When Faith Is Gone

Few social habits rely more heavily on the embodiment of symbols to convey a message than religion —or religious beliefs. It doesn’t matter what faith one believes in, or if one believes in a faith at all. The power of the embodied gods —whether in their appearance or in abstract forms— elicits a reaction that doesn’t come from the prefrontal cortex.

Indeed, projecting personal feelings or worldviews onto an object is not peculiar to religion. However, there is a substantial difference between worshipping a branded car or the uniform of a football club and a symbol that reminds us of the inevitability of our final journey.

In fact, Italy is not a very religious country anymore; still, religion remains an important part of many people’s daily lives, and the symbols of Christianity are generally respected. This is why, when I saw these two crucifixes left out I was compelled to take this photo.

The basement on whose windowsill the icons were left was abandoned. There were no remnants or rubbish, it was an empty place but for the two icons, left there because, maybe, those who removed all the things from inside did not have the strength to dispose of these symbols as well. In the meantime, nobody seems to care for the icons. From their appearance it is clear that they have been there for a long time, and nobody has thought to give them a new altar, no matter how small. Still, it seems that nobody, not even the municipal street cleaners could take them away.

I can’t stop thinking about the contradiction captured by this photo. The faith has gone; there is no longer a place for Jesus in the souls of those who have disposed of the icons. However, it was impossible to completely escape the grip of what these icons represent, so they were superstitiously left untouched.