One of our basic needs is security. We will always attempt to attain a sense of certainty regardless of our situation. We usually try to establish routines and a familiar environment to this end. Unfortunately, our belief system contains many conflicting layers and these beliefs move us to act in way contrary to our own attainment of that certainty.
Our behavior is a reflection of what we believe, that is, “We do what we believe.” I have come to the conclusion that until we determine “what we believe,” we will be conflicted about our values and remain off-center. So, what do I believe?
We must begin with a core, our starting point. This core is defined as our absolutes, the total and unequivocal belief, with no doubt of misrepresentation. I don’t believe the core is so certain for most. An illustration that I enjoyed comes from the premise that M. Night Shyamalan established in his movie “Signs.” I don’t agree with the expressed theology or the possible sadistic view of God but, that aside, the pivotal scene is captivating.
The film is promoted as a science fiction yarn about aliens and crop circles. When Graham Hess, a farmer in rural Pennsylvania played by Mel Gibson has the signs appear in his cornfields, his life takes another drastic turn. The movie is really about the initial drastic event of the tragic loss of his wife in a traffic accident and it is exposed in the second. This is a drama of how an unexplained loss in the life of a Christian minister lead to his loss of faith. Even though he chose to walk away from his faith he continually found himself being called upon by others for comfort and understanding. In what I believe is the pivotal scene of explanation, Graham is trying to respond to his brother’s (Joaquin Phoenix) need for comfort. Graham enters into an explanation he had previously come to understand about the individuals belief system. The script is as follows:
(whispers) … There are all different ways you can tell that there’s someone really there watching out for us. You see signs. Sometimes they’re little ones. You think of someone. The phone rings. They’re on the phone… Sometimes they’re big, like fourteen lights hovering over Mexico City.
(beat) Sure, there are a lot of people watching this who think this could be a bad thing. But there are a lot of people watching this, who think it’s a miracle. A sign of God’s existence. It’s all in how you look at things Merrill.
(beat) What you have to decide is what kind of person you are? Are you the type who believes in miracles and looks for signs or are you the kind who believes, things just happen by chance?
What kind of person are you? Are your absolutes built from the reality that there is someone out there or that you are all alone and everything is an accident? The ripples from your core of absolutes either gain a security in life or produce diminishing ripples of confidence.
Next time I will begin to peel the onion of our belief system from our absolutes out to our feelings and cultural norms. Something to think about as we build a Centered Life.
jc
