A miniseries of articles which are partly personal history, partly ramble, but wholly geared to prompt more thought...
Thank you for some wonderful comments last week which demonstrated that the intention of simply bringing some different aspects of an oft-(a)bused phrase forward had its impact. Continuing...
It's the first Sunday of the month, and this year that means you get an image from my 'calendar'.
Animals cannot have faith. Why? Faith is an intellectual concept. Faith can be debated, discussed, argued, tossed around, abused, interpreted. It is a construct of the human psyche. Trust, however, is more visceral. We win the trust of our animals, not their faith. The human critter responds to trust in exactly the same way as all other living beings, through instinct and experience.
The difference between faith and trust (which are often used interchangeably) is that faith is a matter for the individual and requires nothing more than our intellectual engagement. Trust implies the presence of at least one other, all the way up to a nation of others. Faith is for 'who I am' while trust is for 'who we are'. Faith cannot be measured by science, trust can. It arises from our parasympathetic nervous system, that oh-so-subtle flight or fight process. This is why it was said at the end of last week's post that trust must come before faith. One cannot have faith in anything without there first being trust - a connection made which assures one of security and reward for that trust.
However (and here's the kicker), once faith is established, even if trust is broken in some way, faith is the thing which will carry someone through an otherwise difficult time. Alternatively, faith can bind a person beyond the truth of what broken trust has demonstrated to them. This is what often results in children and spouses staying in abusive homes. Constantly having faith that dad - or sometimes mum - is truly sorry and 'will not do it again'. That is faith in love. Not the capital 'ell' variety, but the touchy-feely, rose-spectacled variety. Misguided and harmful. Of course, there are many other factors not least of which is fear, involved in these matters. Every case is complex and individual. The baseline of all, though, is trust.
Trust is that element which can give us the greatest reward or allow for the greatest vulnerability.
On a personal level, I can tell you that I place my faith very carefully and after much consideration. I might even tell you that I rarely apply this word to anyone or anything at all. Trust, to me, holds greater value. It has been broken quite severely more than once in this life. Ultimately, one protects oneself from emotional or psychological injury by reserving a degree of trust. At the 'ground' level of daily life, that is.
When it comes to the level of existence, though, it has been learned that there is something else in which one can place one's trust and, as a result, one's faith. Love. The capital 'ell' variety. The anchor within each of us - if we know how to tether it - which will aid us in all weathers of life.
In walking the path of Love, the ability to trust restores itself and the smaller elements of faith can return. Fear drops away, anxieties are few and at no time does one ever feel alone.
Walking the path of Love opens up the bigger picture and builds trust in fellow Man, gives us faith in Mankind's ability to overcome its darker side. Despite the constant betrayals of trust it displays. Walking the path of Love helps one to see oneself more clearly and one's place in the big picture; it helps us to overcome the need for masks, for smoke and mirrors - to see rightly. Walking the path of Love is to understand the cyclical nature of things and to have both faith and trust that all will be well.
To walk this path, one requires devotion...
Thank you for some wonderful comments last week which demonstrated that the intention of simply bringing some different aspects of an oft-(a)bused phrase forward had its impact. Continuing...
It's the first Sunday of the month, and this year that means you get an image from my 'calendar'.
Animals cannot have faith. Why? Faith is an intellectual concept. Faith can be debated, discussed, argued, tossed around, abused, interpreted. It is a construct of the human psyche. Trust, however, is more visceral. We win the trust of our animals, not their faith. The human critter responds to trust in exactly the same way as all other living beings, through instinct and experience.
The difference between faith and trust (which are often used interchangeably) is that faith is a matter for the individual and requires nothing more than our intellectual engagement. Trust implies the presence of at least one other, all the way up to a nation of others. Faith is for 'who I am' while trust is for 'who we are'. Faith cannot be measured by science, trust can. It arises from our parasympathetic nervous system, that oh-so-subtle flight or fight process. This is why it was said at the end of last week's post that trust must come before faith. One cannot have faith in anything without there first being trust - a connection made which assures one of security and reward for that trust.
However (and here's the kicker), once faith is established, even if trust is broken in some way, faith is the thing which will carry someone through an otherwise difficult time. Alternatively, faith can bind a person beyond the truth of what broken trust has demonstrated to them. This is what often results in children and spouses staying in abusive homes. Constantly having faith that dad - or sometimes mum - is truly sorry and 'will not do it again'. That is faith in love. Not the capital 'ell' variety, but the touchy-feely, rose-spectacled variety. Misguided and harmful. Of course, there are many other factors not least of which is fear, involved in these matters. Every case is complex and individual. The baseline of all, though, is trust.
Trust is that element which can give us the greatest reward or allow for the greatest vulnerability.
On a personal level, I can tell you that I place my faith very carefully and after much consideration. I might even tell you that I rarely apply this word to anyone or anything at all. Trust, to me, holds greater value. It has been broken quite severely more than once in this life. Ultimately, one protects oneself from emotional or psychological injury by reserving a degree of trust. At the 'ground' level of daily life, that is.
When it comes to the level of existence, though, it has been learned that there is something else in which one can place one's trust and, as a result, one's faith. Love. The capital 'ell' variety. The anchor within each of us - if we know how to tether it - which will aid us in all weathers of life.
In walking the path of Love, the ability to trust restores itself and the smaller elements of faith can return. Fear drops away, anxieties are few and at no time does one ever feel alone.
Walking the path of Love opens up the bigger picture and builds trust in fellow Man, gives us faith in Mankind's ability to overcome its darker side. Despite the constant betrayals of trust it displays. Walking the path of Love helps one to see oneself more clearly and one's place in the big picture; it helps us to overcome the need for masks, for smoke and mirrors - to see rightly. Walking the path of Love is to understand the cyclical nature of things and to have both faith and trust that all will be well.
To walk this path, one requires devotion...
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I am sorry I am the first one here. I will try to remember to come back and see what others say. to me Faith is what I have in God, a belief that He is there and can comfort us. Trust is something we do or do not do, and I have Trust issues, my motto is trust no one until there is proof I can. Faith is a noun, a thing. belief and trust are what we either have or don't...
ReplyDeleteYaYa I just so very very much enjoyed and found comfort in your words. You know I have always said since we met in 2016 that you give the BEST hugs well this post was like a great be YAM aunty hug.
ReplyDeleteTrust is earned, I feel. Faith was for lack of a better word inherited. My mama was full of faith...
Hugs HiC
PS what a beautiful chocolate and vanilla cow!!
ReplyDeleteYAM, you entrust to your readers your deepest thoughts and faith values. What a wonderful example of trust. namaste, janice xx
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely discourse. I'd never thought about the two. Humankind has a way to go, and I've lost trust in much.
ReplyDelete