Control vs. Faith: Which strategy is better? (Blog)

[Erin Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Erin Pavlina's blog:

Control vs. Faith: Which strategy is better?

[Ordinary Joe]

Choose a faith strategy or a control strategy?

Choosing a control strategy is having full faith in the value of control. Choosing a faith strategy is in itself controlling. And not choosing? That is also a choice.

Predetermined to make your next choice or to face your next obstacle with either faith or control is both faith and control; but, is that choosing itself not an error? Does surrendering a part of yourself to a strategy not kill a part of you, leaving you disengaged, disconnected from what is in front of you?

[firefly]

Thanks for the thought provoking post, Erin.

More and more I'm feeling a pull toward the faith strategy, this after years of using the control strategy only to find my ladder leaning against the wrong building.

The issue I'm grappling with is how to flow between the states of patient waiting and inspired action. As you say, faith is more than just sitting on your rear end.

I feel like learning the right balance is mainly a matter of trial and error, with a large dollop of patience.

[Angela]

Personally, I don't subscribe to an either/or philosophy. Also, neither "control" nor "faith" particularly inspire me. But I am inspired by Dynamic Willingness and Surrender, which might be considered to be shades of control and faith.

The difference would be: Dynamic Willingness surrenders the illusion of and need for control by my avatar, and at the same time, plays a directed and powerful game. Using Dynamic Willingness, I am steering and guiding my life in the direction of feeling good on purpose, while allowing that there are feeling-good destinations that I don't know I don't know. So I'm captaining my own ship, but I'm also safe and supported, whatever port or storm I find myself in.

And Surrender is a little different from faith, for me, simply because faith to me implies a personal, interventionist god, and also in my experience there is some struggle against and "problem" with faith, even without a god, but the choice of Surrender is actually letting go of struggle and "problems".

Anyway, I like both Dynamic Willingness and Surrender, and I don't find them to be mutually exclusive. They work pretty well in living a life I love.

That's just me.

[backpocket]

Is it just me or does that video game developer sound familiar...

[Dan.Linehan]

Control yourself -- have faith in others.

[firefly]

Angela, I think you're right on about there being different shades of control and faith, and I feel like everyone has their own personal definitions and shades. For example:

Originally Posted by Angela

faith to me implies a personal, interventionist god, and also in my experience there is some struggle against and "problem" with faith, even without a god

You could take out "faith" and insert "surrender" and that sentence would read the same for me. My definition of faith has a more positive connotation than my definition of surrender and it allows room for both active and passive shades of meaning, so that's what I'm currently using.

Isn't it fascinating how we can find such diverse paths to "living a life I love"?

[ns123]

firefly, you said:

The issue I'm grappling with is how to flow between the states of patient waiting and inspired action. As you say, faith is more than just sitting on your rear end.

I am also grappling with this issue. How can I tell the difference? I think I know what my purpose is, and what I'm supposed to be doing to move toward that purpose... but... I just can't seem to translate this into action.

I was given a vision (through a reading) that excited and inspired me, but I am having blocks in actually translating it into something physical. So... forum readers... how do you... get off your butt and take action?

And btw, I'm not a lazy kind of person. Some would actually call me Type-A. So I am having a problem grappling with sitting on my butt about this.

Thoughts anyone?

[Angela]

Originally Posted by firefly

You could take out "faith" and insert "surrender" and that sentence would read the same for me. ....

Isn't it fascinating how we can find such diverse paths to "living a life I love"?

Yeah.... I love language, and its power to inspire me, and I love that there are so many shades and variations of inspiration for different people in words. Underneath, though, I think we're all interested in the same junk and stuff.