Pondering:  What I was taught growing up…..

When you are in conversation with people and you express your beliefs about the issues of today and they ask, “Why you believe that?” what is your reply?

For most people it usually begins with “because that is what I was taught growing up.”

Does that always make it right?  Most people never question what was taught by a well intentioned person who at the time thought what they were saying was the truth.

Often these were taught from generation to generation without anyone ever really testing the theories or even questioning the possibility of something being different.

It reminds me of the story of the new bride who was preparing a roast for dinner.  She took the roast and cut a portion of the end off and discarded it.  Her husband asked why she cut the end off before cooking.  She replied because “because that is what my mother does”.   He thought that was a little weird but being the wise husband he did not question his wife.   A few weeks later they were having dinner with her parents and her mom served roast for dinner.  He decided to ask her mom why she cut off the end of the roast.

She replied, “Because that is what my mom always did”.   A few months later, they were visiting her grandmother and his curiosity had gotten the best of him about the roast.  He decided to ask her grandmother and to his amazement she replied, “Oh, because I only had one size pan and the roast would not fit in it when it that was big”.

For two generations a part of a roast had been discarded without even questioning why grandmother cut the roast.  Just imagine how much good meat could have been consumed if only one word had been asked, “Why”.

How many times have you asked, “Why” when thinking about what your beliefs?   The following are several reasons people tend to never ask “Why”:

• It is easier to just accept beliefs than to research
• It would seem disloyal to question their elders
• It is what my church taught so it must be true
• It is the way it has always been
• It would scary to know that you have believed something that might not be true

There are many reasons to ask yourself “why” when you think of the beliefs and values you hold as an adult.  It may surprise you to know that some of them are incorrect, was never true, or miss-interpreted by some other well meaning person.

Do you find it hard to be inclusive in your acceptance of others and their beliefs?  I suggest that might be a starting point for you to begin to ask “why” do I feel this way and how did I arrive here.  This may take you on a journey you have never traveled, but it is one you owe your self to discover who you are and why you believe what you do. 

And who knows, you might even discover some new things along the way that would even make your life better!