Blog 574 – 03.17.2017
The Power Of A Thought, An Opinion, Or A Belief

Some might question: “Do my thoughts, opinions, beliefs really matter?” The answer is a resounding “Yes, more that you know.” First of all everything in this world began as a thought and all around us are concrete examples, pardon the pun, of thoughts becoming reality. If you want to change your world, change your thinking and watch that change of thought reveal a whole new world around you.

Opinions are a bit trickier thoughts that usually involves a difference of opinion or perspective (point of view). There is a great line in the recently releases movie, The Shack” where Spirit is trying to explain that when billions of people play God, judging good and evil, it creates many problems when our good is thought to be evil by someone else and the other way around. She says with a tear in her eye and voice, “It was always mean to be a conversation among friends.”

When we hold our opinions too firmly they become beliefs to us and are not only harder to change but can lead to even more terrible disagreements than those over our opinions. But still it is very important what you think, what your opinions are, and what your beliefs are for these are “Your truth.” And while I am here, it is quite natural for children to think they have it right and everybody else has got it wrong. Actually that is a problem more with adults than children. Children often hold their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs lighter and are more open to new ideas and ways of looking at things. There are terms for intractable people – hard headed, hard hearted, stiff necked, stubborn, willful, unkind, unforgiving, bull headed, the hits just keep coming, and we have everyone of us danced to that song and more than once. Most of all this pig headedness comes from being so sure when the fact is that we so seldom have all the facts and are therefore very poor judges at best. We were created to be loved and to love not to judge. Thinking, having opinions, and beliefs is all fine but without love we so seldom get it right that it is hardly worth the trouble.

As another famous letter writer once put it, “And yet I show you a more excellent way…now abide faith, hope, and love but the greatest of these is love.” When we allow Love to inform our thinking, our opinions, and our beliefs we do so much better and treat everyone, everything, even ourselves the best way possible. Or at least that is what I think. It is my opinion, my belief. But hey, I could be wrong but right or wrong I would rather be a lover than a fighter and to me being happy is more important than being right. I sure wish I had learned this a lot sooner. What is past is past. Today is what matters.

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White