Prague

There are times when I hear the phrase 'faith in humanity lost' or 'faith in humanity restored'. And every time I do, I can't understand why your faith would be lost in the first place. Maybe it is the expectations. But no one can be good all of the time, and sometimes humans do horrible things. But I've never lost faith that people are essentially good, and that everyone is striving to do their best.

I have seen amazing things. Humans have accomplished so much. And almost all of it is in the name of faith. If I ever doubt for a moment, I have a thousand instants to recall, should my faith waver I know exactly which moments prove my beliefs. And one of those moments was in Prague.

Across from the Charles Bridge is a cathedral. It is large and very beautiful on the inside. It also happens to have amazing acoustics. On our first evening in Prague, we went and saw a concert. There were only three instruments, a violin, the organ, and female soprano. Instead of standing in front of the audience, all three performers were in the Organ loft above and behind where the audience sat in the pews. And when they performed it was magic.

The woman had an incredible voice. It projected and blended throughout the cathedral, and it was beautiful. And all I could think was, if God looks down upon the earth at this moment, he will see all the tragedy and horror. People starving, wars, diseases we learned to cure years ago, tons of pollution, and an appalling apathy for all these things. But he will also look down on this little church, which was crafted with love and devotion and he will hear this music that was inspired by love and faith, and hear this sublime voice raised in song and if he is ever tempted to destroy the world, to wipe humanity from its surface, this will stay his hand. We are capable of immense tragedy and horrors. But the depth of our depravity is matched only by the peerless hights of our sacred endeavours. When we destroy, we can destroy utterly. But when we create, we can make something so beautiful, it can move the world to tears.

That is our saving grace. And when humanity seems lost, when all hope has faded, I remember a time when it seemed the voice of heaven itself rang through the church which has stood for hundreds of years, and know that humanity cannot be truly lost as long as these things remain.