Why We Need "Blind" Belief: The Hidden Logic Behind Our Traditions
I want to talk about something we all argue about at the tea shop. One side says, "All these old rituals and beliefs are just superstition! We are modern people, we need science!" The other side says, "No, this is our culture, you must follow."
But actually, both sides are missing the main point.
What if I tell you that belief is actually a software? Our ancestors created "Belief Operating system" to make society work.
The Problem: Rationale knowledge is weak without enforcement
Imagine you are a king 2,000 years ago. You want your people to wash their hands so they don't get sick. If you explain, "Listen, there are invisible bacteria that will kill you," nobody will understand. Microscope was not invented, na?
Or take a modern example. We all know we should throw waste in the dustbin. But imagine you are walking on a lonely road at night with an empty chips packet. You look around—no police, no CCTV, nobody watching. Even though you are educated and know it is wrong, you might just drop it on the road. Why? Because rational knowledge is weak without enforcement.
But you cannot put one policeman in every bathroom to check hand-washing, or a guard on every street to check for litter. It is "tough to enforce."
So, what to do? You tell them: "If you are unclean, the Goddess will be angry."
Suddenly, everyone washes hands! Why? Because the policeman is now inside their head. This is the utility of belief. It enforces good behavior when the police cannot.
Science Says Survival is More Important than Truth
There is a big scientist named Donald Hoffman. He has a theory called the "Interface Theory." He says evolution does not care if you see the truth. It only cares if you survive.
Think of a Porcupine.
The Truth: A porcupine is a small animal. It cannot "shoot" its quills like a gun. That is a myth.
The Belief: "Stay away! It shoots arrows!"
Now, imagine two people.
Person A (The Skeptic): He says, "Let me check if it really shoots." He goes close, gets poked, gets infection, and dies.
Person B (The Believer): He believes the "lie" that it shoots arrows. He runs away. He survives.
So, the "False Belief" actually saved his life. This is called "Metaphorical Truth". It is factually wrong, but evolutionarily right. Hence sometimes letting belief stay would save people
The Indian Examples: Why We Do What We Do
In India, we have so many beliefs like this. We think it is just pooja-paath, but look closer. There is deep science and economics hidden inside.
1. The "Sacred" Cow
Foreigners always laugh, "Why Indians starve but don't eat the cow?"
There is a famous anthropologist named Marvin Harris. He studied this. He found that in India, the cow was not just food. It was a tractor.
The ox (male cow) plowed the fields.
The cow gave milk.
The dung gave fuel for cooking.
A dead cow gives one meal. A living cow feeds you for 10 years.
2. The Peepal Tree and Tulsi
We are told, "God resides in the Peepal tree, don't cut it."
Why? Because the Peepal tree (Ficus Religiosa) is one of the few trees that is excellent at air purification. The Tulsi plant releases ozone and nascent oxygen which kills bacteria.
If the Rishis said "Please conserve this botanical species for oxygen," people would have cut it for firewood. But when they said "This is Vishnu," nobody touched it. The belief enforced the conservation.
3. Copper Coins in the River
In the old days, we threw copper coins into the river. Today we throw steel coins and pollute the water.
But originally, it was Copper. Copper is anti-microbial (it kills germs). In Ayurveda, we store water in copper vessels, correct?
Rivers were our only drinking water. By making everyone throw copper, the water stayed clean. It was a community water treatment plant disguised as a ritual!
4. The God Tiles on the Wall
We have a big problem of public urination and spitting. Even in an isolated street, if you see a "Do Not Pee - Fine ₹500" sign, but nobody is watching, people might still ignore it and make the wall dirty. The rational mind thinks, "No police, no problem."
But if you put a tile of a God on that same wall? Nobody dares to pee there.
Why?
Without Picture: Enforcement is zero. You think you can get away with it.
With Picture: Enforcement is 100%. You feel God is watching.
The tile costs ₹20. A policeman costs ₹20,000. Belief is the cheapest and most effective way to enforce hygiene in a society.
Karma : The Vedic Enforcer
Our Vedic literature is very clear about this. They didn't have CCTV cameras, so they invented Karma.
In the Vedas, there is a concept called Rta (Cosmic Order). It means the sun rises, the seasons change, and the rivers flow according to a rule. If you break nature's rule, you disturb Rta.
Who catches you? Varuna. He is the Vedic god who watches everything.
And in later philosophy (Mimamsa), they talk about Adrishta. It means "The Unseen Force."
If you do a bad deed in secret, nobody sees you. But Adrishta notes it down. It is the "Cloud Storage" of your Karma.
This belief system made people act honestly even when they were alone. It solved the "Free Rider Problem" (people who cheat the system).
Keep aside the reality , Karma might be real may not be belief but it really doesnt matter it works
Conclusion
So friends, next time you see a ritual, don't just mock it. Remember Chesterton's Fence: Don't remove a fence until you know why it was put there.
Belief is not always about magic. It is a compression algorithm. It compresses complex survival rules into simple stories so that everyone—from the village farmer to the city scholar—can follow them and survive.
We don't need to believe blindly, but we must respect the Utility behind the belief.
Hence dont always between your chest as a person with scientific temper and remove each and every belief. Removing belief is like removing safety net.
That doesnt mean you dont question, Rationale minds can continuing questioning and evolving beliefs but 99% of the population are not rationale thinkers they are opportunists.
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