I believe that life is a gift, despite the fact that I will die.
Here's another way to say this: Life is the whole cake, and longevity is the icing. No matter when or how I die, my life cannot be taken from me — because I have lived. I exist, which means I have received the gift of life in full. I am due nothing.
So glad I finally sat down to read this on a slow Sunday. I've been saving your essay knowing I wanted to read it deeply in a peaceful state.
You prompted me to reflect on a feeling that keeps returning. I sometimes miss religion, but I'm skeptical to practice one because I want to make sure I'm not doing so as a means to drown my existential dread with dogma. And I realize it's not religion that I miss, but faith.
I've mistakingly labeled my faith as weak because I've been comparing in to my past religion. "I'm not reading the Bible nor reciting The Lord's Prayer every night so how could I be faithful?" But as you said, faith is fluid. That's beautiful and liberating. Faith gives me the unlimited spiritual space to explore, inquire, and seek out truth for as long as I shall live.
Thank you for sharing your reflection here — so well said! The difference between faith and religion was the the most impactful idea to come out of this essay for me too. A fluid faith is liberating! I get real excited about anything that will give me the freedom to pursue truth until I die.
Wow. You capture so many thoughts I've had about truth, faith, and religion so well. I just wrote about religion last week, and I nodded along as you eloquently made the case as to why every truth is in part belief. Fantastic piece!
That’s awesome, Camilo, thank you! This is an idea that’d been brewing in me for a while — felt good to finally publish it. And I’m sure it’s something I’ll return to.
I believe that life is a gift, despite the fact that I will die.
Here's another way to say this: Life is the whole cake, and longevity is the icing. No matter when or how I die, my life cannot be taken from me — because I have lived. I exist, which means I have received the gift of life in full. I am due nothing.
So glad I finally sat down to read this on a slow Sunday. I've been saving your essay knowing I wanted to read it deeply in a peaceful state.
You prompted me to reflect on a feeling that keeps returning. I sometimes miss religion, but I'm skeptical to practice one because I want to make sure I'm not doing so as a means to drown my existential dread with dogma. And I realize it's not religion that I miss, but faith.
I've mistakingly labeled my faith as weak because I've been comparing in to my past religion. "I'm not reading the Bible nor reciting The Lord's Prayer every night so how could I be faithful?" But as you said, faith is fluid. That's beautiful and liberating. Faith gives me the unlimited spiritual space to explore, inquire, and seek out truth for as long as I shall live.
Thank you for sharing your reflection here — so well said! The difference between faith and religion was the the most impactful idea to come out of this essay for me too. A fluid faith is liberating! I get real excited about anything that will give me the freedom to pursue truth until I die.
Wow. You capture so many thoughts I've had about truth, faith, and religion so well. I just wrote about religion last week, and I nodded along as you eloquently made the case as to why every truth is in part belief. Fantastic piece!
That’s awesome, Camilo, thank you! This is an idea that’d been brewing in me for a while — felt good to finally publish it. And I’m sure it’s something I’ll return to.
I look forward to reading “Take Me to Church.”
I love this healthy state of belief and will reference it often :)
That’s nice of you to say, Christin, thank you for reading.