The F-Word
A lot of people underestimate the power of the F-word. The F-word has been said many times and expressed many different ways, but it seems that people today are losing sight of it's power. The F-word is considered to be "uncool" by many in today's world. But, the F-Word can help people look at things differently. The F-word can transform their lives. It can help them work through their own problems and pain. I feel if we just take a step back and embrace the F-word, we can all feel a little bit better about the way our lives are going and truly make a transformation in the way we live.
The F-word, that I am speaking about, is Faith.
Now when I speak about faith, I am not espousing any specific religious belief or doctrine. I feel that faith is something all people can embrace regardless of their religious background (or lack thereof). The truth is that all people...ALL PEOPLE...possess faith. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines faith as: "firm belief in something in which there is no proof." As funny as it sounds, we all believe in things, oftentimes without any proof to back them up.
For instance, I was told by the weather channel that it was going to snow last night. I bought snow melting salt, moved the car into the garage, and basically prepared myself to wake up to a snow white backyard. When I woke up, the backyard was still as green as it ever was. NO SNOW had even landed in my backyard. My faith in the Weather Channel has been tested several times, but I always seem to accept their forecast as true regardless of the fact that they have been wrong in the past.
When I teach FMA and meet a new student, I introduce myself as Guro Mike Pana. Now, the person doesn't know me. They have every right to ask me if that is my real name. After all, people have made false alias' in the past. But, they do not ask me that. They accept my name as true. Even if they did question my true name, and I showed them identification cards...they could still question the validity of the ID cards and whether or not they are fake...but they do not do that. They simply accept my name's validity without any proof needed.
As weird as it sounds, I am trying to make a point.
The fact of the matter is that the act of believing in something, without proof, is a normal human trait. Faith is often associated with religious belief, which I believe is an example of how powerful faith can be. However, the act of believing something that can't be proven is not unusual. We all have faith.
The act of trusting in something beyond yourself is a powerful thing. We can have faith that we can be better people. We can have faith that we can improve our lives. We can have faith that we can muster the strength to fight the battle's life gives us. We can have faith
We can have faith that there is something beyond ourselves, something greater in us, that watches out for us...that takes care of us. I call that "something" God. Some people might call it the Universe, or Allah, or the Great Spirit. Whatever you want to call it, that faith in a Higher Being is a powerful thing. Now, belief in God alone will not solve your problems. I know a lot of religious people who, when faced with a problem, close their eyes, and pray to try to take their mind off the problem. Instead of dealing with the problem, they try to pray it all away.
It is important to note that the greatest warriors throughout history have all possessed great spiritual faith: The Spartans, the Samurai, the Knights, the Apache have all relied on a sense of faith in a higher power to direct their choices in battle or in daily life. They never ran from the battle. They relied on their faith to guide them and help them focus in battle, and in that sense I feel that faith can be an extremely powerful thing. Likewise, everyday people can work through their life battle's by placing their faith in something above them to help direct their decisions and keep them focused through the problem. A cinematic example would be the sniper in Saving Private Ryan who, when faced with doubt and fear, prays during the battle to give him strength and focus.
Faith is a tool, that when used properly, can help a person get through lives problems much easier. It is not a blindfold to hide one's eyes from the problem in front of them. Rather, it is given to us by God to work through the problem in front of us. Never underestimate the power of the F-word.
The F-word, that I am speaking about, is Faith.
Now when I speak about faith, I am not espousing any specific religious belief or doctrine. I feel that faith is something all people can embrace regardless of their religious background (or lack thereof). The truth is that all people...ALL PEOPLE...possess faith. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines faith as: "firm belief in something in which there is no proof." As funny as it sounds, we all believe in things, oftentimes without any proof to back them up.
For instance, I was told by the weather channel that it was going to snow last night. I bought snow melting salt, moved the car into the garage, and basically prepared myself to wake up to a snow white backyard. When I woke up, the backyard was still as green as it ever was. NO SNOW had even landed in my backyard. My faith in the Weather Channel has been tested several times, but I always seem to accept their forecast as true regardless of the fact that they have been wrong in the past.
When I teach FMA and meet a new student, I introduce myself as Guro Mike Pana. Now, the person doesn't know me. They have every right to ask me if that is my real name. After all, people have made false alias' in the past. But, they do not ask me that. They accept my name as true. Even if they did question my true name, and I showed them identification cards...they could still question the validity of the ID cards and whether or not they are fake...but they do not do that. They simply accept my name's validity without any proof needed.
As weird as it sounds, I am trying to make a point.
The fact of the matter is that the act of believing in something, without proof, is a normal human trait. Faith is often associated with religious belief, which I believe is an example of how powerful faith can be. However, the act of believing something that can't be proven is not unusual. We all have faith.
The act of trusting in something beyond yourself is a powerful thing. We can have faith that we can be better people. We can have faith that we can improve our lives. We can have faith that we can muster the strength to fight the battle's life gives us. We can have faith
We can have faith that there is something beyond ourselves, something greater in us, that watches out for us...that takes care of us. I call that "something" God. Some people might call it the Universe, or Allah, or the Great Spirit. Whatever you want to call it, that faith in a Higher Being is a powerful thing. Now, belief in God alone will not solve your problems. I know a lot of religious people who, when faced with a problem, close their eyes, and pray to try to take their mind off the problem. Instead of dealing with the problem, they try to pray it all away.
It is important to note that the greatest warriors throughout history have all possessed great spiritual faith: The Spartans, the Samurai, the Knights, the Apache have all relied on a sense of faith in a higher power to direct their choices in battle or in daily life. They never ran from the battle. They relied on their faith to guide them and help them focus in battle, and in that sense I feel that faith can be an extremely powerful thing. Likewise, everyday people can work through their life battle's by placing their faith in something above them to help direct their decisions and keep them focused through the problem. A cinematic example would be the sniper in Saving Private Ryan who, when faced with doubt and fear, prays during the battle to give him strength and focus.
Faith is a tool, that when used properly, can help a person get through lives problems much easier. It is not a blindfold to hide one's eyes from the problem in front of them. Rather, it is given to us by God to work through the problem in front of us. Never underestimate the power of the F-word.
posted by Mike Pana at
10:02 AM
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