Thoughts on Belief (March 27th, 2010)

Where has thinking gotten us?
The greatest colaborations in history have been to destroy history itself.
It has gotten us back to square one: afraid of the dark and afraid of each other.
Thinking has gotten us nothing.
The cycle is repeating, a tedious one to say the least, where rationality takes a back seat to what people believe.
Beliefs are terrifying.
Beliefs are fraudulant checks, cashed in the name of an imaginary person.
But...
in a word of checks and balances: rational thought checks beliefs.
While beliefs are important in maintaining a socially appropriate level of composure, they are not a solid basis for which to comprise an entire lifestyle.
Even Christians lie, cheat and steal.
It takes a balance of belief and thought; rationality and the enormous realization that we are small, we are alone, and we are all we've got; we know nothing of anything except what has been handed to us.
Then again...
it is admirable that anyone can completely lay all of their thoughts, emotions, and gut feelings towards one set of beliefs.
It's like being able to stand in front of an oncoming semi-truck without flinching.
There are those who exist that do questions beliefs and have beliefs of their own.
These belong to the greatest intellectual generation to hit the planet in over three thousand years.
To be discretionarily proper, though, I must admit that I've often faltered with faith (belief).
But I know find myself in a comfortable stance on the entire subject of faith and religion.
It's a social comfort.
It keeps societies from warring with themselves.
War within our own country's boarders just isn't the thing God would want...
but we've seen it before.

"Beliefs are dangerous," a man once said.
I concur to the fullest extent.
Beliefs give grounds for bad people to do bad things through self-justification.
It isn't just a matter of principle- it's a matter of justice.
How can their be justice when our systems are based almost entirely in "the name of God" ?

Questions cannot hurt anyone.
Implications, though, can.
The implications of my thoughts, questions, and personal feelings may not be in any way, shape, or form a justifiable reason for my confidance in the general sense.
But I believe I am justified to make the afformentioned proclamatios, statements (both interrogative and general) on the grounds of having the capabilities to produce such thoughts, feelngs, emotions and beliefs.

Which brings up the question: if we can believe it, conceive it, and need it- why can we not say it exists?
This could be applied to God.
To space and time.
To gravity.
To words.
To love.
To anything we cannot see, but generally agree upon its existing.

Just trying to think outside my particular set of boxes for a change.
More to come in the future.