Actions Based on False Beliefs

We take actions based on our thoughts.  For example, if our thought is that I’m hungry, the action is to find or make food to eat.  

For the most part, this serves us well, especially for our basic needs i.e. I’m cold, hot, hungry, tired, etc. We can take the appropriate action to go along with our thought.  

What happens when our actions are based on false thoughts or beliefs?

Let first examine where our beliefs come from.  We are heavily influenced as children and absorb thinking from those we spend the most time with.  This is where the expression “you’re just like your mother/father” comes from. We are also influenced by close relatives, school, friends, our community and society in general.  

If we never examine our beliefs, then we may have some thoughts that no longer serve us and in turn, take actions that no longer serve us.

Even if the belief or thought was a productive one, our action may not be.

This can lead to a lot of misunderstandings when we try to relate to others in life.  This is especially true when we interact with people who have different life circumstances and upbringing that our own.

Let’s take the belief “I am here to help people”.  Your action may be to always be helping people. To a certain extent, this is a good thing.  Where it could go wrong is if you were always doing things for others that they need to learn to do themselves.  Or, if you chose to do things for others over yourself. If you are always picking up a baby each time they fall, they would not learn how to stand up after they fall.  If you always drove a car for someone, they wouldn’t learn to drive it themselves.

What we need to ask ourselves after we’ve examined our beliefs is: is the the correct action in this moment?

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