What do you believe in?

[This Year's Girl]

Inspired by the religious poll I came to thinking. Most people believe in something. It doesn't have to be god or something spiritual, it can just as well be values or abilities or all 4. I think it would be really interesting to know what you dear BB members believe in. I always find the conversation around these things really interesting, so do motivate your answer if you want to. 🙂 And please respect each others opinions, I'm not looking for a debate, more of a conversation and exchange of thoughts. 🙂

As for my answer. I've give this a lot of thought, and it may sound cliché or naive when I say it, but this is what I believe in:

Kindness. It contains a lot for me, but I'll try to break it down and make it short. I apologize for the rambling in before hand. 🙂 A wise person once wrote "It's so easy to laugh, it's so easy to hate, it takes strenght to be gentle and kind", and I really believe that. Kindness is often seen as weakness and not a quality that you'd want people to associate with you first hand (have you noticed that when people talk bad about someone they sometimes end or start with "but she's NICE......"?). I don't think that's true at all. Kindness isn't about being weak, it's about seeing the good in people, even if they've done horrible things. It's about forgiveness, acceptence and putting trust in change. I've struggled with this, and I think it were a period of time in my life where I focused way to much on the negative so changing my point of view I feel has made me a better person. It's not just about being kind to others , it's about being kind to myself too and accept that I don't have to be a perfect person that does everything right.

As for "a higher power" - I'm not religious. I guess you could say that I believe in that the universe knows what it's doing even when it seems like it's not and we do go somewhere after we die. I'm very convinced about the last part and believe we can communicate with spirits.

 

[sisterofmercy]

I believe in the value of education. I don't think its ever possible to learn something truly bad. Sometimes we learn things that we'd rather we didn't know, but it's all part of growing as a person both in mind and body.

I don't believe in any kind of higher power, I believe that we are the driving force for our existence. We ARE the power. Every choice we make is our own and each choice carries repercussions. I think we only have the one life and that's it, so we have to make sure we act in a manner that befits the kind of character we want to have. Our actions define us. So yeah I'm quite a big fan of Sartre. I will always have faith in humanity, despite all the terrible things you see on the news. Humanity has the power to be great and achieve amazing things like going into space and curing disease. Even building houses is amazing really when you think about it. We're one of the most intelligent species around and yet we're constantly making one step forward and two steps back. But I do think eventually we'll get there and learn from our mistakes. I'm never going to give up hope when it comes to humans.

 

[Washburne]

I believe everyone can change. It might just demand a lot of work so motivation needs to be strong and not everyone can do it on their own.

Kindness. Most definitely but I don't need to repeat what Miki said.

Respect. Do people have to earn your respect or lose it? And for the love of everything why do so many people confuse respect with power and fear?

Diversity and differences. People are diffferent and are supposed to be differrent. We're not robots. Still too many are afraid of what's different and in many cases we expect people do react and think the same way as ourselves.

There's more but that's enough for now.

it takes strenght to be gentle and kind"

I like that.

It's not just about being kind to others , it's about being kind to myself too and accept that I don't have to be a perfect person that does everything right.

So true but I think many have trouble with that. Being nice to others but being way too harsh thinking about themselves. I know I am one for sure.

---------- Post added at 01:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:50 PM ----------

As for "a higher power" - I'm not religious. I guess you could say that I believe in that the universe knows what it's doing even when it seems like it's not

So the universe has a consciousness and consciously stear everything inside itself a certain way for a reason? Or is that to simpify things too much. (I bet Ben will come along with some long and probably great response that I won't totally grasp. 😛)


Well of course things happen for a reason. Cause and effect. Might just not be a good reason.

 

[kittenpoker]

Really good question! Can I just start by saying how very much I love this place???

well, it's a lot! 🙂

Kindness yes! I have a theory (not bunnies ;-)) that tiny random acts of kindness can change the world. Can make it better. I believe strongly in a ripple effect... so like, if someone is walking down the street and they're having a bad day and they maybe bump into me a bit and then glare at me for being in their way it has a small but real affect on me and I carry that on to the next person I see in some small but real way and so on and and so on....

But I think the opposite is also true. If I hold the door open for someone cause I notice they're behind me, or if I catch a stranger's eye and smile at them..... this has a small but real affect and maybe they'll carry it on to the next person they see....

Ultimately I believe that we are all in this thing together. But I see we so quickly forget that.

 

[This Year's Girl]

Kindness yes! I have a theory (not bunnies ;-)) that tiny random acts of kindness can change the world. Can make it better.

Ultimately I believe that we are all in this thing together. But I see we so quickly forget that.

YES to all of your post! That's precisely the way I think! :heart: are we mind twins? 😉 I thought it was brilliant when Angel said "the smallest act of kindness is the greatest thing in the world", that's how I see it.

 

[Kean]

Humility and choice.

Every thought we have, everything we do, every call we make...we make the choice. I don't believe in evil, I don't believe in good. I believe in choice. The people who we regard as "monsters" in our society are people who made poor choices. Terrorists, murders, rapists, pedophiles...they are aren't just born. They are created. Given the the "right" circumstances I fully believe that any one of us could be capable of "evil". And we are equally capable of good. And in order to find that good I think we must be humble.

For me, being able to fully comprehend our own limitations, and how they make us feel, makes us more capable of that kindess that has already been spoken in this thread. Cuz that's a choice too. When I humble myself I am able to let go off all the negative thoughts that would push me into making the "wrong" choices: vanity, bitterness, resentment, greed, self pity...the list goes on. In turn what pushes me to do the right things is being humble enough to act without expecting reciprocation.

It's very hard. Every day I fail at and have to try harder it but I honestly believe it is the only way to survive in this world without losing your mind, and yourself.

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

Mostly, I believe in destiny. I believe some things happen for a reason, and that some things happen because they're supposed to happen.. in the right moment, at the right time, in the right place.

 

[kittenpoker]

for some reason, stephen colbert's speech at george w. bush's white house dinner pops into my head

"I believe in America. I believe it exists. I believe it extends from the pacific to the atlantic...."

sorry to be silly.
🙂

On a more serious note I believe in an infinite number of second chances.

 

[zobothehobo]

I believe in the power of karma... which includes kindness, and respect, and humility, and overall goodness. I believe if you're good to others (and yourself) good things will happen to you. Also, it feels REALLY good to be nice to people. One day I was walking home from the bus stop and saw the mailman. He looked like he was having an awful day. I walked over there and told him that now-a-days people take his service for granted like mad and told him that I appreciated it. I've never seen a smile that big one a postal worker's face. He hugged me and said thank you and that he needed that. I felt SO amazing after that! And then... I found a dollar on the ground outside of my house. Karma and the power of being nice... WIN!

 

[This Year's Girl]

Humility and choice.

Every thought we have, everything we do, every call we make...we make the choice. I don't believe in evil, I don't believe in good. I believe in choice. The people who we regard as "monsters" in our society are people who made poor choices. Terrorists, murders, rapists, pedophiles...they are aren't just born. They are created. Given the the "right" circumstances I fully believe that any one of us could be capable of "evil". And we are equally capable of good. And in order to find that good I think we must be humble.

For me, being able to fully comprehend our own limitations, and how they make us feel, makes us more capable of that kindess that has already been spoken in this thread. Cuz that's a choice too. When I humble myself I am able to let go off all the negative thoughts that would push me into making the "wrong" choices: vanity, bitterness, resentment, greed, self pity...the list goes on. In turn what pushes me to do the right things is being humble enough to act without expecting reciprocation.

It's very hard. Every day I fail at and have to try harder it but I honestly believe it is the only way to survive in this world without losing your mind, and yourself.

I feel the same as you on many points and found it very interesting reading your post. About choice: I believe that we only can make a choice to a certain extent. For me a person is formed by it's circumstances and even though there are other choices to be made than "bad" ones in a "bad" enviroment those choices can be so far away they can seem like they are lacking. Here I think it's societies responsibility to make sure that those choices are presented. I'm not saying that people that were brought up in unfourtunate circumstances can't be held responsible for their actions, but I have a great understanding of why those choices were made.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I believe all people are equal. Doesn't matter where you're from, your gender, your race, your status, etc. It's a thing, kinda funny in a weird way. Sometimes I wonder to myself how our world has become... status seperated. Classes. For example, how in the plane there are classes. A person with more money will get better things, better comfort, better food, etc. JUST because they have more money. Or another example, more wide ranged one, there are places in the world where people starve to death, but in other regions in the world people strive. And I ask myself how did it happen? I don't know if it's something that began from the primitive man days, but it seems that somewhere, sometime, the world got divided into classes. Not just in the money sense. Somehow women have become "less". And the black race has become "less". Why? because they were born somewhere else? So what? So I keep wondering how people turned out "different" when in fact we're all human?

 

[Username]

I'm a nihilist, I don't believe in anything.

 

[Kean]

I feel the same as you on many points and found it very interesting reading your post. About choice: I believe that we only can make a choice to a certain extent. For me a person is formed by it's circumstances and even though there are other choices to be made than "bad" ones in a "bad" enviroment those choices can be so far away they can seem like they are lacking. Here I think it's societies responsibility to make sure that those choices are presented. I'm not saying that people that were brought up in unfourtunate circumstances can't be held responsible for their actions, but I have a great understanding of why those choices were made.

I totally agree. I know that if I was brought up in a different situation and under different circumstances my choices would change significantly because they would be informed from a very different well of experience and have a vastly altered projected future.

 

[NothingButSong]

I believe, essentially, in being a good person. I don't know if there is a higher power guiding us, or a predetermined chain of events that has been mapped out for us, and so I can only really live day by day. And that really just involves being nice to people, trying to be patient and polite and take time for other people. I'm not saying I'm perfect, and I'm not saying I manage to do it everyday but I do think that if everybody just tried a little more then the world would be a nicer place to live.

 

[wickedtiger86]

Like a lot of people on here I believe in kindness. I do believe in karma (kinda comes with the Buddhist territory) but that's not why I am kind. I don't expect anything back.

I have just learned, over quite a bit of time, that the key for me to be happy is to be kind and compassionate. I've seen so many people being selfish and hateful in their pursuit of happiness and none of them are happy in the slightest. They are for moments, true, but it's not lasting happiness.

Before I started to turn my life around and become a more compassionate and kind person, I was that type of person, that is sad most of the time and happy in bits. Now it is the opposite. I'm almost always happy and then get sad for small bits of time.

Usually I get sad when I see people hurting others. It really affects me. Sometimes for quite a while afterward.

I also believe that every singe day is a chance to grow and learn. I don't want to waste time. I think that there is no limit to how much a person can grow spiritually. In whatever direction they are trying to go in. Whatever religion or philosophy they ascribe to, there is always room to improve.

That's the basis of what I believe.

 

[This Year's Girl]

I just wanted to say that I'm really glad that I started this thread and that you all are writing in it. You all have such insight and perspective on life. I'm really enjoying reading everyone's answers and I'm really getting confirmed that you are as wonderful people as I thought you were. :heart:

 

[Ianigsy]

This is a difficult one for me at the moment- I'm in a phase of being unhappy with a lot of situations in my life, sometimes it all seems too big to take in and a lot of the time my priority is getting to the end of the day sane.

I'd like to say that I believe in love, kindness, tolerance and so on, and I do try when I can...but a lot of the time it's a struggle. I'm not sure I believe in something called "love" anyway, but freedom, diversity, internationalism- these things are important to me.

 

[kittenpoker]

This is a difficult one for me at the moment- I'm in a phase of being unhappy with a lot of situations in my life, sometimes it all seems too big to take in and a lot of the time my priority is getting to the end of the day sane.

.

Oh I'm so with you on this! 🙂

 

[Thamior]

I believe in freedom. A lot of people said they believe in kindness, and in doing the right thing. Well, I'm a strong believer that doing the right thing means different things to different people. For me, the epitome of morality is freedom. If you don't have the freedom to choose what you do, then you're not doing anything right or wrong.

This is why I have a lot of trouble with modern lawmaking, especially in North America. It seems that governments have taken it upon themselves to tell people how they should live. Obviously it's unfair that things like gay marriage aren't completely legal everywhere, but there's lots of other examples too. The one that springs to mind right now is the war on drugs. To me, it seems ridiculous that the government would make drugs illegal. When you take drugs, you are harming yourself. Why should the government get involved in what you do with your own body? Why is it that 51% of the population get to tell you (general you, not anyone specific) what is best for you? I think it's wrong to use crystal meth. I also think it's wrong to listen to pop music, but I'm not asking anyone to make it illegal.

Okay, this post wasn't intended to be so political, but there it is anyone. Whenever I talk about freedom the libertarian inside me gets all riled up 😀

 

[This Year's Girl]

I believe in freedom. A lot of people said they believe in kindness, and in doing the right thing. Well, I'm a strong believer that doing the right thing means different things to different people. For me, the epitome of morality is freedom. If you don't have the freedom to choose what you do, then you're not doing anything right or wrong.

This is why I have a lot of trouble with modern lawmaking, especially in North America. It seems that governments have taken it upon themselves to tell people how they should live. Obviously it's unfair that things like gay marriage aren't completely legal everywhere, but there's lots of other examples too. The one that springs to mind right now is the war on drugs. To me, it seems ridiculous that the government would make drugs illegal. When you take drugs, you are harming yourself. Why should the government get involved in what you do with your own body? Why is it that 51% of the population get to tell you (general you, not anyone specific) what is best for you? I think it's wrong to use crystal meth. I also think it's wrong to listen to pop music, but I'm not asking anyone to make it illegal.

Okay, this post wasn't intended to be so political, but there it is anyone. Whenever I talk about freedom the libertarian inside me gets all riled up 😀

I can appreciate some of the points your making, freedom is very important. However, socialist here, so I don't agree with the political points you were making 😉 I think people are products of their context though. I live in Sweden, a country where socialist democrats have had a huge influence on how the country was built up. The importance of government trust and solidarity (among other things we pay 30 % taxes) is something I'm raised with. How do you view that - do you think your upbringing/living in the country you live in has made you rate freedom the highest? Would be interesting to hear, I love talking about those sort of stuff!

By the way, The daily show made a funny parody of "socialist sweden" a couple of years ago, watch it if you want some laughs! 😀 :

[ame="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-21-2009/the-stockholm-syndrome-pt--1"]The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 1 - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 04/21/09 - Video Clip | Comedy Central@@AMEPARAM@@http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:225113@@AMEPARAM@@225113[/ame]

Part 2:

[ame="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-april-22-2009/the-stockholm-syndrome-pt--2"]The Stockholm Syndrome Pt. 2 - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 04/22/09 - Video Clip | Comedy Central@@AMEPARAM@@http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:225126@@AMEPARAM@@225126[/ame]