Belief

Belief Versus Question

Put simply, belief is the suppression of question. Look at that again:

Belief is the suppression of question.

This single sentence throws a big spanner in the works. Belief is such a huge part of our daily lives, and one tiny sentence can show how much we are deceiving ourselves - for when we suppress question in favour of belief, we choose irrational faith in place of reason; we invest in a part of the picture and ignore the rest.

This goes for believing anything - from the claims of a 30-second television commercial, to a 2000-year-old established religion.

To *disbelieve*, however, would also be self-deception. Cynicism and its cousins doubt and scepticism are expectations that things are not true; disbelief is still a belief, but this time a belief in the negative. Question is neutral: to be unsure, to accept the possibility that something might, or might not be true. Is it so harmful to remain honest and unsure?

The honest-thinker looks dispassionately at everything on offer, and gives interim credence to whatever seems to makes sense. An on-going allegiance to some idea or other without constant re-appraisal is crude, dishonest thinking, for the world is changing; expanding every moment, and if we are to continue growing and expanding too, we must use our intelligence to reassess our ideas on a regular basis.

Certainly, this constant questioning is less convenient than belief, but it's essential to honest thinking. And ultimately, rather than making things more difficult, honesty simplifies life. As you believe less, the busying aspects of those beliefs drop away too.

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