Believing in Something is Important

However, forcing anyone else to believe what you believe often starts violence or even wars.

So, having some kind of belief that can sustain you through misery and illness is important. There is a saying "There are no atheists in foxholes" and this has always been true.

However, because so many people worldwide now have been completely turned off by groups like ISIL and other Islamic terrorists, it is becoming very acceptable in more educated circles to not believe in anything as a protest against wanton murders of members of all religions by extremist Muslims like ISIL.

However, I think this is understandable but also an overreaction. Because belief often makes the difference between sanity and insanity and life and death. Having something to believe in that sustains you (whether it is ultimately true or not) is necessary for most human beings not to just walk off a cliff or just go drown themselves. Life is pretty tough in most of the world. Why would you even choose to stay alive most places if you didn't have anything to believe in?

Think about it for a moment.

So, rather than choosing not to believe in anything, maybe you should just be very careful what you do believe in. So, it at least makes some logical sense to you in your life.

For me, I take a more scientific approach to belief systems. I try to scientifically demonstrate to myself (because you really can't successfully do this for others in most cases). So, at least for yourself you have proven your beliefs one by one.

In this way it is very easy for me to stake my life on my core beliefs.

It is sort of like having an old car and believing it will get you somewhere as the wheels come off it on the edge of a cliff or something. You've got to prove your beliefs to yourself and to throw out the ones you see aren't working for you. They might work for someone else in your family or even in your friends' lives but if they don't work for you then they are useless and beyond that they might get you killed like that old car that the wheels are coming off of.

So, test your beliefs so they don't just kill you or drive you insane one day.

IF something doesn't work for you then maybe you need to change your beliefs so you don't die or go insane needlessly.

Remember, the proof is in the pudding.