Faith is a word which elicits different thoughts and emotions for each of us. For some, it is a sense of trusting others or implicitly knowing we are understood or respected. For others, it can be the feeling that we will always be encouraged by our friends, colleagues and fellow travelers, especially in time of need. And for many, like me, it is centered on a belief in a higher power. Often, it is all of those things combined – and more.
Faith and optimism are intertwined. One cannot truly believe that something positive will happen in the future without taking a metaphorical leap of faith that is centered in optimism. Be it a soldier looking over in the foxhole at the man next to him or the coworker with whom you’ve worked for years – it takes faith and optimism to know that the other person will always have your back when the challenges – and battles – confront us.
My colleagues at the Gestalt International Study Center (GISC) have a wonderful perspective called the “Optimistic Stance.” Their outlook says, “Gestalt takes a realistic view of the present and an optimistic view of the possible, preferring to work in the development of the potential within an individual or system rather than correcting them.” In other words, they see each system, be they families, teams or much larger groups, as having inherent capabilities that can be appreciated and noticed. Once they are pointed out, growth is unleashed, which serves every system. Read More…
