Deeply Held

Our deepest held beliefs are the ones that we should spend the most time challenging. 

I struggle with thoughts like this. 

I agree with them entirely—as long as the person challenging their deeply held beliefs and values is the person that views the world differently than me. 

If I had to guess, that line of thinking is popular. 

Just like how giving advice to others is easy yet following that same advice is hard; evaluating the beliefs of others is easy while challenging our own is difficult. 

For instance, I believe that exposure to different ways of thinking and living is beneficial to people as it allows for them to have a more well-rounded view of the world. 

It's incredibly hard for me to find counter-arguments that make sense. I guess you could argue that living in the same town, with the same people, living a routine life provides you with all of the stability you could ever need, making my view irrelevant as you are not concerned with the world. 

Maybe? 

Upon a quick Google search, the counter-arguments to my line of thinking are feeling like an outsider, experiencing cultural misunderstandings, or facing discrimination or negative attitudes. Yet, couldn’t that be mitigated if we expose ourselves to other ways of thinking? Wouldn’t we give ourselves the opportunity to become more empathetic? 

But then again, I believe that there is no correct approach here. 

What I think would benefit people may actually lead to worse outcomes if we were to scale it. Maybe closed communities give wanderers like me the space to explore, while preserving a way of life that doesn’t demand change.

But since we both hold those views so deeply, does that mean we should try the lifestyle of the other for an extended period to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding for their approach? 

That sounds like I would go crazy and feel cut off from the world. But maybe, I would gain more respect for their lifestyle?

At the end of the day, we can’t force others to share our views—I believe that is how we drive deeper wedges. So maybe, you just have to be the person willing to challenge your beliefs. 

Maybe in doing so—you may just encourage others to do the same.