On Faith, Life and Ingmar Bergman

[Wetzelbill]

This is my latest column for Op-Ed News.


An Essay On Faith, Life and Ingmar Bergman

by Bill Wetzel



As a child, I frequently fantasized about capturing a genie in a bottle.

What would I do with my three wishes? Money. I typically dreamed of money. And as evidenced by my purchasing of a lottery ticket from time to time, the illusion of wealth is not a wish that dies off with age and supposed wisdom.

Maybe another wish was world peace? I’ve always been somewhat of an idealist, so that seems right. I think sometimes I wished for the most beautiful woman in the world. I’ve always been a guy, so that seems viable. I may have wished to be president. I have basically been insane most of my life, so that seems pertinent.

That middle wish often changed.

However, the first and third never did.

It was always “to be rich.”

And something else.

My third wish was one derived from fear. As a child I was raised in a loosely Catholic household. The strong faith was there, but my parents weren’t overly strict practitioners. Mainly, I was taught that it was good to practice your faith on your own and of your own volition. However, this practice should be powerful and resolute.

So I was staunch in my Christian faith.

I always have been and probably always will be.




http://www.opednews.com/articles/life_a_bill_wet_070801_an_essay_on_faith_2c_l.htm