Words - Faith and Doubt, Hope & Choice

Like Winnie the Pooh Ive been banging my head as I ponder the implications and relationships of certain words. Some words have continued to fascinate me. I think it's strange how language controls our thoughts, we understand something only once we understand it's word. One word that I find quite fascinating is Faith.


Faith

Faith, as I choose to understand it, is the belief that something is true, and importantly, this something can never be proven as true. This is why religion, of all things, steals most of the scope of this word. Some might ask, 'Do you have a faith?' by which they mean, 'Do you practice a religion?' In fact, faith, in my opinion, is a fundamental aspect of any religion and one's devotion to a given religion and God is a measure of their faith, a point I shall return to. Religion, of all things, is one that can never be proven and therefore necessitates faith. But we've all heard people say, 'Do you have faith in science?' Surely science is the opposite of religion, the other extreme, everything that we have proven and upon which we base our reality? But still, some question science. This I think is acceptable.

First off, much of what science proves religion refutes and much of religion asserts, science disproves. Ipso facto a religious person surely has little faith in science and a man of science is sure to question much of what religion accepts as true without proof. But, we should also be thankful that even scientists question science, the result is surely progress. For example, Aristotle described the earth with four elements: earth, fire, wind and water, and the earth was the centre of the universe. This was, in essence, taken to be true.

Of course our periodic table and understanding of the universe developed from there, eventually Aristotelian physics - man's accepted science - was under scrutiny and pressure, and along came Newton. Newton introduced concepts which no longer fitted Aristotelian physics but offered us a better way of understanding and arranging our reality and interacting with it. So the decision was made to accept the anomaly and adjust all that we know to a new system - Newtonian physics. So two questions remain: Is science the search for all the rules that fit neatly into our current system of physics? or Is science in search for that one 'amazing' anomaly, an idea so grand that we will be willing to alter our whole understanding of the universe to embrace it? If we answer the latter with the affirmative, it appears acceptable to question science (including that which has been 'proven'). In short, it is acceptable to play with the idea of faith in science. The point is, as with religion, even in science there is always doubt.

Doubt

In discussing religion I mentioned the idea of a measure of faith. If we take faith as a percentage, for the sake of the argument, 100% faith in religion, or science for that matter, implies what? In my opinion, it implies that there is 0% doubt. Thus, 90% faith implies 10% doubt - you get the picture, where there isn't faith, there is doubt. And sadly, I believe this to be true of all things, doubt is the evil that religious folk are fighting and doubt is possibly the fuel for scientific progress! Thus, the measure (or test) of one's faith is also a measure (or test) of one's doubt.

We also have faith in each other. In the broader sense, we have some have faith in humanity but on a more personal level, we have faith in those we love and care for, faith enough that they love and care for us too - little Johnny waits patiently in the rain for his mother to collect him after school because he has faith in her. Human relationships, I would argue, are dependent on faith. We've cleverly overcome the problem of building relationships where there is no faith - with law - we have legally binding contracts that the invested parties must remain faithful to. But, legality aside, the remainder of the relationships we choose to be in, to varying degrees, are based on faith. Faith, in this sense, implies love, respect and above all trust. And, of course, the opposite of faith is doubt, to have little faith in someone is to seriously doubt them. Likewise, our faith in each other is something that is also - sadly - being constantly tested. When little Johnny eventually realises that his mother is not coming to collect him from school he looses faith in her, and doubt's her promise that she will be there to collect him the following day. So again we come to the relationship of faith and doubt, a relationship, that surely, we all understand and negotiate differently.

For me, I'm a absolutist on this point. Influenced by Descartes in his pursuit of the truth, he threw everything - he once held in good faith to be true - into doubt. He was an absolutist in his pursuit of the truth because the thought experiment (the pursuit of 'absolute' truth) necessitated it. To arrive at an absolute truth he had to negate anything that had even an incling of doubt, the smallest measure of doubt was enough to completely doubt something. Should little Johnny wait for his mother to collect him the following day?













Hope

But if there is always doubt, how, or why, do we maintain relationships? Hope! What do we hope for? Little Johnny hopes his mother will collect him. But does hope imply doubt? If you have 0% doubt in something do you need hope? Do you hope the sun will rise tomorrow? Then again, I'm not sure if anyone can claim to be an absolutist with regards to faith, to have a pure faith in something, I believe that there is always some doubt. But our hope is fed by our doubt, we are hopeful only because we are doubtful, and finally, without doubt there is no need for hope. To loose our hope is to accept as true what we (feared and) doubted. To loose our hope is therefore to loose our faith. But, if that is true, is hope a positive emotion? Personally, this question is most troubling in relation to faith in others. Faith in religion, or even science, is by and large faith in what cannot be proven as true i.e. there is always some doubt. Religious truths may prove to be true in the afterdeath...or afterlife, but religion is a blind faith (and therefore quite beautiful). Scientific truths await the looming anomaly! But faith in others in something that effects us all, everyday and on a very personal and emotional level. Human relationships are at the core of our existence, we necessitate them for our personal growth and emotional well being.

Choice

I will admit, at this point, that my perspective must sound rather glum. I don't have faith in faith, I doubt the value of hope and how I can possibly have faith if, as an absolutist, I'm choosing to embrace doubt? That's the point - choice! Why do we enter relationships with others, why do we, in the face of doubt, remain hopeful? Choice. The irony of this conclusion, from a Christian perspective, is that God endowed us with choice. Religion is a choice, even scientific beliefs are a choice. The relationships we enter, we enter by choice.

We choose what and who we have faith in, be it religion, science and other people. Our faith is constantly tested in the face of doubt. And while we make these choices we're also choosing to be hopeful. My objective here is not to share my personal views but only to share - what I believe to be - the complicated relationship of these words. Most importantly I hope for everyone to understand the complexity of their faith and implications of their choices.

Uncanny!

I was searching for some pictures to put into a class presentation about 'school' and found an anime picture of some girls, their uniforms are uncannily similar to those of the girls at my school!


(taken from http://www.columbia.edu/cu/anime/)

Chocolates

I realize that letters from students are developing a tendency to dominate this blog but I find them so amusing and endearing, and they have a way of perking up my days, making it all worth it. Today, exhausted and scramming to get a lesson together - as usual I only find out at the last minute of changes, today's being simply that I have lessons to teach - I get this pleasant little surprise, a letter with some homemade chocolates. What could be better?


In this particular letter it the modesty that amuses me!

Fairy Tales

This winter (with the help from a fellow teacher - ta Katy), we studied fairy tales in our 'Winter Camp'. The kids don't get too much of a holiday here, it's all about school! And part of my job is to host an English 'winter camp' during their holiday. It's voluntary and only three students chose to take my camp! I wasn't hurt so such by the low turnout, I strongly appose the intense workload these poor kids are put under, but was happy to find the three girls in my camp are three of the best speakers in the school, are all quite mature and into Indie music (which helped)! So I got my wish - to have a nice relaxing two weeks with some cool students. Besides reading the The Brothers Grimm classics and watching The Brothers Grimm film the girls wrote their own fairy tales as the course developed and they were kind enough to let me put them on my blog. So Enjoy...

Chubby and the Circus

by Yaeseaul Yoo



There was a circus performing and there was a little boy who was drooling – his name was Chubby. Fascinated by the glittering circus parades he just stopped and stared. Monkeys somersaulted here and there. Clowns were juggling and giving balloons to children. On the carriage there was a beautiful dancing show girl and fancy musicians. The music was so joyous that everyone on the street swung their bodies, and there was an elephant, he exclaimed, “Come to Jumbo’s Circus! Here is every joy for you. If you guys come to see a circus there will be no regret.”

The little boy stayed there even that the parade had ended. It was very tempting, so he wanted to see that circus and Chubby ran to home directly and shouted, “I wanna go to the circus!” His mother was in the kitchen and making dinner. She greeted her son with a big smile. She tried to say something but he interrupted her.
“I do wanna watch the circus.”
She showed sadness but it wiped out soon, then she said, “That is not such a good place to go.”
“But I want to.” Chubby cried out again.
Then his father showed up and admonished to him, “What are you doing my son? You should not talk like that to your mother and never cut in when your mother is talking.”
Chubby became sulky.
“Go to the dining table,” his father said.
Chubby walked with a stagger. When he was about to sit on the chair, his mother asked him of he had washed his hands. Without answering Chubby walked slowly toward the bathroom. His father looked offended. He came back and saw mamu, he sighed and his father never missed his sigh. The little boy trifled with his food and picked out onion, spinach and green pepper.
“Eukk…”
Finally his father got angry with him. “You really burn me. What’s wrong with you Chubby?” he shouted.
“I don’t want to eat these things, it’s disgusting!”
“What” I told you, you have to eat them.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
“Do not talk back to your father.”
Chubby was almost about to cry.
“Don’t push him too hard,” mother told to father.
“Come here Chubby, don’t cry.”
But Chubby told off to his mother, “Don’t pretend that you’re having pity at me.”
“You fatty boy! Don’t talk to your mother like that.”
Chubby burst into tears and cried, “You can’t be my parents.” And he ran out.
Mother tried to run after him but father dissuaded, “If we just keep fonding him he will lapse from good manners, and he will come back when he become tired.”

Anyway Chubby ran and ran and he couldn’t help but stop running because he was very tired. Where he stopped was unfamiliar place to him but just scary. He could hear a cry that he never heard before and he could see anything at all because of deep darkness. He couldn’t find a star. He was exhausted and missed his parents. His eyes seemed that don’t know when to stop tearing. He fallen to the ground by something like tree’s root and his knee grazed. Fortunately he saw something bright. He followed the lights. He couldn’t recognise at first what that lights came from but soon he recognised that light was coming from the circus and he could hear music too. He did know how he can go back to him from there but really wanted to see it. ‘There is not such a good place to go.’ He could remember what his mother had told him but he couldn’t shake off temptation. So he decided to wander. There was very crowded. This place was beautiful. People singing and dancing, even animals! He wanted to look inside the tent. He took a glance at tent’s inside. He eyes twinkled because of the sausage. He felt like his leg is moving no matter what he were thinking. Getting into the food warehouse he was surprised by a lots of sausages. Without permission he had began to eat them greedily. Rustle. Chubby shrunk with fear. He looked around slowly. He could not find anything at all but he could hear rustling sounds again. Chubby wonder where that sounds came from and next he saw something moving. It was Chameleon.
It stuck out its tongue, “Hey kiddo, what are you doing here?” he said.
He just freaked out that he couldn’t say anything.
“Oh, you were stealing food weren’t you?”
“Please don’t tell anybody!” said Chubby.
“Oh yes, oh yes, of course, if you give me some flies to me I’d be glad to do it, did you understand?”
Chubby nodded, “Where is flies?”
“There,” and he smiled. “I can’t open that cage.”
Chubby twisted cap and it was opened simply. Flies flew, Chameleon snatched flies. It didn’t miss even a fly’s leg.
“Wow, you have really great skill of eating. You’re the real chameleon,” said Chubby.
“You are good at eating too.” Chameleon said with a shy smile, “We have a point of sameness.” They smiled at each other.
“My name is Lemon,” Lemon stretched out her short arm.
“I’m Chubby.” They shook their hands and talked for a while. ‘Circus is not a bad place as mom said’ he thought.

“Hey, actually I know more great place,” Lemon said.
“Great place? Where?” asked Chubby.
“I don’t know what exactly places name is but we can learn by opening that box!”
“How do you know that?”
“Because when circus’s manager, Jumbo opens that box he bring lots of new fresh and delicious food.”
Chubby smacked his lips, “It sounds delicious,” he said. He walked like a duck for the reason of his greedy stomach heading toward the box. When he open the box hardly there was nothing. “Here is nothing!”
“No, there you’re.” Lemon smiled darkly, and then kicked Chubby’s bottom. Chubby fell into the box. He became imprisoned. He tried to open the box from inside but all in vain. He could hear Lemon’s singing, “I catched a pig, I catched a pig…”
Chubby screamed for help but nothing happened. He was tired from creaming and crying so fell asleep. When he woke up he could see Jumbo. He tried to say something but what he said was just sounds like grunting. “Grunt grunt,” said Chubby.
“Oh greedy man, you have stolen my foods so you really need to make it up for me. Today you have to jump into the fire ring.” Jumbo said rubbing his gold ring on his hand. Jumbo had a thick eyebrow and eyes lashes. He had eyes looked like mackerel’s but he could blink his eyes. He had cane as long as his nose. He was elephantine more than Chubby was. He walked with two legs and he was wearing a suit. Having a deep breath, Jumbo said, “Have a hard day! Haha.”
And he was having a really hard day! He had bad water and food, smacked by trainer, he cried over and over again. But what people can hear is only grunting sounds. The time when pigs had to move toward other tent Chubby could see his parents. They were looking for him. Chubby tried to say here is but he grunted. Then he tried to go after them but Jumbo smacked his bottom again.

They were doing rehearsal. Chubby had to run again, he back was wrung wet with sweat. And he saw really really important that Jumbo was disgusted by mice. He was avoiding them. Finally, show has started. People were amused by cute tricks, marvellous magic and so on. In his turn Chubby ran not forward fire ring but the cages of mice. Crushing to the cage powerfully the cage was broken. Then, a number of mice rushed out, the audience were frightened out of their wits, starting rushing out. Jumbo started run. His face turned deathly pale, as white as a sheet with fright. He staggered and slipped over and over again. Being out of his senses, he couldn’t recognise his tale’s burning. “I can’t stand mice!” he screamed. Circus become chaos. All the animals were springing up and no one could stop it.


When Jumbo recognised his tale was burning, it was too late, he lost most of his tale. Jumbo began to walk with four feet and animals began to walk with two legs. Jumbo rubbed his bottom on the ground. He just extinguished the fire when he saw his tale was gone, he screamed, “NO!” and that was the last word that he could say because magic spirit had been dwelling in his tale. Animals became little children, they were spelled as Chubby. When spell gone so that Chubby became human again he ran to the house directly.

- The End -

Elizabeth and Julia - what happened between the two?

By Jieun Ham


In the early 17th century, in the peaceful kingdom of Netherlands there was a princess name Elizabeth. She had her long straight blond hair tied with a red rose ribbon and her voice was so sweet. Furthermore, she more curious than an other princess. There was no one who hated her, except Julia, her sister. Elizabeth’s family were her father king, mother queen, brother prince (who name was Handsome) and sister princess.

One day Patrick, a prince from neighbour kingdom, came and proposed to Elizabeth. Elizabeth saw his honest eyes and accepted his proposal. Julia was looking that scene from behind. Julia was jealous of Elizabeth’s marriage. Elizabeth informed this engagement when her family were seated in the evening. Her parents and Handsome congratulated her but Julia’s eyes’ were full of unyielding spirit. After that day, when Elizabeth dressed with BIG HUGE wedding dress, was walking across the palace’s hall, Julia dropped the banana rind in front of Elizabeth pretending a really celebrating expression. So Elizabeth tripped over, twisted her ankle. At that moment Julia said was not “Sorry” but “you should be more careful.”

That day after lying down in the bed, Elizabeth played a card with her brother. Her ankle was hurting deeply so that she could walk around the garden. Patrick came to Elizabeth’s palace, 3 days after that accident, to ask after the health of his princess. But she had already recovered and she was playing with her brother Handsome. However Patrick saw them, he thought Elizabeth committed adultery with very handsome guy so Patrick became angry at her. Soon after Elizabeth father introduced his family members. Then Patrick realised that he had had a mistake and apologised to his lover, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth found a fascinating scarlet ruby earring when she visited her sister Julia’s room. Elizabeth asked Julia to lend it to her for wedding ceremony. Julia agreed very meekly. Julia lent Elizabeth earrings after dropping a drop of poison on each of them.

On her wedding day she put on those earrings then she became crazy and ran away into the enormous forest. She lost her way when she managed to come to her senses. She found a canary bird whose legs were broken. She took care of it and it gave her magical necklace which showed how to go back to the palace and what had happened in the palace.


When she finally came back everyone welcomes her. But there wasn’t Julia. Patrick said, “CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) members had investigated. They found that Julia had poisoned your earrings that you had put on your wedding day. She is in jail now.” Elizabeth released Julia on parole. They became very friendly sisters. A happy wedding ceremony was finally held.

- The End -

Organ man and Jim

by Ah-Young Kim (Carole)

There was a boy named Jim live by the forest. He's parents were so busy to taking care of him, so he always wandered around the forest. One day, he decided to go deeper into the forest. Soon, he got lost, and have no idea about where he was. Sun went down; it was so dark around him that he can't even recognize the place. He kept walking, got lots of brush burns. Finally, he found a little cabin with lights on. He was so scared by the dark. He had no choice but to brake into the cabin. 'It might be some lumberjack's house.' he thought. He was exhausted, hungry, and missed his parents so much. Soon he fell a sleep on a cozy sofa.

Jim woke up to a sweet smell of tasty food.
"Boy, you're awake!" a strange voice came out of the kitchen. Jim was surprised, because he was dreaming about his home, own home.
"I'm sorry, sir. Yesterday, I got lost at the forest. Have no choice but to come in here." Jim slowly answered to the stranger.
"No, it’s fine. You’re welcome in my cabin! Maybe I can help you to find your home,” the stranger said. Jim felt relief, ‘I can go home now. I’m safe.’ Jim thought.
“Son, aren’t you hungry?” stranger asked.
“Yes sir. I’m very hungry,” He replied.
“I made some soup for you, would you like to try it?” the stranger asked him again.
“That would be nice, thank you.” Jim answered.
“Ok here I’m coming.” Then, some guy came out of the kitchen. Jim was surprised by what he looks like.

The man was invisible except his organs. He was wearing clothes but Jim could see the brain right through the man’s skull. The strange man reads Jim’s face and said, “Boy, don’t be afraid. I was cursed by a wicked witch.” Jim felt sorry for him so he wanted to help him to found his original skin.
“Can I ask you what happened between you and the wicked witch?” Jim asked.
The man shortly thought about the past and said calmly. “I was a photographer taking nature’s beauty. I came here 3 years ago to take pictures of course, but I was possessed by something and when I woke up I became invisible but my organs are not. I can’t go back to my normal life. I should always dress up heavy to go out, and I can’t do such things anymore. I came back here, built this cozy house, and live here all alone.”
Jim thought he wasn’t lying at him, but couldn’t believe the evil witch did such things to him.


After Jim finished the soup, he went back to his sweet home. He was happy to see his parents who had been worried so much last night. Jim told his parents about what he saw and what he heard, but his parents never believed it. He was kind of upset but he was happy still. Jim visited his new friend almost every day. Jim called the man ‘Morgan’ because it sounds like an ‘organ’. Jim always brought news paper for his dear friend Morgan. Soon, they became best friends. One day, when Jim visited his friend, the evil witch attacked Morgan’s house. Jim and his friend Morgan realized that the evil witch wasn’t a real witch. It was a wicked scientist disguised as a witch. The evil scientist wanted to have his masterpiece back. But he failed to kidnap Morgan, because they were out in the wood.


Jim worried about his best friend. He thought about the solution everyday, all the time. In the end, he decided to secretly pass into the evil scientist’s lab. He made the plan to break in. Jim brought that plan to Morgan’s house. They were scared but brave. On the very same day that they broke in to the lab, the lab was empty; it was a chance for them to get back Morgan’s skin again. All of a sudden the evil scientist came back to his lab. Jim and Morgan were in danger, when they were almost caught by the evil scientist. A shocking thing happened, the real witch from the woods helped Jim and Morgan to run away. They fainted out when they got home, and when they woke up in the Morgan’s house there was note for them. It was from the witch. Morgan picked up the note and read it loudly. “Um…Dear, Jim and Matt. The scientist ass is kicked by me. He pretends to look like me and freak people out. I can’t stand those things. I am not really wicked or bad. I’m protecting the woods and I show the way for people who are lost in the woods. The scientist drop my dignity all the time. Matt, I will give you back your original skin. I hope you like it. See you around. I’m everything, and everywhere. Hope your luck. Mararet.”
Jim noticed that his friend’s skin was not invisible anymore, and one more thing, that his friend had a real name ‘Matt’. “Wow, I can’t believe it. The witch was never a “witch.” Matt said.
Jim answered with a big smile, “I knew the witch didn’t do such thing to you. And I’m happy for you to get your own skin finally.”
Matt smiled too.

Matt came back to his normal life, he had a photo exhibition. Jim was invited at the very first time. They became great friends, and lived happily ever after.

-The End-