Creating a Belief System

“I simply did what I had been raised to do.” This is a quote from Nancy Mairs’ essay entitled On Being Raised by a Daughter. This line particularly stood out to me and made me wonder how true it is that people don’t take an active role in their lives and pursuing what they truly desire. From the time that we are little kids, we basically see that the path that we are expected to take as we grow older – get a job, get married, and have kids. This is essentially what we are raised to do. This can be true in terms of our beliefs and values as well. Children adopt the belief system of their parents and some never question or challenge those beliefs and seek to discover whether it is what they truly believe or not. This can be the case in most prominently religious beliefs and political standings. Although I consider myself conservative and Catholic and I do follow in the footsteps of what my parents have taught me to believe, I am constantly questioning and modifying these beliefs to match beliefs that are more individual and specific to me.