Is It Okay to Believe?

It is in our underlying human nature to believe in something. Some choose to believe in a God or a godly creature, some belief in statues and their meanings. Those who claim that they don’t believe in anything, actually believe in nothingness. Belief itself isn’t a harmful thing, as it is a way people make themselves feel secure or powerful. It is a tool for us to feel however we want to feel. However, some believe it makes us free and some believe it turns us into slaves.
Religion and beliefs don’t have an exact answer or any exact information whatsoever. That’s why there is so much of them. No one says water boils at 50 degrees Celcius. But some say there is an afterlife, some say there isn’t. With beliefs, there is nothing to prove, yet we are all trying to prove something. Most of us have come across articles with titles saying: “Proof God exists!” or “This is Why Angels Are Ridiculous”. It is so easy for people to be manipulated by both types of articles because most of them make a compelling argument. People can easily accept and live by these articles or the people who preach them.
Beliefs are intriguing and easy to become obsessed with. It is a way of feeling safe because there is a certain community that accepts you. You feel like you belong somewhere and find new people that think the way you think. The leaders of religious groups or beliefs have an enormous place in the minds and actions of their followers. Almost fanatic believers are easy to influence and eager to obey the leader’s rules and orders. Many presidents or kings have also used religion as a way of getting what they want. When we look back most wars are caused by religious factors. When we look back at these incidents (that still happen) we think beliefs are enslaving.
We need to take a step back and look at the big picture. Is the problem belief itself or the people who use it? You don’t blame the knife for a stabbing, you blame the possessor. A knife isn’t a bad thing, you use it to dice your food. But some people use it to stab others. Does that mean we should just ban knives? Obviously not. Using others’ beliefs to justify your actions or manipulate them to do what you want them to do, is just a very unvirtuous action. It is a very fragile part of our personality and some try to take advantage of it.
Beliefs don’t do anything. They are neither freeing nor enslaving. It is just a way for us to feel in control and feel comfortable. No one can prove anything so we can just believe in whatever we want to believe in. It is not supposed to have an impact on politics or society. Unfortunately, since we were created they weren’t concepts but rather tools people use to judge each other.
Conclusively, we shouldn’t classify belief as either enslaving or freeing. It is a very private thing and it is a world that we are free to create in our minds. No one should be able to change what I believe in and beliefs shouldn’t be used as a way to target people. Once we learn how to mind our own business this argument will die out naturally.