Is that what I really believe? Why?

"What we absolutely believe to be the "truth" was created mostly by chance/accident." (give2attain)

Rationale: You had no choice in where you were born, who your parents were, which religion you were initial taught, which schools you attended, who your first friends were, if you went on vacations, how you were punished, etc. Then by the time you were old enough to influence your attitudes, behaviors, friends, learning, etc, many of these were already set by your earlier conditioning/brain washing. Therefore,

"People do not see the world as it is; they see it as they are - or as they have been conditioned to be." (Covey)

The good news is this conditional/brain washed viewpoint of the truth is not irreversible, however overcoming it does take courage, effort and a willingness to really consider the sources/rationale/correctness of our beliefs. One simple series of questions I have learned to ask is:

Assuming the other party is rationale and honest, why do they see this situation differently than me?
If I were in their position, would I feel the same way?
With this new perspective, how can we find a common solution that meets both our needs?
With this feeling of empathy, how can I help the other person or group of other people?
-