Faith: In Western culture, our churches and synagogues are empty. They were, of course, once filled to overflowing – gushing forth humanity at the close of the service. Was faith any stronger then than it is now? Attendance at a religious service is certainly on the decline: but survey after survey shows that we are a searching lot. (1)
The Arguments for the Existence of God (2) have not lost their vigor. I am always impressed by the vehement rebuttal of religion by eminent scholars such as Richard Dawkins. (3) He has built a very successful career as an educated and astute atheist. His arguments are well-reasoned, erudite and profoundly clever. What he misses in all his arguments, however, is the point: nobody cares! We are all forced to make our own “Leap of Faith,” a phrase attributed to the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. (4) When I get up in the morning, I must deal with me and “put my day right” before the oncoming storm of reality.
Hope: My rational and spiritual approach to life is a naked and singular process – sadly, no one can “hold my hand”: I am alone in my angst. This is not a bad thing. Everyone must learn to be self-sufficient and strong mentally. I must develop my own sense of hope. The world is a very good place, but that does not constitute an easy existence. One of the great tragedies for the Millennials is that many are under the delusion that success, in any fashion, can be achieved without effort: an absurd and ludicrous assumption. Life is work, and that is a good thing. Repetitive work, especially at a young age, allows us to hone our skills. We quickly realize that the entity that I must place the most faith and hope in is myself. All beings are filled with self-doubt. Conversely, the unsuccessful ones cannot endure their success and succumb to panoply of addictions, often leading to an early death. Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) is still considered the image of beauty and an icon of post World War Two Hollywood. She, however, led a very troubled private life, which perhaps has received as much public attention. She experienced addiction and other mental health issues, and had two highly publicized marriages. She was married to two extremes: to athletic baseball player Joe DiMaggio (1914-1999) and then to the intellectual playwright Arthur Miller (1915-2005), both unions ended in divorce. She died at the age of 36 from an overdose of prescription drugs at her home on August 5th, 1962. Her death was ruled a probable suicide, but because of her associations with President John F. Kennedy and his brother US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy several conspiracies theories continue to exist.
On the face of it, this sounds “crazy.” You have come to the apex of the American dream and you kill yourself? We sadly are but islands in our own sea of consciousness. If you want to be happy it requires diligence and toil. Mitch Albom’s book “have a little faith” has some interesting thoughts: “So Heavenly Father … what is my reward (for my goodness in life)? … (God) will say, ‘What reward? That’s what you were supposed to do!’ … at that moment we could have been anywhere, anybody, any culture, any faith – a teacher and a student exploring what life is all about and delighting in the discovery. … God sings, we hum along, and there are many melodies, but it’s all one song – one same, wonderful, human song. I am in love with hope.” (5)
The great intellectual, theologian and philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), leaves us with a thought: If anyone on the verge of action should judge himself according to the outcome, he would never begin. Even though the result may gladden the whole world, that cannot help the hero; for he knows the result only when the whole thing is over, and that is not how he became a hero, but by virtue of the fact that he began.
A small joke: Mrs. Smith loved to cycle everywhere: to work, to the park, to go shopping, etc. One day she stopped for a red light. There was a man cycling beside her. He looked over and, with an extremely sympathetic voice, inquired, “So, for how long have you lost your driving license?”
This week, please ponder how faith and hope manifest in your life.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: The concepts you hold must be analyzed and well thought through. If you come to a place where you believe you have discovered the truth, treat all other faiths with respect and dignity.
Footnotes:
1) Archbishop of Canterbury admits doubts about existence of God
2) Arguments for God’s Existence
5) Have a Little Faith: Mitch Albom (ISBN: 978-0768-9134-4)