When I was a kid I knew who I was – I was a Presbyterian
(and not Catholic).
I was Czech (and
not Irish).
I was male (and not
female).
I was a Republican (and not Democrat).
My identity was what I
inherited from my family and from my community.
Each one of
these beliefs was like a fence by which I delineated who I was, and who I wasn't…
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Your beliefs can be like fences that surround you. You must first recognize the existence of such barriers - you must see them or you will not even realize that you are not free, simply because you will not see beyond the fences. They will represent the boundaries of your experience. Jane Roberts Seth
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In the whole limitless range of what might potentially be possible; my family, my culture, and my time in history defined my identity... what I was to believe and what I didn't. Thinking about this made me wonder about the beliefs that we all form, and how they influence how we live our lives.
My beliefs have changed since childhood – Now I see myself
as liberal in my religious beliefs and I have also become more
respectful of other belief systems than my early childhood led me to accept.
The national origin of my family ancestors is
somewhat interesting to me– but not a major part of how I see myself
today.
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| Arrival of immigrant people in America- my Zlatnik ancestors |
I have come to find all human
cultures to be interesting. The beliefs and practices of us humans is generally an outcome
of our environment and seeking ways to comfortably adapt to it.
I enjoy my life as a male – but I have grown to appreciate the challenges of women seeking
equality and justice in this world often dominated by men.
Politically I have come to believe strongly
in the principles of social and economic fairness for all – not just programs
that benefit the rich and powerful.
I
have moved my fences… and in some cases replaced high stonewalls for flexible fences, free to be adjusted as I experience more of life.
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| Another way of being human |
How do beliefs develop? How does one kid decide that he want
to be a ‘macho’ tough guy and another boy makes the decision to become a
doctor, while another wants to make beautiful music? ( 0f course one's idea of what is 'beautiful' varies a lot by culture)
The culture that we experience as a child
shapes us. But that is just our starting point…Most people continue to change all their life long.
Our friends have a major effect on the identity we develop.
A kid growing up in a touch guy culture finds
it easiest to ‘bulk up’ his body to appear tough, adopt the language of other
tough guys, and to do what it takes to project that image – woe to the kid who
strays from that behavior pattern… Another kid living in a different society may respond to new ideas and new experiences.
We all are influenced by key individuals or key experiences and will say
– “Oh yeah – I want to be like that…” My Mother’s mysterious box of mementos
from her years in China set in me a desire to travel and see far away places.
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| Ah Wilderness! (North Peak) |
My
Uncle John exposing me to the joys of adventuring in the high Sierra introduced
me to a lifelong love of wilderness and wild creatures.
A college class
in cultural anthropology opened my mind to approaching all human cultures with
an open mind.
My encounter with the
books of Marcus Borg allowed me to see my religious beliefs in a deeper more progressive way.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Books+by+marcus+borg .
As I have lived I have seen inequality and greed around me, the injustice of poverty, and
have grown to support politicians who work for justice and fairness for
all in our society.
What is this tendency of humans to disparage people with whom we don't share a belief pattern…?
Look at
the inability for individuals to communicate between different political
parties, between progressive and conservative Christians, between advocate for
guns and those that despise them…
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| Argument |
Why do many feel threated when they encounter
Muslims, people with a different sexual orientation, even those that disagree
about American cars v. Toyotas, kids that wear their pants to low, or advocate for Macs
v. PCs?
We become invested in the fences
that we build.
I’m sure that I wont
change someone’s mind by arguing with him or her but I am still temped to. I
have a friend that loves to argue about whether climate change is related to fossil
fuel use or not. I have another friend that I can not convince about the validity of
evolution… and another with whom I disagree that parts of the Bible can be true wisdom even if they didn't
actually happen as written, but reflect the culture and beliefs of that
time.
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| Shock at another's beliefs |
I can accept that each human alive developed under the influence of a particular micro- culture, formative experiences, and that each of us struggles to make sense of
our world as we form a belief pattern that works for us. There is security in knowing who we are and what we believe... its unsettling to be challenged. I am unique as are you… I can’t convince you
that my belief pattern is just right for you… and you cant convince me. My wish for you and me is that we can at least be open
to hearing each other and perhaps adjust our fences if we hear something that
seems reasonable. It’s hard to do that if I am thinking of my next response instead of really listening to what you are saying.
