The ferocity with which we believe

# Chapter 210

The quality of our belief does not make a thing so. The ferocity with which we believe something doesn’t make it true either. What is true is true whether I believe it or not, and the character of my belief or not, doesn’t change the factualness of a thing. Now culture changes its opinion about a matter all the time, and which sources we choose to listen to influence the quality or certainty of our beliefs about many things. How we arrive at a great many of our “facts” are actually just a culturally or socially accepted understanding of a given subject. And the internet has acerbated this process for now, we “google” what we think we know to get verification. And that is bad enough, but not nearly as bad as believing what Facebook tells you . . . and then asks you to share and repost.

We willingly or unwillingly tell and retell unsubstantiated information and “facts’ all the time. I write this hoping that this helps me and you be open to having our thoughts and beliefs changed. To challenge us to top notch scholarly research and thinking. To explore ideas from every angle, not just to confirm what I think I already believe.

This would make what you and I believe way more certain and far less emotional. I guess this whole mental conversation has come about because of the recent political machinations that have been going on in this last recent president election. Conspiracy theories alone are enough to drive a thinking person crazy. I have rolled myself eyes so much in the last few months, that they are stuck in a loop.