The Power of Belief Systems

Belief systems cause people to act, or "not" to act, as the case may be. Beliefs dictate actions; they also dictate in-actions. Therefore a lot of what happens to a person and community is caused by their actions creating consequences, or their lack of offensive actions, which also create consequences.

This is a world of cause and effect. "What a man sows, that shall he reap."

For example, if a person believes a healthy diet is important, and eats non-GMO food, organic vegetables, fruits, raw nuts and other foods as close to the form God made them, that person will be healthier than a person who subsists on junk food. There is a cause-effect relationship between diet and health.

There is a cause-effect relationship regarding, say, a vehicle. If a person changes the oil every 3,000 miles, keeps the tire pressure correct, has tune-ups and other maintenance on time, the car or truck will last longer and run better than someone who ignores all those things.

We can understand the cause and effect in certain areas, but in other areas there is tendency to think that there is no cause and there is no effect. Some of these areas are economics and politics. This is where the paraphrased saying is useful, "those who will not study history are doomed to make the same mistakes."

The Bible says "there is nothing new under the sun." That applies to civilizations and nations as well. So if we are wondering about the cause and effect of certain political decisions being made by persons in office, we can study history to see how things turned out in prior generations. As informed citizens, we can let those who represent us know what we have found.

Going back to the premise that belief systems dictate actions or in-actions, if an individual believes that what he knows makes no difference, then that belief system will lead to inaction. If a person believes that what they do can make a difference, that positive belief will lead to action.

In today's world, we can see that there has been a large collective "forgetting" of history. Battles hundreds of years ago, such as The Battle of Lepanto, have been lost philosophically today. What can be done? It is the job of the older generation to teach the younger. With today's social media, it is possible for any and everyone who has an internet connection to help contribute to the remembering of history. Both secular and sacred history needs to be recalled. To save western civilization requires remembering western history, sharing it, and embracing the best of it.