The act of believing is so undervalued especially in the current society that is governed by science. While science is the most reliable means to feel a sense of certainty, the fact that it promotes pessimism cannot also be denied. Science blows up the human ego. Humans become the center and everything else goes below them.
An empirical outlook about every single thing in life cannot always solve our problems. The perfect example of this can be observed in Lesley Nneka Arimah's short story "What it means when a man falls from the sky". The author creates a world reigned over by science and an over reliance on empirical solutions, where a mathematical formula can solve all mental illnesses. Towards the end, the protagonist has a very tragic ending which depicts the downside of a logic driven world.
There is a very popular Thamizh saying "Nambikkai dhan vaazhkai" , instead of a translation I'd like to state what I perceive this saying as, which is "Life is about believing".
During the most turbulent times in life, when one has absolutely no control over their situation, the only thing one can do is, believe that the storm would calm down and keep hoping for a better tomorrow. If this hope of a better tomorrow is taken away from us, I highly doubt that any of us would survive; I know atleast I would go running toward a cliff to jump off from it (Wait ,why did I have to imagine a cliff?! I don't do well with heights).
For us to survive, we must believe, trust, hope.
Who is to argue against it? After all we are all are figuring out the same existential question, "why am I here? What is this place?" Including people who are certain they have understood life so well.
Do not think, I am that type of a person who would ask " Why do we need gravity?". I observe that things go wrong only when believing creates sentimental humans and questioning creates pessimistic humans. What needs to be established is a beautiful interplay between emotion and reason rather than one dominating the other.
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