On Assumptions: Assumptions affect Observation, Conviction, Experience, Behaviour, which, in turn, confirms Assumptions
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
1 December 2025
“It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into."
Jonathan Swift
Three wise men set out on a journey for, even though they were considered wise in their own country, they were humble enough to hope that travel would broaden their minds. They had barely crossed into a neighbouring country when they saw a skyscraper in the distance. What could this enormous object be, they asked themselves? The obvious answer would have been: go up and find out. But no, that might be too dangerous. Suppose it was something that exploded as one approached? It was altogether wiser to decide what it was before finding out. Various theories were put forward, examined and, on the basis of their past experience, rejected. Finally, it was determined, also on the basis of past experience of which they had an abundant supply, that the object in question, whatever it was, could only have been placed there by giants.
This led them to the conclusion that it would be safer to avoid this country altogether. So, they went back home having added something to their fund of experience. Just remember: If you make unfounded assumptions before choosing a path, you’re blindly sauntering along.
Assumptions affect Observation. Observation breeds Conviction. Conviction produces Experience. Experience generates Behaviour, which, in turn, confirms Assumptions
Human life is based on assumptions and presumptions. We often miss the bus because of our silly assumptions and fabricated apprehensions. ' Until you swim, how can you assume that water is deep,' Confucius would often tell his disciples. Alexander would never have dared to come to India from Greece had he assumed and believed that the moment he would set foot on the soil of the East, he would die. His father Philip II of Macedon's court astrologer warned young Alexander never to go to the East. But he dared and came and also won battles before an abdominal ulcer forced him to go back home. He didn't care for assumptions and therefore could come so far and win comprehensively.
Assumptions are the weapons of the weak. To assume is not to resume and to assume is also to presume. Assumptions affirm our vague beliefs and make them strong convictions. They (assumptions) create confusion and shrink your world and mind. You need to consult a shrink to get rid of them. Most of our assumptions have outlived their uselessness. The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones. Assumptions are the feathery wings of our imaginations. They indeed are. Life's eighty percent tragedies are caused by assumptions and beliefs that were never tested and examined. Doctors are taught how to make the patients get rid of their assumptive ailments. Once the patient is cured of his/her assumptions, the ailments also disappear in a jiffy. Assumptions wreak havoc in the realms of religions. Many 'educated' religious fools assume that what the 'holy' books of their respective faiths state are absolute truths. H L Mencken rightly said about the assumptions in the religious sphere, “ It is often argued that religion is valuable because it makes men good, but even if this were true it would not be a proof that religion is true. That would be an extension of pragmatism beyond endurance. Santa Claus makes children good in precisely the same way, and yet no one would argue seriously that the fact proves his existence. The defense of religion is full of such logical imbecilities. The theologians, taking one with another, are adept logicians, but every now and then they have to resort to sophistries so obvious that their whole case takes on an air of the ridiculous. Even the most logical religion starts out with patently false assumptions. It is often argued in support of this or that one that men are so devoted to it that they are willing to die for it. That, of course, is as silly as the Santa Claus proof. Other men are just as devoted to manifestly false religions, and just as willing to die for them. Every theologian spends a large part of his time and energy trying to prove that religions for which multitudes of honest men have fought and died are false, wicked, and against God.”
Let your assumptions remain assumptions and don't allow them to get ossified. Once they get ossified, they also become fossilised and then you can't disabuse yourself of them. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in. Assumptions are shortcuts through the dark, they make you feel fast, until you crash into reality. So, don’t build roadblocks out of assumptions. Seek a fresh perspective by asking questions instead of relying on answers. Fools will try to educate a master by telling him things he already knows. And lastly, my humble advice to those over-intelligent individuals in this forum: If you insist on continuing to make assumptions about my character, credentials, beliefs and perceptions, I’ll advise you only this: Assume you will always be wrong. My advice is not condescending because we never look beyond our assumptions and what's worse, we have given up trying to meet others; we just meet ourselves. When dealing with critics always remember this: Critics judge things based on what is outside of their content of understanding. They're the people fraught with silly assumptions and that's the reason, they seldom create or opine anything worthwhile or valuable.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/assumptions-affect-observation-conviction-experience-behaviour/d/137829
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