If you were asked the question, “Do you believe in flossing?” what would you answer? Most of us, I expect, might be tempted to answer “It’s none of your business”, but if our interrogator was our dentist, we would probably accept it as a legitimate question, and we would have a place to start: we either do it or we don’t, but do we believe in it? If we floss every night, we can say, “Yes”, with commitment. Obviously, we believe in it or we wouldn’t do it. Or conversely, if we feel flossing has no value, we say “No”. The problem, as with so many things we do or don’t do, is that most of us accept that flossing is generally good for dental health, but we don’t do it. We don’t really believe in it, at least for ourselves. We may say we believe in it, but our conduct says otherwise. In the end, it doesn’t matter what we say – our teeth will show the evidence.
We are bombarded with opportunities to take a position on what we believe. Do you believe that the stock market will rise or fall? That vitamin C prevents flu? That Prevagen delays Alzheimer’s? That vaccinations cause autism? That the Yankees will be in the World Series? That Jesus rose from the dead? All of these “beliefs” have their adherents and detractors, to the point of argument and real conflict. Some have serious consequences for misplaced beliefs. Notorious are the doomsday cults, like the Heaven’s Gate church, which committed mass suicide in 1977 in anticipation of the apocalyptic return of the Hale-Bopp comet. Sadly, a number of families are learning that their beliefs about measles vaccinations have serious adverse consequences. In the sports world, “believing” in a team’s prospects generates billions of dollars of revenue in entertainment, gambling, and ticket sales, but when it come to beliefs most of us hedge our bets. We talk the talk but hold off on walking the walk.
Beliefs only become important when they are translated into actions that affect our lives. When beliefs are based on facts, trusted sources, personal knowledge, and accurate history they generally prove to be a reliable basis for our decisions and actions. Beliefs based in fantasy, doubtful agendas, inaccurate data, and false histories are likely to lead to poor outcomes. The more basic and pervasive a belief, the more seriously it will affect our lives positively or negatively. So, whether you believe that Vitamin C prevents colds will likely influence how much you spend on orange juice or Vitamin C supplements, but if that extends to avoiding a flu shot because you are “protected by Vitamin C” it could have serious consequences.
Hopefully, my book chronicles a lifetime based on the belief that when Jesus said, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven”, he was telling us that we can live in his Kingdom now. It seems to me that I do.
