Dear Editor,
“Whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you are right.” The preceding quote from Henry Ford continues to resonate throughout the short history of man, inspiring and motivating multitudes in its wake. Ford’s famous and timeless quote has no doubt over time become permanently etched in the minds of countless humans, never departing from their consciousness. Presumably, it must have played a pivotal role in the conception, birth and reign of his automobile empire. Similarly, the historical Jesus Christ of the bible if indeed he performed “miracles” must have been able also to achieve his supernatural feats after believing first with every fibre of his being that he can.
Henry Ford, like Jesus Christ, like so many others were able to convince themselves that any conceivable outcome or possibility that is stored internally is attainable once one is capable of removing any iota of doubt from one’s awareness. As humans including Jesus Christ, Henry Ford, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, etcetera, etcetera, we seem to share in equal doses a predisposition and impulse that enable us to accomplish a psychological state that assures us something is true even in the absence of proof.
But of course it’s quite understandable and reasonable too for us to think and conclude that the idea of just believing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. As simply persuading oneself that something is achievable or true in the absence of supporting proof doesn’t automatically translate or is equivalent to absolutely guaranteeing its manifestation or coming into being. Evidently, there are other forces and factors that partake in the realization of one’s goals held internally, whether it be material, spiritual or mental. The gestation period from the conception to birth of one’s internally stored beliefs does require also physical and mental labour which apparently seems to vary with different individuals.
Seemingly, some among us seems to labour disproportionately less than others to bring about similar circumstances. There is purportedly an ideal internal state that one has to emulate or assume first, which subsequently influences other contributing factors such as physical exertion necessary for achieving one’s aim. Since this state of one’s mind when in belief mode is not perceptible and remains largely immeasurable and unobservable it becomes humiliatingly difficult to articulate. So, when we claim that we believe, how do we know that we believe when we cannot say definitively what it means for one to believe.
Believing is a highly subjective matter that is at best unlearnable. Ford might have been right and so was Christ in particular when he said, “Believe and it shall be done for you.” But regrettably both men were aware of their limitations to provide provable accounts of the psychological state that characterises what it means to believe. They (Ford and Christ) were acutely aware that believing resides outside of the faculty of the intellect and couldn’t be accessed and understood by intelligence. To experience the state of mind Ford, Christ and others advocated for by way of their inspiring quotes requires one to enter into contact with these titans and that, I am terribly afraid, is easier said than done.
This confidence without clarity which distinguishes believing in the absence of proof is an inspiring and powerful force which motivates us all to act convinced of a particular outcome even when we are surrounded by evidence that points to the contrary. Depending on the intensity of our inner convictions our spirits ignite causing it to burn in some cases uncontrollably throughout our bodies. Those who toil ceaselessly fuelled by this inner confidence and burning will persevere and labour incessantly until their beliefs are made manifest. They are so consumed by an unwavering certainty that reassures the externalisation of what is held within that their bodies now become enslaved and subservient to their inner beliefs so much so, that it ceases to be cared for, regarded and respected.
Sadly, there aren’t any known litmus tests or units of measurement to quantify or examine the strength or force of our beliefs; nothing to say or inform us how much we actually believe in the likely manifestation of our goals. And even if some among us are able to attain absolute belief unawares – they somehow unknown to themselves have assumed the psychological state that characterises absolute belief – this might very well be wholly inadequate in the realisation of their beliefs.
So, Henry Ford’s “whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you are right” and Jesus Christ’s “believe and it shall be done for you” may very well be just what they are; just purely inspiring quotes and statements. Ford and Christ, amongst other authors of motivating quotes that call one to believe, probably were unable to articulate and verify the complex processes involved from believing in the conception of an idea to its birth, leaving us instead with rather highly stimulating but at best unverifiable and empirically impoverished statements.
Orlando Patterson
