A man named C. Simmons once claimed that "Accurate knowledge is the basis of correct opinions; the want of it makes the opinions of most people of little value." For the most part I can say that I agree with Mr. Simmons; however, I think that the opinions or rather I would say that the beliefs of people matter a great deal, to them.
If people act based on what they value or on what they consider to be important, then it might be advantageous to learn how people determine value or worth. In order to find this I believe that the answer lies in the fundamental answers to life's most important questions, like 'who am I?' 'from where did I come?' 'is there a god?' 'what is right and wrong?'. The person, who believes that he (or she) is a massive collection of cells that evolved from some 'lower' life form, is going to value different things than the person who believes that they were uniquely created in the likeness of an infinite god. Just as someone who thinks that everything is merely a part of one large life force that cycles around, will behave differently than the person who says 'we are all gods you just have to get away from all the distractions to find your true god-self.'
Now it's not like every time we do anything we say 'wait a minute...what do I believe about this?' No certainly not. If people's actions are based in beliefs, it would have to be, for the most part, subconscious. Now using this premise, essentially that 'ultimately people's actions are determined in large part by their fundamental beliefs or assumptions about the world', I am going to be writing on several areas of 'belief' having to do with those big life questions in some of my future blog posts.
But right now I'm curious, just in general what do you value in life? What do you want to get out of life?
Post Script: I apologize for not having written in a while, I have been out of town for the past month or two.
What I think is really interesting are the times when people who believe totally different things value the same things. Perhaps their beliefs have more in common than they think! Although we may *say* we believe a great deal of things, I think "average Joes" have trouble overcoming their common sense and really /believing/ what they say they do.
ReplyDeleteAs to what I value... would you prefer a 3-page or a 6-page essay? Just kidding of course, but I find myself inestimably hard to summarize :-). Well, a lot of my values are the usual suspects: God, family, friends, happiness is quite nice :-), as is health, I also value the glory of God, especially as displayed in growth within myself (always encouraging!), I like learning and reading ...I'm kind of floundering because it's quite a general question, and I'm not quite sure what you're looking for :-).
Hi Matt ... in answer to your question I believe that 'LIFE' is magnificent and is something to be valued. I am not just referring to my own life or those that are close to me but the lives of all.
ReplyDeleteI believe that what makes me tick, is a buy product of the life I've led & the experiences that life has thrown at me. These experiences have led me to the work that I did as a community nurse & now a community disability care worker.
I guess when you boil it all down, I value the simple things in life. The air I breathe, the bed I sleep in, the roof over my head, my health & the health of my family,everyday I have on this earth, every kiss, every hug, every intimate moment, every meal I eat, every smile, every thank you, natures beauty... well, I think you get the gist.
What I want out of life is to know that I have lived life well. I have shared, loved & cared for others as I should. I want to feel at peace and when taking my last breaths, knowing in my heart of hearts that I have been a good person.
I guess you could summarize that I am a rather simple sort of person.
Here's a link that may interest you as you think about beliefs...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2008/10/a-test-of-essentials-and-non-essentials/
By the way, do you answer your own questions? :-)
And Katherine, I don't think you're simple-at least not in a bad way. Enjoy every moment - each is a treasure from the Giver of all good gifts!
I normally answer my own questions in the blog post itself; however, this last blog was a little unusual.
ReplyDeleteI value God, wisdom, knowledge, truth and love. I would say that one of the things that I really desire to get out of life, after my relationship with Jesus, is stability or security. This is likely a byproduct of the experiences that I have had similar to what Katherine was saying.