Politics aren’t the Problem. Core Beliefs are.

Carey Nieuwhof wrote an article in about how our politics aren’t the problem, but rather they are a symptom. I think he’s onto something. I would phrase it a bit different though.

I’d say that our politics aren’t the problem. Rather, our politics is the outward expression of our actual, core beliefs. Those are the things we often don’t even verbalize. They are the things that guide what we do. They are the values we will not violate. They are the drivers in our life.

This isn’t unique to politics though. Our religion isn’t the problem either. It’s also an outward expression of our actual core beliefs. The same could be said about other things as well.

One way of defining core beliefs is that these are the things that inform how people see themselves and the world — that’s the way Medical News Today defined the term. That’s a pretty good definition. Again, core beliefs are a lens that we look at everything through. Or maybe a filter in which we receive information about the world, informing us on how we should respond.

A common core belief for many people is that money gets to make the decisions in life. That may not be something specifically stated. And I’m not talking about the extremes either — splurging until you run out. Core beliefs aren’t about the exceptions, the extra ordinary times. Rather, core beliefs are about the day-to-day of life. A common phrase about money is that you need it. To some degree that might be true. But it’s not absolute…