Bullshit Beliefs
I think it is fair to say that all beliefs are bullshit. I don’t mean this in a negative way but as a statement of fact. I’m not even making the claim that it is wrong to have beliefs, only that ultimately they are all false – or at best partially true. I see beliefs as a type of filter that I use to help me make sense of the world. This filtering works by breaking reality down into artificial chunks and ignoring the larger picture. My mind can’t process the larger picture, there is just too much information, but this need to filter things down using beliefs is a barrier between me and what is really there. It is like I have to believe in bullshit in order to navigate my life – a kind of necessary evil. The problem is that I can get into real trouble when I start to take my own bullshit too seriously.
Losing My Religion
In a post yesterday, I described my worldview as one of spiritual skepticism. I’ve discovered that my life improves, and my peace of mind increases, by letting go of beliefs. Jettisoning as much bullshit as I can frees me up and simplifies my life. It is an ongoing process, and the sign of progress is my own embarrassment at things I believed only a short time ago. If by next year I can read back on the posts I’ve written recently and view them as naive, it will be evidence that I’ve made further progress. I love the freedom that comes from uprooting my bullshit beliefs, and I’m sure there is plenty more for me to do in this regard.
Mind of a Child
There is a temptation to glamorize the mind of a child, but I do so envy the openness that my son has with the world. It is all one marvelous adventure for him, and I can remember what that feels like – living in a world full of magic. Timmy’s mind has not yet been polluted by too many beliefs, and when he engages with the world with curiosity and not opinions. He is a great teacher, and my path is taking me back to this more open relationship with the world – or at least that is what seems to be happening.
“I’ve discovered that my life improves, and my peace of mind increases, by letting go of beliefs. Jettisoning as much bullshit as I can frees me up and simplifies my life.” so why have “beliefs as a type of filter” because “beliefs is a barrier between me and what is really there”. Let Nature help you see what is really there. Beliefs ideas concepts clog the mind stopping insight.
Hi Bill – good point. At this stage of my journey, I do not feel ready to jettison beliefs completely. I see them as a type of currency that allows me to navigate life. For example, I believe that it is important for me to work hard to take care of my family. If I was to really dig down into that belief it would be easy for me to undermine it, but it is not something that I have any urge to do. I jettison beliefs as they become noticeably troubling for me. It is a more of a practical exercise and it isn’t necessary for me to push the process – it’s not like I’m really trying to get anywhere with it really. I also sort of enjoy the process whereby beliefs keep banging me up against reality – it keeps things interesting.
I remember someone saying to me once that everything above the neck is bullshit. So yes, we can take our beliefs, look at them and verify them as true or false. Beliefs are a place where we can land. What would it be like to freefall without the safety net of beliefs to land on?
Hi Daniel, I do think that beliefs can be used for good. I’ve found that the more beliefs I let go of the better my life to comes, so it is a interesting to consider what might happen if I could let go of all beliefs. I don’t know the answer, and I don’t know if it is even possible.