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A number of folks on these boards are saying or at least implying that they can consciously CHOOSE to believe things. If you are one of them perhaps one of you can help me. I have never been able to consciously CHOOSE any of the beliefs that I have and I would like to be able to do that. If you think that you can consciously CHOOSE to believe things, I wonder if you might explain how you do it. What do you do at the last moment to instantly change your one state of belief to another? What is it that you do that would allow you to say, “OK, at this moment I have a lack of belief that "x" exists or is true, but I CHOOSE to believe that "x" exists or is true and now instantly at this new moment I do believe that "x" exists or is true?
Maybe you could use something like leprechauns to demonstrate your technique. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a leprechaun is "a fairy peculiar to Ireland, who appeared in the form of an old man of minute stature, wearing a cocked hat and a leather apron" and who hides his gold at the end of the rainbow and if captured has to grant three wishes. So, assuming that you don't already have a belief in them, how about right now, while you are reading this, CHOOSE to believe - be convinced without a doubt - that they exist. Now that you believe in leprechauns, my question is, how did you do it? How did you make the instantaneous transition from lack of belief to belief?
Basically I learn new things, then that will change what I believe. My beliefs are a result of what I have observed and learned in the past!
The words empirical and scientific come to mind. You can observe and test things to see if they are true or not. See if something really exists.
For example you may see a red hot kitchen range cooking element...
Is it hot?
Touch it and you get burned. Place a thermometer on it and it says it is hot. Place water on it in a pan and it boils. Do it again and again... It IS hot!
As I read, say, that each cell or particle of any size holds a holographic image of
the whole of existence within it...I choose to believe that, I can imagine that and it makes sense from
other things I feel or know...tomorrow i may choose to believe something else...but,
an expansion on that theme.
But, i see that you are clearly asking about belief...not knowing.
I choose to believe in Leprechauns, btw, because of camping for 3 days and nights in the countryside of England...
Now i get why there are even tales of them...i could FEEL them, esp at dawn with the dew and steam
coming up from the grasses and edge of the tree line.
I choose to believe that in the American West there are the equivalent of nature spirits there, also...but not
not Leprechauns...the kinds Native Am's speak of and saw when on Vision Quests.
I choose to believe that Sylvia Browne told the truth and saw a little bitty fairy while she was on a bus
or train in London. I don't have to choose to believe her...i just do using my judgment and past tales of hers
that were like mine.
You speak of lack of belief..I dont think i have a lack of belief in much....if I don't know something...I am open
that it could very well "be'' or be true..
I mean what do I know if I haven't exp'd it...most everything NDErs
and Mystics have exp'd, from Kabir to St. John of the Cross, I have, also...so there's no choice there...even in reincarnation....been
there done that, too.
Last edited by Miss Hepburn; 04-22-2014 at 08:47 AM..
Basically I learn new things, then that will change what I believe. My beliefs are a result of what I have observed and learned in the past!
The words empirical and scientific come to mind. You can observe and test things to see if they are true or not. See if something really exists.
For example you may see a red hot kitchen range cooking element...
Is it hot?
Touch it and you get burned. Place a thermometer on it and it says it is hot. Place water on it in a pan and it boils. Do it again and again... It IS hot!
Are those things typically the stuff we mean when we speak of belief? I think we can choose to believe we'll succeed when the empirical evidence might be pretty compelling that we won't, for example. And if we fail this time, we can choose to attribute the failure to something we control and might be able to do better the next attempt.
Or we can chalk up a failure to luck. Or before trying we can believe that we will fail because people with similar skills or characteristics often do. That belief might prompt us to refrain from trying, and we can then decide to believe that the thing we might have achieved wasn't really worth the effort.
Those beliefs are choices with consequences, but consequences that are often delayed and so less instructive than the result of touching a hot cooking element.
If you're talking about a fact, something that can be proven or disproven, then "choosing" to believe doesn't really make sense. If I "choose" to believe that I can live without food and water, all the believing in the world isn't going to make it true. Sure, the strength and conviction of my belief might help me to survive longer, but I'm still going to die. I can "choose to believe" that I'm impervious to bullets, but if I shoot myself, I'm still gonna be injured or dead.
But if you're talking about believing in an opinion, outlook, or philosophy, then yes, people can "choose" what to believe and try to live accordingly. Sometimes life will provide evidence that their belief is mostly accurate, sometimes life will provide evidence that their belief was misguided.
For instance, people might say "I choose to believe that all people are innately good." This helps them be more understanding, less resentful, and more accepting of people in general, and better able to handle when people do bad things to them. But when they encounter a person who seems to be really, truly, "bad," this might shake up their world view a bit.
So yes, people can "choose" to believe something, but it only makes sense if it's an opinion and not a fact. They might choosing a lens through which to view the world, like the thing about all people being good. They can choose to believe that they should only eat organic food. They can choose to believe that it's fine to take on lots of financial debt. They can choose to believe that animals are just as valuable as people. They can choose to believe that the world is too dangerous to let their kids ever play outside.
All these beliefs are choices, and the person's actions will depend on this belief, and they will have consequences, positive, negative, or neutral, based on those actions. Those consequences will help to further shape the chosen belief, and at some point they might have to re-think and choose to no longer believe in it.
A number of folks on these boards are saying or at least implying that they can consciously CHOOSE to believe things. If you are one of them perhaps one of you can help me. I have never been able to consciously CHOOSE any of the beliefs that I have and I would like to be able to do that. If you think that you can consciously CHOOSE to believe things, I wonder if you might explain how you do it. What do you do at the last moment to instantly change your one state of belief to another? What is it that you do that would allow you to say, “OK, at this moment I have a lack of belief that "x" exists or is true, but I CHOOSE to believe that "x" exists or is true and now instantly at this new moment I do believe that "x" exists or is true?
Maybe you could use something like leprechauns to demonstrate your technique. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a leprechaun is "a fairy peculiar to Ireland, who appeared in the form of an old man of minute stature, wearing a cocked hat and a leather apron" and who hides his gold at the end of the rainbow and if captured has to grant three wishes. So, assuming that you don't already have a belief in them, how about right now, while you are reading this, CHOOSE to believe - be convinced without a doubt - that they exist. Now that you believe in leprechauns, my question is, how did you do it? How did you make the instantaneous transition from lack of belief to belief?
Some people choose to believe in God, Allah, a higher power, Mother Nature, Gaia- belief implies having faith in knowing. And sometimes, what we know isn't always so, so we choose to believe.
A child may not know the difference between right and wrong, but they can be taught to believe. They can also learn by knowing yet they can still have the power to choose what they want to believe in given their abilities to question and judge, which requires conscious effort.
I choose to believe in Leprechauns, btw, because of camping for 3 days and nights in the countryside of England...
Now i get why there are even tales of them...i could FEEL them, esp at dawn with the dew and steam
coming up from the grasses and edge of the tree line.
I choose to believe that in the American West there are the equivalent of nature spirits there, also...but not
not Leprechauns...the kinds Native Am's speak of and saw when on Vision Quests..
Actually, Miss Hepburn, most Native American nations (perhaps all of them) know about the Little People, though they're called by many different names. They are found almost everywhere in the Americas. As examples, among the Anishinabe (aka Chippewa, aka Ojibwe) of the general Minnesota/Great Lakes/southwestern Ontario area they are known as the Maymaygwayshiwuk. The -wuk" suffix refers to all of them as a people. A bit further west, among the Badlands, there resides a group of Little People known as Memegwicio. To the Cherokee they are Yunwi Tsundi. Among my people, the Choctaw, whose traditional lands are in present-day Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, they are known as Kowi Anukasha; the everyday short-form is Kwanukasha. The Little People are sometimes rather Yoda-like in nature, while at others they're more prankster-ish. The Nations are divided as to whether it is "okay" to speak of them publicly. One thing is certain, however; you do not want to get on their bad sides.
I choose to believe in Leprechauns because of my experiences with the Maymaygwayshiwuk and the Kwanukasha. I cannot help but think they are related. I feel much the same way about the Mushroom Men of Russia (not related to the video game of the same name).
Personally, I have never actually seen any of the Little People but I have often felt them observing me -- a kind of mild curiosity. I never looked FOR them because that would have been rude. I just spoke softly to acknowledge their presence, left a small token (tobacco, a bit of jerky, etc.) and moved on.
-- Nighteyes (Mississippi Choctaw)
Last edited by Nighteyes; 04-28-2014 at 10:42 AM..
.... So, assuming that you don't already have a belief in them, how about right now, while you are reading this, CHOOSE to believe - be convinced without a doubt - that they exist. Now that you believe in leprechauns, my question is, how did you do it? How did you make the instantaneous transition from lack of belief to belief?
rstrats,
I think your error may lie in the word instantaneous. Generally speaking, beliefs are not formed instantly, but over time and with repeated exposure to/examination of events, facts, stories, etc. I've already relayed my "reasoning" behind my general belief in Leprechauns. Let's use a couple of other things.
A child's belief in Santa Claus does not spring forth fully-formed; it develops over time. So do that child's doubts about Santa grow as he or she gets older and 'wiser.'
I believe in UFOs because (a) I know the initials stand for Unidentified Flying Object, and (b) I have seen objects moving across the sky that I could not identify. We all have. Now, were they spaceships or flying saucers? Probably not, but because I/we could not identify them I/we will never know for certain. For several reasons I believe it is possible that some reported UFO sightings might have been extraterrestrial craft. I'm not a believer, but I'm not a doubter either. I simply don't have enough information yet.
I think your error may lie in the word instantaneous. Generally speaking, beliefs are not formed instantly..."
They have to be. You can't believe - be convinced - that something doesn't exist and at the same time believe - be convinced - that the same something does exist. There has to be an instant when your one state of mind is changed to the other.
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