Shaping Existence: The Dynamics of Belief, Doubt, and Freedom
Attachments to states such as belief, disbelief, slavery, or freedom have a profound impact on how we perceive the world and ourselves within it, shaping our existence through the choice of an inner stance and an attitude toward external reality.
Firstly, belief—as the presented reasoning suggests—opens up the possibility for a person to look beyond the empirically perceived world. As stated in source link txt:
"Belief is always directed toward the mysterious, the hidden, the sacred. ... Belief is an act of the freedom of spirit; it is a matter of free choice and free love. No visible, objectively defined reality compels me to an act of belief. Belief is an appeal to the mysterious, sacred spiritual world, which is revealed only to freedom and closed off to necessity."
This shows that belief does not depend on objectively measurable facts; it is the result of free choice and the creative aspiration of the spirit. Belief allows a person to infuse his perception with a depth and diversity that ordinary, everyday knowledge cannot access.
In contrast, disbelief is characterized as a state in which a person does not sense the presence of a higher or transcendent principle. This state limits the depth of perception, confining it solely to rational and empirical experience. As noted in source link txt:
"Disbelief is a state of the soul when a person does not feel God. It is connected with ingratitude toward God, and it affects not only those who completely deny God's existence, but each one of us."
Thus, disbelief deprives a person of the possibility to engage with a broader spectrum of experiences, reducing existence to the confines of familiar experience.
Slavery, as mentioned in the discussions, is not only externally imposed but in fact lies in our inner disposition. A person may unconsciously accept the role of a slave, defining his attitude toward himself and the surrounding world through the belief in the inevitability of an external force. In source link txt, it is noted:
"Man's slavery lies not only in the fact that an external force enslaves him, but even more deeply in that he agrees to be a slave, that he submissively accepts the force that subjugates him. ... A man lives under the control of an illusion so powerful that it appears normal to his consciousness."
At the same time, even a familiar, habitual state can be perceived as freedom if a person has become accustomed to having limited choices:
"A man still remains a slave. It is very interesting that psychologically the easiest state to perceive as freedom is in fact the absence of movement—a familiar state." ( link txt)
This underscores that accepting slavery within one’s own psyche not only limits possibilities but is even disguised as a normal state of being.
Freedom, in turn, is understood not as the absence of constraints, but as an active awareness of one’s nature and a struggle against the inevitable necessity dictated by objective reality. In source link txt, the following reasoning is provided:
"Freedom means alienation, the estrangement of the human being. ... But for a man to liberate himself, he must recognize himself as a free and spiritual being. ... A man in an objectified world can only be free in a relative sense, not absolutely, and his freedom implies a struggle and resistance against the necessity he must overcome."
The feeling of freedom requires constant self-assertion and active resistance to the conditions that seek to define us. Thus, freedom involves an internal struggle that enriches perception and deepens understanding.
Finally, examining the difference between the believer and the non-believer reveals how attachment to certain states gives rise to different ways of perceiving the world. In source link txt it is noted:
"A believer perceives and sees even that which is not noticed—and therefore denied—by the non-believer; at the same time, what the non-believer sees and asserts can be acknowledged by the believer; but only when combined with that which the believer sees does it acquire a different overall context..."
Thus, an active attachment to belief allows a person to integrate additional layers of meaning into his worldview—a richness that those who refuse or are indifferent to such experiences miss out on.
In conclusion, our attachments influence the principles by which we navigate our everyday experience, the way we perceive the external world, and the depth of our self-reflection. Belief, as a free act of choice, reveals hidden dimensions of existence, while disbelief and the acceptance of slavery restrict our perception to the mundane and rational. In contrast, the awareness of freedom demands internal struggle and creative effort, enabling us to grasp a more complete picture of being.
Supporting citation(s):
"Belief is always directed toward the mysterious, the hidden, the sacred. ... Belief is an act of the freedom of spirit; it is a matter of free choice and free love. No visible, objectively defined reality compels me to an act of belief. Belief is an appeal to the mysterious, sacred spiritual world, which is revealed only to freedom and closed off to necessity." (source: link txt)
"Man's slavery lies not only in the fact that an external force enslaves him, but even more deeply in that he agrees to be a slave, ... A man lives under the control of an illusion so powerful that it appears normal to his consciousness." (source: link txt)
"Freedom means alienation, the estrangement of the human being. ... But for a man to liberate himself, he must recognize himself as a free and spiritual being. ... A man in an objectified world can only be free in a relative sense, not absolutely, and his freedom implies a struggle and resistance against the necessity he must overcome." (source: link txt)
"Disbelief is a state of the soul when a person does not feel God. It is connected with ingratitude toward God, and it affects not only those who completely deny God's existence, but each one of us." (source: link txt)
"A believer perceives and sees even that which is not noticed—and therefore denied—by the non-believer, ... it acquires a different overall context..." (source: link txt)