Faith
Generally speaking, faith is associated to divinity and religion. We can also add faith in ourselves and in the world, in the future and in the people that surround you.
Let's talk about the concept of having faith in humanity. Mahatma Gandhi said, "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." Guess he was right about this one. We are all capable of good or evil, depending on what we choose. We are all, whether we want it or not, of a dual nature, bearers of light and darkness. Creation and destruction are both possible to us.
For many of us, faith in a higher power revolves around organised religion. And unfortunately for some, this religion is tied to dark and traumatic memories. The concept of "religious trauma" is widly known and understood though not accepted by all. Many of us had to learn how to detach faith and prayer from people, social hierachies and doctrines. Some of these said doctrines are often fear based. Refusal to comply leads to social ostracization and grief as a latter consequence.
Faith in the future can be presented as hope. Hope is very frequently described as founded and certain belief that better things are in store for every one of us. Hope keeps us going sometimes even blind folded. That is what some christians call " les yeux de la foi". Like I shared in one of my previous post, faith can be eternal. There are 3 biblical verses that fit this topic perfectly I might be tempted to say. The first is hebrew 11.1 and it reads as follows: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
There is sure a paranormal or supernatural element to faith. It cannot be truly explain. You just have to accept it. Faith cannot be quantified. You just have to experience it. Two other biblical quotes can complete this picture with a great deal of accuracy. The first one is found in 2 corinthians 5 vers 7: "For we walk by faith, not by sight." The second one is 2 corinthians 4. 18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Faith is eternal, transcendental and universal.
Having faith in yourself, in the world and in the divine are all important and integral parts of a big beautiful puzzle that some call life. The whole self empowerment genre is based on self belief and self faith. Having faith that your efforts will pay off one day. Knowing deep down that you deserve better, from yourself, from others and from life in general. How can you expect others to believe in you if you firstly do not believe in yourself? It must all come from within. The source is you.
Dissentiently yours,
JH