You must decide what it is you believe in and take steps towards achieving it and creating the universe and world you want to see. – Forest Whitaker
What do you believe about the universe and your place within it?
What does that mean?
This is a bit of a departure from the norm, as this is a quote from just a few days ago. It doesn’t exist in the quote dictionaries yet, but I felt it still was quite an interesting quote. I referenced it to the news story in which it appears, instead.
This quote starts where it should, at the beginning. You have to know what you believe in and what you stand for, before you can do anything meaningful in your life. With that in place, you can start to evaluate and plan.
Once you have an idea of where you are, you can survey the lands around you and determine with what you agree, and with what you disagree. That is where you start your planning, so that you can move to the middle part of the quote, the taking of steps, the action phase.
That is how you get to the end of the quote, where you start to see the results of your planning and action. You get to see change. Probably not as much as you’d like, nor as quickly as you’d like, but change will come.
Why is knowing what you believe in important?
We all believe in something. We all stand for certain ideas and ideals. A few of the more common ones are justice and truth. There are plenty of others, and some will hold a particular personal place in your heart.
What the quote asks us to first do is to determine what we are, who we are, what we are willing to tolerate, and what we will not tolerate. Imagine what it would be like if you didn’t know what you wanted? Can you imagine the chant? “What do we want?!” Um, I don’t know… Not very moving, right?
What would your life be like if you took away one of your core beliefs? Something like a belief that honesty is the best policy? How would your world change? What might you have as a new target for your efforts at changing things?
Everything else flows from who you are, and what you believe. Until you get a handle on that, you’re adrift. And don’t worry, you will change with time, as you learn new things, and are exposed to new ideas. That is part of life, plan on adapting and adopting as life changes around you.
Where can I apply this in my life?
We can always stand to do a little more introspection. What are you doing right now? I mean besides reading the blog. Do you have a few moments to spare after you finish, or interspersed with the reading? If we feel like we’re lost or wandering, I bet it’s because we haven’t finished this first step.
What do you believe in? You can start with your thoughts on your relationship with the universe and all it holds. Take a moment and consider what you believe. This can range from the origins of the universe, to the structure, or lack thereof, with it. Is there a guiding force? Why or why not?
What about your thoughts on your relationship with humanity in general? What do you believe is the proper way to interact, and to value others? Does that change depending on which group of people we’re talking about? Is it valid to change your beliefs based on who they are? Why or why not?
This isn’t exactly easy stuff, especially with the “why or why not?” at the end. But if you want to know where you stand and what you value, these questions are powerful tools for discovery. Before you blow off the exercise, ask yourself why you don’t already know the answers to these questions?
We all believe in something. The trick is to know what these things are, so that you can express yourself. If you don’t know what these things are, you are like a feather in the wind, swept away with whatever sounds good at the moment. I don’t think that’s much of a way to live, do you?
We all know the world is imperfect. We all know that it can be changed. However, if we don’t know where we stand, how can we know which way to push to start changing things?
If you feel conflicted, you probably have two beliefs tugging you in different directions. That’s another clue that you might want to take a moment and consider what you believe in.
From: Twitter, @AR_Foundation
confirmed at : http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Movies/2013/08/28/…
Photo by Lauro Roger McAllister
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