By Ishita Shukla, 16, India.
In 1425 CE, Joan of Arc, a 13-year-old girl, believed that she heard the voice of God telling her to drive the English out of France. Consequently, she was tried for witchcraft and heresy in 1431 CE, at the age of 19.
Crazy, right? But what if she wasn’t crazy and deeply believed in something? The greatest thinkers of the world believed in some concepts so strongly that it changed the world. Different people have faith in different things. And that’s ok; 7% of the world population are convinced Atheists. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have faith in other people, in a better world, in the mysteries of the universe. Some blindly trust a higher power, and others have faith in their morals and actions. I believe in people, and their confidence in a higher power, which makes me feel safer.
However, it is hard to develop strong credence, not just in ourselves but in the ancient and immortal God. People take years to search for their passions, the ideologies worth for them to fight for. In this complex world, with new innovations, evolving dogmas, surprising tenets, it is hard to maintain our faith in a person or thing because we don’t always get what we desire and blame it on the higher power rather than our actions. It is a constant struggle where we are never sure of the outcome.
So why is it easy for some than others? I am still searching for an answer. I believe many abandon faith when circumstances are difficult and answers are slow in coming. Learning to trust takes practice because faith isn’t maintained when we fail to see the reality behind our higher power and morals. Faith requires a vision; faith requires seeing with spiritual eyes.
“For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV).
And of course, it also requires the perky “p” twins, perseverance, and patience.
Ah, and this leads to a question. We have all walked through life long enough, our blissfully empty heads. But what do you believe in? What is your calling? Who do you blindly trust? What ideologies are worth fighting for?
No one has enough power to force you into believing something, but it is much harder to introspect ourselves.
By Ishita Shukla, 16, India. She adds: “I am an aspiring writer from Hyderabad, India. I write to express myself, my views on topics that are so common that they are rarely talked about for e.g. fears, belief system, etc. My dream is to do research in economics while continuing my love for writing and reading. Writing is a very cathartic activity for me. I pour all my insecurities, my passions onto the paper.”