July 4th. The day the United States celebrates freedom. Freedom from what? An opressive British Empire. I could diatribe how the citizen in today's United States is not much different from the colonist of that time, but I prefer to talk about Faith. And hope.
Remember the story of Pandora's box? Here's the key part (from linked site)
Now, Jupiter had malignantly crammed into this box all the diseases, sorrows, vices, and crimes that afflict poor humanity; and the box was no sooner opened, than all these ills flew out, in the guise of horrid little brown-winged creatures, closely resembling moths. These little insects fluttered about, alighting, some upon Epimetheus, who had just entered, and some upon Pandora, pricking and stinging them most unmercifully. They then flew out through the open door and windows, and fastened upon the merrymakers without, whose shouts of joy were soon changed into wails of pain and anguish.
Epimetheus and Pandora had never before experienced the faintest sensation of pain or anger; but, as soon as these winged evil spirits had stung them, they began to weep, and, alas ! quarrelled for the first time in their lives. Epimetheus reproached his wife in bitterest terms for her thoughtless action; but in the very midst of his vituperation he suddenly heard a sweet little voice entreat for freedom. The sound proceeded from the unfortunate box, whose cover Pandora had dropped again, in the first moment of her surprise and pain. " Open, open, and I will heal your wounds! Please let me out! " it pleaded.
The tearful couple viewed each other inquiringly, and listened again. Once more they heard the same pitiful accents; and Epimetheus bade his wife open the box and set the speaker free, adding very amiably, that she had already done so much harm by her ill-fated curiosity, that it would be difficult to add materially to its evil consequences, and that, perchance, the box contained some good spirit, whose ministrations might prove beneficial.
It was well for Pandora that she opened the box a second time, for the gods, with a sudden impulse of compassion, had concealed among the evil spirits one kindly creature, Hope, whose mission was to heal the wounds inflicted by her fellow prisoners.
I actually think Hope is the worst evil let out of Pandora's box. It an emotion that paralizes action. It's an emotion that maintains the vision in the mind, not to be actualized. It's not action-inducing. It's passive. It's a panacea that heals and paralizes at the same moment. A horrible addictive emotion with little substance.
With Faith, one acts. One knows. One sees. There is no need to hope.
Hoping is wishing that something is going to happen. Faith is the knowledge that it will come true. There's a catch with Faith... it is more likely to come true if it is the truth and you have defined it. It doesn't matter if it is an ultimate truth (don't start out with such a lofty goal) but as long as it is true for you.
There's another part to Faith. It has substance - you can feel it, connect with it, speak to it, listen to it. It pulls and pushes. It's a force - but it's not god (at least as I define it). It ebbs and flows.
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