Comfort and Anxiety

So one day after class a student asked me if I don’t have any metaphysical beliefs. I replied that as much as I would like to believe in those things I don’t think there is much evidence to support them. She then said that she wasn’t ready to give up her metaphysical beliefs because they give her comfort. She isn’t alone in feeling this way. It is very common for people to say this.

Beliefs serve three major functions: explanation, social cohesion, and comfort. We want to know why things happen, where we came from, and where we are going. Beliefs that provide explanation take care of those questions. We like it when other people share similar beliefs to us. This creates social cohesion and a sense of community. We are, after all, social creatures. When bad things happen, we seek comfort and solace. Beliefs that give us comfort can get us through the bad patches.

What is it about comfort that makes us rely on these kinds of beliefs? Plain and simple it's anxiety. We don’t like it when we feel anxious. We will do just about anything to get rid of feelings of anxiousness. Anxiety creates unpleasant feelings associated with worry, uneasiness, and fear. In fact, anxiety is physiologically indistinguishable from fear. Calling on beliefs that give us comfort can help us eliminate fear and anxiety. But what are we really doing? We are using these beliefs to scaffold ourselves from the fear of the unknown. If we use these beliefs as a crutch, what does that say about these beliefs? We need to be careful about invoking certain beliefs just so that we feel better.

There might come a time when our beliefs let us down and then we will be in for a rude awakening. So, just be aware that comfort is nice but it might not be lasting. Real comfort might come in the form of accepting that everything is temporary and we need to live the best we can while we are here.