GIGO

What constitutes one’s reference-authority for the path-of-life they choose?   Religiously oriented individuals may rely upon a sectarian interpretation of an esteemed holy book and the dogma of strangers who define their “in group.”  Others, either by self-constructed philosophies based upon their social/cultural background, or by subscribing to a manufactured system of beliefs or practices prescribed by other influential sources.  It is likely that the reference source for anyone’s individual authority, whether self-composed or handed down, lies with second-hand beliefs that have been generated and created by thought leaders whom they have never met.

Much of who we are or who we become is dependent upon those who have come before us.  Likewise, those who are yet to come will be affected by the foundations that we lay on their behalf.  The old saying “garbage in/garbage out” applies not only to computer processing, but to the beliefs that humanity inherits and foists on generations to come.  Individually, we may not sense how important our contribution is to that well of knowledge and ideas that are passed on, but, nonetheless, as raindrops are to a flood, our beliefs passed on have an influence nonetheless.  In that case, we are burdened with a responsibility to monitor and clarify that what we pass on to the future is constructive and not unproductive.

I’m not sure that what one ultimately believes, whether rational or fanciful, has as much impact upon future outcomes and prosperity as one’s psychological frame of mind.  Unless those particular beliefs lead to manifestations of characteristics that promote, however imperfectly, tranquility, then those beliefs require assessment as to their value.  Sadly, whether religious, purely philosophical, cultish or ethnic, etc., if those beliefs, that one holds so dearly, do not contribute to an atmosphere of peace and the general welfare of society then they do not pass the smell test.  The application of “garbage in/garbage out” can rightly be attributed to such beliefs.  We are given the choice of what we will accept in terms of what other second-hand belief systems are handed off to us.  If the belief leads to an malodorous outcome, it’s time to reorganize personal thought patterns.