This I believe

I just finished reading a fantastic book called This I Believe. It’s a book filled with essays written by the famous & unknown alike to share one of their fundamental beliefs and the rationale behind it. Each essay was subsequently recorded on air for the US national public radio’s show by the same name. It started in the 1950’s as a project to help inspire Americans and get them thinking about their own beliefs. There’s a great website dedicated to the idea (far beyond the book) with many additional essays on a variety of topics and guides for bookclubs, community groups and teachers to use. I encourage you to check it out – it’ll definitely get you thinking. In the afterword, they speak to the private nature of the material & quote General Lucius Clay as saying, “It would hardly be less embarrassing for an individual to be forced to disrobe in public than to unveil his private philosophy.” Maybe many people feel this way, I’m not sure. If so, what a sad statement that we spend our time talking about anything but the beliefs that guide how we live our lives. Or maybe we just get people to figure them out by watching what we do vs articulating them. Anyway, at the end of the book (and likely on the website too) they give you tips on how to write your own “this I believe” essay. I think I might just write one. I find sometimes my thoughts don’t quite crystallize until they pop out of my mouth or onto a page. I’ll let you know if I learn anything surprising.