Think about the things that you believe. Think about your ideas, principles, and values. Where did they come from? How do you confirm that they are true? When is the last time you sat down and kicked the tires on your brain?
It is amazing in an age with so much information that so many people can act with absolute certainty on their beliefs. It begs the question of how much self-reflection is really going on out there, if any at all. But why don’t we want to know if we’re right about the things that we believe?
Well there have been a lot of attempts to answer this question by sociologists, psychologists, and other eggheads (as well as unqualified amateur know-it-alls who start their own website). Many of the studies and research have indicated that the sense of community behind beliefs is often held more important than the actual validity of the content. What is most fascinating is the finding that people are generally not dissuaded from a belief when they are proven wrong. What tends to happen instead is the person gets angry and doubles down.
I wish that I could remove myself from the results of this study and laugh at the stupidity and misfortune of others. However, there are countless examples in the past (and not that long ago) of having this exact reaction to the defeat of my own beliefs. Even after knowing about these studies it is hard not to have this reaction.
I have heard countless rants in my life about how people do not have any common sense, followed by questioning of why we can’t see what is right in front of us. These diatribes often do not consider the difficulty in knowing and understanding truths. It is accurate that the truth will set you free, often times it will set you free from everyone around you.
People like the status quo. It is the state that we all grew up in and were educated by and use to navigate through society. Questioning the fabric of society can be very alienating, and historically has been rather deadly. So why do it?
This is a good question to ask yourself, and the cost might be too high for you to handle. You should, however, be thankful for those who have.
Nothing changes without asking questions. Every step forward in technology and knowledge is a result of someone questioning the old way. So why wouldn’t you want to internalize this process? Why wouldn’t you want to question the way that you see the world and risk improving your situation?