Plenary, 12 Nov 2008

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Official Report 430KB pdf

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Time for Reflection

Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is Munuza Sheikh from the Scottish Interfaith Council.

Good afternoon. For today's reflection, I will talk about my personal experience of faith, because it is what I feel most passionate about. I prefer to tell my own stories rather than someone else's—in that way, you are more likely to hear something new and, I hope, vaguely interesting.

When I was asked to do today's time for reflection, I panicked. When I started thinking about it, I did not have anything to talk about that would not put people to sleep in the first 30 seconds. I asked my friends and family and even random strangers whom I thought looked friendly, but even though they gave me great advice, I just did not feel inspired. I went for a walk on the beach with my friends. I happened to look up at a moment when a huge wave that was a little bigger than me came crashing down on the shore. I was instantly enchanted and I waited for the next one. I was in awe of something so beautiful. I had never seen waves that big before.

That is when I remembered why I believe in God. It is not so that I can get a first-class ticket to heaven, although, sure, that would be fun. It is because I saw something so profound in that wave that I could only class it as the beauty of God. I saw something bigger than all of this, reflected in the power of nature, in the comfort of a cool breeze on a hot day and in the smile of an innocent child. That is why I believe in God—because of the beauty in the world today, and so that I have something to say thank you to. The wonder of a wave and the complex structure of a single cell are just as beautiful.

I say thank you every day for being human so that I can see these things and be in awe of them, and also for the opportunity to reflect upon their creation. If someone asked me why I have faith in the existence of God, I would quote the excellent words of William Blake:

"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower".

I have faith so that I can be thankful for all the things that come my way, be they good, bad or even very strange. It makes me think, and that is one thing that I wish to do forever.