selenicseas

Just like everything else, I exist in a state of flux, or impermanence, or anitya – whatever you want to call it. Priorities change, situations change, values change. What may have been useful in the past may no longer be useful now or in the future.

Every so often, I examine the beliefs I hold. Then, I’ll choose whether to keep them, discard them, or adopt new beliefs altogether. I'm past the part of my life where I want to be attached to any belief – or anything, really – so this is a fairly simple, almost unconscious process.

I lean very anarchist, so I focus on certain things that others may not. Here are some of them:

What use do I derive from the belief? How does it benefit me? Why should it benefit me?
Does it benefit others? I the benefit for a particular class of people? If so, is that class a power-holding class?
Does it allow me access to a community? Why should I want access to that community to begin with? Will it allow me certain privileges or access to certain things I did not have before?
Do I hold this belief in order to gain superficial acceptance from a power-holder, ruling class, or majority population?
Is the belief used to enable a hierarchy? Does it serve a power structure?

Personally, I think this keeps me grounded and focused on the things that matter, rather than the things that are inconsequential. Perhaps it may be useful to others as well.