'Faith' and
Hope' are feel-good words with a built-in warm, rosy glow. People who have faith and
hope are held up for our admiration and emulation. We are encouraged to be like
them - to believe and anticipate that, ultimately, all will be well.
Of course,
faith can be good thing. It's good to have a little faith in those around us - to trust in others. Indeed, without at
least some faith in your spouse, your bank manager, in other car drivers, and
so on, modern life becomes impossible.
Hope, too, can be important - without at least
some hope of success we are unlikely to bother even trying.
Image courtesy wiki creative commons.
Comments
So I guess our irrational interest in horoscopes (and the like) feed our passive hope, as well as purchasing a Lotto (lottery) ticket every week. But hope in achieving goals, modest or otherwise is essential to psychological health. Suicide is often the consequence of losing hope at a fundamental level. We see it in refugee detention camps run by our (Australian) government. Taking away someone's hope can be the most damaging mental punishment one can inflict.
Not so sure about faith though. Faith in metaphysical entities (Deities) can be positive or negative, which suggests it depends more on the person than their Deity.
Regards, Paul.