There are some ten thousand extant religious sects–each with its own cosmology, each with its own answer for the meaning of life and death. Most assert that the other 9,999 not only have it completely wrong but are instruments of evil, besides. None of the ten thousand has yet persuaded me to make the requisite leap of faith. In the absence of conviction, I’ve come to terms with the fact that uncertainty is an inescapable crorllary of life. An abundance of mystery is simply part of the essential inscrutability of existence, in any case, is surely preferable to its opposite: capitulating to the tyranny of intransigent belief.
~ Jon Krakauer Under the Banner of Heaven
Faith is such a complex thing. By definition it is illogical and inexplicable. Having faith in something is empowering. By lifting responsibility out of ourselves (like accepting the Higher Power of AA) it seems as if we eliminate a lot of decision making variables. It provides a compass for evaluating behaviour. So often, however, it can become an excuse for irrationality. When I read the atrocities committed by both knights and Saracens during the Crusades, I am appalled that these were people of faith who believed their faith obliged their actions. When a student was murdered and her house burnt down by her father because she wanted to date out of her faith, I wept for the tragedy. When I watched the agony as a couple in love had to walk a tightrope as their parents’ pulled them in different directions, it was crushing. So paradoxically, we pray that unity happens.
The conflicts often break families and destroy faith. Sometimes there is a resolution that finds a medium. The fight becomes irrelevent when the grandchildren arrive, for example, and in loving the children, the parents are both accepted.
Faith is a paradox. God is love and here’s the war to prove it.
It takes a lot of faith to make it through.
Shawn L. Bird 
Pessimism in action January 31, 2011
Tags: depression, faith, hope, joy, misery, pessimism
Noticed this quote on a board at Curves the other day. It made me consider different angles to that, and I came up with a quote of my own:
If you have a negative outlook, if you don’t believe that there is something good coming in your future, nothing good happens for you. You become mired in your own misery and hopelessness. If you can find hope, and believe that even if things are bad now, that there will be a brighter day coming, then you have the vision to get through the hardship.
What happens when your brain chemistry isn’t letting you get there? If you can’t find the joy and hope, you may need a little help. Your brain is probably not producing enough ‘happiness hormones’ for you to have a positive outlook. Bring on the anti-depressants!You can change that and open up a world of possibility. See your doctor. There is no need to be miserable! Some people think anti-depressants are for the weak, but depression is all about chemistry, it’s not about will or strength of character. You wouldn’t think you were weak if you needed nitroglycerin for your heart or anti-rejection drugs for your transplant, so why on earth should you feel bad if you need drugs to adjust your neurochemistry?
Work with your doctor. Take the drugs. Don’t wallow in despair and misery. Find the optimism that will give you the faith and hope in a positive future that will allow you to achieve all you can achieve in life.
Share this: