Belief is the acceptance of a claim without evidence. Faith is the acceptance of a claim despite the evidence. A person experiences stress when belief and faith do not meet expectation. What I mean is, that when my expectation is based on a claim that has no evidence, or is based on a claim I choose to hold despite the evidence, I experience stress. The world does not care about my expectation, my choice to accept claims without evidence, or my choice to accept claims despite evidence.

It would be nice if everyones life was based on accepting claims that are based on evidence. Psychology provides tools to help people align their perspective of reality with what is, not what they want or assume reality to be. When your view of reality is different than reality you are referred to as deluded. A delusion is literally accepting and acting on a claim that has no evidence, or acting on a claim that is contrary to the evidence.

President Trump made a statement about “both sides.”

If only this issue were so simple. I have many angry friends that are making it very clear that what happened in Charlottesville was the fault of supremacists, of racism, of free speech. From what I understand a human was killed by another human. From what I understand, at least one of the humans accepted claims that were either not supported by the evidence, or contradicted the evidence.

My observation is that beliefs are not worth killing for. They are also not worth dying for. No claim without evidence is worth the taking of a life. No claim that is made despite the evidence, is worth the taking of a life. The tragedy… that’s not a strong enough word. “Tragedy” is thrown around without regard. It is not powerful enough. What I’m looking for is a word that defines the end of humanity. Not only as a race, but individually. I’m looking for a word that explains the inability to remember the person you are talking to is no less human than you.

I don’t agree with people about ideas. Matters of opinion, things not based on fact. Orange is my favorite color. That does not make blue worth any less. My wife is my favorite woman. That does not make the hundreds of women in my life worth any less. My children are my favorite kids, that does not make your son or daughter worth any less.

It also does not make these people worth any less TO ME. They (we) are human. Some day we may meet aliens. I doubt they will be impressed by the way we treat each other. I am not impressed that someone died, for an opinion. Worse, is that our concern, is how to place blame. Person that died, I never met you. I do not know who you are. You were someone’s mother or father, sister or bother, son or daughter. And I am sorry that your death has devolved into blame, anger, and violence.

I swore to uphold the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. I never believed in my lifetime I would be more concerned about domestic enemies of the Constitution, than I would be about the foreign ones. Please, if you disagree with me, do so loudly and vehemently. Exercise your right to freedom of speech. But do not think for a moment, that freedom of speech allows you to take the lives or liberty of others, based on your acceptance of claims that have no evidence, or claims that are contrary to the evidence.

I am human, I may be wrong. I give you permission to be wrong too.