The Challenge of Challenging Oneself

            What if we truly lived with the belief that each and every single individual had something completely important to contribute to the world we live in? What if we made a conscious effort to value each other with this in mind? What if we didn’t dismiss those who oppose us and instead embraced that opposition in hopes to gain a greater understanding of our holistic world? I can hardly imagine a world in which we fully release our pride and accept the idea that even those we disagree with have something of value to offer us.

I don’t think we are pressured enough to learn how to separate a person’s intent from their beliefs. I don’t think we’re pressured enough to question our own beliefs. In fact, I can say from personal experience that I have been given the strong impression that questioning my beliefs will somehow make me a lesser or weaker individual. I have not explicitly been told this but I’ve noticed that when someone questions their own beliefs, they’re usually viewed as someone to be concerned or worried about. I don’t think we’re challenged enough. I think people might say they want to be challenged, but are not sure of what being challenged actually means. Some people are scared to objectively examine the beliefs of those who oppose them.  I believe this fear leaves us utterly vulnerable to our own ignorance.

What if we truly lived with the belief that

 each and every single individual had something

 completely important to contribute to the world we live in?

We have a tendency to alter our image of anyone who we perceive as wrong before we even attempt to gain a full understanding of his or her stance. This seems to be a defensive mechanism we utilize once we define someone as a threat to ourselves based on our differences. In doing this, we perpetuate hate. In doing this, we dismiss the belief that everyone is made in God’s image. In doing this, we neglect the importance of others. In doing this, we let go of our ability to display unconditional positive regard. In doing this, we become arrogant and prideful. If you were once told that loving one another is important then maybe you’ll agree that love starts with respect and love starts with the desire to understand one another.

I doubt there will be a person in this world that goes throughout their life without experiencing a disagreement with someone else. What matters is how we deal with those disagreements. I think most people can agree that no one is perfect. The definition of perfect is

‘Without fault’

If we believe no one is perfect then we must believe no one is without fault. If everyone has fault then there is a possibility for anyone’s belief system to contain error. However, the second someone questions our beliefs a disagreement breaks out. Typically we insist we are correct and often become angry towards the opposition. This is usually a result of our own passions overtaking us. There is something to be said for the one who can control his or her passions; for the one who can discern when to be humble enough to hold back and not assume his or her correctness over a situation. When we allow our passions to run rampant we lose control of those passions. When we lose control of our passions we become close-minded. When we become close-minded we lack humility and we gain arrogance. It’s not too long before we allow our passion to overtake us and we begin protecting our beliefs over everything. What it comes down to is this:

If what you believe is absolute truth then that belief requires no protection.

If what you believe is absolutely the truth then all paths will lead to that truth in the end. With this in mind it’s time to stop defending. It’s time to be open-minded. An open-mind allows us to listen to others and value what they have to say. Contrary to popular belief, an open-mind is not dangerous to your faith. Some of the most influential philosophical minds questioned their own beliefs and their beliefs were actually strengthened through it. A closed mind automatically assumes all conflicting beliefs are insignificant. When we become defensive of our beliefs we tend to dismiss what our opposition might value. In the midst of our dismissive attitudes we leave those individuals feeling under-valued. An open-mind never made anyone weaker. Challenging and questioning your own beliefs can only make them stronger. Believing that all individuals have something important to contribute to this world we live in will enhance our ability to love and grow our desire for true understanding.