Where Does Belief Originate From?

The Foreground of Belief

As the series title implies, belief is something that is fundamental and subjective to a person's identity. What this post seeks to do is to help us examine all that is beyond what we claim we know and dig deeper into what we have accepted as true. This is extremely relevant today, not because we must question everything just to sound deep or launch ourselves into confusion, but because influence is powerful and the intent of what surrounds us has become too great to ignore. We spend hours watching and listening to podcasts, audiobooks, movies, social media content, AI-generated content, user-generated content, and the list goes on. These platforms in nature, are what I'd call a double-edged sword, not only because they have paradoxical impacts but also, the principles or values that control the direction the sword is driven to, is not fixed. For instance, they inform, teach, expose, entertain, and connect us but they also repeat certain ideas and images that shape desires, normalize certain choices, and quietly train people's perception.

From Information to Belief

OpenAI Ceo, Sam Altman, has publicly spoken about the weight of small decisions that affect AI model behavior and ethics, as hundreds of millions of people use AI systems daily. I once watched Tucker Carlson’s interview with Altman ( watch here ) , where the conversation touched on who or what currently guides and decides the final information that AI gives people, especially now that many turn to ChatGPT for personal advice. In his response, Altman gave no clear or precise answers, which is not a new strategy as leaders of key pioneering companies, influencers and political figures often employ equivocal rhetoric in their public statements to evade responding to "deep" questions or avoid scrutiny by the public. Rather, in his response to Tucker Carlson, Altman reiterated that the rules or values that guide the use of the platform are constantly evolving and adapting as more people keep using it and as times keep changing. At first glance, evolution and adaptation sounds normal, and for many other platforms in different industries, this would even be considered as an applaudable feature to have. It sounds welcoming and open to growth. The clause here is "It sounds like" or "It seems like", these are phrases that build on assumptions and vagueness, not concise critical thinking and reflection.

Now this is the deep question: If we live in a society that keeps altering the law to make accommodation for supposed "modern" re-definitions of truth, values and fundamental human rights, what happens when the core principles forming the foundation of the platforms we use follow suit under the guise of evolving regulations? Well, the result is simple: what is considered wrong today will be right tomorrow and the law will defend it. The right information today will be wrong tomorrow because the majority vetoed it so. These platforms we use on a daily basis are messengers with practically no control over the information delivered, especially because it has already been approved by the law. So then, can we completely trust that the information we receive daily is designed to produce a genuinely good and right outcome for humanity, in the present and future? How many people understand how great the impact of this reality we live in today is? How many people are consciously realizing what particular information is being repeated to them so often that it is now a norm for them? They don't realize when that external view or voice is no longer external, but has moved from foreign to familiar, and finally, normal. Once this process is complete, belief is formed.

How Belief is Formed

Belief is not just information we heard once. It is information that has been repeated, accepted, and allowed to settle so deeply within us that it starts to feel like truth. If something is heard once, it can be forgotten and may not shape us much. But once it is repeated long enough, especially when it is tied to emotion, experience, or a desire, it sinks quicker and deeper. At that point, even when the original source of that information is no longer present, the person can start producing it from within. This is the part that is both fascinating and frightening. A voice that once came from outside can slowly sound like your personal inner voice. A philosophy that a role model has can gradually become your own thought. A repeated image or video watched can suddenly start streaming in 4K HD without a physical screen. A statement someone once made can become a lens you start to view life with. A lie heard repeatedly can become a belief that you now defend, explain, expand, and even use to interpret life. This is why influence is powerful. It does not need to remain external to keep working. Once its effect is deep enough, a person will begin to generate the same thoughts internally and even add visuals through imagination. They can freestyle with it, twist it, justify it, and build decisions around it, without realizing they are now being led by something that originated externally. Both right and wrong beliefs begin with influence, so this reflection does not convey the idea that beliefs are bad or that we do need beliefs. What this post encourages us to do, is to examine and choose wisely what we let influence and inspire the beliefs we have by carefully studying the consequences, so as to make the right informed choice.

Biblically, the wisdom book of Proverbs captures this understanding in a very direct way: “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” — Proverbs 23:7, KJV . In its immediate context, the verse deals with the difference between what a person says outwardly and what is truly happening inwardly; the JPS 1917 translation renders the thought as, “For as one that hath reckoned within himself, so is he,” and then adds, “'Eat and drink', saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.” So, what “heart” is being talked about here? We'll explore this further in the next post. Drafted by Princess Faith Odo, refined with AI.

Read next

• How Perception Shapes Intuition
• Belief As The Root Of Perception
• The Mind and the Heart