I believe it is okay to question beliefs. It was a normal day on campus as I walked from class to the dining commons with my good friend Meg. The fall leaves crunched under our feet as we talked and laughed. We felt the cold fall air as it blew past us and it made me think of my latest assignment.
“I don’t know what I believe anymore.” I said in a matter of fact way out of the blue. My few months in college had really taken me out of my comfort zone of firm beliefs and ways of thinking.
“What makes you say that?” She responded quite amused by the question.
“Well, I’m writing an essay on what I believe.” I told her about this dilemma. It was at that moment on a chilly fall day that I realized it is okay to question what I believe. College has been a liberating and scary experience, every day you are introduced to new ideas and concepts. The only way to truly learn and grow is to open up and become willing to think about things that you may not have touched previously. Many times humans build walls around themselves, walls of what it is they call truth. By questioning truth I have begun to break down these walls and it has made learning a freeing experience.
I grew up knowing God in one way from my mother. She had passed down her God to me and I never questioned Him. I had put God into a box that I decided He fit from what my mother had taught me. This is so unfair to God because He is much bigger than I gave him credit for. Moving out and discovering this new place has encouraged me to look at God in a different light. I am sure my years at Eastern will produce many original ideas, and it is common that people grow up believing something their parents instill. It is the willingness to break away from that mold that I found happiness.
I believe it is okay not to hold firm to everything you believe, but to question everything and seek out a deeper truth. This has been seen as a negative thing in many societies. People always expect you to hold firm to what you believe, so if you falter it is seen as weakness, but I believe true strength is in the willingness to break down those walls and invite new ideas.