This is a safe thread. The thought here is that we can reveal a bit about our beliefs (no matter how serious, crazy, volatile) without any fear of rejection or ridicule. This is not meant to be a "discussion thread", although I'm sure there will be some. It's also not meant to be an exhaustive list. Maybe some of the most important beliefs you hold won't even be listed here. It's up to you... What do you believe?


Some of these are serious... others are not. Either way, this is what I believe...

*in God
*in objective truth
*baseball is a thinking man's (or woman's) game
*in Christmas lights (as much as I complain)
*in continuing education

*music can soothe the savage beast
*penguins are cool
*in doing things the "right way"
*people can do way more than they think they can
*in passion

*every time someone stands up to fight for what they believe is right, someone else will protest
*young people should serve two years in the military
*age or size does not matter
*land is one of the most prized possessions a man can own
*in honor

*inflatable holiday decorations are ridiculous
*time IS really "of the essence"
*in eating meat
*that hunting is an alternative to shopping
*people who say they don't like the Beatles cannot be trusted

*a child can dig a hole to China
*in farming
*dogs know way more than we think they do
*in keeping promises
*the most important moment in our lives is this one
*movement is crucial

and I believe...

*that every time you hear a bell ring, an angel gets its wings.


What to YOU believe?

i believe a lot of the things that you do...how 'bout that?



except:

- young people should serve two years in the military - I'd add "or some form of structured community service"

- eating meat - meat farming takes up a heck of a lot of real estate and poultry farming produces a lot of polution. There's more protein per acre to be had in farming nuts, for sure, and probably soybeans as well. Call me old fashioned, but I would go as far as to say if there's a rabbit in your yard that's been getting plump eating your lettuce and cultivated plants (like in my yard), i think you should be allowed to go ahead and have it for dinner. Hunting responsibly and eating what is caught, that is fine too.

- hunting is an alternative to shopping - I am one of the few women in the world it seems that cringes at the thought of shopping. I'd order from a catalog any day. So sure, hunting is an alternative. Anything is an alternative to shopping. But I'm not very materialistic.

- thatevery time you hear a bell ring, an angel gets its wings - while this is possilbe, I believe that their are other dimensions that are lovingly around us, and part of that is manifested in angels and/or guides. We all have guides, and God can use whatever He wishes to talk to us, including guides. I have not a shred of doubt on that.

Here's one more belief:

* that God will make available new ways for you to learn things

Interesting thread idea.

I Believe:

-In God
-In the core beliefs of the Gospel
-In objective and absolute Truth (ooh, I busted out the big T)
-In rationality and rational thought
-Ultimately, any area that involves the study of "how the world is" (science, philosophy, etc) will in fact reflect God's work
-This world is ultimately vanity and a chasing after the wind
-In Redemption

-Music is a wonderful, amazing thing
-Starbucks co-owns the world, and subsequently, should be completely eradicated
-Open source software actually caters to what a user wants/needs...unlike Microsoft, who is the other co-owner of the world
-The best kind of art (in any medium) is that which gives meaning to the creator
-Footbagging is one of the best activities out there

-Macs are better than PC's, even though I'm a PC user right now
-The best nights are those in which friends share each other's company
-Intellectuality has the propensity to yield arrogance
-I am nowhere near as humble as I need be
-I am even proud that I understand that I'm not humble enough

-Films are just as amazing and wonderful as Music
-Literature is on-par with both Music and Film
-Telephones and Cellphones have turned us into a variant of Pavlov's dogs
-Television wastes more hours of one's life than it ever should
-Our generation will be known for its reality TV shows...and that makes me want to vomit

-Time is relative, even though the pragmatist in me wants to believe it is not
-Pi is the best transcendental number there is
-Trebuchets are incredible machines...and even more incredible to build
-Avant-garde art is simultaneously fascinating and wholly irritating
-C.S. Lewis is an amazing writer


Despite all that I've declared as my beliefs, I assure anyone on here that I'm not some crazy fundamentalist Christian. Really, I'm not.

This made me think of two other sites.

NPR's This I Believe segment.

Edge's 2005 question of ""WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS TRUE EVEN THOUGH YOU CANNOT PROVE IT?"

I believe I would like a vacation.

I believe

*there is an objective reality
*we can never apprehend that reality in an objective fashion
*to stop questioning is a kind of death
*to stop laughing is a worse kind of death
*to stop loving is worse than dying
*Ayn Rand completely overlooked that we're dependent on each other for happiness
*self-gratification (in the broader sense, mind you) is the death of spirituality
*'tis better to give than to receive
(sense a pattern in those last few?)
*an insistence on objective truth will mean the end of humanity
*our souls die along with our brain waves
*time, while relative, is indeed of the essence
*not appreciating life is the epitome of sin
*hockey makes other sports seem boring
*the trick of living well is being a good parent to your inner child
*art and charity are the triumph of good over evil
*Karin sure can sing
*I'll let the mystery be

• I believe in love. It is the most important intangible thing on this earth.
• I believe that music is a life-saving joy. It is quite possibly the second most important intangible thing on this earth.
• I believe that there is no such thing as a bad genre of music… well, except for pop country and holiday music. All kidding aside, I think that every style has merit and worth. This tends to cause problems with my wallet.
• I believe outside of lifeforms (humans, animals, plants), most other tangible things on this earth are fun, but kind of pointless.
• I believe that god or gods may or may not exist, but there is no way we can truly know. At this stage in my life journey, I’m really in a pessimistic view in that arena.
• I believe that there is an absolute truth, but it does not depend on me -- nor can I really fathom or comprehend it all. Regardless of what I think it is, it still doesn't depend on anything I do to alter its absoluteness.
• I believe all people should be able to practice whatever religion and believe in whatever deity (or anti-deity) that they choose. This does not mean that I feel they should use public funds to do so; nor does it mean that I want them telling me how to live my life. It does mean that I value their free expression, but they don’t need to express it while I’m trying to eat a nice roly poly wrap in the sun in the square in downtown.
• I believe that there is not much reason for life except for #1) love and #2) music.
• I believe all people should live free to love who they want, regardless of gender or race.
• I believe that hatred for homosexuals and the affinity for killing people with guns is a weird contradiction for loving people.
• I believe that a government shouldn’t legislate religious beliefs that only a segment of the populace holds as true.
• I believe in trying to be as cruelty-free in my consumption as I possibly can be.
• I believe that soy is one of the rare potential proofs for the existence of a supreme, all-knowing being.
• I believe production of edible meat costs far too much in water and vegetable resources. I don’t know the exact numbers, but it’s something ridiculous like the grain and water to get one cow ready for X number of people to eat would have fed 100X number of people. Rebuttal.. “but it tastes good.” OK, fine…but it’s not efficient, not sustainable, and not responsible.
• I believe that this world will never see a time without war. This is unfortunate.

~fff

I was going to start my list with, "I want to believe in world peace, but I truly believe it will never happen."

I believe:


*in free speech for everyone, not just the people whose opinions match mine

*that there are too many people who are too sensitive to their own feelings and too insensitive to the feelings of others (People who want me to wish you a "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays", this includes you...)

*in loving

*in laughing

*in music

*in art (and that art is in the eye of the beholder, but attempting to censor someone else's idea of art is wrong)

*in trying to respect the rights & feelings of everyone

*most people (including children) are a lot tougher & resilient than most people think

*violence has escalated far more problems than it has solved

*the death penalty is wrong

*material goods are ultimately pointless, but can be a lot of fun

*that too many people seem to think they are the center of the universe

*that cell phones are mostly unnecessary and should not be used while driving or in places of worship or entertainment (other than for letting friends listen to concerts)

*in not promising what can't be delivered

*we all make mistakes and deserve to be forgiven for them

*public libraries are amazing resources and deserve better funding

*that I deserve a raise

*that being a fan of Over The Rhine has given me a whole new set of good friends

*nothing makes me feel so insignificant in the great scheme of things as being outside in a big open area on a clear starry night

*that I could go on all day adding to this list

I love this thread. Thanks for a great topic, John.
Reading your lists is very thought provoking.
I am trying to develop my list but I feel my words will be inferior to the above eloquence.

later.....

i believe in many things:

*i will never know all of the answers
*there is some higher power who loves me, but i have no idea, nor will i ever know, who or what it is
*that dan is right -- love and music are the two most important intangible things in existance
*long distance relationships suck very much, but with the right person, they are completely worth it
*i won't be living in pittsburgh by this summer
*music has healing capabilities, both physically and emotionally
*love letters are extremely important, even though many people don't take the time to write them
*cell phones, with free long distance, are a blessing
*my family is crazy, but i love them anyway
*i work for a company that is completely worth it
*life in all stages is worth worshipping, especially those of children and the elderly
*it is my responsibility to advocate for those who are not able to do so on their own
*i will never date another engineer
*third time is a charm
*i am a good cook

most importantly, though, i believe in myself. it's taken me a long time to get to that point, but now that i am here, i don't plan on giving that up any time soon.

I believe the children are our future, that we must teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside...

I couldn't resist. God bless Whitney Houston for emblazoning THAT cheesy lyric on my mind. Every time I hear it I think of Jack Black quoting that in the teacher's lounge during School of Rock.

On a serious note, I believe that faith and hope are useless without love.

I also believe the only things that will matter when all else pans out are my relationships with my family, friends, and how I treated them and others in light of what I believe about God.

I believe when my son tells me I am his best friend that he means it.

I believe I will love my wife and hold her hand as an old, old man and that we will love each other even more than we do now. Of course, if I don't make it to "old", I'll be happy with whatever time I've had because it will have been that right amount of time.

I believe that the gas company intentionally increases gas prices right before the holidays in order to make more money.

I believe that Star Wars, while a good film, was not as cool as I thought it was when I was a kid.

I believe the Orchard is one of the more thought-provoking, inane, silly, friendly, constipated, over-the-top, wonderful places I've been online.

hey, amanda, where does wal-mart fit in with all that?

and i don't think you're a crazy fundamentalist....but i think you have too much time on your hands.

how many numbers past the decimal point of pi do you have memorized now? i think the last time we talked, it was 50.

For now (I am on a tight schedule and will revisit later):

I believe:

In the power of myself.

In speaking out.

In loving myself as well as others.

In the perfection of a snowflake.

In the right to make choices.

I know 80 digits of Pi now, and really, if I just took half an hour of my time, I'd know all 100.

...

"I was starting to fashion an idea in my head," but I decided I should NOT read every one's answers first, then formulate my own, so I skipped to just writing what I think I think. Or what I think I believe. Here goes:

* I believe that the central message of the movie Dogma, that it is better to have a good idea than a rigid belief structure, is a very positive, good idea, and a step in the right direction.
* I believe in God. I believe my upbringing causes me to err towards "Christianity" for comfort and sanity's sake... but I don't believe that that is the answer, or the only answer.
* I believe that love is the most important thing in life.
* I believe that love is a tangible force in the universe - that it exists within us, and beyond us, all around us, and that it runs through us.
* I believe that the essence of God is love - and that this is the most central theme in any major religion that makes any sense. Since so many religions try to maintain an air of love as the ultimate goal, I am increasingly finding it hard to name one religion as chief among all. I think as I live the journey of my life, I become less rooted in what I've always known, and more drifting in open spirituality, where some thing exists beyond me that I can't and won't ever understand, but that nonetheless is some type of love in its highest form.
* I believe that we are both at our most human when we love... and at our least human... since we tap into some kind of ultimate universal love.
* I believe that I think too much in the existential realm of things.

THUS...

* I believe Pearl Jam is a kick ass rock and roll band.
* I believe that the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who are still somehow underrated.
* I believe music can transcend a moment.
* I believe I was put on this earth to write.
* I believe that love is the greatest feeling on earth.
* I believe that I will undoubtable change in ways I cannot possibly fathom in the next five years... ten years... twenty years... and so on.
* I believe that life is scary for many reasons.
* I believe I have found a person in my life who makes much of this babble start to make sense... by not worrying about it and allowing my journey through life and love to reveal my character and who I really am.
* I believe my parents are two of the most wonderful people on earth.
* I believe that my life is changing right now, a major change, and a major change for the better.
* I believe that I will be fine and well and good in my life, so long as I continue to love and to learn and to search and to grow.

I still think I think too much... but I suppose that is what this thread was for. Thanks John for starting it and for giving us the chance to get to know each other more, and exchange ideas about beliefs, and to hopefully open a few doors. I read the other day that "Happiness comes through doors left open," so let's leave these doors open a while, and see where it takes us.

I believe that is a fine sentiment indeed.

wow, so you're saying that my home area owns the world, eh?

i knew seattle could do it!

ha!

I believe that too! Brilliant, succinct analysis.

I believe

~this is the best thread idea in the last month.
~I do, I must, that peace is possible. Not in my lifetime, but ultimately, it will happen.
~that work is undervalued as a positive.
~that Justice still exists, despite all the hints to the contrary.
~poetry is a lifestyle, as well as a living thing.
~that my kid will always be the best kid ever, in all of history.
~that empirical knowledge and the material world are the basis for all Truth.
~in Evolution.
~that evolution and empirical knowledge will make peace possible.

i believe that the words "i love you" are both completely misused and underused.

the people who need to hear them often are the ones who go without.

that's why i always try to tell people i love them, no matter what the capacity. it's important to know that someone loves you, and that you love them as well.

i totally agree.

Um... hey... just wanted to drop in and say...

I love you guys and gals!!

I believe in love as well. Of course I know there are several connotations to the word.
But, if we wait to tell someone we love them because we feel they don't fall into a perceived catagory, ie: romantic love, we would miss the opportunity to share a different kind of love...friendship.

The recipient of your love will know the difference by your actions.

If we are sincere I don't think we can overuse the term. Underuse IMO is the greater risk. Sadly, too often we discover this after it's too late.

I believe that there are many ways to express love to others, and saying “I love you” while it is nice, only covers a small portion of many ways that we should be sharing love….plus it’s probably one of the easiest. Are you there for a person when they’re sick, worn out or lonely? Do you even check with them to see if this might be the case? Do you share what you have with them? Do you hug them or put your arm around them? Do you make time for them in your schedule? Do you go out of your way to serve them in some capacity? Do you forgive them when they hurt you? Just some of the examples.

I believe that while the feeling of love is nice, it really comes down to choices.

I also believe that I don't always get the love thing right.

i dunno, i think it has become horrifically overused, to the point that is has little to no meaning to many people. i "love" those chicken wings, i "love" these shoes, i "love" whatever is in front of me at the moment ... i think it has become just too easy for people to say without really thinking what it truly means and in many cases, there is little to no sincerity or thought behind it's use, it's just another word or expression.

i agree there are several kinds of sincere love, a "true" love, a "friendly" love, etc. but, it seems to me, the word itself has developed into a generic, over-used term for "like", kind of a watered-down sentiment that in many cases means very little to the person saying it or the person receiving it. personally, i rarely use it regarding people. but, when i say it, i mean it sincerely to the person that i am saying it to, whether it's in the "friend" or "romantic" context. it's not just words that are convenient and easy to say, like "love you"..."love you too".

i was in a relationship once and the girl asked me to only only say "love" to her once a day and that she really wanted me to think about when, where, how and why i said it and that she would do the same. it was an very hard to do initially but an incredible experience. the thought, expression, feeling, the word took on so much more weight and meaning for both of us. i preferred hearing that one time per day to the multitudes of times per day that it was said earlier, i looked forward to that one time because i knew she had thought about it, it was her heart saying it, not just her lips.

cynical or romantic? not sure, i'd prefer to think the latter...

i think linford adresses it well here;

When You Say Love
words: Detweiler
music: Bergquist/Detweiler
recording: OHIO

I'm thinking of a word that has been
Knocked up and overused
You could say it's lost all meaning
From so much abuse
But when you say love, OH

Most everything I ever wanted
Doesn't really have a name
But baby you're as close as I've come and
I know that it sounds strange

But when you say love, OH

So open up my heart-shaped box
It's full of combination locks
I've swallowed all my love-sick pills
To keep from getting chills
Look at all the books I've read
In my lonely single bed

But when you say love, OH

<endofwhatithinkmaybeahijack>>

but, and yeah! anyway.

and yes. i believe in love. and other stuff too.

wanted to add something, especially after trying to decode the mess of the evangelical-counter-culture-thingy-madness-thread...

I believe in goodness in the hearts of men and women everywhere.

And I agree both with Jessyka and Bill, that the word "love" is both underused and overused, abused and whatnot, but at the core of what they are both saying... it seems to be that what the world needs now, is love.

Plain and simple - if politics, religion, everyday life, or any other quandrious something-or-other has you down... tell someone that you really care about how much they mean to you. Have a conversation. Say "I love you" and mean it. Spread a little joy, and solve the world's problems on a personal level - by being a loving, kind, and caring person. Imagine, if you just said how fondly you found a co-worker, a lover, or a friend that you appreciated them, and then they, in turn, tell someone else...

You have to believe in the power of love and kindness.

I believe in the power of love and kindness.

The way I see it, love is like oxygen. If you get too much you get too high, but not enough and you're gonna die.

I believe the opposite of love is NOT hate...
it's indifference.

I believe in accepting and (appropriately) expressing emotions.

I believe that there is no great, single answer to it all. I believe that most people are too self absorbed to care too much or too long about the mistakes or successes I have. Or that you have. I believe that I have experienced the strongest degree of love that I am able to feel. I believe that I will face the end of my days without fear or regret. I believe that I am a success already, and that most everyone else is too, if everyone would simply consider the question. I believe that we will, always and forever, ask who we are and what the hell we're doing here. And I believe that we will never, ever know the answers for sure.

I believe that we must, to learn and grow, ask ourselves what we believe. Great thread.

1.) you are who you are and you can either fight that or accept that. you learn to work with or inspite of it.

2.) who you are very much depends on what you've experienced and the culture that grew you. see 1.

3.) there are times to speak and there are times to listen and it's a lot easier to come to a realization when your time to do one matches someone elses' time to do the other.

4.) you will always be trapped inside yourself, your mind, your way of thinking and as openminded as you try to be or want to believe that you are, the fact that you are you will always keep you from being completely understood and completely understanding.

5.)because of number 4, you will always, if you're honest with yourself, be some kind of lonely.

6.) when you find someone who can cut into that loneliness, savor that person. this is love.

7.) you will lose people you love.

8.) we are all meant to be saved and it's ours for the taking until we mess that up.

9.) we will mess up.

10.) after the messing up, there is only grace and the thing with grace is that you have to accept it. both the giving and the receiving of grace are the only way life can be good.

I believe in the philosophy of the Rogers boys - Carl and Fred. Carl Rogers wrote about the basic human need of unconditional positive regard, and Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) always told kids you are special. Those two ideas are essentially the same, and no matter how much we can say we care about people, it doesn't mean diddly-squat without the two people truly caring for each other; having rapport.

I believe that to teach any human being any single thing requires the teacher to answer two essential questions: 1) what does the student need to learn? and 2) how does the student learn? If a teacher will allow the student to teach the teacher the answer to those two questions, then learning can take place. Most teachers do not take the time to think about those things, but merely assume how and what to teach students.

I believe every human person has the ability to love and to be loved much more than we will ever realize. More so than saying "I love you" is the need to actually do so. Love is like well spring deep inside all of us, and we are lucky to get just below the surface, while there is an abyss of love beyond anything we can fathom.

I believe any person who tells other people how to live their lives, is essentially insecure in his/her own beliefs. To truly belive in something without conviction, means not being rattled and bothered by those that have different opinions and perspectives.

I believe modern culture leads to harried, impatient, and multi-attention lifestyles. I believe this world is a better place when people know when and how to chill out and stop being so damn selfish on the road or in a checkout line. I believe smoking herb can be a good thing, if it gets uptight people to chill out some. Life still goes on, the planet still spins, and we should take time in our lives to do out-of-the-ordinary things.

I believe...

that it was very nice to meet a bunch of you this past weekend.

Agreed. Include meeting you, Mr. John and your wife.

slight hijack

so are the two of you and spouses in the pictures from the last weekend?

end of hijack

Just me from my family this year. I am trying to drag Mrs. Pico to the next Ohio event I go to. At the very least, it was awesome to hear that OtR will be back on the West Coast in April/May!

ahh..sorry to hear that mrs. pico couldn't join you. next time.

so...are you in any of the pics that have been posted? i'm like trudes. i love to see pictures of apples.

You can check out my Yahoo album/slideshow of Saturday night; they're both in it: I hope this link works.

jeanne, that was great! it's always nice to see what people look like. I remember last year when I went to Taft, and I had never seen a picture of Bruce. I was really hoping it would be obvious which one he was when I met him since I was staying at his place. Not surprisngly, it was. Speaking of pictures of Bruce, what was that on his face? I think he took that women's poll a little too much to heart.

okay...i'm done with the tangent now. carry on with your beliefs.

I believe Christmas feels a whole lot better with my son home from college for a few days!


*edit*

and I believe that after present wrapping this afternoon, getting a head-to-toe body massage with a little frankincense and eucalyptus oil mixed in was a really nice way to spend an hour

ahhhhhhh

I believe...

playing in a mud puddle with a two year old for and hour or two is good for one's soul.

Thanks for resurrecting this one!

I believe ... if it ain't broke ... leave it the hell alone!!!

Wows, somehow I missed this thread!

I believe... Technology is killing us.

As you post about it to the Internet!

I believe they call that (platform) speaking from experience...

So, you mean posting about it is killing you?

No offense, Dusty, but people that say blanket things like "technology is killing us," to me, miss much greater issues in that sweeping statement. Technology literally SAVES us. Ask any oncologist. Or DNA scientist. Or farmer. Technology effin RAWKS!!!!

Only when implemented by those smart enough to implement it! Grrrrrr!!!!!!!

Dusty your statement lacks any formal proof necessary for serious consideration. You say you have experience. Then detail your reasons for technology killing us(ie. support your hypothesis).

Technology isn't killing anyone in and of itself. Misuse of it by ignorant people, people without scruples, common sense or for personal and/or political gain I could see an argument for. But I"m sure the creators of ENIAC and DARPANET weren't really thinking about Easter Bloc/Russian hackers stealing money when they came up with an idea for computers and a network. As well Francis Crick, James Watson, and Rosalind Franklin used technology to decipher the DNA code. Should we blame them for bioengineered crops and genetic testing?

Formal Proof? I thought this was a "safe thread" about things we "believe"...

Oh Well, it was just an off the cuff statement based on my own personal experiences. I had just spent 15 hours troubleshooting my cell phone problems over the course of two days (which by the way still are not fixed) and I had just had it up to here, you know?

But if you all want proof, well how about this. Let's just go back two years and I'll list all the electronic "things" that have torn up to the point of replacement, again this is just in the last two years and it does not include loss due to theft, personal damage, or abuse. They just stopped working in one way or another. Maybe there is more, I just can't think of them right now...

TV 4x
Tivo 5x
desktop PC 3x (and this replacement is on the fritz)
Cell phone 7x
Wireless Router 3x
Cable Modem 2x
DVD player (not replaced yet)
ipod
Car stereo (repaired 3x)
Digital Alarm Clock
Baby Monitor 2x
Subwoofer (not replaced)
Audio Receiver (wonky, but not replaced yet)
Universal battery charger (defective out of the box)

Mark, it sounds like you have the worst luck in the world for all of those items to go on the fritz. Those items were either inferior or perhaps accidentally misused? Doesn't matter, I've had days like that. We have had 2 or 3 major appliances go out in the same month - at least twice happening in recent years. Of course they tend to happen when car repairs/maintenance are also needed.

and i believe that's an enormous amount of stuff to break in a couple of years, i also believe that mark must be surrounded by some funky magnetic field that destroys electronics.

i get the point about the safe thread thing so i'm staying with the "i believe" line of thought. so, i also believe that the loss of use (or lack of ownership of) of any one of those items has probably never killed anyone. yes, life would be a little less convenient without them and maybe a little more fun with them, but without the creation or ownership of any of the listed items, i believe (or at least hope) one could still lead a pretty nice quality of life without fear of death.

afterall, it is just "stuff"...