If you stand for something, you still might fall for anything

The bandwagon sometimes interferes with using our reason in seeking our values

Carol Forsloff - These days everyone has an argument about something, it seems.  Our pet peeves, dreams and target goals are interwoven in our daily speech and writing.  But is it true, that old country song, that if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything?

Science says a bit of that is true. Those who have a religious belief and consistent worship tend to live longer.  Those who practice the science of eating right, exercising, avoiding unnecessary stress and serving others tend to live longer on average than those who don't do these things.


People tend to practice what they believe, so these elements of belief are part of the behavior of many people that we have learned live long and prosper because they have something about which to focus their attention and then live accordingly.

But there are  beliefs as well that allow for no qualification: the belief that one's political party is superior to another, that one race or ethnic group has more virtues than others or that one's religion encapsulates the only path to God.  These beliefs, it has been found, can get in the way of understanding and our ability to interact favorably with one another.

And positive interaction, having friends and a social group, is at the heart of healthy aging.

So scientists, and religious theorists as well, remind us that balance is what is important in our lives, belief in something that enhances our well being and tossing aside those rigid ways that remove us from others because of their absolutes.

Laws provide standards by which some of us form our beliefs, outside of our religion, for example.  The commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" is in our laws, and we punish those who disobey them.  We become believers in this law, and so it is maintained in most human cultures.  Yet there are qualifications made to the law in the event of war or when we decide to punish someone for the worst crime.  Some of us find the flexibility to determine when the law should be applied, while still others see it as an absolute that cannot be disobeyed regardless of condition.  In the first case, however, there is a certain lack of consistency, so we must compartmentalize our thinking in order to make qualifications.  In the second case, we may be absolute in some areas, yet again make exceptions for our special beliefs, such as belief in abortion.

Too much segmentation and inconsistency in our beliefs and values can create emotional stress, which can create health problems.

As we can see, the ability for us to reason, to examine which beliefs are consistent with our well-being and which ones are not is part of man's ability to use experience and learning to grow in decision-making.

While religion and politics have blurred boundaries, there remains a consistency of chanted belief that "if you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything," that keeps folks apart and is at the heart of man's arguments and issues.

The country western song by Aaron Tipton, "You've Got to Stand for Something or You'll Fall for Anything" tells us the value of having values.  It is also the line drawn around groups to reflect their beliefs.  Family values is the famous one that begins both religious and political discussions in advance of the elections in the United States.  There surely are some good messages in the song, certainly using your own mind and not being "a puppet on a string."  But some values conflict with others, making the choices more difficult than the title of the song implies.

A highly-regarded value touted by both religious and political groups is patriotism.  We are asked to honor God and country as if they were equal ideals, and on many public occasions both the flag and prayer are symbols of that equality.

The value of individual freedom is highly expressed at the time of elections and underlined in both religious and political activities and events.

These values, held competitively in groups across America, remain the centerpiece of argument on topics related to both governing and worship.  They are couched in the belief that by standing up for these values one will not accept propaganda easily nor be swayed by those events that might detract from the values themselves.

But there isn't agreement on the values represented among religious and political groups.  Some believe gay marriage, for example, is an important value as it represents true equality and individual freedom. For others it represents a violation of family values.  Some folks feel that the love of country equates truly with the love of family and even one's God while for others love of country means the treatment of all people equally and acting in charitable ways.

Without coherence in what is within the values and how they are expressed, the message of standing up for something becomes blurred as well, although it is the rallying cry inevitably at political and religious events.

Folks in the profession of persuasion remind us how "people make purchase decisions according to their beliefs rather than according to the facts. They perceive their own truths, and as any good marketer should know, these truths are much more powerful than facts anytime."

The issue regarding weapons of mass destruction presented as a reason for war revealed again how people will retain their beliefs and fall for anything even when the facts are revealed.  People will believe lies even after hearing the facts.  The facts will be ignored, and folks will fall in line behind falsehoods instead.

Candidates tell voters they must stand up for their beliefs and not fall for the extreme persuasions of left or right, while for either side those persuasions might be contrary to one's values in some other domain.While those firm positions allow people to represent their own values,and not be swayed from them; social science tells us they also close minds to respecting the values of others and even the facts.  So while we stand for something, we still might fall for anything.