Beyond Belief
Did anyone ever imagine a round-the-world flight using only solar power? It’s almost unbelievable yet this is the real journey and mission of Solar Impulse 2, pictured here at the end of a 62-hour flight from Hawaii to California. This amazing accomplishment calls us to consider the power of what we believe , or don’t believe, is possible. Here are some perspectives about belief I’ve found worth chewing on.
A belief is just a thought you’ve been thinking
I find a lot of wisdom and practical advice in the teachings of the Law of Attraction. Most relevant is this: “A belief is just a thought you’ve been thinking.” If we, personally or collectively, think a particular thought often and intently enough, it is likely to become a reality. John F. Kennedy thought we could get to the moon, engaged others in the vision, and we did. If we think of all the great change movements in history (ending apartheid, desegregation, women’s liberation, India’s freedom from Britain, to name a few) they all began with a thought, with a vision. So if we have a new vision of a world that is based on love, justice, and environmental sustainability, it can happen if enough of us carry and act on the vision. Conversely, the Law of Attraction tells us that if we have this vision, but don’t think it can happen, the odds are that it won’t, because of the inner conflict we have set up. The vision is trapped in a head-on collision of opposing forces. (This short YouTube elaborates on this perspective.)
Believe it or not
Martin Rutte, founder of Project Heaven on Earth makes these provocative points about belief: “If we think we need to believe we can do something in order to do it, then we will only do those things we believe we can do. The necessity for the belief to be present prevents us from getting into action.” He reminds us that we have all probably done many things we didn’t believe we could do, but we accomplished them anyway. His point is that you don’t have to believe something will succeed in order to more forward toward the goal.
The Choice is Ours
If you’re reading this you share with me and so many others the vision of a thriving world. Like most of us, we can fall into times of feeling despair, overwhelmed and helplessness because the crises we face are so enormous. Sometimes we think, “It’ll never happen. It’s impossible. It’s not realistic. It’s too overwhelming. I can’t.” If we want the thriving world that works for all, then: a) we can choose to believe this is impossible to achieve and do nothing; b) we can choose to believe it will happen and take action toward that vision, or; c) we can choose to act whether we believe it will happen or not. We must ask ourselves, “Are we committed to the limiting belief, or are we committed to what we want?” Visionary Barbara Marx Hubbard challenges us to have “Evolution by choice, or evolution by chance.”
Do you believe we can change the world? Do you believe people can change? My guess is we’ve all seen ourselves and others make changes in their lives, sometimes very dramatic ones. Consider just how powerful our beliefs are. If we all believe we can change the world it’s going to happen. As Martin Rutte teaches, even if we don’t believe we can change the world, we can do it anyway. In his excellent book, Creating a World That Works For All, Sharif Abdullah says, “It is precisely our willingness to tackle the impossible that makes radical change possible.”
I don’t know if the creators of Solar Impulse 2 believed they could fly around the world in a solar-powered plane or not. The fact is they’re doing it, believe it or not.
Resources
Law of Attraction YouTube
Project Heaven on Earth
Solar Impulse 2
Please join me in prayers for the safety and successful completion of the Solar Impulse 2 mission.
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