Category: Religion

Losing one’s religion, or how anxiety causes suffering in faith

4/19/2017

Faith is a river that ebbs and flows through uneven terrain. Look at it from a distance and you will see, in time, how the shifting landscape changes the river’s course. Sometimes the geography can even bring the river to a halt.

The loss of faith is not an easy subject to discuss, though it arouses curiosity among the religious and non-religious alike. Moreover, personal experiences of losing faith differ greatly. I will make a distinction here between those relieved and those distressed by their loss in faith. This distinction serves little more than to filter those suffering in their faith (a ‘crisis in faith’) from those who are not. The purpose of this article is to reflect on a particular form of spiritual anguish.

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Finding your path: A tribute to the lost and confused

1/24/2016

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As much as we praise those benefiting others in the world, the vast majority of people remain ignorant what they should do – who they should become – to contribute as well. Almost robotically, we’re told to do good unto others, have a social impact, and become vehicles towards world change. ‘But how does that actually translate to my life?’ many ask themselves, ‘what’s my role in this great narrative of benefiting the world?’

We live in a society which has a profound admiration of personal achievements and extravagant social status. One of the underlying presumptions of this system, what we take for granted, is this idea that everyone has this ‘real’ version of themselves that must be uncovered, and then actualized. We are all too familiar with this ideology - it’s the basic premise of any movie where the hero finds their true calling. It’s the belief that colors statements such as “you know, I’m just not a math person, I’m much more creatively minded, like an artist” or “I’m a psychologist because I’m a people-person.” The idea is that once you finally figure out who you truly are, you’ll excel at its corresponding profession because your studies and work truly reflects your ‘real You’, your specially-designed custom tailored role in the world that only you can fulfill.

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Anxiety - an existential purpose

7/18/2013

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A recent study found that 16.6% global population suffered from some form of anxiety or another. At first sight, the statistic seems enormous. Still, I'm here to argue that it's definitely much bigger. Indeed, there is a great fallacy in ascribing a certain portion of the population with a label that is, in its essence, human; verses from the Quran highlight how truly intimate man’s relationship is with anxiety (e.g. 70:19). Thus, this article serves as a discussion of anxiety and its counterpart, guilt, as fundamentally human features, in stark opposition to the common belief that they’re simply pathologies to be overcome. However, as theoretical reflections often appear overly intellectualizing, my reflections will be accompanied by a deeply personal testament of existential anxiety and guilt, as there is rarely a clearer method to appreciate an idea than to relate to oneself.

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Losing one’s religion, or how anxiety causes suffering in faith

Finding your path: A tribute to the lost and confused

Anxiety - an existential purpose

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Losing one’s religion, or how anxiety causes suffering in faith

Finding your path: A tribute to the lost and confused﻿

Anxiety - an existential purpose

Archives

Categories

Finding your path: A tribute to the lost and confused