PRINCIPLE FIVE:   EVERY BELIEF IS IMPERFECT AND HAS AN ELEMENT OF DELUSION

     In Principle Two we discussed that the human function of knowing serves the function of believing. In Principle Three we discussed that the human spirit must believe something about everything at all times. When these two principles are placed side by side we begin to see a larger picture of what it means to be human. We are spiritual beings by nature. We actually live within our spirits. Our spirits hunger for a view of reality (principal three) and with this passion the spirit commissions the mind to gather facts or knowledge. As our mind collects facts our spirits attaches meaning to them (principal four). Our spirits in turn orients (compasses) to this new perceived reality.
     This is a fluid process and a continual one. With each new fact gathered the spirit processes it by attaching meaning to it and reorients itself accordingly. Our spirits are continually being nudged by the suggestions surrounding it.
     There are two problems with this whole process. First, we will never have all of the facts. Second, the meaning that we attach to the facts may be in error. In other words: we are interpreters of the world around us. If two people were placed side by side and both were given ALL KNOWLEDGE they still would not agree. Our interpretations of the facts WILL differ.
     Remember our earlier illustration of the jury? The jury of twelve men and women will have all of the facts before them and each juror will still have their own interpretation of those facts. Jurors rarely agree. Through great deliberation the jurors will attempt to influence one another in order to achieve unity. Let us assume for the sake of argument that the jury reaches the state of unity and achieves their verdict. Does this mean they all agree as to the meaning of the facts presented? Do they all see things the same way? Can the whole jury be wrong?
     I enjoy watching the Science Channel on television. One program that fascinates me is “CODES”. This program explores the various known codes that exist everywhere throughout the universe. One code, for example, is Pi: the mathematical definition of a circle. All stellar and planetary orbits, all circles or orbits, and all cycles of any kind (seasons, wheels or whirling machines for example) obey the mathematical code of Pi. Light itself and all other forms of energy in the universe are waveforms which are also cycles and are defined by Pi. Pi is the relationship of the circle’s circumference divided by its diameter. Pi defines a circle, a cycle and all waveforms. This relationship is always the same no matter how big the circle or how frequent the cycles.
     The code of interest here for the purposes of our discussion was covered on another episode of this same program. This code is entitled, “The Collective Wisdom.” The concept here is that no one person can possess the whole truth; however through the collection of all belief (personal realities) we can approach the truth (real reality).
     To prove their point the show’s producer emptied several bags of jelly beans into a fish bowl. Over 160 people were asked individually what they believed was the actual number of the beans in the bowl. No one knew what the other believed. No one influenced the other. Here is a riddle: How can all of the 160 people be wrong, yet at the same time they all be right? Here is the answer to this riddle and the meaning of this code. Some of the 160 people, as we might imagine, guessed far under the actual amount (real reality) and some guessed far greater than the actual amount. All were delusional to one degree or another—they were all wrong. No one guessed the actual amount of jelly beans in the fish bowl. However, collectively, when their beliefs were averaged together they were within a fraction of ONE jelly bean of the exact number—they were (collectively) all correct. Amazing! How can this be? Within each individual person’s belief was truth and within each belief was delusion. By taking the average of everyone’s beliefs together the truths enhanced one-another and the delusions cancelled each other to obtain the real reality—the truth!
     The humble human dilemma is that we are all delusional to one degree or another. All of our beliefs, our perception of real reality, contain some amount of error; some of us a lot and some of us a little. We cannot know what facts we do not possess and we cannot know for certain whether or not we have interpreted those facts correctly. In fact, every one of our beliefs contains some degree of truth in it and some degree of delusion in it—and we cannot know how much of one or the other we have! Yet we still believe that we are correct and that others are insane. The problem is that we are all at least a little insane. We are all delusional![1]
     There is one perfect belief: the belief that all of our beliefs have at least some delusion contained within them to one degree or another. Anyone subscribing to this perfect belief is by definition—HUMBLE. The humble person believes that each one of their many beliefs is flawed and incomplete. The humble will forever be on the personal quest for more knowledge. The humble person is a learner. The humble person knows that they will never have all of the facts and that the meanings they attached to each of these facts are their very own and may be in error. The humble person seeks counsel from others, listening to their view of reality and weighing it against their own. They unwittingly subscribe to the universal code of the collective wisdom. [2] Through this process truth is enhanced and delusion cancelled out. The humble will in time get closer to the truth (real reality) than the arrogant. Humility is sanity.
     The opposite of humility is ARROGANCE. This person believes that their beliefs are correct! Their learning ceases. An arrogant person cannot learn anything new because they believe that their belief on the subject is right and that there is no new knowledge to suggest otherwise. There is no need to listen to others; therefore, their delusion remains with them. Delusion is the downfall of many. Until their delusion is revealed through failure in life no change will occur. Delusion never flies in the real world.
     Life can be compared to the task of folding a piece of paper into an airplane. Imagine that we are all a mere flat sheet of paper. All of us start out the same—one single flat sheet of paper. Our goal in life is to fold ourselves in such a way that we can fly. We can make any kind of fold that we desire. Our folds define us and we can define ourselves as we like. We can believe that we have folded the best paper airplane. The true test is, however, does it fly? With each fold in life we will either gain altitude or we will lose altitude. We can talk all we want, but the proof is in our altitude. Many have crashed. Many have gained great heights. We are living testimonies to this process of folding ourselves into a great workable aircraft. The bad folds will find us out! The ultimate reality check is—does it fly? With each fold, or with each new belief, the nagging question is, “Does it work for you?” There is no room for delusion when we consider that our lives are at stake. We must find the truth! We must find the correct folds, that is, those beliefs that work!
     The humble acknowledge when an error in judgment has been made in their folding. The arrogant press forward anyway until little remaining altitude is left and a crash is imminent. The humble look at what seems to work well for others as they too make their folds. Not so much the arrogant.
     Many of us humble paper folders search for manuals on how to make an airplane that flies. There are certainly many manuals out there. Some of these manuals are in the form of self-help books, while others are called “Scriptures.” All lay claims to have the right plans for the perfect aircraft. Are they all correct? Are there, indeed, many ways to fold this paper to get the desired altitude?
     How should we define altitude to this type of paper aircraft? What does altitude or success in flying (living) really look like? To some altitude is defined by riches, to others it is a close nit family and to others still it is the joy of flying itself—just living life. Perhaps we have all witnessed someone in life who appears to be successful on the outside, yet are miserable on the inside. Is their seeming success working for them? There are those who appear quite unsuccessful on the outside that are very content and happy with their lives. I have seen poor people rich in love and family and contentment and inner peace.
     Delusions permeate our reality in every way. We are forever bound to the world of our own beliefs. This is the humble human predicament. Without help from the outside we remain bound in our own personal worlds of some truth and some delusion.
     Many years ago when I was in the Navy I was stationed in Scotland for two years. When our ship first arrived I was eager to go out and see this beautiful and enchanted land. Within the first two weeks of arrival I and a couple of close friends decided to visit Glasgow. We travelled by train, making various stops along the way. We passed through the old town of Paisley, famous for the unique Paisley Print. Upon arriving at Glasgow we left the busy train station and stepped out into this whole new world. Excited to climb into this strange new city, I looked to my left and seeing that no vehicles were coming towards me, I stepped out into the street. One of my friends quickly grabbed a hold of my shirt collar and pulled me back on to the curb. Immediately a large, red double-decker bus roared past me from my right, missing me by less than a foot.
     What in the world happened? In my world I sincerely believed that it was perfectly safe to step out and begin crossing the road. Little did I know that in my world dwelt a very real and deadly delusion? The world in which I was accustomed all vehicles drove on the right side of the street, so their approach to me would be from my left. In Scotland all vehicles drive on the left side of the street so their approach to me would be from my right. To the casual observer I would have appeared to be committing suicide or even crazy. To me this behavior was quite normal; therefore, I stepped out confidently. I was, in fact, delusional. Delusions just don’t fly! Since this harrowing experience I have began to fold my paper airplane a little differently—I now look both ways! Without the help of my friend I would have died in my delusion.
       My older brother Jim and I once went with our dad on a hike to explore around in the desert of Southern California. While we were trudging through the sand and rock, my brother saw a snake and quickly reached out and took hold of it as his prize for the day. My dad upon seeing the snake with its many colorful rings of red and black slapped the snake out of my brother’s hands. My dad yelled out frantically, “That’s a Corral Snake—it’s deadly!” What my brother saw in his world was merely a beautifully colored snake. The facts needed at the time were there, but he did not see all of the facts, nor did he interpret them correctly. My brother Jim’s belief about the snake contained, as usual, part truth and part delusion. This delusion almost killed him! Delusions don’t fly! Without the help of our dad my brother Jim would have perished in his delusion.
     In the Old Testament portion of the Bible the phrase “Stiff Necked” is used to describe the arrogant. For many years this phrase has been a mystery to me. It is no longer. A stiff neck has troubles turning the head; therefore, the eyes continue to see the same view of the world. If the view remains the same so will the belief (seeing is believing). This is, after all, an apt term to describe arrogance. It is what we do not see that will usually do us harm or kill us. The humble by their very nature keep their head on a swivel. The humble are ready and willing to allow their view to change by collecting more data. The humble know that they are partially blind. The humble are ready and willing to receive another’s view of the world—from those who are not bound up in the same world of beliefs as their own.
     We are all unfortunately bound up in the world of our own making. Each of our worlds is different from each other’s. This helps to explain why we react to the world around so differently from one another. Others appear to be acting so strangely to us.
     It is time now for us to begin tying all of this together. In these next two chapters we will look into the spiritual dynamic that translates belief into behavior, aiding us in our understanding of “WHY” we all do what we do.

REALITY CHECK:   Every belief contains both truth and delusion.



[1] “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NIV)
[2] “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22, NIV)