Breaking Up with Bald Belief

Man, some days I just have to shake my head and pause. I catch myself saying some mean things, "People are stupid." But fifty percent of the time, I have to catch myself, because I am one of the people. Boy, do I look dumb. (Trust me, just ask my husband.)

I can vividly recall a time sitting in the office, telling my Lieutenant I bet my paycheck that Ebola was going to plague the world in the next 2 years. Feel free to cringe with me. I used to buy into several conspiracy theories; they seemed legit, and I was naive.

You ever been there? I have a theory, please comment below your thoughts on this, that often people buy into conspiracies/propaganda because they are feeling out of control in their lives, things are unpredictable, so these bandwagons they can hop onto give them a sense of control, of insight, of predicatbility. I think it's our way of grasping at stability and feeling any kind of power.

I know when I thought ebola was coming, and the US was buying mass coffins and planning for the collapse of society - I was feeling powerless. I was neck deep in: PTSD, physical pain from multiple injuries, social isolation and ostracization, and inner turmoil. I think I just wanted to think I knew what was coming next, to not be caught off guard next time something goes wrong.

Can you relate? Anybody else guilty of always waiting for the other shoe to drop all the time?

I can't help but think that something similar might be happening in our society today, en masse. Riots, protests, division, animosity... I think a lot of people just want to believe what they hear so they have something solid to stand on. Nobody wants to be wrong. But the kicker is, somebody is.

Don't Believe Everything You Hear

My Mom used to tell me this all the time, but I knew better because I was a stupid teenager who just wanted to do anything I liked and not be told no. Turns out to be an important principle to live your life by. If I had applied it sooner, I would have been able to avoid a LOT of pain.

Lately, my husband and I have accidentally started to deep dive the internet on some random topics. Along the way, we stumbled on some videos of really intelligent people pointing out some really stupid behaviors some celebrities were engaging in - and I had to pause the video. I turned to my husband and said, kinda awkwardly as I was processing the facts that just got thrown in my face, "Babe... I used to believe that stuff." He looked at me like a crazy person.

The last year or two I've been realizing that there are some wonky beliefs that I held, bald belief I call it, simply because it sounded right and convincing, even though there was nothing substantial to back it up. Imagine trying to grab a bald guys head, there's nothing to hold onto. But if someone has hair, you can get a serious grip. Same with bald belief, there just isn't evidence to back it up - no 'roots' of truth.

So my husband and I are setting out on a journey to dig up any bald beliefs and out them to the test of actual evidence and then follow the evidence. Join us.