What's The Hold Up

I was having a conversation with a friend yesterday. We were talking about what we've both been up to of late. I talked about my process of breaking down belief systems and assumptions and creating this blog and website, etc. She brought up a very good point in that she could not see her way to not believing some of the things that were creating a fair bit of unhappiness for her such as the belief that marriage was supposed to be forever and that she had to not only work to make a living but work at something that wasn't really feeling great. These are not only personal beliefs but tend to be culturally more common than not.
So what about ideas like these? What makes them so powerful? What makes people unwilling (seemingly unable) to break through them? Of course it's our old friend and companion fear (isn't it always?). Fear of what? Could be a number of things; starving, dying, being out of control, shame, guilt, the unknown, but the real issue is the fear itself; the reluctance people have to allow themselves to be fully present to it, to stare it down so to speak, to question its validity, to be present to that which is  behind the fear. It is one big smoke screen my friend. Reminds me of the Wizard of Oz and how big and powerful he made himself appear yet behind the curtain was a little man, fearful and as powerless as anyone else. Ah yes, powerlessness, who wants to be with that? Personal power, yet another illusion that we love the idea of yet for the most part find we do not truly possess. The drive for power is the quest to get away from the deep feeling of powerlessness and whether we attain some modicum of power in the world or we end up feeling like victims of it, the illusion of power/powerlessness I assure you is lurking back there somewhere. You cannot have one without the other in the dualistic nature of creation. What if neither were real? What if power/powerlessness is yet another concept we have bought into hook, line and sinker and never bothered to question? The best most people do is create strategies to cope with it or fight it; either way, the belief in the concept generally goes unquestioned and unchallenged and so the status quo is maintained.
Never thought of challenging these concepts before? Great, now's your chance. One thing I will say about the process of breaking through belief systems though, until a concept has run its course for you it is not likely that you will even bother to question it and that is perfectly fine by me. Everything comes up if and when you are called to it and you may never be called to it. There is nothing right or wrong either way, just another way to be in life. If you are called to question your beliefs and concepts one thing I would advise is that you do so with gentleness; the process is painful enough as it is.