be·lief 

  1. an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. 2. trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.

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    Followup question: Are these core beliefs apparent to others?  If not, they’re NOT core.
    Belief is the state of mind. It changes as the Thinker changes their mind. Read the post Do U c WhAt I c? to see what I mean. We think this something, this idea, to be true without evidence. I think that part, the without evidence part, is crucial. Read the post Got Faith?  to see what I mean. If you have proof it is a not a belief, it is a factual certainty.

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.

William James

Before the beginning, there is a beginning to the beginning, this magical place is the birthplace of the idea. lightbulbWhat is an idea? Oh boy, there is a bunch of ideas about “the” idea. One that I particularly like comes from the Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology. It define idea as “the reproduction of an object not actually present to the senses.” How’s that for an answer? Basically, when you imagine something, it is an object not yet present to the senses. Perception and Idea differ with the presents and absence of senses. That is, if I perceive a round red object on a table to be a ball, I am perceiving it through my sense of vision. I can also imagine there is a yellow ball next to it. The yellow ball is an idea that exists only in my mind.

Great! What does this have to do with what I believe? First, belief lies in the realm of ideas and the idea is at the mercy of three categories of thinkers. I like to call these thinkers, the “Do’s”, the “Don’ts” and finally, the “Dazed.”

The Do’s, are those who believe. Not just in a God, but they have core (guiding) beliefs in an idea. The Don’ts are those who do not want to believe, and struggle not to agree with the Do’s. These are your, “I only believe in science” people. They find any belief not based on factual certainty impossible to be true, or unworthy of their attention. Lastly, the Dazed are those who don’t know if they Do or Don’t believe. They are neither hot nor cold and are essentially lukewarm. Because of this, they are a flip-floppers and a somewhat disloyal bunch. Who are you?

The power is in the choice. DO you or DON’T you believe or you haven’t decided (DAZED).

CAUTION: The Choice is Yours

This is my book. It is a good book. It is a cheap book.  Click on the link above to order. At least sign up (it’s FREE) it is a good idea  😀

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Reluctant Therapist