We believe what we trust: our bodies and minds, people we honor, and other sources of information. A helpless baby cries out for survival needs, nourishment, comfort, and human contact. It then learns to trust the parents or caretaker who provide these needs. Later, the parents' beliefs are incorporated into the developing brain. Additional people also become influential and trustworthy. As we observe, listen to and read the words of more people, our beliefs are reinforced, altered, or changed.
As a result, our parents' beliefs often remain our own. Because we trust and honor them, going beyond their beliefs is very difficult. When we learn from other sources of information which continually bombard our minds, we have the power to choose what we believe.
Religious, scientific, and political beliefs develop and hopefully evolve. Some believe God has influenced the authors of religious texts like the Torah, the Bible, and the Koran, and that He continues to influence us directly. Trust is also given to the experts, the scholars, the devout, to help interpret and reinforce religious beliefs.
Scientific discoveries expand our beliefs about the universe. The methods used by scientists to make these discoveries seem logical.
Political beliefs also develop from parents, other trusted individuals and sources of information. Some people give more honor and trust to those who reinforce their long-held basic beliefs. Others try to keep an open mind and increase their ability to consider a variety of opinions.
As we mature, we become responsible for our own survival. We listen to our bodies and minds to stay healthy physically and mentally. We form our beliefs based on many factors. Our minds have the power to trust wisely, absorb many sources of information, and decide what we believe.
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