We All Believe

If you believe that something is correct, you own that belief. Anyone can have a belief. The question is what you do with that belief.

Owning a belief is work. The belief is not true just because you believe it. Because you believe it, you need to go out and do your due diligence to ensure that that belief is true. Your research should tell you of cases that support your theory of what you believe happened and it might show other causes which are not helping your belief.

This brings us to the first dilemma which we must figure out. Do you want to find the truth, or do you just want to be right? If you wish to be right bad enough, the probability is that no amount of researched facts will make you happy. You’re just not paying attention to the overall knowledge, and are only cherry-picking the facts that back you. This is not real research.

Real research gathers the facts, and in so doing, gives you a pool of knowledge with which you can weigh the pros and cons of a belief. We all are tempted to go to extremes, especially when the idea strikes emotions. Before we know it, we are using phrases like all or none, always and never, truth and lies. The problem with extreme phraseology is that it is almost always never true. Did I just go to extremes?

To do your research, you have to be willing to accept your findings. In some instances, the findings may be wrong, but you have to have other results that prove why. And sometimes especially if you are a little ahead of your time, you can be absolutely correct, and yet few will really believe you.

Just because you believe something does not mean you have the right to interfere with others and their beliefs in a violent or antisocial way. Violence is a great disruptor. Unfortunately, people who use violence to promote their truth only give others a reason to dismiss and not believe them. The one good thing about a belief is that a true belief holds good for everyone. And even if someone were the only one to hold a belief, it does not give them permission to disrupt others who are on their journey through life.

So what does this mean to us? If we think something is correct, go out and research it. Research can be done on your computer, on your phone, in a library, and even sitting on a corner bus stop and observing. Talk to people and learn their stories. Remember that it’s hard to hear their stories if you’re pushing your own agenda. Just open up and absorb what they are saying. Then research what they tell you.

Please remember that everyone is on their own journey through life. The beliefs and truths will vary by person, for within the whole of people, we are each an individual, researching and finding our own way.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof