This I Believe

At my public high school, we strike a precarious balance between knowing what to believe and what to question. The amount of information available today is overwhelming, and I see myself and my peers struggling more and more to find an inner moral meaning and make some sense of our environments. We believe in intellectualism, above all else, preferring to dissect the debate surrounding religion over actually assigning ourselves to a certain system. At the end of an exhausting day, I find it much easier to (perhaps unfairly) define the problems of international relations in terms of religious infighting than I find it is to take sides in the controversy over school prayer.

At the age of sixteen, I can only watch in awe as beliefs (and what exactly is a belief?) are capitalized upon, criticized, and adhered to with a stronger dedication than ever. I’m not quite sure what is happening, but I do feel the deep rumblings of a change within this country and throughout the global community, and I have no choice but to believe in that change, to believe in the evolution of ideas and hope that one day we will find a common convergence point without losing faith.

I am a skeptic, but not yet a cynic, a product of Christian pre-schooling, Buddhist parables, Hindu parents, Jewish friends, and Muslim awareness, and in this society that encourages well-roundedness, I have faith that a Renaissance approach to religion encourages tolerance. However method a form of Supreme Power may manifest itself to the billions of individuals throughout the world, I believe that it, too, sends its blessing to those who study the many different faces of conviction.

I honestly believe in the melding of science and art, and in the ability of one generation to build upon the achievements of the former. I know, in my limited wisdom, that empathy can travel a long way.

Pope John Paul II died this last Saturday, and despite having no Catholic ties or particular association with his great persona, I cannot help but feel resoundingly sad. As poignant photographs filter across the television screen, eulogizing and explaining a legendary man, my friends and I remark upon the ability of death to create history. Our words are downcast because we realize that to make a lasting impression during life, great actions must be taken with an ultimate certainty. Right now, we’re still not sure what we know, except that we believe in living. It is a start.

The only thing I can discern with complete clarity is that I trust the values of perseverance, innovativeness, and kindness, perhaps the oldest lessons that human beings have rediscovered time and time again; it is no mistake that these are the same messages all religions and systems of belief are built upon. Continuing to read and experience my way through religion, I am slowly beginning to realize that while a complete answer may be elusive, I draw closer every time.