Bill Crawford, Ph.D. | Keynote Speaker, Psychologist, Author, Consultant

This quote was given to me by my friend and business partner, Steve Butler, when we were discussing the importance of remaining aware of reality (or what is going on around you) even when you are operating on blind faith. The more we talked, the more we agreed that the concept of "blind faith" is an interesting one because, while it has been lauded as total commitment to a perspective or person, it has also been interpreted as a loss of vision or an experience of diminished awareness. Of course, this can certainly be the case when we "turn a blind eye to reality," hoping that if we don't look at something, it will go away or not affect us. In fact, most of us have experienced the problems associated with sticking our heads in the sand, and thus exposing other aspects of our anatomy in ways that don't serve us.

However, what if there is another way to look at the concept of total commitment where blind faith is less about what we don't see, and more about a sense of focus and even increased awareness from our other senses? Or, as Steve put it, what if the concept of blind faith is less about closing our eyes to reality, and more about opening our heart to possibilities? For example, how many times have we seen an individual, family, or organization overlook a solution because they were unwilling to be open to the possibilities of the heart or the feelings of those involved? And, how many times have we found ourselves stuck with our head in the sand, thus failing to see what was really going on around us?

So, clearly, what we are talking about this week isn't the sort of blind faith that is about hiding from the truth, but the sort of focus and commitment that actually enhances our ability to sense what is going on around us. This "sensing" might come in the form of our being sensitive to others as we have discussed, or it might just be a willingness to trust our own "gut feelings" about a person or situation. It might be an increased auditory awareness, where we are able to truly hear what others are telling us, or even to hear what is being said when no one is saying a thing. It might be an ability to touch and hold another in love, kindness, and compassion so that they feel safe and secure. It might be an ability to stop and smell the roses or appreciate what we have, rather than always needing to procure something new to be successful. It might be an ability to taste all the subtleties of life in a way that allows us to distinguish the ingredients, or know how different flavors of experience combine to make living truly delicious.

Whatever the form, when our focus or "blind faith" allows us to open our heart to possibilities, the result is not decreased, but increased awareness, and thus has the potential to inform our choices and lives with very good information. From this perspective, maybe we could all use a little "blind faith" every once and a while.