BELIEF

Abstract: BELIEF A belief is an essential mind relief from a disturbing, or unsettling situation. The following is a random observation of beliefs and reactions to beliefs. There isn’t a single person who is free from some level of insecurity and uncertainty. While such intuitions are meant to function as warning signals, crucial questions remain unanswered. One way of getting some closure on perplexities is to believe in something that explains the incomprehensible. There are vast differences between various types of beliefs and their influence on society. For example; when people find themselves in precarious socio-political situations, the rate of belief rises, and when the socio-economic living conditions are acceptable, the rate of belief drops. Another observation is about the events that persuade people to switch from one belief to another. In this expose, a belief is not a religion, but a religion is one form of belief, similar to a belief in leadership. Virtually all beliefs are based on the accreditation of the people who choose the belief. Because in reality no leadership, just like any other belief, is accountable for the consequences it caused. Curiously, when we are desperate for an answer we turn to heaven. Instinctively we assume that somewhere out there is a righteous force that supersedes everything we know. Beliefs are manmade fictions, designed to provide mental relief from anxieties, uncertainties, and unresolved psychological issues. And because a belief is fiction it calls for some signs of affirmation and reassurance. Whether based on ideologies, hypotheses, insinuations, observations, or current scientific deductions, our assertions are no more than intellectual presumptions. _______________________________________ It is difficult to understand why it took us so long to accept incongruous human behavior that should have been apparent long ago. Since social connectivity is an important part of coexistence, the limitations of the social constructs, are of some concern. One explanation is that all connections are in part based on intended deceptions. Personal interests continuously interfere with the wishes to augment reality. There are no universal ethical and moral parameters that define the boundaries of what is right and acceptable as an ethical code for social behavior. Our dependence on beliefs as the ultimate guidance of values is often underestimated. Laws are in place to "protect" the people from inappropriate and outrageous behavior. But the unstable emotions within our subconsciousness can leash out and invertedly cause harm. We find ourselves in unpredictable situations that are fluid and three-dimensional. The choices we make are based on assessments of the current circumstances about our very own needs. With every subconscious intuition, a different outcome presents itself. It is as if there are countless mutations in the waiting to be triggered by one decision. By considering unrelated sequential events, I found some unexpected answers. Consider the following narrative as an example of how a presumptive situation can change a belief and the outcome. Then ask yourself; what are the odds of meeting someone with a reciprocal telepathic connection that provides a common understanding, despite the contradictory facts? For every potential outcome, countless options rotate and mutate, before a conclusive decision is made. In most cases, the final arbitration is based on intuition and not on a rational deduction. In a world filled with uncertainties, belief in guidance provides the solace and reassurance that people need. You might think that there is no harm in joining a belief and declaring an allegiance, but profound beliefs are the causes of social conflicts. “I am thinking for you Matilde, and that way you will be thinking the way I think.” BELIEF Imagine for a moment witnessing the abuse of a helpless woman. You feel enraged and immediately, you get involved by fighting and beating the man who abused the woman. Unexpectedly the woman falls onto the ground bleeding, while her abuser runs away. A policeman arrives at the scene. He too is outrageous at the sight and because he perceives you as the abuser, he starts beating you as punishment for what he assumes that you have done. You end up handcuffed in a police car while the officer reports your involvement as he sees it. While you are describing the situation that you have encountered, explaining that the actual abuser fled the scene before the police arrived, the abused woman lies unconscious in a hospital unable to testify. At every stage of our lives, we have a different evaluation metric. The degree of self-confidence and the need for recognition is constantly morphing. Curiously, the incongruities that led us to believe in a metric of values, can turn around within a decade and make us the believers of an entirely different dogma. This transformative beliefs between what is deemed to be cruel and what is compassionate, seem to be shifting according to the social values we believe in. This includes some ideologies that are purposely injected into our social life, to influence our beliefs. Hence the Cambridge Analytica subversive interference in the US elections in 2016. Since the recording of human history, we have abided by the dogmas created by influential leaders. Whenever a society becomes too dense, the socio-economic imbalance creates internal conflicts that are too challenging for the leadership. This in turn brings about ideologies that segregate the society. Humankind depends on coexistence, but when the coexistence is perceived as being out of balance, the social structure is likely to implode. People need to feel respected and valued. Humiliation and degradation can have a dire psychological effect on a society. Ideology is a cause that draws believers. An ideology is based on a belief that provides an emotional and spiritual appeasement to a person or a group. Beliefs help people to overcome anxieties caused by unmanageable conditions. Such idealized philosophies are attributed to a person or group of persons, for reasons that are not purely epistemic. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemologists study the nature, origin, and scope of knowledge, epistemic justification, the rationality of belief, and various related issues. The innate need of people to believe in an ideology, to counter their insecurity and indecisions regarding their adversaries. An ideology is usually based on a fundamental misconception and nurtures consequential social behavior. Ideologies are meant to nurture a cult of deranged beliefs to the point of destruction. There is no place for questioning the core of an ideology. An ideology is something to believe in unquestionably. It is the emotional support needed to inflict atrocities on people who believe in a contravening ideology. When we idealize something or someone to the point of being unquestionable, the idealization becomes an uncontrollable force. Mindsets that emerge from an ideology. In times of socio-economic desperation, humans' need for a change in an ideological belief grows. And when the leadership is losing the confidence of the people, a mythical creation becomes the ideology to believe in. BELIEF Such was the case 4,399 years ago when the Goddess Maat was established. Maat was the fictitious goddess of harmony, justice, and truth, and the image of a young woman represented 42 laws that represented the ethical and moral principles to be followed by all Egyptian citizens throughout their daily lives. Ma'at was established as a principle to address the complex needs of the emerging Egyptian state, which comprised diverse peoples with conflicting interests. The development of such rules was aimed at averting chaos and they became the basis of Egyptian law. Early on, the king described himself as “Lord of Maat,” who decreed with his mouth the Maat he received in his heart. The meaning of Maat evolved to encompass all aspects of existence, including the fundamental balance of the universe, the relationship between its constituent parts, the cycle of the seasons, celestial movements, religious observations, fair dealing, honesty, and truthfulness in social interactions. The forgotten moral code of Maat, ancient Egypt's most important religious concept, the goddess of truth, justice, wisdom, the stars, the law, morality, order, harmony, of the seasons and cosmic balance, about 4,399 years ago. Moses, who grew up in the Egyptian palace, had to follow these rules, which explains where he got the idea of the Ten Commandments. Other examples. Liu Bang was the founder and first emperor of the Han Dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC after the tyrannical rule of the Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang's rule allowed more freedom and lightened the tax burden on the peasants. He showed particular concern for reviving the rural economy that was ruthlessly plundered by the previous authority. Liu Bang was often thought to have the semblance of a dragon. The dragon is an important symbol in China. The Chinese zodiac, symbolizes power, nobility, honor, luck, and success. Confucius was one ideology creator, who lived between 551 and 479 BC. Lived. Approximately 2502 years ago. A Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn Period. Confucius created the concepts of respect for autonomy, charity, non-malevolence, and justice, as well as the moral values summarized as the Confucius ethics, at a time when the government was struggling to keep the various socioeconomic levels in order. In the Middle East, around 559 to 530 BC (2,090 years ago) Cyrus, the emperor, recognized that such a large empire with diverse societies required a more liberal approach than usual. Cyrus freed the slaves, declared that all people had the right to choose their religion, and instituted racial equality. Cyrus appointed governors who were empowered to govern their people as long as they were loyal to the kingdom. He also allowed the Israelites to return to their land. In Cyrus' words: In my experience, men who respond to adversity with humility and kindness are harder to find than those who face adversity with courage. Cyrus represented an ideology that the world’s largest nation believed in and followed. In c.780 – c.850 The medieval Islamic world underwent significant developments in mathematics. The practicality and broad applicability of the medieval Arabic, mathematical methods facilitated the dissemination of Algebra and scientific developments to Western society, contributing substantially to the evolution of Western mathematics. By and large, it was the readiness to accept and welcome a mixture of cultures and promote intellectual exchanges through the Silk Road that brought about a surge in knowledge. BELIEF One of the most significant advances made by Arabic mathematics began at this time with the work of alKhwarizmi, namely the beginnings of algebra. It is important to understand just how significant this new idea was. It was a revolutionary move away from the Greek concept of mathematics which was essentially geometry. Algebra was a unifying theory that allowed rational numbers, irrational numbers, geometrical magnitudes, etc., to all be treated as "algebraic objects". It gave mathematics a whole new development path so much broader in concept than that which had existed before and provided a vehicle for the future development of the subject. Another important aspect of the introduction of algebraic ideas was that it allowed mathematics to be applied to itself in a way which had not happened before." — MacTutor History of Mathematics archive. Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwārizmī was born c. 780 Khwarazm, Abbasid Caliphate. He was a Persian national and by occupation, the head of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. The other side of the psychological passage of time is in the realm of volition and action. We plan and often execute actions intended to affect the course of events in the future. From the Rubaiyat: The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit. Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it. — Omar Khayyám (translation by Edward Fitzgerald). While advancement in science is often viewed as an ideology contradictory to beliefs, these intellectual breakthroughs could not have happened without the support of believers. How did the Golden Age of Arabic mathematics come to an end? The golden age is considered to have come into existence through a gigantic endeavor to acquire and translate the ancient sciences of the Greeks between the eighth and ninth centuries. The translations era was followed by two centuries of splendid original thinking and contributions and is known as the "golden age" of Islamic science. This intellectual euphoria lasted from the end of the ninth to the end of the eleventh century. The era after this period is conventionally known as the "age of decline". A survey of literature from the nineteenth century onwards demonstrates that the decline theory has become the preferred paradigm in general academia. The expansion was caused by the Caliphates, 622–750, who propagated muti-cultural education and exchanges. The Islamic religious attitudes towards science hampered the continuation of scientific development. It was once again the fear of the rise in competitive confrontation with fundamental belief, that caused the implosion of an affluent society. "The Mother of Believers". Khadija is often referred to by Muslims as "The Mother of Believers". Khadijah bin Khuwaylid was the first wife and the first follower of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Khadija was the daughter of Khuwaylid ibn Asad, a noble of the Quraysh tribe in Makkah and a successful merchant. In Islam, she is an important female figure as one of the four 'ladies of heaven', alongside her daughter Fatimah bint Muhammad, Asiya the wife of the Pharaoh, and Mary, mother of Jesus. Muhammad was married to her for 25 years. "Mother of the Believers" is a term by which each of Muhammad's wives came to be prefixed over time. It is derived from Quran 33:6: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves, and his wives are their mothers" is applied to all of these women. A total of eleven women are confirmed as having been married to Muhammad, the messenger of Islam. BELIEF Insecurity and uncertainty form the fertile ground on which belief thrives. Even after a successful revolution, it will take generations to change the cultural and social habits of a civilization. Belief is a deeply anchored psychological dogma that provides a much-needed respite from the unknown. Belief is reliant on a presumed force that supersedes all questions and ambiguities. When the familiar situation changes, with all of its advantages and defaults, it creates chaos which leads to irrational behavior. It’ll take a considerable time and energy to redirect a belief. It is people's innate need to believe in a cause and counteract their uncertainty and indecision towards their opponents. An ideology is usually based on a fundamental misunderstanding and promotes the resulting social behavior. Ideology is designed to nurture a cult of deranged beliefs to the point of destruction. Ideological changes have happened in the Middle East over and over again. Since its founding in 1982, Hezbollah's rhetoric has been full of inflammatory language that threatens Israel's existence. Its official name is the Party of God. Its power base is Lebanese Shiites, a sect that has historically been marginalized in Lebanese politics and economics. Its fighters have been armed and trained by Iran since its founding. When the familiar situation changes, with all of its advantages and defaults, it creates chaos which leads to irrational behavior. It'll take a considerable amount of time and energy to establish an amicable balance. The regional and proxy nations should assert their influence to arrive at a peaceful social outcome in Syria. Even after a successful revolution, it will take generations to change the cultural and social beliefs and habits of a civilization. Disbelief is a suspicion and a denial. Belief is an accreditation that encourages action. The proactive mode is visionary thinking. A preparation, that may or may not come to fruition. Everyone believes in something, sometimes. Perceptual psychologist James J. Gibson believed that human perception of ecological relationships was the basis of self-awareness and cognition itself. Linguist George Lakoff has proposed a cognitive science of mathematics wherein even the most fundamental ideas of arithmetic would be seen as consequences. As a follow-up to the incongruities of beliefs, I drafted a fictitious conversation between Lucifer, who plays his usual contraventions, with Angel Gabriel, who has the important role of fulfilling wishes, and a mutation called Matilda, who is so incredibly multifaceted and unpredictable.