality but that people should not rely solely on science to define their understanding of the world. Many areas of humanity extend outside the scope of science and are necessary for having a meaningful life. Although I am unsure of all my beliefs of after life, I do believe in souls and that consciousness exists after death. I have found it difficult to explain my belief in souls because the idea seems so natural to me. (This is a sign of how deeply conditioned this beliefs is in me.) I believe souls and minds are what make humans and animals more than just chemicals and matter.
I agree with Buddhist philosophy that consciousness defines the difference between sentient and non sentient beings. Although animals’ feelings and consciousness are not as complex, I still think that animals have souls and consciousness. This belief, along with my personal connection with animals, has made it easier for me to find additional evidence to validate my reasoning for being vegetarian.
Reading Mindworks has reminded me how easy it is for people to selectively absorb things that confirm their current beliefs. This is a natural tendency because confirming your beliefs is necessary for your psychological well being (Astin 40).
Therefore, changing ones negative or incorrect beliefs is beyond difficult. Despite that many people believe their opinions are set with adulthood, like the Dalai Lama, I believe that neuroplasticity shows that even adults have the capacity to alter their deepest beliefs. As Astin implies, the first step to changing ones negative or incorrect beliefs is to realize and examine their existence.
