People all over the world celebrated the September 11 attack upon the World Trade Center in New York as if it were a great miracle of God. Those people were mostly Muslims. Other people all over the world were frightened, angry, and grief-stricken, and they perceived the attack as evil incarnate. Those people were mostly Judeo-Christians and/or part of the World Corporate Bureaucracy. These two opposing perceptions of the same event serve to show that “good” and “evil” exist/are defined by Belief[**]–in the mind of believers.
Regardless of their religious, political or economic standing, some people perceived the attack as an act of psychopathic fanatics who are neither good nor evil but whose actions stem from remorseless, inexorable Belief. As so much historical evidence shows, once Belief constructs or defines evil in the mind, the mind may then believe it is okay to destroy the creators and perpetrators of said evil without remorse or compassion. Thus, a fanatical automaton is turned loose.
The specific religious fanatics who commit terrorist acts seem to want to disrupt the fabric of Western Civilization, destroy the World Corporate Bureaucracy and, some say, replace it with a World Islamic Caliphate. In response, fanatic Judeo-Christians, and at least some World Corporate Bureaucrats appear willing to suspend freedoms, compassion, empathetic understanding, and human rights in order to kill any potential terrorist for the purported reason of protecting the very freedoms, compassion, empathy, and human rights which they believe are threatened. Does this make sense? Through the twisted, circular logic of Belief it can be construed to make perfect sense.
With regards to the reality of people living and trying to survive on planet Earth, it does not seem to make any difference what is true or not–or if truth even exists. What is “real” to each individual are the perceptions held in his or her mind. In each person’s mind, what matters is the “meaning” of each event as perceived by the individual. If the person’s mind is dominated by Belief, the meanings will be manipulated by Belief, and thus reality is shaped, not by that individual, but by those who influence the Belief in question.
Belief, by its nature and definition, seeks to control the mind, its meanings and perceptions. When a person truly believes anything, that person then establishes the preference to become a mind-controlled automaton–much more dangerous than any zombie from Hollywood–with the potential to cause remorseless suffering because of, or for the cause of, that Belief.
Belief itself is neither bad nor good, but by its nature and definition, Belief seeks to control thinking. People are automatically indoctrinated by parents, schools, religions, government, peer groups, and the media–from infancy on–to think in terms of Belief. Belief is predisposed to offer answers appropriate for two-dimensional thought. Belief tends to concentrate the mind into thinking of everything in terms of two-dimensions such as “right or wrong,” “good or evil,” “them or us”; the list is as endless as the dogma.
When a person claims to be “right,” to know the truth, and to have the facts, that person is a Believer.
But, Belief is not the answer. Belief becomes a mental problem because Belief appears as an answer; an answer into which all assumptions and constructs must fit. Yet any Belief merely offers the deceptive answer of Belief itself.
Belief blocks other possibilities and alternative answers–that is its nature. Belief blocks compassion and forgiveness, using denial and justification in self-serving expedience to Belief and the related believer. Ironically, the religions that most fervently purport forgiveness and compassion seem most able to justify the suffering caused by their Belief-driven behaviors. This controlling and inhibiting nature of thinking through the filter of Belief seems to place not only life on this planet, but the universe we perceive, in a Dark Age.
Do you know what Beliefs control your thinking? Would you kill for your Beliefs? Would you cause suffering for your Beliefs? Do you let your Beliefs supersede your compassion and understanding?
When a religious parent judges, scolds, and blames a child for saying a “bad word” or questioning God’s authority, the parent seems to be oblivious to the suffering they cause the child through guilt, self-deprecation and twisted perceptions. The child suffers for no logical reason, merely for the sake of the Belief which manipulates the parent so as to indoctrinate the child. When the child recognizes the agenda and from whence it comes, is that not terrorist evil from the child’s perspective? Is it any wonder why there are child terrorists in America?
When a scientist injects an animal with painful or deadly fluids and toxins, then justifies it with the Belief that it is for the “good” of humanity, is that not a form of terrorist evil from the animal’s and animal lover’s perspectives? When politicians, preachers, and their minions of believers oppose drug treatments and other methods necessary for a person who is suffering to die without further or added suffering, is that not terrorist evil from the sufferer’s perspective? When a CEO lays off employees because he/she believes layoffs will boost stock prices, is that not a devastating, Belief-controlled act? Is that not terrorist evil from the perspective of those employees whose lives have been devastated?
Do corporate and bureaucratic leaders consider the potential for suffering when they make decisions? Some people believe that the World Corporate Bureaucracy is evil because it does not seem to care if living entities suffer. Is it evil or merely another Belief system seeking control? History has a propensity to show that it makes little difference which Belief system is in control. Regardless, the Belief in control will propagate suffering much like terrorists who are believed to be evil.
Some people who perceive the problems with Belief will ask, “But can people exist without Belief to guide them and help their decision-making?” Why not? Compassion, empathic understanding, and a natural aversion to the causes and perpetuation of suffering seem to naturally manifest themselves in intelligent beings who try to exist without Belief. Examples of this phenomenon exist in individuals everywhere, but of course, not in any documented system.
Open-minded thinkers try to perceive not only both sides of a dichotomy but also other alternatives, including abstract and original alternatives. If such thinking was rewarded, it is conceivable that individuals could be responsible for their own behavior and decrease the tendency to indoctrinate and control others. Think of it: if, instead of indoctrinating people with the Belief Syndrome, individuals were taught how to contemplate the consequences of proposed behaviors by practicing critical and multilateral thinking, then perhaps an enlightenment revolution could disinfect the world of Believers. Instead of guilt, insecurity, denial, and deprecation from subliminal-Belief-banshees manipulating human minds, thinking could become more accepting and considerate, if not more intelligent. Of course, such a revolution would probably foster an imperfect structure for social stability. It would probably create a less affluent and smaller population. And it would contain much less suffering, and more insightful thinking. All this would seem chaotic to any mentality controlled by Belief.’
If it is not possible for people to live without Belief, it is certainly possible for people to become and remain aware of the Belief in their own minds, and learn from the consequences of behaviors manipulated by Belief. Believers tend to make the assumption that all who do not hold the same Beliefs as themselves are “bad” or “wrong.” True Believers tend to see but one perspective; they react, deny and justify accordingly.
To react according to Belief but without compassion or understanding is to become as mindless as a terrorist. Think about it–self-defeating acts, like blowing your self up to make a statement, do not seem too intelligent. Certainly such behavior demonstrates poor mental health. Think about it–going into the military–giving up your freedom in order to fight, and maybe kill or be killed for freedom does not seem too intelligent either. Belief does not foster intelligence. Belief fosters obedience through control of the mind.
Terrorist acts tend to polarize Believers and cause people to hide more-deeply inside their Belief. This insidious characteristic of Belief also seems to be an underlying motivation for the attacks by the Islamic Belief terrorists. As Believers intensify their Beliefs, the world gets closer to a Worldwide Holy War, the Mother of all Oxymorons, waged by and for Belief itself–the Father of Evil.
[**]Belief: A firm habit of trust in a concept, fact, or person. To have hope and faith by trusting with or without some quality or quantity of proof and questioning. To conform to a fact. A revered and/or excessively followed concept, fact or person.