Monday, December 8, 2008

#7 How do I relate to faith? How did Don Richardson relate to Faith? How do the Sawi relate to faith?

Do I have a faith? Well, I suppose everyone has faith one way or another. Just focusing on my studies and school life, I never had a chance to sit down and think about my faith seriously. Actually, I never tried to ask myself what my faith is. Like others, I do have faith in my friends, family, and so on but what is the true faith that I believe in? My parents think that I have faith in Buddha because at youth, I liked to go to temple and talk to monks. I surely did enjoy going to the temple; however as I grew up, the whole thing about faith wasn’t as important as SATs or school work. Now that I have a chance to talk about it, I guess I can sit in my thinking chair. At this point, I don’t have one, specific religion that I have faith on. It’s not that I think all religions are false or anything, but I satisfied with myself. I am not trying to be egotistical but I temporally have faith in myself for my ability and my talent. I am very cognizant of the fact that I am an imperfect being, but I appreciate myself for who I am. So, how do I relate to faith? I have faith in myself.

Throughout Peace Child, Don Richardson clearly demonstrates his faith in God. There was no sign of hesitance in him when Richardson was faced with a decision whether to take his family to New Guinea or not. Personally, I wouldn’t even dare myself to take my family to a place where it is surrounded by cannibals and wild animals. Richardson’s faith in God was so sincere that he was able to let God lead his way.
I think Sawi didn’t have a religious faith; instead, the Sawi had faith in their culture of cannibalism and violence. To Sawi, living to gain more power by cannibalizing was their life. Once in a while spiritual practices were shown however, the belief in spirits didn’t seem as important as feasting over human flesh. The emphasis was on revenge, violence, and cannibalism throughout part one of Peace Child.
It’s interesting to see how everyone has distinct faith in someone or something. It’s as if we are flowers growing in a garden. Some people may be the same kind of flower however each has unique appearance and structure. What kind of a flower are you?






Posted by at

1 comment:

African Globe Trotters. said...

You are expressing your ideas so well. Your sincere voice really gives your thoughts depth and feeling. I think that you have embarked upon a quest... what flower are you? What is your purpose, how do you contribute to this wonderful garden of life?
I would like to be seen as part of a Vine - a branch - attached to the true vine: Jesus Christ.
Where do you see your growth? We really should have some chat time! Mrs.Mc.

January 20, 2009 at 4:42 AM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)