Do you decide your beliefs, or do they decide you?

Positive beliefs are based on how you happen to the world in ways you choose.

Negative beliefs are based how the world happens to you in ways you don’t choose.

It’s the classic argument of… Seeing is believing vs. Believing is seeing.

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Musicman · 61-69, M

Personally I think our beliefs are a mixture of a few things. 1. Passed down from family while we are growing up. 2. Our experiences in life. 3. Our core values.

Reject · 26-30, M

@Musicman Yes, I would say those all factor in, but what would you say about your own beliefs? Did they make you or do you make them?

Musicman · 61-69, M

@Reject Our own beliefs have to come from somewhere or are you saying we are born with them?

Reject · 26-30, M

@Musicman I’m saying that you make a belief when it doesn’t depend on something else. Yes, technically as we gain knowledge and experience our beliefs are formed from those. I’m not talking about that though. I’m asking about the idea of an original belief. At least as original as a belief can be. I wanted to see if anyone else had that. That’s why when I wrote the post, I wasn’t just asking how beliefs are made. It was more of a personal question.

Musicman · 61-69, M

@Reject I honestly don't know. I had never thought about it from that prospective.

Reject · 26-30, M

@Musicman I think it’s like a belief you develop that isn’t shaken when life challenges it. Something that is reliable and keeps you strong even when things gets hard. That belief doesn’t depend on anything else. It’s something you made.