My lifelong quest for spiritual knowledge has lead me in many directions with each new direction leaving me as empty as the last. When I finally reached the point of realizing that I am what I am and that for me God does not exist it was a point in my life that has come with both the feeling of great liberation and immense sadness. My sadness isn't due to not finding God, but of feeling true empathy for the pain anyone experiences who comes out of their closet. Living in any tightly sealed closet is like living in a coffin, but coming out doesn't always involve love, compassion and the support from those people who claim they love us.
Although I do know how it feels to be judged, this time is different. This time I see just how little tolerance there really is in the world and that instead of people viewing each other as brothers and sisters and accepting each other's differences, I see how people want everyone to view life as they do. They want each person to be a cookie cutter version of themselves with no deviation. I want to scream, "I do not share the same desire." I appreciate the differences people have because I know without them life would be a very humdrum experience. Without them there would be no food for thought or choices to make. I also can and will continue to respect a person's right to believe or not believe in any higher power or lower power if they so choose. I can't or won't say a person's relationship with any God is a figment of their overactive imagination because I believe reality is what a person perceives it to be. Having a relationship with God simply is not a relationship I have nor one I feel I need as validation of being a good person. I don't believe religion holds exclusivity on bringing out the goodness in mankind. If it did, the world would be a much better place than it is.
I think we all believe what we need to believe. I know many find great comfort in their faith and feel a need to worship. Perhaps there is some validity to Karl Marx's claim religion is the "opiate of the masses."
Again, I have never found that numbing comfort nor the urgent need to worship as others have, but I will stand in support of a person's right to choose to worship or not. I will not stand in judgment nor will I belittle a person when their opinions and beliefs don't match mine. Yes, I will state how I feel, but in doing so I don't NEED anyone else to tell me I'm right...or wrong. Ideally, I'd just like the people journeying through life with me to accept me for who I am and to accept I am a good person without religion being at the core of who I am. And ideally, this is just a WANT and not a NEED!
Gratitude statement: I'm grateful for the inner strength I have especially at times of great adversity.
*Repost October 4, 2011
I like Mildredism. Personally, I'm more fascinated by how and why people believe than I am by what they believe.
ReplyDeleteour similarities in thought and deed are often times scary...in a good way, of course.
ReplyDeleteabout mildredism: it's a shame that clarity comes so late in the game, isn't it? me? I want a do-over.
Doug, I like Mildredism, too!
ReplyDeleteJnuts, have you ever watched the show, The Big C? It's about a cancer patient who among other things is in a medical trial testing new cancer drugs. She mets another patient who turns out to be her inner mirror image and coins the term "molemate" after the cancerous moles they both have...I think we just might be molemates without the cancer.
molemate. me likey. me also liking the playlist. a lot. thanks for allowing me to enter the wayback machine on a drab, crapulent day.
ReplyDeleteYour molemate misses you...just saying!
DeleteGood for you! Inner strength in good times and bad will get you through all.
ReplyDeleteInner strength is all I have sometimes.
DeleteI happen to believe, and i happen to believe you are welcome to believe as you want. In fact, i relish discussions with people who believe differently, it makes me be clear in my views and teaches me more about the views of others.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
Delete