Life Assumptions
Each of us have basic assumptions from which we live our lives. Often these are so much a part of who we are and who we’ve come to be that we we don’t even know how much they affect our lives. We learn these life “laws” through personal encounters, parental instruction, and vicarious experiences as we watch others. Part of our difficulty is that we sometimes misinterpret our experience or the experiences of others. In addition, our teachers (parents and others) often teach from flawed assumptions of their own. Thus, some of our assumptions have rather suspicious foundations.
If our life assumptions have flaws, which is not unusual, then our lives are lived in flawed ways. On the other hand, when our foundational assumptions have the strength of truth, then our lives are lived in truth. The difficulty is figuring out which assumptions are true and which are flawed. That, in essence, is the task of reflection, and it is a life-long endeavor. If we are to live from truth, then we must carefully examine and call into question the assumptions of our life. Do those assumptions result in activities that bring life to self and others, or do they bring pain or harm? The answer to this question seldom comes easy.
I continue to work at identifying the assumptions I live by and have found that many of them are flawed. As a result, I am working to change them, which is also a difficult task. One would think that as soon as we judge an assumption false we could easily discard it. Unfortunately, our wrong assumptions have deep roots that cannot be so easily extracted.
In addition to my flawed assumptions, I have discovered what I believe at this time to be my assumptions of truth. They are the ones I want to nurture so that their roots go deep. Here are few of the assumptions I have identified as truth for my life.
- I could be wrong. I assume that I do not have all the answers in life. Others often have a better perspective than I. Others have truth I don’t have. If I assume I’m always correct, then I miss the truths that others have to offer me.
- I don’t deserve most of what I have. I assume that material possessions are not the result of one’s goodness. There are many people who have little despite the goodness of their lives. On the other hand, there are many who have much, yet have lived lives of deceit and injustice. Most of what I have is the result of undeserved blessing.
- I need other people. I assume that I cannot live my life by myself. I need help from others that comes in the form of wisdom, love, and benevolent acts. Without help from others, my life would be one of great sadness and isolation. Accepting help is a good thing.
- Other people need me. I assume I have something of value to offer other people. Sometimes I have insight that can help others along their way. Sometimes I have a strong back or an ability that can be used to aid someone needing physical help. At other times I have a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on for people to express their internal pain or sorrow.
- God loves and forgives me. I assume that despite my mistakes, there is the possibility for forgiveness and the ability to start over. This wonderful gift comes from the depths of God’s love that is often beyond my comprehension.
- God is beyond my comprehension. I assume I can never fully understand God. God is too large for me to comprehend with my finite experience and perceptive ability. Putting God in a box of my or other’s making is a mistake that leads to a limited and faulty faith.
I know there are other positive assumptions on which I build my life, but these are the ones that occur to me tonight. I’ll continue to think on this. I might also point out that although these are some of my foundational assumptions, those of you who know me personally might argue that I don’t always live from these as I should. That indicates that in addition to these “truths,” I also live with competing flawed assumptions, as all of us do. It’s important for me to continue to ferret out these assumptions that undermine more positive realities so that my life is lived consistently and positively.
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