JOIN USFaith may or may not move a mountain, but it can certainly help you climb to the top of it. People, places and works of art can all transport you outside your own small self and bring you in touch with something bigger, better and higher than yourself.
It is almost ineffable, this shining spirituality that we do not fully comprehend and yet are able to recognise. It enters one’s inner being, stays and echoes within, bringing the best out of you.
Consider those who risk their own lives in order to save those of others, often strangers. It happened when the Carlton Tower caught fire; it happens and continues to happen in the inhospitable borders of our country. In fact, those whose job it is to protect us are exposed to this danger every working hour of their lives. What compels them to do this? The drive comes from dedication and ‘a faith that passes understanding’. This devotion to duty exists in many of us, though to a lesser degree.
The majority of us spend our earnings on others, meeting their needs. Mothers spend hours caring for their children and looking after the home. This comes from a strong belief in goodness, compulsion to choose right over wrong. Places too can harbour and radiate a rare sense of holiness. A person who recently relocated from his hometown talked of the temple he used to visit there. With a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes, he recalled the sense of peace and comfort he derived whenever he went to the sacred shrine.
Then, with a smile, he added, ‘It lives in my heart, a picture that never fades.’ Nature too in the form of gardens, forests, rivers and mountains can connect you to a higher plane of existence. A blaze of flowers, birds in flight and a darkening sky punctuated with emerging stars can awaken a sudden mystical feel. Many great works of art are anchored in spirituality. They cast a spell that is both inspiring and liberating. The ability to compose fine poetry, to paint and to sculpt are all divine gifts given only to Man. In this sense, the discoveries of science too are great works of art.
To discount faith is to devalue the everyday wonders that surround us. Often, we take for granted the spinning of the earth, the sun that gives us day and waters that provide us with grain and fruit. We need to acknowledge the existence of a Higher Power or a greater Providence. Our lives are powered by a force, which defies complete comprehension. We can choose to label it malevolent or unthinking and then suffer the consequences of eternal doubt. Like the child in the story that follows, we can place our faith in its benevolence and savour the blessings of positivity. A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. Concerned for her safety, the father told her, ‘Hold my hand, little one.’
‘No, Dad, you hold mine,’ she answered. ‘What’s the difference?’ he asked. ‘There is one,’ she said. ‘When I hold your hand and something happens, I may let go of your hand. But if you hold mine, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will not let go of mine.’