Do you believe what you were taught, told or read?

Question

All offspring are taught what their elders believe. Some rebel.
I know things which cannot be described in words. No belief, just feelings (like temperature or a sound or a sight). Not any of the 5 senses but I know, not believe, have not been told,taught, read or heard about.

A feeling that cannot be described in words the closest I can describe it is as a "shadow" and they were my my mum and dad. I did not see, hear or any other sense them. I felt them.

Answer 1

Reading is the key to learning and literacy and thinking

Illiteracy leads to ignorance

If someone tells you something and you cannot read to research the subject or evaluate you make take it as surface value and you may never think about what they were trying to teach you.

If all people were illiterate then the educated would be in control because there would be gross disadvantages in society

Lets face it not all elders parents teachers ministers or government officials are good intelligent or respectful people any many don't have the greatest intentions, they can tell you anything!! That doesn't mean it is true fact or even relevant

Answer 2

We have to have a starting point, a springboard for our lives. Life shapes our beliefs and how we interpret the basic instincts that guide and drive us. Sometimes we can't even see how much we are moulded by the society we live in into how we interpret what is right & wrong, what is OK to believe & what is not. Even to the point that even feelings and senses are dulled. In that sense, rebellion is good, often it takes revolution to bring about change. Don't be afraid of rebellion. It's what helps crate our own identity and thus drives us to search for new answers and solutions.
You know what you are experiencing, and those you know. Balance that against your instincts, what you have been taught and read and make an informed decision. Above all, be prepared to learn, change and adapt as you learn, see and understand more. Remember, everything people say and do is coloured by the way they see the world, which is a result of what has happened to them, or what they want to achieve.
When you experience things, question and be prepared to look at both the rational and strange, don't just accept. Also, don't let others tell you your experiences and feelings aren't real, unless they experienced it too!
Unless you question and probe, you never progress.
That's why my motto is "Explore, question and enjoy".

Answer 3

Basically, I listened, but believed it only after it being proved right.

I once famously asked my geography teacher how he could prove that Antarctica was not the famous Atlantis and had been in the middle of the atlantic ocean so many years ago, if he couldn't even prove how tectonic plates moved.
And then even more famously added; "How could you be so sure that I'm wrong if you weren't even there to personally register it?"

(to which he later retaliated by naming a very little known Asiatic country - which had just changed names and so would be harder to find because children hadn't been taught about it - and told me to point it out on the map, to which I pulled a chair up close to the map, hopped on it and without looking pointed out that country. He laughed, saying I must have pointed out the wrong one definitely, but his enjoyment faded when he moved over to see where my finger had landed. He never asked me anything again... I wonder why.)


All this just to show why exactly I always take everything I'm taught with a whole bag of salt.

Answer 4

I live by the motto: "Question Authority"

Many people misinterpret this to mean "Don't Trust Authority".

It does not.

It means "Trust but Verify."

In many cases, if not most, the authority is an authority for a reason ... and they are *usually* right.

So listen to your elders ... and listen to authorities in a field, or even legal authorities. But *listening* to them does not mean *blind obedience*. Listening also means really *listening* to what they are saying so that you can spot when they are wrong. If they are wrong, then you need to re-evaluate whether you should continue to consider them an "authority."

For example: I hear people dealing with questions like "Should I believe evolution?", "Is global warming real?", "Did humans really land on the moon?" In all three cases, the overwhelming consensus among real scientists is YES. So why do people distrust the scientists on these issues of *science*, when these scientists are the "authority"? How can somebody with barely a High-School education feel that hundreds to tens of thousands of scientists are all wrong ... or even perpetrating a deliberate hoax?

How do some people learn to distrust scientists so intensely?

People come to these bizarre opinions through all sorts of paths, but they all have in common: Somebody is telling them that "You should not believe everything the scientists tell you." ... and this gets misinterpreted as "You should *reject* everything the scientists tell you." What an awful thing to believe. Scientists are generally pretty smart and honest people. They are *usually* right ... far more often than they are wrong. But if you automatically distrust everything they say ... and instead look to non-scientists (like religious leaders, politicians, or any clown with a web site) for information on SCIENCE ... then you are prime fodder for being a manipulated PAWN for the rest of your life.

On issues of religion, trust your religious leaders.

On issues of science, trust the scientists.

In both cases, "trust" doesn't mean "blind trust". Read ,read, read so that you can spot those rare occasions when they are wrong ... but don't *start* by distrusting the "authorities".

Answer 5

Pauline,when a creature is born,does it read a book or told how to find mothers milk?These things are INSTINCT.We all are born with certain knowledge.Feelings are protection devices built into us by whoever our maker is.
It is a miracle,how else could you explain feelings like love and hate and security. You won't find them in a book.You have owned them forever.
Hurray for you!!! Keep pondering the simple things,you are off to a great start!

Answer 6

When I was a child I believed all I was told but as I grew older I read for myself to ascertain or refute what I had been taught.

A famous quote by the write, James Baldwin, on the matter comes to mind:

"The paradox of education is precisely this: that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated"

Answer 7

I only believe what I truly believe to be true. For example, I recently rebelled with my Physics teacher because she was talking poppycock (or some might say porkies). She reported me to the head and I showed what I thought to be right and backed it up with relevant pages from the text book. The head agreed but she still warned me for bad behaviour!! the reason is she didn't want to lose the teacher.

Answer 8

Read EVERYTHING - Listen to EVERYONE - Question EVERYTHING.

Then use your God Given "Common Sense" to make up your own mind.

Remember, not every "Truth" is the Right Truth for everyone.

Answer 9

follow them.listen to them and try to remember what was said,you sound like you are in touch with the spirits,get some lessons if you are interested,and stay off the wacky