belief is an instrument to do something, not an end product

throughout history; I mean the real, long history of humans, we have created culture and belief systems out of enormous, monolithic slabs of ignorance. if you think about it, humanity for nearly all of its existence knew nearly nothing about reality or how things truly work ... ... or did they?

yes, they knew nothing of the cosmos, of cells and germ theory, of the elements, of electromagnetism, of great poetry, novels, and of engineering and sophisticated architecture... the list goes on and on. but what did they know that most of us don't? survival... how to catch your own food, make shelter and clothes, read the weather, read nature, understand the cycles of life.

but back to the main point; what is belief? belief is the implied mechanism of creating a world picture/explanation so we don't lose our minds. belief is the algorithm that lets us function daily. it has never really mattered if the beliefs are true or not, it is just a psycho/social tool to get thru life. it's like asking if a hammer is real. is it really a "hammer"? to us it is, but to an alien it's a nonsensical arrangement of matter. a hammer is real because of its function, and the same with belief. and so it goes today... the majority of people that participate in religion, ideology, peer contrived creeds, etc., they don't really believe them. The are just swimming with the current because otherwise you may drown socially.

Nevertheless, historically we are at another major moment to revitalize, burn, resurrect (however you view our current positioning) belief systems for our new 3rd millennia world. belief is just a tool... to assist us in destroying ourselves and our souls, or making the world a productive paradise of opportunity.

thought generation for this post courtesy of Nassim Taleb.

peace @clumsysilverdad