There’s a pointed line of questioning that can be applied to anyone at any time which, given that the subject being questioned has enough patience, will reveal to you (and possibly even them) what they put their faith in. The matter of if someone has a faith or not is invalid and this line of questioning is evidence enough for that. Another nugget of evidence is the simple fact that most people in the world at this very moment haven’t given up entirely on life, on existing, on being. That’s the definition of faith: a believing hope in something that cannot be known. But this isn’t about faith per se, it’s about exhibiting the causation that faith has on things far broader than what you believe to be your greater purpose. Down to the last second of every moment of every part of your life. Below, the questioner’s identity is agnostic and the answers are my own. Take what you will from my answers, but pay close attention to the direction of the questions and feel free to use this tactic to help you understand the identity and motivations behind those who don’t find you too annoying in a fairly expedient fashion.

The setting is a normal week day at my place of work, during a session, coaching an athlete.

Why are you here? Well, we had previously scheduled a session for this time and place and I wanted to keep to that; they pay me to be here as well as I want to be able to provide my service to this athlete.

What service do you provide exactly? Formally stated, I coach athletes in strength and conditioning so that they have a more robust and resilient tool (their body) to practice and compete in the sports they play.

And what about not formally stated? That’s a long answer in full. In short, I hope to educate them both in training/nutrition/recovery/health as well as in life/relationships/responsibility/character/values/principles. I aim to make myself into a positive figure of influence and growth be it direct or indirect.

So why are you here, doing this, instead of something else that would allow you to have more impact on the front of your non-formally-stated services? As a young athlete, I was talented and had a good work ethic, but I had little-to-no people in my life with either the knowledge or desire to guide me in the way of training or the importance of it.

Why does how you train matter so much? Anecdotally, because had I been given the guidance of my present self when I was younger, I would now be healthier and I also would have had the opportunity to fulfill my athletic career potential.

And why does making the most out of an athletic career matter? What is the importance of training? That’s another deep answer. Deeper than most believe. The ones who do believe in it often cannot articulate it.

Well, if you can’t articulate it, you can’t really answer my first question. Sports and training both have deep roots in the foundation of human experience. Each is slightly different, but their history and relevance in all cultures is evidence of their importance. Sports haven’t always existed in the sense that we understand them now, but competition and play have. Play is a psychological testing ground for how we fit into society. It has parameters like rules, winners, losers, strategy, the morality of cheating or fair play, and sportsmanship - which is generally the ability to best another or be bested within the parameters of the game, but to not allow your emotions on that result to negatively affect your character outside the parameters of the game. Competition is inherent to nature. It’s the same thing as survival. It’s colder. The parameters aren’t something you can manipulate. If you try, the consequences can be as severe as death or worse. It’s the way of this existence and you can’t get around it. That’s why training is important. It’s a microcosm of a growth mindset. The concept that regardless of who you are or what your place in life is, there’s room for growth. That means there are an infinite amount of improvements that can happen as well as work to be done. This can be daunting or exciting, but the fact remains that once you stop training, you stop living. Training doesn’t have to mean in a gym with weights, it doesn’t even have to be physical training (although we live in a physical world at the moment), but it does mean growth, improvement, constant death of self to make room for more and for better.

If you’re right about ceasing to live once you stop growing, why do you continue to grow? What are you growing towards? Why does it matter if you’re going to die either way? My professional, moral, and relational growth are downstream from my spiritual health. Because that realm of experience is so peripheral, I often have to make judgments on who I am as a person based on the impact of my decisions in the real world. Bad people do bad things. Good people do good things. If I can look into an honest mirror, I can see the fruits of my labor clearly and determine what kind of place my heart and soul is in. On the matter of death, I believe that what we choose to believe in and what we do in this life not only echoes in eternity, but determines whether we experience more life, or an eternal death.

So your principles pertaining to your profession, they aren’t integral to your identity? You don’t hold a religious faith in what you do as a job? No.

So what purpose does your job serve, then, if it doesn’t directly reflect what you have faith in? I believe my job offers elements that serve as paths leading upward to what I do have faith in, such as fellowship, sacrifice, beauty, humility, and personal responsibility.

Why are you here? To practice my faith.

Please understand that this line of questioning is intended to pin someone down on their beliefs (or lack thereof) of their purpose, and that it doesn’t always end on a positive or even definitive note. You can begin with why someone is doing what they’re doing at any given moment. Whether we realize it or not, everything we do is founded on a basis of faith. Sometimes it's faith in something we don’t think we believe in or even realize. Sometimes it's faith in something we deem unworthy. You can even try this practice with yourself. Write it down. Take your time. Just know that honest mirrors are hard to come by.