the value of belief systems

In my fb feed “on this day” I read a post from 2009 that moved me today the way it did seven years ago.

“Saw a sign today: It isn’t hard to make decisions if you know what your values are. Shall we ponder that for a while?”

Now we all know our core values. They’re constant. They’re unchanging. But what about the values that aren’t deeply embedded in our core? The ones that are a little more pliant? They change as we change. As we grow as individuals. Things that we believed when we’re young may not be completely different as we grow up, but they…what? Adapt. Yes, adapt.
We adapt our belief systems as we move through life. We learn new and different things and this further shapes our values. In some extreme cases, it rewrites them completely.
I know that my values have changed as I have. That I can’t become who I am meant to be if my belief system remains rigid and unchanging. I have experienced people who refuse to let their values ebb and flow with new experiences and learning. These people never grow as human beings. They’re not in touch with who they are within. They’re not in touch with who they are in the world.
My mom was one such person. I believe that she could not or would not adapt because she had to keep such tight reign over herself to simply function in the world.

I have always been someone who looks at the world in black and white. I inherited that from my father. And while I am most comfortable in this mindset, I’m realizing there is so much more gray in the world. And that the grayness doesn’t actually have to be a “bad thing”.
I’m learning that as I adapt, so do my values. BUT I’m also learning that because I know and understand my belief system, I’m able to better make decisions about my life.

I strongly believe my beliefs and nothing can change that. That helps me make decisions every single day.
My values change as I learn and grow. Not the values themselves, but the way they guide me changes.
Schoolhouse Rock taught me that “Knowledge is Power!”.
The more I learn the better my belief system becomes. The better my values guide my decisions. The better chance I have to become the me I’m meant to be.