What is that kernel within us that makes us shake our fist at the odds?
What is it that rises up within us at those crucible moments?
People give it many names. There are words like faith, the indominatable human spirit, vitae. When I think of those that stand up, I'll never forget the image of the protestor in Tianamen Square that stood in front of the oncoming tanks. Tank Man, or the Unknown Rebel, is the nickname of the anonymous man who became internationally famous when he was videotaped and photographed during the Tiananmen Square protests on June 5, 1989. This brave man stood in front of a column of Chinese Type 59 tanks, preventing their advance. This happened June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government began cracking down violently on the protests. The man stood alone in the middle of the road as the tanks approached. He held two bags, one in each hand. As the tanks came to a stop, he appeared to be trying to wave them away. In response, the front tank attempted to drive around the man, but the man repeatedly stepped into the path of the tank in a show of nonviolent action What made this man stand firm in the face of such force? What drives us to dig in and keep faith?
There are many types of faith. There is faith in self, faith in values, faith in others, faith in reason and science, and faith in a higher power. Faith in self is reflected in the Unknown Rebel, he reached within himself to find the strength to stand against a column of tanks. He stood firmly in the face of death, because of his inner will. The faith we have in others can be reflected in teamwork, trust, and commitment. To create this blog community, it was necessary for people to have faith in one another. Basic societal functions rely on a certain degree of faith in community. Technological solutions to ecological problems, medicine, surgery, space exploration all occur due to faith in reason and science. Some of it is faith in what technology can do for us, and some of it is faith that the science will work. Yet, one might argue that faith isn't necessary for science to work. Scientific theory is designed to remove reliance on faith from the equation. Though one must have in the scientific theory itself to rely on the results. Faith in deity, or pantheistic beliefs may come from personal revelation, sacred texts, or the teachings of a temple or church.
So what is it with all this faith business anyway, why do we bother with it? One answer is that faith and values give a moral compass. It gives us a system in which to structure our lives. Faith and values help us answer life's hard questions. One of the hardest questions to answer is why do bad things happen? The people of Myanmar suffered a crack down on their Buddhist Monks and then the crushing force of a typhoon. Thousands of people recently died in a Chinese earthquake. Horrors and injustice happen every single second. How are we to respond to that? If one believes in a highter power – how do you answer the question of why deity would allow bad things to happen? There is not one simple answer.
When we lose a job opportunity, but feel good that it was at least because we were too honest in the interview. We have faith in our values. When we face death, illness, or simply new challenges we look to self, look to others, and sometimes look to science or deity. Sometimes faith is that leap into the unknown, minus the parachute. A dear friend has the following Martin Luther King Jr. quote in her email signature, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”.
Also sometimes our faith needs a little crutch. At bedtime as a child I would insist that my blanket be above my shoulders, and would arrange my assorted stuffed-animal protectors properly before I would drift off to sleep. Some athletes have lucky socks or hats, soldiers carry talismans of family or faith into battle, and guitarists may have a lucky guitar pick. The innards of our faith can be externalized into objects, places, and symbols. I have heard many people speak of seeking faith in places of learning, holy places, ancient wells in Ireland, and even temples or churches. A ring often symbolizes the faith kept in the promise of marriage vows. Symbology is ancient as our origins, there is record after record of humans putting their faith in symbols both national, personal, and religious. Be it a document, ring, or building, these items, places, and even ideas are imbued with the power that we give them. In our country, the American flag is held sacrosanct by many. It has its own legends, protocols, and ceremonies. According to popular legend, the first American flag was made by Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress who was acquainted with George Washington, leader of the Continental Army, and other influential Philadelphians. In May 1776, General Washington and two representatives from the Continental Congress visited Ross at her upholstery shop and showed her a rough design of the flag. The Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington D.C has a statue depiction of marines struggling to keep the flag aloft, giving hope in the face of battle. This Memorial Day weekend there were be parades and celebrations covered in red, white, and blue. Our stories, rituals, and taboos around objects and symbols of faith speak to the value we give them.
While burning an American flag is viewed as desecration by some patriotic Americans, burning bras has a much different connotation. Earlier in the 20th century burning crosses may not have upset certain populations, though it is widely reviled now. What do our stories about our faithful symbols tell us about ourselves, or our community? If these symbols represent the hope against despair, the dream against desolation, and that which helps us keep faith – what does it say about who we are? Look around the country we live in. What is represented?
I see many signs and bumper stickers about faith and prayer driving to and from my house. For instance, “Do you have S.O.N. Block?” or "Pray until Something Happens". Normally, I would have just driven on without a glance. But this made me think. Pray until something happens, what does that mean? Does prayer make things happen? Prayer is a word that comes up a lot in seminary. Walking prayer, contemplative or meditative prayer, circling prayer, cacophonous prayer – there are many other names for this dialogue of faith.
What would you say if I gave the definition of prayer as communication with your faith center? If your faith rests in science, what sort of prayer would that engender, if any at all. If your faith center lies in your values, what can you ask of your values? Will your values support you in your search for the right thing to do? If your faith lies in deity, what do you ask of her?
Carl Sagan, a firm believer in science and an agnostic, had been in and out of a Cancer Research Center in Seattle numerous times before his death. His faith in community was affirmed when many people of all faiths prayed for his recovery. He took note of in his last book published after his death:
Five thousand people prayed for me at an Easter service at the Cathedral of St.John the Divine in New York City, the largest church in Christendom. A Hindu priest described a large prayer vigil for me held on the banks of the Ganges. The Immam of N. America told me about his prayers for my recovery. Many Christians and Jews wrote me to tell about theirs. While I do not think that, if there is a god, his plan for me will be altered by prayer, I'm more grateful then I can say to those—including so many whom I've never met—who have pulled for me during my illness.
Do any of you remember the Church Lady from Saturday Night Live and her phone calls to God? As far as I'm aware there aren't any direct phone booths to the divine. However, in Baltimore, they do have prayer booths, really. According to the Baltimore Sun, the blue-and-white sign above the booths say not "Phone," but "Prayer." And there's no way to call anyone – on Earth, at least – because there isn't a pay phone inside, but instead a fold-down kneeler like you'd find in some churches. Jean Marabella, author of the Baltimore Sun article discussing these booths, wonders if someone was making a statement that Baltimore is a city that needs but doesn't have a prayer? Or that you shouldn't waste time on earthly beings but try for a direct line to God? Or even commentary on Baltimore as the one-time home of the world's most famous atheist, Madalyn Murray O'Hair? Madyln Murray O'Hair, a famous atheist, is best known for the lawsuit Murray v. Curlett which led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling and ended the practice of daily prayer in American public schools. O'Hair later founded American Atheists and became so controversial that, in 1964, Life magazine referred to her as "the most hated woman in America." She pursued this lawsuit because her son was having violence visited on him for not participating in the bible readings at his public school. So what sort of faith does it take for you to challenge the system? What type of faith does it take for a pre-adolescent child to refuse to say or do things against personal belief in the face of authority, ridicule, and even violence?
Faith is not simply relegated to theistic beliefs. There is faith in the human spirit. There is faith in the sanctity of relationship, community, and place. Prayer is also not relegated to religion – sometimes it is simply the human voice rising up to the unknown. Sometimes it is cry to mystery. I wonder if the scientists observing the Mars Lander touching Martian soil recently issued up a prayer, in the spirit of hope or to counter their doubt. You might even say that the lone protestor that faced the tank in Tianamen Square was performing act of prayer by standing in front of that tank. Whether it be a prayer to divinity or faith in his fellow humanity, he stood ground in a profound leap of faith.
These are difficult topics for many people. I have thought long and hard about these defining words, and I still have no "perfect" answer that fits. Prayer to me is not necessarily bowing my head before a greater being, but raising my arms up in the thunderstorm – being in constant relationship with the sacred. Faith for me has many contexts, but I am especially excited by the free faith of Unitarian Universalism that honors the pilgrimage of the journey rather than emphasizing only destination spirituality.
As a child, I spent a lot of time in prayer. I would pray that my hampster would not be sick, or that my brother would take me out for ice cream, or that it would be sunny one more day so that I could swim at the lake.. When I leave my children, I pray for their safety. Are these prayers energy? Are prayers messages to divinity or simply a psychological response to fear and the unknown? If you asked me, I would tell you that all three apply in my case. I have done energy work as a Massage Therapist and with Reiki and seen the power of both. Why shouldn't prayers be energy that makes things happen? Though this goes back to the immeasurable and the mystical that relies on our judgements and belief, if the proof doesn't lie in the pudding then it must lie in my willingness to accept the unknown.
So what is all this about keeping faith and saving guppies? Having grown up during Reaganomics, quickly disapearing rainforests, SuperFund sites, and the excess of the 80's, I had (and have) a huge weight on my shoulders regarding the fate of our environment. I wrote papers, letters to congresspeople and businesses, and I protested. Given all of my action I was routinely overwhelmed by the feeling that I could make little difference. So, in high school, I developed a fondness for fish tanks, I had a 20 gallon tank that held the fish that I'd rescued from the pet store. Not having much money, yet having an overdeveloped sense of saving the world, I started my love affair with feeder guppies. While fancy tail guppies were $1.99 at the time, I could get feeder guppies for a dime each. These guppies were in the less well-kept tanks, relegated to being fed upon by larger fish. I was appalled that since these guppies were less fancy they were sold cheaply and valued only as food. I valiantly bought guppies to save them from being fish food. It simply wasn't fair that they were martyred just because they weren't as lovely as the fancy tails. I thought they were quite lovely, and over time I had generations of orange tailed guppies...Flash 1...Flash 2....Flash 3. The guppy family tree flourished in my bedroom, and I felt a small sense of joy that I had at least saved something. While I kept faith in writing letters, and marching and protests, and even high school environmental clubs, I had needed something tangible. I needed a symbol to remind me of my faith and my belief in the greater good. I needed to know that I could make a small difference while fighting the greater fight.
Those guppies symbolized my idealism in action, even in that small choice. Your symbol might be a man in front of a tank, or Dilbert, or the flaming chalice. Your prayers may be made in cashier's lines or at the graveside of a loved one. We keep faith not only in our own spiritual path, but in the community we keep and among one another. It is the strength that holds us against the doubt; it is the power of faith in the face of tyranny. Let us be courageous in our pursuit of free faith and social call to support one another's journey.
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