Many Paths, One Destination

I recently had the pleasure of attending a non-denominational church service. The 10am research trip ended up being more enjoyable than I had originally envisioned. Everything got underway with the weekly announcements and some good, clean humor. After brief introductions, everyone in the room began singing along to worship songs that conveniently came with lyrics on the projector.

One particular man seated near me was an incredibly talented singer. But, what captivated me the most about this 60 something senior was the way he sang the words with his entire body, not just his lips. It wasn’t hysterical or overt, just a beautiful depiction of passion. I could tell, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was irrevocably sold to the same ideologies I emphatically oppose.

It made me think about how many people the world over are completely and utterly devoted to something. However, this actuality isn’t exclusive to the fervently religious. Everyone, whether a devout Muslim or unwavering atheist, believes in something.

We are all living the same life; embarking on the same journey. The only difference is our means of transportation. How we get to wherever we are going couldn’t be more diverse.

There are a vast number of possible explanations to consider when contemplating why people believe what they do. Undoubtedly, things such as geographical location, family beliefs and social pressure are immediately considered as culprits. And there is much debate to be had over which are the most prominent and influential factors. But, one thing we can be very sure of is that they are all remarkably subjective.

For example, someone whose entire family has died or been killed could find it near impossible to believe in and submit to a higher power. It would be utterly absurd. They would be plagued with questions as to why they should accept any god who could allow, or even commit, such an atrocity.

However, the exact same person could also transform into an ardent believer as a response to the very same circumstances. They could rationalize the loss they have suffered by choosing to believe in any of the religions which promise to reunite them with the deceased in a place commonly known as heaven. It is truly amazing how a simple alteration in thinking could be responsible for such a drastic change in belief.

Another great example of how people come to their world views is the classic notion of bargaining with God. It’s a fact that life can, and usually does, throw some very challenging curve-balls. And in those unsavory circumstances, humans are typically powerless. But, being proactive and trying to solve a problem is infinitely better than sitting around and waiting for an outcome. So, we resort to negotiating with the bearded guy-in-the-sky.

We offer to make any array of changes to our lifestyle’s (ones that should have been made a very long time ago but) in exchange for his help. It provides a sense of hope and, if the particular situation is sufficiently serious, even serves as a compelling factor towards what we believe.

If he comes through, we will continue to bargain with him and slowly come to the severely subjective conclusion that he’s looking out for us. From that point on, a strong belief in the divine manifests itself.

But, as with the previous example of the unfortunate person whose family is taken away, the outcome could be very different if one small thing is modified in the series of events. If God should happen to have the audacity to ignore or refuse our offers and doesn’t come through for us, we will naturally respond with skepticism to his power, significance and even existence.

Like all the other contributing factors that produce the incredibly diverse beliefs we posses, this one is equally subjective.

Another of these contributing factors that I cannot help but mention is the indoctrination of children. Unlike the others, it is anything but subjective. Indoctrination is a ruthless and concise technique that molds a child’s mind. However, that is a completely different animal that this post cannot address.

While this notion of severe subjectivity serves as ample evidence for uncertainty and skepticism, it is far from the point I am trying to highlight. There is a colossal danger in believing something with unquestionable assurance and blind faith. Such a brand of conviction naturally leads its constituents to believe that they are unquestionably correct and are obligated to inform everyone else of their mistaken ways.

Far from the beauty of acceptance and co-existence, it promotes and fosters the audacious notion of superiority and indirectly encourages patronization.

Our main goal in life shouldn’t be to do whatever we can to get into heaven. Our aspirations should be to create that atmosphere in the world we live in today. Constantly asserting that we, as individuals, possess the ultimate truth and everyone else would be deprived if left unchanged creates the exact opposite of this.

And part of creating a heaven on Earth is accepting that we are all different but equally prone to the subjective factors that we encounter in life. Maybe the final solution to overcoming our differences is learning to cherish them. It is somewhat like the guy in church who sang his heart out to a god I believe couldn’t be further from divinity.

Both he and I entered that church hall, meeting for the first time, from vastly different directions and influences. The only thing that brought us together was a mutual susceptibility to subjectivity.