CAST UP!

Introduction

The source of authority that each person chooses as the basis to answer the truly important—strike that—the critical questions that confront each person is of inestimable importance.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the source of authority an individual chooses as a lens through which to understand and interpret life and reality, plays the biggest role possible. Not only so, but the view of reality an individual chooses will form and guide his or her entire life. The cause for its importance is due to its contribution and subsequent implications on the fundamental views on which we base our life and decisions. Our fundamental beliefs play a most significant role in building a person’s foundational substructure and underpinning—the more foundational the beliefs, the more influential the impact.

Let’s use a house structure as an illustration.

The most important aspect of a house is the foundation. Anyone who knows construction principles understands this. One construction website clarifies this point and writes,

Most people assume that the most important part of their home is the roof. While your roof is the component that protects you from the elements, it’s not the only one that keeps you safe. The foundation is what supports your home and bears the weight. Without a solid base underneath, it’s only a matter of time until you experience some serious damage to the structure.

In the same manner, the most critical part of any life structure is the foundational beliefs and view points on which the structure of a person’s life is built. When an inidividual's most basic beliefs and premises are sound, the upper structure can be well-built atop. When the most basic views about reality are faulty or problematic, the foundation will prove to be a faulty base and everything built upon such a foundation may need to be questioned. As such, the source of authority or lens through which a person chooses to build the house of his or her life, as it were, becomes the most critical building block imaginable.

Choosing what we believe is critical and must be done in the same manner as a master home builder. We should not choose substandard construction materials and we should not adopt views that are not accurate or fails to properly reflect reality. Unfortunately, there are many voices, many views, and many plausible arguments claiming to be the foundation on which people should build the substructure of their lives.

Let’s continue with our discussion and list, in broad terms, the alternatives available to us to choose from for building the structure of our life.