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Should You Question What You Believe?

Writer's picture: Nathaniel SiemsNathaniel Siems

In my first year at Southern Nazarene University I was told by an upperclassmen that the most surprising thing they learned was that many of the things they grew up believing were false. He told me to expect to question many of the things I had grown up believing, and said he struggled with the new found knowledge and had him questioning everything. This was a strange thought for me at the time, to expect to learn my beliefs were wrong.


Over the next couple of years this warning was in the back of my mind. I can remember many moments where a professor would talk about something that deeply opened my mind and pushed me to question what I had grown up believing. However, those moments were not defeating for me as they had been for my peer who had given me that warning. Instead, I found these moments to be an exciting enlightenment! I have found that to be true even outside of my time in college through books I read, experiences at work, and in conversations with family, friends, and acquaintances.


Thinking back on that initial conversation I remember the pain and defeat in my peer's eyes and voice. He sounded like he had lost meaning in his life. I suppose that was what I found so frightening about his warning. It was like a scene in a war movie, where a soldier has been on the front lines and tries to warn the fresh recruit of the horrors of war. My experience was not identical to his, perhaps because I held loosely to many of my beliefs since they were beliefs passed down to me by my parents, as is the case for most people.


I have found that those who hold firmly to their beliefs struggle to grow and progress through life. Please do not misread me, I strongly hold that personal core values and beliefs are important and you NEED to have them. Outside of those it is wise to hold a bit more loosely onto other beliefs. Looking back through history it is easy to see example after example of beliefs that clearly needed to be changed.

  • discrimination against another race

  • belief in the use of slaves

  • belief that women do not have the same rights as men

  • etc. etc. etc.

Those are a bit extreme, but you get the idea. Each of those beliefs were felt to be absolute truth by many, but looking back it is easy to see they were wrong. Are you afraid that what you believe now will not be what you believe in 30 years? If you are continually working to improve yourself there's a great chance many of your believes will evolve...hopefully for the better!


This was a bit more heavy than I typically write, but if it helps just one person I will feel it was worth it.


“What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in

general but rather the specific meaning of a

person’s life at a given moment.”

-Viktor Frankl



Your friend,


-Nate


P.S. If you want to discuss this topic a bit more deeply please reach out to me. I would sincerely love to talk with you.


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