Is belief good enough to get us our wishes?

A growing number of people now firmly believe that if they believe in something firmly enough, it will happen. It's left unsaid, but along with this fervent belief in fervent belief, comes the corollary that the rest - effort, planning, acumen, the brass tacks, etc - will automatically follow, or they don't really matter much. We come from the opposite end of the thought street, but this, admittedly, is a very powerful idea. And, if true, we will eat crow, hat or whatever object is required to be eaten to admit that we are wrong to believe that will or belief alone won't get you much farther than the bus stop you got up on.

'Tapasya', from 'tapa', heat in Sanskrit, means meditating upon something deeply, and generating 'heat and energy' in the process of extreme concentration and self-control. It is a task, and a hard task at that, which goes into a tunnel of pure focus until the present work at hand is done. But in the world of quickie-belief, you 'do tapasya' as a fervent prayer, perhaps on one leg to show the seriousness of your belief. Then, after usually a long time, some god will be satisfied enough to grant you your wish. Whether it's wanting India to be a $5 trillion economy, or you wanting a Lamborghini, this theory believes that wanting something bad enough will get it for you. We're still sceptics, but are willing to wait and see.