Fear is not the absence of logic — it is the absence of faith. Faith is not simply what you believe. You can choose to believe anything, but you cannot simply wish for faith — you must earn it.
How?
There is no easy way to earn faith. One of its pillars is patience. Suppose you are going through a very difficult time — financial loss, the death of a loved one, physical suffering, etc. The first requirement for enduring hardship is patience.
But here is the irony: you need a little faith to have patience. From zero, nothing arises — not even ashes. So even a timid, shaky, confused faith is the first step.
Then what?
The test comes in how you allow that faith to brew in your soul during hard times — without complaining. This reveals your true intention. Are you genuinely seeking real faith in life, or do you just want to get past your problems and return to your old routine once the storm is over?
If your goal is merely to escape difficulty, you will never gain real faith. Your suffering may come back again and again. More importantly, you risk becoming a frustrated cynic — a person unhappy with themselves. And that is a miserable way to live.
But if you are truly seeking faith, let that timid faith brew within you. The longer the suffering, the deeper its colour becomes. Life, in fact, is baked by suffering. Faith sweetens it — or, if neglected, makes it bitter.
“Be strong” — that is the most common advice we hear in hard times. Even the weakest person gives it. But have you ever asked yourself how to be strong? You can pretend not to be breaking inside, but how do you really become strong?
Your logical mind demands a blueprint — an assurance that nothing harmful will happen. But who can give you that assurance? Logic works only with data and past experience. When the situation is entirely new, threatening, and dreadful, logic looks to faith and says:
“You fool, why are you silent? Why are you not asking for a blueprint as a reward for your faithfulness?”
This inner conflict can make reality even more unbearable. Because whether or not you are a person of faith, you still need patience. And when a cunning mind tries to manipulate faith during a crisis, it disrupts your inner balance.
So, the fundamental question: Is the faith I am talking about a religious one?
My answer is both “yes” and “no.”
Why “no”?
Because when you have faith in someone or something, it is not faith — it is trust. Faith is deeper. It is an assurance from within:
“I am bigger than my problem. Somehow, I can endure this. I can bear it.”
How do you know you are bigger than the problem?
You don’t — and that is precisely why it is faith. You must prove it through unshakable patience.
And why “yes”?
Because all religions, directly or indirectly, teach self-reliance. The fundamental idea is this: the self is part of the Universal Self. If I cannot trust myself, I cannot reach that greater Self. All religious practices exist to remind us of this truth. Devotion is the thread that connects the two selves.
Faith, therefore, is not just what you want to believe. It is an intrinsic part of experience. Whether you nurture it or neglect it — that choice is yours.