DarkJoy

Faith:  Strong belief in supernatural powers that control human Destiny.

Bravery:  A quality of spirit that enables one to face danger or pain without showing fear.

Their definitions do not at first glance appear in direct opposition, but when one looks deeper at the implications of each, their relationship to one another becomes less clear.

To have faith, whether it is in God, the Universe, Karma, or the Cosmos, it is required that one surrenders to something intangible and external.  I have always had trouble with this.  I am an almost-man of practicality.  I need to see-feel-touch the things I believe in.  The term blind faith seems redundant because, well, faith implies that you cannot foresee the outcome of any given circumstance.  Faith, by its very nature, is blind.

I’ve always wondered how people can place their full trust into something they never truly interact with.  What is the foundation of one’s faith?  How can one know that everything will work out?  To say that, to me, is to accept that circumstance cannot be influenced by the will, and that, in the end, what is, is what was desired.  Really?  That sounds a little too convenient.  Isn’t it?

Bravery.  Courage.  Fortitude in the face of Fear.  Now this is something I have always got on well with.  In a way, bravery can be seen as faith in oneself.  Trusting that one has the psychological and emotional strength to deal with the highs and lows of reality is a powerful weapon in a world of uncertainty.  This self-belief comes easier to some than it does others.  Some are born with it.  Some are trained for it.  Some are forced to learn it in order to transcend hardship.

I think I’ve gained my Bravery from all three, but the largest influence in its development is definitely from the last source.  I haven’t had the hardest of lives, but it hasn’t nearly been the easiest either.  Though my family are mostly devout Christians, I have always tended to resist fully embracing the Word of God.  For whatever reason, I felt that simply trusting in some supernatural power to take care of my mortal soul was not enough get what I want out of life, or to go where I want to go in life.  Simply “leaving it up to Faith” seemed like a cop out.  If I want make something of myself, I have to pursue it.

This has worked out for most of my life so far.  Without self-belief, I would not have survived university.  Without self-belief, I would not have persevered through countless interviews and several less than ideal jobs.  Without the confidence of knowing that I have what it takes to survive and even thrive in this world, I would be nothing.  I am nothing if I am not brave.

But…I seem to be approaching the limits of what Bravery alone can do.  Not quite the end of the line, but it’s becoming clearer and clearer that in order to have more and be more, something else is needed.

Faith.

Not everything can be manipulated by will.  Not all aspects of our destinies are in hand.  Sometimes, it is necessary to just wait for the stars to align before action can be taken.  In these circumstances, Bravery is powerless.  Faith is what will help you get through it.  Faith in something external will keep you going until the proverbial moment of truth arrives.

I’ve finally come to understand.  To be…perfect…in life an individual needs healthy, if not equal, amounts of both.  Looking at history’s most notorious warriors (Genghis Kahn, Alexander The Great),  or fiction’s greatest characters (Frodo Baggins, Superman), they all seem to have traveled their road with Faith in one hand, Bravery in the other, and using each as required by the situation before them.

“I think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed.” -Nathan Algren, The Last Samurai.

Faith and Bravery.  One of the many Yins and Yangs of existence.  Each possesses a little bit of the other in itself.  And to truly get anywhere, to become…complete, one must be both Faithful and Brave.

The road to fulfillment just became a little bit longer.  There is much work to do.

Posted in: lionheart, resurreccion by PrimeraEspada / Tags: Faith Bravery Fate