C.C. Chapman

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Beliefs

We've all heard that there are some topics you should never discuss with friends. I've never believed this, because if you are real friends you should be able to discuss any topic even if you don't agree on it.

I'm sitting here with my morning coffee. The house is still mostly asleep. The quiet gives me time to reflect and think about the world around me.

Humans are never going to fully agree with one another. Our brains allow us each to individually form our own beliefs and make decisions about everything. The chances to two humans being in complete agreement on everything is impossible. We love, hate, like and feel meh about everything we come in contact with. The song on the radio, our frosty beverage of choice and the color of our car. Each, another decision that we each make.

The Internet opened up our front door to the world.

Now, the decisions I make and the things I believe in can be seen by the world. Each of us has the choice what to share and how much. The world around us has control over if they want to see them or not. It is the cornerstone of the social graph that our lives are now part of.

We each have beliefs that we are more passionate about than others. It is another human trait that is amazing and scary to watch at the same time.

I always think back to a line from Kevin Smith's movie Dogma that goes:

"I just think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. People die for it, people kill for it."

I'm full of very strong beliefs. Certain things that no one will ever change my mind on. While I'm happy to have civil conversations about them, I will never try to push them on anyone.

I also have friends with very different beliefs and I want that because if you surround yourself with only similar thinking individuals, than you'll never grow as a person. Being exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking makes you a more well rounded person and in my mind a better individual.

As you go about your day, please try to keep in mind something my dad taught me at a very young age and that I've tried to pass on to my children.

"To Each Their Own."

This means that we all get to have our own opinions, beliefs and ideas. We each get to make up our own mind.

We don't have to like what other people think and do, but if it doesn't directly effect us or hurt other people, then we have no reason to be concerned by it.

Try to keep this in mind always. I know that it makes my life a whole lot more pleasant and I believe that if more people started thinking this way that we might cut down on some of the insanity going on in the world around us.

Make it a great day everyone.