Faith and achievement

[bennyboy]

Like I said, the problem is in his definition. I get what he is pointing at. He's just attributing the results to the wrong thing.

I explained why I used the word "faith." First of all, my definition is fine-- it's one of the dictionary definitions; please don't tell me what definitions I "get" to use-- it's my thread, and I'll use whatever definition I want, so fuck off about that. Second, there's an overlap with religious faith. I believe that it is possible for religious faith to have the right psychological effect to allow someone to get good results.

Let's take an example-- young adults are often hyperconfident-- like, way, way beyond their actual capacity. And yet, it is this belief in their future greatness, for which there really is no evidence, which allows at least SOME young people to maximize their potential. They "feel" that there is something special about themselves, and it becomes kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. For sure, if the same young people didn't have this faith in themselves, they'd be much less likely to have the focus and intensity which allows them to do great things.

Now, let me say again that I personally have faith in my brain. While I really have no certainty that I'll ever be in the "zone" again to the degree I have in the past, I very much believe in the possibility, and I hope for it to manifest in my life. "Faith" is a perfectly reasonable term to use, because it's a conditional belief-- if my brain/god sees fit to grant me that experience again, I'd appreciate it very much, and until then, I will hold strong in my mind the possibility that it will.

I can say that it is this hope that keeps me playing piano, keeps me playing chess, and so on. Without it, I'd just say, "Meh I'm not that good at piano, and I never will be," and wander off to watch Oprah reruns or something.