TALKING ABOUT BELIEF

The largest part of this project is the process of talking to others about their belief and faith. Since belief is not something one should not follow unless they have thought rigorously about what they believe and why they believe it, I determined to talk with people around me about their belief. This was a means to get them to think and let their beliefs be brought out of their subconscious and into the conscious.

Another reason I pursued this part of this project is because talking about what one believes is not always in a safe setting like a classroom. One must be capable of discussing what is important to them and what others find important in a more vulnerable setting, where ideas can clash and fight against each other and sharpen in their impact.

What follows is my compilation, my archive, of those I spoke to and their answers to my questions relating to belief. Some of the interviews are direct audio recording transcribed. (I included my own speech so as to show where I partially influenced them. As much as I wanted them to come up with their own answers and be unbiased, nothing can be completely unbiased and I did effect their speech.) Some interviews are written responses. Some are answers from people I know personally. Others are from strangers I met while walking about my days. 

TALKING ABOUT BELIEF on Prezi

PERFORMANCE

During one class period, the class had an interesting discussion on the performance of the search. The search is that "breaking down" of belief, that open participation in finding "meaning", finding "truth".

We concluded that everyone must perform in the search, whether they think they are or not. If we did not perform, then life be a standstill at birth, we would be stuck in a model of representation and in the same realm as photography. However, time makes us perform.

"BREAKING IT DOWN WITHOUT AN ANSWER"

One of the most important things about belief is the process of breaking down what you honesty conclude is your belief. Though as is pointed out in the "Subconscious" section, many of our beliefs are things we just accept from what others have told us or what advertising has influenced us into believing. But can anything be truly worth believing if you have not thought about it sincerely and earnestly? Is anything worth believing if you have not wrestled with it, tried it, put it though the fire to see if it lasts?

Coming up with truth is not something that falls into one's lap. Coming up with truth involves a struggle, a continuous contemplation and a re-evaluation as other thoughts question it, and possibly strengthen (or weaken) your answer or your truth.

Here are some quotes that come to mind on this topic:

"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." -Phillipians 2:12b

"Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, 'Let me go, for dawn is breaking.' But he said, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.' So he said to him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Jacob.' He said, 'Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.' Then Jacob asked him and said, 'Please tell me your name.' But he said, 'Why is it that you ask my name?' And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, 'I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.' Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh." -Genesis 32:24-31



While contemplating all that is belief and trying to put to words my own belief and faith, my iPod played this remarkably fitting song:

DEFINITIONS OF BELIEF AND FAITH

BELIEF:
Belief is the thought that something is in essence true. This truth could be anything, like someone believing there is no reality. One could believe in Creationism. Or—one of my favorite examples—one could believe mustard tastes like candy (a belief my sisters instilled in me at the age of four so I would eat said condiment). Whatever the belief shapes one’s reality and how they perceive life.

FAITH:
The closest two words in describing faith include trust and belief, meaning that faith is a trust in something someone believes. This trust could be in a person or in a concept. Of course, there is the long and much argued link with faith and religion. Many claim faith is the belief in something unseen, and is hence illogical.