Reflective Essay Sample about Beliefs

Do you ever question why we choose to be so hard-headed about our beliefs that we choose to neglect the rest? Or, why does the sense of being right feel more important that it often overshadows its true logic? At a very young age, we are taught to identify and understand the difference between a fact versus an opinion. We often don’t realize how biases could alter the way we view accuracy. When in a debate or argument, people argue on the side that best fits what they perceive as the truth. Any dispute over their logic is often ignored and blocked. “Trusting your feelings of being on the correct side of anything can be very dangerous,” says Kathryn Schulz, an American journalist, and author (“On being wrong” 2011). We see this throughout history slowly yet effectively damaging our society and the members in it. Making us question how a belief so strongly can affect us as individuals and the people around us. Building up a sense of rightness can affect us strongly in the way we view and treat others who oppose our beliefs. The reflection of our ideas is constructed through the environment, background, and experiences of all individuals. While many people live an ongoing cycle of mental slavery that controls the way they think and behave, others manage to break free through the processes of cognitive dissonance. 

Megan Phelps Roper, a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church, experienced the dangerous effects of ignorant beliefs placed by her environment that prevented her from seeing the truth of her life. Adrian Chen, an American blogger, tells her story in his article, “Unfollow.” Chen addresses how her grandfather, Fred Phelps, founder of the church, developed her belief that their ideas about religious topics were accurate (74). Unlike any other religion, they believed that God used his power to punish the United States for its acceptance of homosexuality, especially in regards to the military. As a child, she contributed to church pickets against homosexuality, the response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, and the burials of soldiers who died in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. “The church was constantly against the ideals of the world,” Megan emphasizes in her Ted Talk (TedNYC 2017). Hearing her story often makes us question how a priest successfully influenced an entire society to spread so much negativity, let alone make them believe what they were doing was correct. It all begins in your early years as a child. Our environment growing up places a significant role in the type of individuals we'll be later in life. If you grow up in a healthy environment, with both parents present who teach you nothing but good, you will essentially grow up to become a good person. But if you, unfortunately, grow up in a broken home, where physical and mental violence is present, you will grow up viewing it as completely normal. In most cases, if not supported, these kids will also grow up to become abusers themselves. Such as Megan, the focus of the church's life, engraved in her mind and soul since birth, making her believe that it was her truth. 

As Megan grew older, she started shifting her attention to Twitter, where she preached the church’s teachings to celebrities and leading users of the platform. With her expressive actions online, she encountered many critics and often found herself in arguments with them (79). This led her to build one of the most significant alliances in her life, with a man named Chad Fjelland, known as CG online. Unlike any other, CG challenged her beliefs, helping her gain a different perspective on her views (79-81). The uprising of her friendship with CG causes Megan to question the cruelty the church followed. CG grew curious and frequently asked questions about the church's theology and funeral pickets. In their daily chats, he emphasized the importance of gentleness, compassion, and humility (82). These were qualities that the church lacked to display on its members. Megan soon started having doubts about the church, her beliefs, and her life. After divisions and outrage rise within the church, Megan and her sister leave their church in 2012 (87). It's never easy for any individual to unlearn what they perceive so strongly as the truth of their life. Many individuals never achieve this step, as they become stuck in an unstoppable cycle of repetitive views and opinions. This wasn’t the case for Megan. She was able to break out of a suffocating mental bubble that altered the way she thought and behaved. In Megan’s Ted Talk, based on her experience, she announces her acknowledgment that people tend to target others who don’t necessarily believe the things they do (2017). Not only do we build up the idea of being right, but we also choose to spread negativity and controversy onto the opposing side.

Moving forward into today's society, we yet see the problem of ignorance evolving and becoming stronger. Most relevant in today’s world is the coronavirus outbreak, which is impacting the lives of all people around the world, who were left with no choice but to conform to new ways of living. Many individuals lost their jobs, homes, and even their lives. With massive changes in such little time, many individuals often question whether the virus is real or just a hoax. A continuous 2021 study conducted by the Mayo Clinic indicates that COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States from 8/15/21 to 11/26/21 have increased by 6% at a current rate of 56.6% (“U.S. COVID-19 vaccine tracker” 2). This information indicates that 43.4% of the population has yet to be vaccinated despite its availability for six months. On July 17, 2021, more than 100,000 people protested the government's latest measures to require individuals to get vaccinated across France, to contain the increase of infection from the delta variant of the coronavirus (“Thousands Protest Against Vaccination, COVID Passes in France”). Despite France losing more than 111,000 lives and damaging its economy due to the pandemic, individuals remain blind-sighted by the information that seems easier to believe. Placing themselves mentally away from the truth, they decide not to wear face masks in public areas and/or get vaccinated. Initially leading to more covid cases, more deaths, and more social restrictions. 

Editor in chief and senior vice president, Nicole Carroll, addresses the most complex explanation of why people believe in the falsification of the virus. There have been hundreds of conspiracy theories created these past few months that make people doubt the truth. The most common conspiracy theories are that hospitals are inflating COVID-19 numbers to obtain more money or that the Covid vaccine contains a microchip that is implanted in those who get it (Carroll, 2020). The individuals who are more likely to believe in these ideas are those who are in denial of what currently is. They refuse to believe expert information and use it as an opportunity to construct conspiracy theories to help them justify what is occurring in the world. The truth is, the media is also a leading cause of the problem. They portray information they know viewers want to see and hear. This initially leads to more views, followers, and money. They further develop these ideas into the minds of others, making them perceive false information as the truth. A 39-year-old protester, green party supporter, and hospital laboratory worker said she would go to extreme levels of buying a fake vaccination card to prevent losing her job (“Thousands Protest Against Vaccination, COVID Passes in France”). Just like this 39-year old protester, many individuals across the globe feel like buying a fake vaccination card is their only option to perform in social activities. Not only are these individuals placing themselves at risk of catching the virus but also the entire world. In relation to Megan Roper's story, we see an association between violence and ignorance. All who believe nothing but the ideas in their head are in the sense of rightness that makes it difficult to see the truth and causes them to reject that they are wrong. 

Despite what we do or say, our beliefs will constantly be challenged right in front of our eyes. Being right gives us a sense of worth and pleasure. We enjoy the feeling of undermining others, even if it means we’re wrong. We defend our beliefs so much to the degree that we become our beliefs. So when someone attacks your ideas, you feel like it's a personal attack. We often say things without knowing the amount of value they hold within us. Words aren’t just words. Words are the basis of beliefs, and beliefs drive our behavior. We are a reflection of our society. Our mind holds so much power that it can easily break or make a person. Before converting into a conversation full of intense disagreement, you can set the foundation for success by making purposeful efforts to understand the perspective of groups with ideas you oppose. We don’t always have to agree with one another to assemble peace, as long as we listen without judgment. We can be better. It all lies in our hands.