Socrates said, “”The unexamined life is not worth living.” We live in an age of relativism. Nowadays it’s not out of the question for someone to simultaneously hold 3 or 4 contradicting ideologies without seeing any challenge with that. If someone said that they practiced Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and elements of Christianity, many in our culture would not see this as strange. It is instantly seen as taboo or arrogant to say that something is completely wrong and that something else is completely right. People “confidently” espouse beliefs that they haven’t necessarily analyzed but they are able to do so because nobody wants to challenge them. Everyone is so concerned with not offending people that ridiculous viewpoints often go unchecked in the name of being considerate. If we agree that belief drives actions then this is a dangerous place for our culture to live in. Is it possible that we would see less harmful behavior if we had the courage to challenge and confront those around us?

The first place to start when trying to bring about significant change is in the mirror. What do you believe? Why do you believe what you believe? Do you put yourself in contexts and expose yourself to materials that can challenge the way that you see the world. I truly believe that Socrates was onto something when he said that the unexamined life is not worth living. If we just believe stuff without thinking about it and really putting it through the fire, we’re essentially rolling the dice with our lives. If we happen to stumble on beliefs that are true, we’ll probably end up okay but that may not happen. If you allow the forces of life to determine what you believe and you never analyze it fully, you won’t end up where you ultimately want to be.