Faith

In 1994, the rock star John Bongiovi (a.k.a., Bon Jovi) exhorted us to "Keep the Faith" in the title cut from the album.  Here's the refrain:

Faith: you know you're gonna live thru the rain
Lord you got to keep the faith
Faith: don't let your love turn to hate
Right now we got to
Keep the faith
Keep the faith
Keep the faith
Lord we got to keep the faith

The word, faith, comes from the Latin fides, although the modern definition as complete trust or confidence goes back to Greek mythology in the form of the goddess Psitis.  My sense is that Bon Jovi was being true to his Greek and Roman ancestors when he penned the lyrics to the song.  He was also exploring the fundamental concept of faith as it was subsequently developed in the Christian tradition.  In the Gospel of Matthew we have the teaching Jesus to his disciples in response to their questions as to how he was able heal a boy when they could not.  Jesus' retort, "Oh ye of little faith" (one of the most repeated phrases from the New Testament) is followed by:

“Truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”--Matthew 17:20

Since mustard seeds are very small (approximately 1mm in diameter), the suggestion is clear-- we need only have the smallest amount of faith to accomplish anything.  In a cynical world full of doubt and uncertainty, how may we apply and strengthen this virtue without getting caught up in the religiosity that surrounds its modern interpretation?  

Allow me to suggest some small experiments that go as follows:

-First, set a good intention (right intention).
-Then, begin and persist (right action and effort).
-Finally, allow circumstances to unfold while knowing that in time your intention will come to fruition despite difficulties or challenges that arise (right view and mindfulness).

Go ahead, give it a try, and...keep the faith.

Persistence and Perseverance

Persistence and perseverance account for a large part of success in any venture, especially when it seems difficult to make progress.  This virtue consists of the quality of sticking with a situation even through difficult circumstances until you have resolution--one way or another.  

Examples from the lives of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison help illustrate the benefit of regularly practicing this virtue.  Both men were known for many stories of their persistence and perseverance while facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  In addition to Ford’s early experiments in his home that led to the invention of the internal combustion engine, we have the story surrounding the creation of the V8 engine.  Henry Ford was looking for a way to cast the V8 in a single block.  His engineers told him at the time it could not be done, however, Ford would not be denied.  He charged his engineers to figure it out; no matter how much time it took them.  Six months went by, then twelve months, and still no breakthrough.  After the eighteenth month the engineers had figured a way to do it. The Ford Flathead was the first independently designed and built V8 engine produced by the Ford Motor Company for mass production and ranks as one of the company's most important developments.  The Flathead was licensed to other producers, including car and truck manufacturers all over the world.

From the annals of the life and times of Thomas A. Edison we have the well-known story about the invention of the electric light bulb.  In the period from 1878 to 1880 Edison and his research team in Menlo Park, NJ worked on thousands experiments to develop an efficient incandescent lamp.  When asked by a reporter who interviewed Edison about his “failures”, Edison is reported to have replied (paraphrase) “I have not failed a 1,000 times.  I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."  Edison’s response points to what Napoleon Hill urges us to do in looking for the seed of an equivalent benefit in every failure. 

What can we learn from these men, along with other men and women who persevered throughout history?  They all seemed to have a quality of inspirational discontent.  That is to say, when obstacles presented themselves they did not give up. They stayed “in spirit” while not being content until they achieved their goals.  Also, they took a “problems are my friends” attitude.  When problems arose they saw them as challenges to be overcome on the way to their goals.  In many worthwhile endeavor in life, we often face obstacles and seeming failures.  The difference between those who succeed in their pursuits and those who do not has much to do with how they view and respond to those failures.  Napoleon Hill in his book: “Think and Grow Rich” encouraged us to “look for the seed of an equivalent benefit” in every setback.  In that way we learn from our attempts, and mover closer to our goals.

Let me conclude with one of my favorite inspirational quotes on this subject from Calvin Coolidge, the 30^th President of the United States of America: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."