Questioning your beliefs

A very prickly subject for most people. Say something unexpected and most people freak out. This can be regarding religion, politics, sex, family, habits... well, the list grows long. If you say something crazy, most often people will open their eyes wide, raise their brows and say "what?".

There's a pervasive [bad] habit of not questioning your own beliefs. Perhaps most people think you shouldn't do that in the first place. Most notably, it's not uncommon for families and religious groups to implement this tactic. (Second-guess the sacred writings and you'll go to HELL FOREVER!)  On the other hand, for the majority of the people it's rather just a habit. You're making assumptions all the time about what you like or not (because that's how it has always been - custom), or about what you're not willing to do (because it's just WRONG! - morale).

The problem arises when your belief is shaken by a compelling argument or just by pressure. Peer pressure to force you to take drugs or do something you don't want is a good example. If you don't know for sure why you do what you do, you're at risk of crumbling. Furthermore, you're unable to have a discussion about your point of view and unable to understand someone else's perspective, because you lack a perspective yourself.

I say questioning everything is healthy. I'm not saying "doubt everything just because" but "make sure you know why you think the way you do". It's the nature of scientific progress. Heck, it's the backbone of progress, period!

I'm not implying that progress means change. There are matters that have been polished one way or another to the point where little or no change is necessary (this is always an arguable statement). But for the most part, only the ones that have thought through their ideas and beliefs can claim to live a true life. Everyone else is just following them. Nothing wrong with that, if that's what you choose, but did you consciously choose it?