Documented Insolence: What is this "faith" of which you speak?

I have been watching Star Trek Enterprise lately. I originally stopped somewhere in the middle of the season after the Zindi attacked. As always, local stations do such a bad job of presentation, I sometimes just think "I'll wait a few years." Somehow I found my place on Netflix and am pleasantly surprised about how much I am enjoying the remaining episodes in the series.

One thing that struck me though (since I have been writing this insolent blog which most often delves into faith vs. science) is the theme song. I always felt it was a great intro after I got used to lyrics in a Star Trek theme. (After the positively endless Voyager theme, I liked this fairly easily. :) )

Of course, what strikes me on hearing it again are the lyrics. "Faith" is mentioned a lot. It is "faith of the heart." Perhaps the idea is that the human species has the most heart and emotions which has often been a Star Trek theme since Spock first raised an eyebrow in response to Captain Kirk.

Science fiction of course is not science, but I think it is often where people get a good understanding of science or certainly where many of us got our love of science. Science fiction books were a substantial part of my teenage reading list.

I wonder though, what is this faith? Because I think Star Trek Enterprise nails the issue of having a faith in science or humanity in its opening titles. History, progress, technology, exploration, it is all there.

Yet, I have grown to question this faith as I learned more about humankind. As I learned about atrocities conducted in the name of science and, yes, religion, I seem to have much less faith in humanity to do the right thing. As profits become the main factor driving everything, I wonder, can I believe that we can all be together as a community as the ideals of Star Trek hypothesize for our future?

It takes faith, I guess.

It's been a long road
Getting from there to here
It's been a long time
But my time is finally near
And I can feel the change in the wind right now
Nothing's in my way
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No, they're not gonna hold me down

'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith, faith of the heart

It's been a long night
Trying to find my way
Been through the darkness
Now I finally have my day
And I will see my dream come alive at last
I will touch the sky
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No, they're not gonna change my mind

I've known the wind so cold, I've seen the darkest days
But now the winds I feel, are only winds of change
I've been through the fire and I've been through the rain
But I'll be fine

'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got strength of the soul
No one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith, faith of the heart
It's been a long road

Contrast with the no lyrics Voyager clocking in at 1:40... the most boring opening sequence ever:

What the hell were they thinking? :) Dazzling is only dazzling a few times. 1:40 of used-to-be dazzling is... gees... irresponsible. :)

All of this music should instill in you the wonder of science.... fiction. These opening credits perform the same function as cathedrals. The hum of the ship... the stained glass windows.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

What is this "faith" of which you speak?