In describing differences between “belief” and “faith”, Alan Watts wrote, “...you can only know God through an open mind just as you can only see the sky through a clear window. You will not see the sky if you have covered the glass with blue paint.”
In this metaphor the blue paint represents a belief about the color of the sky. But, of course, to say, “The sky is blue,” is to communicate a terribly limited understanding of what the sky is, even if it’s mostly true. Faith requires a more open, clear acceptance of, and openness to, what the sky is, beyond words.
I was moved by this idea via Maria Popova’s blog The Marginalian, and so I wanted to see it visualized.
