Why We Give Power to Beliefs
Por qué damos poder a las creencias
A reflection on why beliefs feel so compelling, and what we gain from the experiences they create.
Why We Give Power to Beliefs
A reflection on why beliefs feel so compelling, and what we gain from the experiences they create.
I wouldn't give power to beliefs. The way that question is framed gives power to beliefs, but that's not where the power is. You can choose to give power to beliefs, but it's a choice. To answer more directly: beliefs are powerful because you give them power. That is why they shape your experience.
The temptation to believe
The more interesting question is the follow-up: why is it so compelling to give power to beliefs? What is the attraction, the temptation, that makes us so drawn to handing our power over to them?
This theme runs all through religious texts. It is very fundamental. I always come back to the Christian parable of the prodigal son. To refer to it briefly: the prodigal son is a metaphor about two sons. We are one of them, and the Father represents God. But the Son and God are one. The Son who leaves the Father does so because he wants to live an adventure.
It is compelling because something is enjoyed until it is no longer enjoyable. It is enjoyable to believe in Santa Claus, and then at some point, when all of your friends know it is not real and you are still trying to hold on to that belief, it stops being enjoyable. Now you are the only one who has this belief. In that particular example, the belief changes on its own. But to believe we are something that we are not allows us to experience things in a way that is quite fascinating.
The fascination of suffering
Suffering, to put it under a big term, is one of the main things that belief allows us to experience. And suffering is quite an interesting experience. The sense that one has power, that one has agency, that one can control; that is quite an interesting roller coaster. At some point, we can start getting tired of it.
That is why it is so important to pay attention to what we are getting from experiences that we claim not to want, especially when we feel that we are powerless. Contrast does not go away. If anything, there may be more contrast, not less.