Daily Times

There are many sources from which living beings derive their power. Those without vigour are among the living dead. The physical side for both man, animal and vegetation is well covered with food and health that in turn nourishes the body enabling survival and the continuity of species. Then there are other things. For humans for example, words of encouragement, a pat on the back, a meaningful nod or even a smile of appreciation may lift the spirits and have a motivating effect. Furthermore, pursuit of knowledge is another avenue which boosts strength as it removes the darkness of ignorance, giving greater control over the ‘self’ for a more promising life. In short, where there is energy there is life but the truth is that the fountainhead of pure and uninterrupted power is a small five-letter word, faith.

The religious construe it as tenets of the ideologies they profess. Thus, belief in one God and a prophet or prophets and holy books are the fundamentals of the three major monotheist schools of thought. These are Islam, Christianity and Judaism, meticulously observed by their respective members as an integral part of their faith. Similarly, Mahayana Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism are some examples of polytheist sets of ideas. Majority of the people, born in a particular sect tend to observe its principles with full fervour, sincerely believing in its veracity while some find other faiths more appealing and thus become converts. There are some, however, who may be happy as atheists and that is their choice.

Trust, confidence, conviction, optimism and hope are other concepts related to faith, the value of which can never be under-estimated. This implies that mere physical prowess is not important to achieve one’s ambitions. Something more is required. Something which is metaphysical in nature. It cannot be seen or touched but exists in one’s heart and mind and exercises tremendous control over whatever one thinks, does or intends to do. So when we take a flight for example, we trust the abilities of the pilot to transport us safely to our destination. That is faith. We would never fly if we didn’t trust the person tasked with operating the aeroplane. Similarly, on falling ill one feels confident of full recovery in taking prescribed medicines. That is faith in the medical system. Where an innocent is implicated in a crime, it is faith in himself and the judiciary which gets him justice. When trapped in a crisis, where respite is nowhere to be found, a small flicker of hope proves helpful in overcoming it.

Even the animal kingdom, believed to be governed by such adages as ‘survival of the fittest’ or ‘might is right’, is not oblivious of the value of faith which seems to be playing a pivotal role in the pursuit of food and self-defence. In their relationship with the human world, even though they cannot speak, animals submit themselves to people who care and love, displaying complete confidence in them. When a stranger approaches, these animals seek refuge in their arms just like human babies find solace in the lap of their mothers. One may refer to this occurrence as ‘basic instinct’, but could this be just another manifestation of faith?

If Quaid-e-Azam’s motto ‘unity, faith and discipline’ is not followed it is because of faithless rulers and their blind followers

There exists a highly advanced system of communication and faith in all species as elaborated at length by Yuval Noah Harari in his extraordinary book, Spanies: A Brief History of Humankind.

Besides having faith in the capabilities of others, I firmly believe that one also needs to profess strong faith in one’s self. This is a building block that is integral to invoking confidence. A person who can place reliance on his convictions, abilities and efforts would definitely be propelled towards achieving his goals. Instead of depending on others to lead us out of our quagmires, it is always more appropriate to look inside our own souls for consolation and guidance. If animals can instinctively sometimes convert volatile situations in their favour, why cannot humans do the same? What prevents us from utilising their inert potential to invest in transforming high levels of demoralisation to high levels of inspiration? Is it the absence of faith?

Lack of faith in a system one lives in and holds as just and fair, or set of beliefs one professes, and more significantly in one’s inner ‘self’, invariably causes anxiety. Once a person loses confidence, complacency and insensitivity set in. When this happens anyone can become incapacitated and be deprived of clear thinking which may result in absolute submission or as we say, flowing with the tide (status quo) or result in total anarchy. Obviously, in such situations one cannot expect a person to make sensible decisions and view his actions, logically.

The positive side is that when a nation enriches itself with faith, nothing can obstruct its path to becoming stronger and self-reliant. A well groomed resilient group possesses an unshakable and higher plinth of confidence. Only then can it aspire to achieve its objectives. Leaders are not aliens. They emerge from a public that is blessed with good faith. Only such societies can hope to have someone ‘faithful’ heading them because this term envisages loyalty and a loyal person can never harm his people and would always place others’ interest before his own. Perhaps this is the reason Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan included faith in his guiding principles of “unity, faith and discipline” that became the national motto of Pakistan. If these are ignored or not acted upon now, then the fault would lie with unfaithful leaders and their blind followers.

The writer, lawyer and author, is an Adjunct Faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Published in Daily Times, June 27^th 2018.