I sometimes wonder what it is about me that causes me to give a great deal of thought to some of the obscure ideas that simply pop into my head out of nowhere. Am I abnormal because my mind never seems to stop thinking; it latches onto something and won’t let it go until it has dissected it and examined it from every possible angle? While I understand the importance of being able to think critically, I just wish I could sometimes shut it all off so it does not keep me awake late into the early morning thinking about things it has latched onto.

My minds latest preoccupation has been beliefs; not what people believe, but beliefs themselves; with a lot of emphasis on how people go about forming their beliefs. While I find the subject to be interesting, it is also quite maddening to lay awake late into the night thinking about how other people form their beliefs. In some ways, the study of beliefs is similar to Epistemology; which is the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge; with emphasis on its limits and how valid it is.

I wonder how many people have sat down and pondered how they came to have the beliefs that they do; or am I the only one who thinks about such things? I am, by no stretch of the imagination, an expert on the subject, so whatever I say is my own personal opinion on the subject. Therefore, it is my belief that when we are born we are in a blank slate – devoid of any beliefs whatsoever. The only sensory input we had prior to our births was sound; which was muted by the skin, layers of fat, and embryotic fluid we swam in. So, when we exit the womb, we are subjected to all kinds of sensory input; which our brain analyzes, categorizes, and begins to form beliefs on.

Yet our beliefs are formed not only from the sensory input flooding into our brains, they are also shaped by the things we are told by others; which in a way is merely the analyzing and storing of the sensory input from our ears. The problem with this is, what if what we are being told at such an early age is nothing but lies; or merely hearsay?

For example, a mother and father might have seen a travel brochure for Ireland, and then told their child that Ireland is a nice place to visit; the child the grows up believing that Ireland is a nice place to visit; based solely upon what their parents told them. The question is, is that an opinion based upon something they know to be fact, or is it merely an opinion formed by a few words and pictures they saw? How the hell would they know if Ireland is a nice place to visit if they had never visited it before themselves?

The unconditional trust that a child has that they are being told the truth is dangerous; a flaw that is often used against us; as it is during our early years of development into adults that we form our basic core beliefs. Core beliefs are at the center of our psyche; they define us. They also guide us in how we see the world around us, how we view others, what attitudes, values, and morals we hold, and what decisions we make well into adulthood. As they are the most deeply entrenched beliefs we have, they are also the most difficult to alter, or get rid of; causing people extreme mental distress when they are confronted with evidence that proves them to be wrong.

Most people would rather reject the evidence, and avoid the discomfort, than they would go through the process of abandoning their core beliefs, and forming new ones that can be supported by facts. The problem with that is, once their beliefs are established, they almost become hereditary; being passed on from parent to child over and over again. I think that is why Lenin said what he did, “Give me four years to teach a child and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”

I think that is why so few break themselves free of the indoctrination they have been subjected to from the moment they enter the world as infants; it is simply too painful to change their core beliefs. That is why The Matrix is such an inspiring movie for some of us; as it speaks to us in ways that it does not to others. For instance, there is the scene when Neo first meets Morpheus and is told, “What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.”

People like me, and there are more of us than you may think there are, realized from an early age that something isn’t right with the way things are; there is something off about what we were being told. Some of us go no further than internally questioning everything they are told. Yet some decide to pursue the truth; which eventually leads to the undoing of all their indoctrination; with a corresponding change to their core beliefs. While those of us who have done this are no more freer, physically speaking, than anyone else; at least we have freed our minds; which is more than what can be said about those who continue to believe the lies they have been taught.

Getting back to core beliefs for a moment; you might be asking what are these core beliefs? I recently read an article that summed up what they are, “Your belief system is the invisible force behind your behavior.” Yet that does not break them down; identify them individually. That is more difficult; as they may differ from person to person. They could be something as simple as whether an individual believes that people are fundamentally good, or if they believe that people are fundamentally evil. Our core beliefs also play a role in determining how we describe evil; why there is such a difference of opinion over what is moral and immoral behavior. They could also pertain to whether or not a person believes that to succeed in life you have to work hard, or if you believe that you are entitled to success without having earned it. That last example is why I disagree with things like ‘Participation Awards’ in school. That is when our core beliefs are still being shaped, and if we teach children that they deserve to be rewarded just for existing, or participating, then that will carry over into adulthood as part of their core beliefs; leading them to believe that society owes them things without them having to earn them.

Beliefs are often things that we cannot prove to be true; we simply believe that they are. For instance, I believe that God exists; while others are atheists; people who deny the existence of God. I cannot prove that God exists; even though I find it difficult to conceive that all the life on this planet came into being from some giant cosmic explosion millions of years ago.

I was thinking about this just this morning; how complex the human body is. I was driving home from town and I thought of how amazing the human brain is. I took the simple act of driving my truck as an example. We have to see the other cars around us and maintain our speed, and position in the lane to avoid accidents. We also have to know the route to and from our destination. We then have to control our muscles; making minute adjustments to steering and breaking. All of these things happen without any conscious thought; yet they happen so quickly, and simultaneously. All this is done by your brain; an organ that is roughly the size of two clenched fists side by side.

Sorry if I strayed, but I had to share those thoughts with you; as they are still fresh in my mind. Yet, while I firmly believe that God exists, there are those who are just as firm in their belief that there is no God; which is perfectly fine; we are all entitled to believe whatever we want. The thing about it is, while I cannot empirically prove that God exists, you cannot empirically prove that He does not exist. I choose to believe what I want to believe, and you are free to do the same; that is the beauty of beliefs; or in this instance, faith.

It is when people begin to try to impose their beliefs upon others that problems arise. My beliefs are similar to the fictional character John Galt, who in the Ayn Rand novel Atlas Shrugged, states, “I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” My beliefs do not require sacrifice on the part of anyone else; unless that sacrifice comes in the form of their desire to decide how I should be allowed to live.

This is where the problem with government arises.

Those who share my belief system comprise a very small minority of those living in the United States. While there are those who pay lip service to this belief system (Libertarians) they still believe in the necessity of government; which is contrary to the rightful liberty that my belief system holds near and dear to my heart. Those who truly live by what they believe are among those society calls rebels, subversives, and dangers to society; for we threaten the existence of the system they use to force their beliefs upon others.

Sometime during his career, the late Senator James Ingall, of Kansas, said, “Government is force. Politics is a battle for supremacy.” Most people who vote cannot see past the two-party paradigm that divides this country into varying factions vying for control of a system that gives their party the power to use force to compel others to do things, or support things via taxation, that they disagree with. How people cannot see that such a system is diametrically opposed to liberty is beyond me.

Good government – if there is such a thing – is the collective force of the individuals of a society for the protection of their lives, property, rights, and liberty; nothing more. In his book The Law, Frederic Bastiat wrote, “Since no individual acting separately can lawfully use force to destroy the rights of others, does it not logically follow that the same principle also applies to the common force that is nothing more than the organized combination of the individual forces?

If this is true, then nothing can be more evident than this: The law is the organization of the natural right of lawful defense. It is the substitution of a common force for individual forces. And this common force is to do only what the individual forces have a natural and lawful right to do: to protect persons, liberties, and properties; to maintain the right of each, and to cause justice to reign over us all.”

This is where government is proven to be an instrument of evil; for it never confines itself to the common purpose of securing to each individual their lives, property, rights, and liberty. Nay, government is often created (as is the case with ours) to make slaves of us; to subjugate us under the power and authority of one class of people; the elite. We are given the choice of deciding who sits in the seats of power within our government, but government continues to do what it was designed to do regardless of which political party happens to be in control of it.

That is why, time and time again, I have said that if there was really any difference between the two parties, every time the balance of power switched hands from one party to the other, the new bosses would revoke or repeal every law passed by the other party. Since that rarely happens, what does happen is that laws get piled upon old laws; the debt continues to climb; as the government cannot tax us enough to fund everything it does on behalf of the people; all while we involve ourselves in conflicts (wars) that are none of our concern, and trample upon the rights and liberty of our fellow men.

Prove me wrong; that is not a belief, that is a fact that one could easily prove by looking back at the history of what your system of government has done over the course of its existence! As Lysander Spooner said so many years ago, “A man is no less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years.”

That is why the two-party paradigm is a prison of the mind that keeps you enslaved to the system; it is why, so long as you believe your votes matter, you will never be free.

I believe that a persons core beliefs are the primary factor in defining a person; as they are the major motivating force in determining how that person acts, and how they treat others. The sad thing, as I have said, is that these core beliefs are established in our earliest years; before we are capable of using logic and reasoning to form them. That may explain why so many people’s core beliefs are irrational, and why they are so hard to change.

In his book, Man and His Government, Robert LeFevre lays out your current condition quite accurately, “Thus, when men turn to government in an effort to overcome weakness and to obtain protection, the strength desired is found in compulsive unity. Government, inherently, places individualism at a low point on any scale of values. Individuals are the enemies of government. Government is inescapably concerned with unity. Individuals are the necessary victims.

It is true that some governments have proclaimed a contrary doctrine. Some have said that the individual is important and the government is merely the servant of the individual. But let the evidence be presented and we discover that this assertion is only a pleasant fiction. The servant has the power and the strength. The individual bows before the might of the servant, who is, despite the platitudes, a master, not a slave to men. Governments rule. Individuals are ruled.”

That is why you are taught to believe, from an early age, that government is necessary; that it is your friend here to serve and protect you; when the reverse is closer to the truth; it exists to control, dominate, and enslave you to those it serves. This is true regardless of whether we are talking about centralized government, or the individual state governments; they all fall victim to the lust for power that lies in the hearts of those who seek office. I would like for you to think about that, and about something Thomas Jefferson once said, “An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.” If that is true, then we must conclude that those who seek political power are dishonest; they are not to be trusted regardless of their party affiliation.

Thomas Paine declared that government is a necessary evil. It is necessary for one simple reason; mankind seems to be incapable of respecting the lives, property, rights, and liberty of others. If they did, it would be as James Madison said, “If men were angels no government would be necessary.” If government held to the one simple function of securing to the people the full enjoyment, and use of, their property, their rights, and their liberty, I would have no problem with government; in fact, I would give my life defending it. However, as government has overstepped its authority, and abandoned the purpose it is supposed to serve, I will oppose it with the same vigor!

I know that some may not hold the same spiritual beliefs I do, but it would seem that if we are, as many people believed, evolved from the apes, then we are regressing as a species. The Bible tells us that Adam and Eve learned the difference between good and evil when they ate of the tree of knowledge. Now whether you believe that is the case or not, we have ‘supposedly’ evolved as a species because we have the ability to choose to do good or evil. Yet it seems like mankind is choosing evil over good more often these days.

The crimes we witness, the immorality that is accepted by many (abortion and homosexuality being two of the big ones) and the belief that a man’s property is not his own; it can and should be taken to serve the needs of the collective, all prove that we have regressed; that as a people we embrace evil, while denouncing those who attempt to speak the truth.

I am only speaking to Christians now; as what I am about to say – does not apply to those who deny the existence of God, or that the Holy Bible is Gods word. In the book of Ephesians, Chapter 5, verse 11, we read, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

If you cannot admit that government has done, and continues to do, evil things, then you are choosing to ignore the truth; for it is obvious to anyone who is willing to see what is happening to this country. To quote from Cheech and Chong, ‘If it looks like shit and smells like shit, it must be shit.’ If government continues to do evil things, regardless of who you put into office, then it must follow that government itself, as an institution, is evil. Can you not see that!?!

Therefore, if you vote, if you support this system because you ‘believe’ that having an evil system is better than having no system at all, then you are participating in, and responsible for, the evil things your government does. I cannot change things, nor can the small minority of us who believe as I do. What we can do, however, is follow Ephesians 5:11 by having no fellowship with this instrument of evil; we can stand up and speak out openly, and often, about how evil it is.

Whether you choose to listen to our words is up to you; but in closing I would like to leave you with a passage from Matthew 13:

3 Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up;

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth;

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away;

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them;

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold;

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear;

I do not ask, nor will I ever ask, that you simply accept that what I am saying is the truth; if I did I would be no worse than those whose words you blindly accept as the truth now. I do ask that you use your brain for the purpose it was intended; seek out the truth on your own. The truth is out there, and there are those who will gladly aid you in finding it. However, as Morpheus also told Neo, “I’m trying to free your mind Neo. I can show you the door, but you’re the one who has to walk through it.”

Having said that, I only ask that you seek out the truth; do not let others shape, shift, and manipulate you like a lump of clay; free your mind; your body will follow!

“And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” ~ (John 1:5 KJV)

October 11, 2023

~ The Author ~
Neal Ross, Student of history, politics, patriot and staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Send all comments to: bonsai@syix.com.

If you liked Neal’s latest column, maybe you’ll like his latest booklet: The Civil War: (The Truth You Have Not Been Told). Life continues to expand for this prolific writer and guardian of TRUE American history.