Faith

I’ve been thinking about faith recently. I am neither the first nor the last person to have these thoughts, to come to these conclusions. It seems to me that all defensiveness – and by that I mean all the ways we are on guard against the word and behaviors of others and ourselves – stems from a lack of faith. I don’t refer specifically to faith in God. Faith in anything. Faith in God, Mother Nature, Chi, magic and fairies, yourself. Faith as in believing in something even when you have no good reason to believe in that something. Faith in something simply because it creates a better story.

On Faith and Reason is a wonderful series by Bill Moyers consisting of a series of interviews with authors, scientists, religious figures discussing the nuanced relationship between Faith and Reason. I believe it is Margaret Atwood who describes the book Life of Pi – truly an incredible read. This idea of “a better story” is perhaps the key element. I will say no more here so that you can enjoy this marvelous story for yourself.

I watch people around me, I watch myself, trying to control things, people, events. I watch them (myself) create stress in these attempts - attempts to control that stem from the belief “It’s wrong for things to be different than I think they should be.” Is that the story they (I) choose? How much control do we think we actually have? Is it a good story that brings joy and ease to our lives? Is it really the only story we can imagine?

If you ever start digging around in your thoughts you might find that many, many of these control-needing beliefs stem from a desperate need to prove oneself lovable and worthy. What makes that so universal? More to the point, what makes the belief that one is not lovable and worthy, that one needs to prove one’s lovability and worth and be reassured of those traits, so universal?

Religions are based on faith. Faith in something beyond reason. And that faith comes with an assurance that we are lovable and worthy. We are Good Enough. Someone or something has got our back, believes in us. And from that faith in something greater comes that knowledge, that deep understanding that fills our desperate hunger, comes faith in ourselves. And with that all the suffering and pain, distance and isolation that grows from our stories disappears. There is no need to prove our worth. We know it.

I’m no expert on world religions, there may be some based directly in belief in oneself. The ones I know of are more accurately based in the belief in oneself as divine, as part of something greater, or as one blessed by something greater.

The belief in something, without Reason, that makes a better story is where I believe true peace and ease of living begins. What story do you want to live? What’s your Tiger?