Faith - A Sword of Damocles ?

By Aakarsh Sharma

Abstract

“Faith: A Sword of Damocles?” explores the fragile balance between strength and surrender that defines human trust. The essay questions whether faith is a symptom of weakness or a refined expression of courage. Through a reflection that traverses both scepticism and reverence, it argues that reliance—though born of vulnerability—can become the crucible through which endurance is forged. The piece invites readers to confront their own hierarchies of belief, tracing how gods are not merely born from fear but sculpted from humanity’s need to rise beyond it. In this paradox, faith transforms from a burden into an instrument of transcendence.

Acknowledgement

This piece was written in a moment of quiet confrontation—with doubt, with pride, and with the strange tenderness that lies between them. I owe gratitude not to any single mentor or influence, but to every fleeting instance where conviction trembled and yet endured. The essay owes its shape to that tension ; to the fragile courage it takes to trust again after disillusionment. If these words resonate, it is because they carry not certainty but the echo of inquiry. To those who continue to question without bitterness, who dare to believe without blindness , this is for you.

Short Essay 

Trust, in its essence, is nothing more than reliance a trait bound to the faint of heart, a fault of the timid. Such feebleness, such dependence, has no place among the resolute. One ought not to demand trust but rather allegiance. Faith, however, is of an altogether different breed, for to trust anyone entirely is a folly beneath which no soul of strength should fall. Yet, despite this conviction, I have found none, not even myself, possessing the fortitude to wholly adhere to this ideal. All beings, inescapably tethered to their own vulnerability, are compelled to submit. Survival, it seems, demands trust , trust in another who, in their eyes, surpasses them, in worth and capability.

And in the effort to elude this burden, those deemed worthy look ever upward, their gaze fixed upon beings even mightier. The superior, too, seek those stronger, more infallible, upon whom they can place their belief. Thus, are kings crafted from this hierarchy of dependence, and thus

"Gods are born"

Yet, there exists a contrary view: that trust, rather than a crutch, is the very institution that arms us with the resolve to confront calamity and triumph over adversity. When faith is placed in those beings who are not only stronger but also more righteous and compassionate, it begs the question—are the gods we create symbols of our frailty, or are they testaments to our resilience?

I, in truth, do not possess the answer to this query that I pose. Yet, I am inclined to believe the latter holds true. In the grand tapestry of existence, it is faith and trust that act not as shackles, but as tools—mechanisms for our own evolution, guiding us through the endless corridors of time.

Don't you think so ?

By Aakarsh Sharma