by Prin Dumas

Created on: June 26, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2008

Due to the tendency people have to believe in "something," and the struggle to simultaneously maintain an educated and rational approach to reality, faith may sometimes seem foolish. Facts, concepts proven to be absolute truths, become essential for an adherence to normality. Reason and faith both have validity in this world, but the man who prefers reason over any extreme fanaticism of any "other worldly" belief is the protector of human evolution.

The man of reason and the man of faith can get along just fine, because they are both equally capable of being wrong. Reason requires an explanation of facts. Faith requires an explanation of possibilities. There is nothing wrong with either. When reason is too focused on facts, however, there is little room for possibilities, and when faith is caught up with the endless possibilities, there is little room for facts. This is the issue between both tendencies.

A person only needs to analyze their family and their country for examples. How many times does reason govern a household? Is it not values and beliefs which carry weight? The man of faith is more apt to infringe and limit in this child-rearing, simply to abide by tradition. The man of reason may own the moments of his life more, moving towards adaptation and progress for the sake of his immediate self, family, and community. He therefore creates an environment fostering growth and development. The future will not become stagnant waiting for his approval, becuase he evaluates everything through a natural hunt for "pro" and "con." Across a cross-sample of countries, a person can easily see that what is believed to be right or wrong differs from people to people. The man of reason is not searching for right or wrong. He's searching for what is better. A person of faith may take comfort in faith-derived extremes while the reasonable thinker wonders about the long-term effects-the bigger picture.

Men of reason are people who research, ask questions, and always doubt. There is a certain level of intellect involved with this type of person, and it may be said that their search for doubt may lead them to never fully resolve a focused faith. The man of faith will announce that the man of reason feels "empty." Perhaps. Yet, having reason and having faith do not have to be exclusive of each other. An avid doubter may very well take comfort in the mysteries and processes of solving the obviously existing answer to humanity's creation, evolution, and general existence. It does not mean that he has to accept the mentality of pre-existing thinkers before him.

When making a statement for the celebration of reason, it is best to celebrate its necessity in order to appreciate the unknown. Humanity is often defined by the fulfillment it attains from the exploration of ambiguity. Reason and faith go hand in hand, because you need the motivation of faith and the accuracy of reason to survive life.

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