How powerful are your beliefs? Pick one, any one, and then ask yourself how much you're willing to fight to maintain it? Lose an argument? Lose a friend? Lose a limb? Lose your life? Without getting too philosophical here, I ask because our beliefs give solidity to our lives. Anyone without strong beliefs can be pushed here and there, all around, without much difficulty. It takes someone with strong commitment to their beliefs to take a stand and fight back. I think it's fair to say that the measure of someone is how willing they are to defend what they believe.
But, how do you defend your beliefs? Well, you first need to know what they are. Also, you should know the counter-arguments against your beliefs; study the opposition, like a sports team would scout the opposing side's tactics. It's easy to argue your own point of view, but it takes a lot of thought to consider what the opposing view is and your answer to it. Do yourself a favor and think about it.
So, why bring this up? Well, in all stories the participants have certain views and beliefs. Why do they have them? What lengths are they prepared to go to defend them? Answering questions like those brings depth and concern to the characters, and further adds audience participation as the audience seeks to understand what's going on and why. Also, the conflicts within a story can easily come out of beliefs the characters have, and what the rest of the story-world thinks about them. Without getting on a soap box to preach, I only suggest an understanding because it makes everything richer and more real if the beliefs are known and acted upon.
- M
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