"A wise man makes his own decisions,
an ignorant man follows public opinion."
-Chinese Proverb
When exploring the concept of Faith, we must first understand
that there are two types of Faith: True Faith and Blind Faith.
Blind Faith is when we trust and depend upon something
external to ourselves to "help", "guide" and "protect" us. These
external "somethings" can either be another person or it can be
any group, faction, or organization, in which we "blindly" place our
complete trust.
Blind Faith is the abdication of reason, Wisdom, individuality,
personal research, individual thought, and personal responsibility.
It is thoughtlessly trusting in the untrustable, unstable and
unreliable.
Political factions, organized religions, special interest groups, and
fanatical throngs all fall into this category; they all require a blind,
unquestioning, obedience to their "cause".
Another aspect of Blind Faith is that it must be continuously
enforced upon its followers through either guilt, ridicule, threat,
or force.
Blind Faith, it is interesting to note, is not embraced by children,
or even young adults. Children and young adults are continuously
using their imagination and asking "Why...Why...Why."
It is only when children and young adults become trained at being
"mature" and "sophisticated" grown-ups that they embrace and
accept the false doctrine of Blind Faith - only to eventually suffer,
and wallow in, its consequences. These persons then Become the
next generation of disillusioned adults who relinquish their
Sovereignty, sacrifice their freedom, and discard their Free Will,
all for the unrealizable False Hopes which Blind Faith teases them
with.
True Faith, on the other hand, is being True and faithful to
ourselves; it is complete Trust and Belief in our Divine Nature; it is
knowing that we can become anything we Choose to become; it is
knowing that we can do anything we Choose to do.
True Faith is having unwavering confidence in our skills, abilities,
reasoning, judgements, and Decisions. True Faith is Self-Honesty,
personal freedom, and self-reliance.
A Individual who possesses True Faith is a Lone Wolf; an
Independent Thinker who answers only to him (or her) self.
A person with True Faith has the self-confidence to personally
evaluate facts, anticipate Consequences, accept responsibility for
their Decisions, and follow their own Divine Path.
These are the Individuals who realize that before they can help
others they must first be able to help themselves; before they
can create a better world "out there", they must first create a
better world within themselves; before they can lead they must
first become a good example. And although these Lone Wolfs
encompass only a minority of society, even as a minority their
numbers are large. They are an elite group which, although they
do not openly recruit, are always ready to accept and embrace new
members. And the only "initiation fee" required to join this elite
group is the ability to Think independently and have True Faith
in oneself.
Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.
Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.
© copyright Joseph Panek 2010
