bona fide beliefs

 

In my view, nothing happens by chance.*

I don’t state this idea as fact.  It’s a belief.  A belief well-chosen, I think.  Consider:

Because I hold to this belief, I see every single event—every action, every interaction—as important.

Even waiting at the bus stop, even “just hanging out”, has special value.

Perhaps I take things too seriously…perhaps I should ease up…But I want to experience all of life as meaningful—not just the big stuff.  After all, most of life would seem to fall into the category of “small stuff”.

I like to describe my life as a patchwork quilt—I believe there’s a design in that mosaic of rags, if I can just see it.  At this time, I think I can see a little of the design…

…but not the whole picture.  Not by a lot.  No matter—I still think it’s best to believe there is a design, a purpose.

I believe the purpose is growth.  A good belief, I’d say, because it’s pushed me to work even harder to become a better person.

But what exactly does it mean to “become a better person”?

That’s a tough one to answer.

To me, it’s about working through personal conflicts—working out my inner conflicts.  It’s about acting on my desire to become a more peaceful person…and never being completely satisfied with whatever degree of peace I reach.

A good definition, I think—a good belief—because it says to me: this process will continue to the end of my days.  So even if I become too feeble to put on my shoes, my life will still have meaning.

This interconnected system of beliefs has worked well for me, has worked well for others I know, so perhaps it belongs in our new mythology…

…as long as we remind ourselves, continually: these are not incontestable facts; they’re beliefs.

(* See last two posts.)

© 2014, Michael R. Patton
COMMON COURAGE: poems of our story