knowing and believing

When asked which is "more", my slant is belief.
I'd say that you don't really know something unless you believe in it.

My favourite thought experiment is one which will be close to many of our hearts. As Singaporeans many of us have the fortune (to some the misfortune) of experiencing kayaking, be it in the enclosed Kallang River or the open (then again not so open) sea.

It is because of kayaking that I first gave careful thought to the concept of faith. You know how people talk about faith as putting our weight on a chair simply because people tell us to do so or because we've seen others done so and it worked out for them? That example lacks the oomph- none of us have felt particularly apprehensive about sitting on any chairs around us.

But kayaking is different. Now we all know that the waters around Singapore are really safe. It's nothing like Australian waters with the danger of sharks or even saltwater crocs. Furthermore the water is so bad we'd scarcely find a fish.

And so in a sense we do know the water is safe, we know that nothing's going to bite off our limbs when we fall into it. What explains the panic (for some) and discomfort (for perhaps the rest) when we do fall into it?

When we look at the water we think... hmm... well it's really murky isn't it? In the sense that I can't be sure I can even see my legs, much less what lurks at the depths beyond them?
When safe in the kayak we're so quick to tell our capsized friends that they're perhaps too panicky, too hasty to get out of the water.

I think our panic and discomfort is actually an indicator of our faithlessness. We know that nothing's going to harm us but we don't quite believe it. It's so helpless isn't it, the idea of faith? It seems like nothing can assuade us to calm the heck down, no prior known facts sufficient to put the racing heart in its proper place.

I'm thinking if I've ever met a person who fell into the water but remained absolutely carefree, who, when asked, will simply reply that the water is safe? That'd be an instance of what they call child-like faith. One who perceives the authority behind the factual statement "there are no sharks in Singaporean waters" and believes in it.

The rest of us find ourselves on the continuum of skepticism.