*First, Try to “Believe Nothing Just Because Someone Else Believes It” – Step 2

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“Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.” – Gautam Buddha (563-483 B.C.), Hindu Prince and founder of Buddhism on beliefs

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Question :::

How have you come to believe in the Higher Power you have now?

What does it mean to believe something because it feels true to you, not just because others say it’s true?

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*Tomorrowland 2015 – Steve Aioki (1:0022) ELP

Brief Buddha Bio (3:40)

Alan Watts’ Buddhist take on Buddhist Choices in Beliefs (4:09)

Analysis of: First, Try to “Believe Nothing Just Because Someone Else Believes It”

Today’s SFZ highlights the principle of individual spiritual autonomy in recovery programs. It aligns with core existentialist and humanistic values, emphasizing personal experience over imposed doctrine. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) both stress that belief systems are optional. As stated in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, the steps are “but suggestions.” This approach echoes Carl Rogers’ humanistic psychology, where the individual is the expert on their own life. Rogers emphasized the value of unconditional positive regard, allowing for personal growth without coercion.

Similarly, NA clarifies that no one is forced to accept specific ideas. Each person may define their own spirituality. This reflects William James’ argument in The Varieties of Religious Experience that faith must be rooted in personal experience, not dogma. Spirituality becomes meaningful only when freely chosen.

Gautam Buddha’s quote reinforces this mindset: “Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.” This embodies the spirit of inquiry, a principle echoed by thinkers like Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, who urged individuals to challenge inherited truths and live authentically. These recovery programs reflect a similar ethos, providing a structure while respecting individual belief.

This openness counters authoritarian models of belief. Instead, it fosters empowerment through self-discovery. By choosing what to believe, individuals become active participants in their own healing. Recovery becomes not just about sobriety, but about reclaiming agency. This respectful framework invites transformation, not through pressure, but through conscious choice.

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Comments

6 responses to “*First, Try to “Believe Nothing Just Because Someone Else Believes It” – Step 2”

May 6, 2025

Ari L

I’ve had a lifetime immersed in and studying different world views on religion. But, more personally I’ve done my best, however that looked, to develop a personal connection with whatever is out there in a sort of agnostic, searching kind of manner. Through that, and almost like, “method acting” different viewpoints, I found what resonated as deeply true to me. I don’t think we are all one, for example, but that rather unity as separate entities is a beautiful, sacred sort of connection that transcends the very idea of a self. In that regard, like, even just honest connection between two people is a sort of divine union of opposites where the barriers to self and other are withered enough, that it feels like oneness. And that’s beautiful.

TL;DR
Trial and error.

Reply
May 6, 2025

Sabrina J

Spirtual truth is deeply personal. For me, watching the sunrise is proof of the connection to something bigger, more, than just the self. In that same way, while I have struggled to undertand religion, my personal connection to higher power, to source, to God has always been, and always will be.

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May 7, 2013

Jon G

I have chosen the higher power I have now through a process of trial and error. At first, I did not believe in God or any higher power. After several relapses I realized that I could not overcome addiction without the aid of a higher power and I became willing to believe. Over time, I developed a belief that was consistent with my spiritual beliefs that I formed as a result of studying the teachings of the Buddha.

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May 6, 2013

Br. Buddha

Good morning everyone + Happy Monday. It’s a very rainy day today. Nice. Here is today’s thought. God is with us. Always has + always will. Always remember what God has done for you. Then, as we march toward the unfamiliar, go forward, have faith, knowing that God will be with you in this new place. Blessings. BB

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May 6, 2012

JB jr.

I think my higher power has evolved to be more of a concept of all embracing love because I’m finding that when love is a the root of my motivations and dreams my world feels more fulfilling.

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May 5, 2012

Margot E.

The Discovery Channel! What a concept. The more I tune in to this channel, the more I am aware that my Higher Power is weaving a story for my life. When I am mindful, conscious of the magic and majesty of that Power I call greater than myself, the more I stand in awe: my life is unfolding exactly as it should. I am in the place I have created. Now I only have to be smart enough to see the lessons laid out for me; now I only have to be grateful enough to choose joy.

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