Beauty Parlor For the Soul - Faith

Faith and hope are two abstracts that can really reiterate your expectations from life. Without them existence becomes drab. They are inter-related. Faith gives you hope and vice versa. They say 'Hope is like the clouds...some shower upon you, while others pass you by'. Maybe, but nevertheless, the hope of a shower is always refreshing. Faith in that which you anticipate or desperately yearn for has the power to manifest, establishing a belief system. Faith or certitude is something that can be inculcated. It is a human inheritance that defies genetics and either passes on from one generation to another or is born out of first hand experience.

The faith in your parents that they will stand by you no matter what is rejuvenating even as an adult. The faith that your education will help your pursue a vocation of your choice is a morale and confidence booster. There are a number of situations and circumstances in life that strengthen your faith. When it comes to belief in a higher power, whether the result of a particular action is the outcome of coincidence or effort or not, when it is successful, it is the power of prayer that we credit first. Faith is firm belief. It is further strengthened through a receptive mind-set.

The disciple was dying. The doctor minced no words in declaring the truth to the master. He was battling a very high fever and the cause was what the people of the city called 'plague'. When the parents were sent for, the disciple expressed his desire to die at the hermitage. They had no choice. They had spoken to the doctor and couldn't afford the treatment he had spelt out. They too thought that he would do better with the master. The ratio of survival as the doctor put it was one to a thousand! The sanctity of the place was their only hope...and the child's faith in the master.

The doctor visited the hermitage every week. The medication was administered by the master himself. The child was happy on the bed by the window. The ivy did block the view of the courtyard, but he could hear the master, whenever he spoke. That week, when the doctor visited, he expressed his concern over the failing health of the disciple and told the master that he didn't give the boy more than a fortnight, since the monsoons were fast approaching, the dampness would only make the fever worse. The boy knew that he was dying, and asked the master - when. The master said, "Only when the last ivy leaf drops".

This made the boy turn towards the window regularly. He would count the leaves and smile to himself. There were plenty of them yet. The next day, heavy winds blew and then...down came the first shower. The winds had effaced the ivy, but for one leaf. The boy battled fever and took the medication with his eyes firmly fixed on the last leaf. "Only when the last ivy leaf drops" - the master had said. There was hope. The fever worsened. He felt frail. But, the medication was taking effect.

Miraculously, after a few days, the fever started abating. The child had become very weak, but was feeling better. The boiled vegetable stew and rice that the master made himself, gave him strength. Soon, he was sitting up. He kept smiling every time he looked at the last ivy leaf. When he was able to move around, he stepped outside to kiss the leaf. The master's words had come true and the leaf symbolized life for him. When he went around to the creeper and saw that it was bare! The leaf was painted on the glass.

Faith has the power to renew and to give life. It is that part of our nature that does not question and benefits from the absence of query. Even non believers show tremendous faith in the spoken word. How does it matter? The feeling of being protected and loved adds value and quality to our lives. Keeping this abstract alive, in whatever form and quantum, is very important. Not that you can't live without it, just that it gives you a sense of belonging and enables you to reach out to others. Thus making life easier.

"Only when the last ivy leaf drops".

The ivy had long shed its leaves, but the master's word and sensitivity to the situation gave the child a new life. This may be a tale, may be true...nevertheless it spotlights so many instances in our lives when we are renewed by the faith. Every one of us has a taste of this elixir. When as an average student, you strive hard and have faith in your effort and you do better than contemporaries who are more intelligent. When you overcome a hopeless situation due to a sheer show of grit and determination. When you knew Santa would give you something for Christmas, even though ma thought you had behaved badly!

You can ward off sunburn with the cooling effect of the lotion called faith.