When I was training to be a psychotherapist, one of the ideas I came across that has really stayed with me is that the only purpose of a belief is to prove itself right. It was meaningful to me at the time because it caused me to reflect on what I did believe, and how this impacted what it was I did and did not notice.
Our beliefs shape what information comes to our attention, and what we simply don’t notice. Outside of awareness, we have filters running that highlight things that are relevant - things that support what we already believe. These same filters mean we pass by a vast amount of information. In reality we have to, because there is way, way too much information coming at our senses for us to take it all in.
When we hold beliefs lightly, holding them as ideas rather than an absolute truth, we are able to stop shining a spotlight only on what supports them, and we can turn the lights up. In a more balanced way we can look at the evidence for and against our current understanding, and we can learn.
It seems to me at the moment we all could use some light holding, and a little more light. There are suddenly so many unknowns, our world is changing rapidly. If we attempt to use our old belief systems to navigate a rapidly changing world, we will find ourselves in some distress and trouble.
If you turn the lights up this week, what will you now notice?
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