I think we spend so much of our lives trying to pretend that we

“I think we spend so much of our lives trying to pretend that we know what’s going to happen next. In fact, we don’t. To recognize that we don’t know even what will happen this afternoon, and yet having the courage to move forward — that’s one meaning of faith.” Thus spoke Sharon Salzberg, the teacher of mindfulness and compassion, whose voice flows with the calm certainty of one who has looked deeply into the heart of fear and found stillness there. In this saying lies a truth that humanity has sought since its beginning — that faith is not the absence of uncertainty, but the bravery to walk through it.

In her words, Salzberg unmasks the great illusion that binds the human mind — the belief that control over the future is possible. From the first civilizations that watched the stars to predict the harvest, to the modern person checking calendars and forecasts, humankind has sought comfort in the idea of certainty. Yet, as she reminds us, this is only pretending. The truth — as ancient as the first breath — is that the future is veiled. We do not know what the next hour will bring, and no wisdom or wealth can pierce that veil. The wise, then, do not cling to prediction; they cultivate faith, the quiet courage to act amid the unknown.

The ancients called such faith the companion of courage. The Greeks named it tharsos, the boldness of heart that trusts in divine order when reason falters. The Buddhist masters, from whom Salzberg draws her understanding, saw it as saddha, the confidence that arises not from knowing outcomes, but from knowing one’s path. Faith, in this sense, is not a blind leap into darkness; it is a conscious step taken with eyes open, despite not seeing the destination. It is saying, “I do not know, but I will walk.”

Consider the story of Christopher Columbus, who sailed westward into seas that many believed would lead only to an abyss. He did not know what awaited him — land, disaster, or endless ocean. Yet he sailed on, guided not by certainty, but by faith in his vision. Though his journey was flawed and his motives human, the act itself embodies Salzberg’s truth: the courage to move forward without knowing is the seed of discovery. Every explorer, every inventor, every soul who dares to love again after loss, practices this same faith.

But faith is not only the virtue of heroes — it belongs also to the humble, the ordinary, the unseen. The mother who sends her child into the world each morning, the worker who begins a new task not knowing if it will succeed, the patient who takes one more breath in hope of healing — each lives Salzberg’s teaching. They accept the vast mystery of existence and yet rise each day to meet it. This quiet heroism, too, is faith: not the grand gesture, but the steady endurance of uncertainty with an open heart.

When Salzberg speaks of “the courage to move forward,” she reminds us that faith and courage are one. Fear says, “Wait until you are sure.” Faith says, “Step, and the path will appear.” It is the courage of those who act not because they know, but because they trust. In a world that worships control — the planning, the predicting, the constant doing — her wisdom is revolutionary. To live in faith is to surrender the illusion of control, and in that surrender, to find peace. For control is a cage; trust is freedom.

So, what lesson shall we take from this? Live not in the anxious shadow of what might come, but in the living flame of now. Do your work, love your people, and take each step with courage, even when the path is unseen. When fear whispers that the unknown is dangerous, answer with faith that the unknown is also alive — full of possibilities your mind cannot yet imagine. Let faith be not an escape from uncertainty, but a dance within it.

Thus, the teaching of Sharon Salzberg becomes a timeless truth: faith is not belief in promises; it is the strength to walk in mystery. The future will never be tamed — and that is its beauty. To recognize this, and yet to move forward, is the essence of all great lives. So walk with courage, live with trust, and let your every step be a prayer to the unseen — for that is the truest meaning of faith.