My grandfather reportedly had a saying that I grew up with; “Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear.” However, with all great deference and respect to a man who I never knew, some form of belief is crucial. I once asked my supervising professor when I was studying for my education degree, “Is cynicism a lack of belief?” I have learned these many years that no, it is in fact a belief system. I had the great opportunity many years ago to study under Dr Leo Ferrari, the founder of the Flat Earth Society, and world expert on St Augustine. I took a philosophy course in Epistemology from Dr Ferrari , which says a great deal about his so-called belief. It was however his thesis that “we test every belief critically in the discovery for truth.” Although I loved debating him on his flat earth belief system.
These days we are asked, and in some cases implored to believe many things. They go from; a belief in aliens, global warming, the latest Elvis citing, the reporting on the six o’clock news, various conspiracies, to critical race theory. In my study of philosophy under the Jesuits I am happy to say that we were implored to bring a critical mind to every topic, to debate it, research it, think about it, question it, but be objective.
In our daily internal dialogue, we say many things that belie a belief system, although perhaps unintended. For example: numerous and daily negative thoughts, ruminations, daily feelings of unworthiness, of inherent insecurity, doubt, anxiety and worry. A belief system is something we believe. Belief systems affect behaviour and create in part our character and how we engage life in general. It is something we daily practice for good or for bad.
What is crucial about belief is the importance of examining and challenging it. People who suffer from worry and anxiety are often asked to look at those anxious thoughts, those worrisome feelings to test the truth behind them. Once they examine them they realize that however feelings, they are not true. And yet although not true a system of belief follows that affects life and behaviour, infiltrating our character, and decision making. So, a belief system is created that has to existential reality connected to it. Belief affects behaviour positively and negatively. When we examine and test our faulty thoughts and feelings critically, we make a decision, to continue on with those thoughts or to believe that which is truthful, and live under a rubric that is healthy emotionally. This takes work. The work of developing new healthy habits is hard, but will be life changing. I once said to a client, “ In three weeks when we meet again, I want you to demonstrate for me the juggling of three tennis balls.” Then I said, “What would it take to do this?” “Work” he replied. “Lots of work.”
The creation of emotionally healthy belief systems take work too. Lots of work. We go from negative thinking to thinking more positively. We move from ruminating on untruthful narratives to truthful ones. We rewrite unhelpful, untrue narratives into true ones. We examine our feelings and thoughts and align them with what we know to be true. Work! But the investment in that work changes our behaviour.
Change your thinking (unhelpful feelings), change your behaviour.
Bryan Hagerman RCT
Outreach Counsellor
St Paul’s Church
Halifax
