People Believe What They Believe By Linda Stowe
Some people believe what they believe, and they will not budge even if scientific facts say otherwise. They hold to what are commonly referred to as old wives’ tales, perhaps because the information was passed along to them as children from mothers and grandmothers. Such misconceptions are often about health, wealth, and everyday matters. Who hasn’t heard that eating carrots will improve your eyesight or you shouldn’t swim until an hour after eating? How about cracking your knuckles causes arthritis or you’ll catch a cold if you go out in cold weather without a coat?
So much about our lives is based on traditional lore passed on to us as children. We don’t question it. We just behave accordingly and then pass the information on to our own children, perpetuating the error. Of course, not all wisdom is wrong and if you think too deeply about this, you’ll come to question everything and not know what to believe. No one wants that. We like to be secure in our beliefs.
Years ago, a former sister-in-law told me in all seriousness that ponies are just baby horses. I pointed out that although they are both in the horse family, they are not the same animal. When I saw that she did not believe me, I changed the subject. There was no reason to argue. Who knows, maybe there are still people in my life who harbor misbeliefs. An alligator is the same as a crocodile, bats are blind, a bugle is the same as a trumpet. As long as it doesn’t hurt anything, why argue about it? They’ll eventually find out the truth. Or not. It wasn’t that long ago that I myself thought whales were fish.
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Polly here.
I love this. Every word.
The main takeaway? It does no good to argue.
We all want to be right. We all believe we are right. And most of the time, an argument doesn’t change anyone’s mind about this. On either side. It only creates hard feelings.
I wish I could get that part through my thick skull. Although, the older I get, the better I am about letting things go. Slightly better.
Today, I will try to approach the world with an open mind. Today, I will try to see what I might not have seen before.
Today, I will try to speak only by my example in this and in all things.
