The statement is often used when referring to faith. (It can also be over used by politicians who believe as long as the voters do.)
"I believe" is more than a statement about belief, however. It is a statement about who you are.
By stating a belief with the preface of "i believe" you are placing your worth on the line. On some level you're making a statement about what you're willing to be ridiculed or congratulated for. You are now invested in the statement. It is more than just a few words.
When channel 10 began their "i believe" campaign, i immediately saw the value in promoting a TV station in such a way. They were telling their viewers that they were more than just entertainment. Of course, if you listen to what the people said, you'd soon realise that they were saying that they are just entertainment. But it was a very clever illusion of depth.
Sometimes i wonder if ordinary people do this too. They make the "I believe" statement without actually saying that they believe in much at all. It is very scary idea to put yourself on the line for a belief. Especially if you are unsure where it will lead. But not having a statement of belief can make you appear shallow.
(damn, somewhere around here i'm supposed to have a point...aw, well. soldier on. i'm sure something will come to us)
My point is that stating your belief is much more scary than actually having a belief. By merely having a belief, you can keep it to yourself and never have to defend it. If you state it out loud, you are allowing a feedback (of a sort) to happen that potentially will change what you believe.
In a since, unless you state a belief it can never mature. If you do state a belief it is likely to grow and change on you (in a since, leaving you).
So in a absurd sort of way...you can never hold onto belief.
(hey look! a point!)
So in the end it is the process of belief (self belief, statement of belief, follow by a maturing of belief) that is important. Not the belief itself.
Sorry Channel 10. Your statements of belief are again proved to be nothing more than shallow echoes in the tube.
2 comments:
When those Channel 10 self-promo ads started to annoy me, I said, "I believe it's time to change the channel..." and flicked over to something else. I believe that until they get better programming, I won't be back ;)
Anyways... Belief is probably more fluid or at least open to growth and development than people think. Altho I kind of agree with what you say about not being able to hold on to belief, I kind of disagree as well. There might be some things that change, but I think there's always going to be some constant belief in people's psyches, whether it's a religious thing or that they truly believe their Granny's peach cobbler is better than everyone else's.
yeah, awhile ago i had to demolish my faith center and start again. i ended up writing a "i believe" list to help me seperate what i've thought through and studied and decided myself, and what i've culturally grown up with. it's wonderful to refer back to, to recement where i've been and to help spur me on to answer more questions.
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