Nov_Dec 2020

WHAT DO
YOU BELIEVE?
by Evin Ersan College Reporter, Boston University
As a young adult, I am always trying to digest
the tremendous amounts of information that I see
and hear from friends, family, teachers, fellow
students, media, pop culture experts, advocates,
and politicians. It’s a lot. I’m sure that I am not
alone when I say it can all be overwhelming and
confusing at times, so how does a person decide
on their beliefs independent of all of the outside
influences?
Here are my thoughts on the subject:
I think it is important to be educated on the
topics you are deciding on. Taking the time to really
look at all sides of a topic is important. Listening
to those in our social circles is okay, but I believe
really studying a topic is so much more effective.
It helps take out the potential emotion and peer
pressure and allows you to just absorb quantified
information vs hyped opinions or self-serving
sound bites.
Read up on the history, find facts, and
investigate real case studies and different
philosophies surrounding a topic. Challenge your
thinking and know it is okay to change your mind
on something or not.
If you are leaning one way, be sure to spend
some time educating yourself on the counter
argument. Many times we gravitate to information
we already agree with, but learning more about the
thinking behind ideas we do not necessarily align
with can be very beneficial. 360 degree learning
makes us more well rounded people and helps us
understand how to work with others who may not
hold the same opinions as we do.
Sometimes it is not easy. Just when you feel
you have defined your thinking on an issue, you
may learn new information that will make you
rethink your position on it. That’s okay. That is what
belief systems are all about. If you never question
your own beliefs, you may find out later that you
supported something you really did not believe in.
As we get older, our stance on issues may change
because as we become older and wiser, we may
see things differently than when we were younger.
That is okay too. We have the right to change our
minds.
Rarely is there a 100% right answer on any
topic. There are almost always pros and cons in
holding a certain belief. However, it’s important
that we work together to come up with the best
solution for problems, regardless of what beliefs
we hold. The best ideas almost always come
through collaboration. For good collaboration to
happen, a variety of different people with different
experiences and different thinking must combine
their talents for a unified goal. There will always be
people who disagree with us, and that is actually
good. It keeps us engaged with our beliefs and
challenges our thinking.
I believe we are very fortunate to live in a
country where we have so many freedoms. Many
of those freedoms revolve around our right to hold
the beliefs we have and support the things we
believe are fair and right.
I encourage everyone reading this to take some
time to reflect and learn about your beliefs on your
own, away from too many outside influences. It
really does help guide you to a better understanding
of your place in this world.
18 November/December 2020 I QC Family Focus