(no subject)
Funny thing, religion. And there’s a fine line in talking about it. You can express your beliefs in various ways, but flat out talking about them at times can be difficult. Because there aren’t always words that make sense to anyone but yourself. Sure, sure, there’s the idea of not being ashamed and saying what you believe loud and proud. But I don’t think that’s always the best idea. As soon as you try to vocalize that which is above language, you’re lessening it, misconstruing the intention no matter how just. And as with all communication, it leads to interpretation.
And we interpret based on personal experience. No two people having the same experiences, this can make things difficult. I envy those who can find happiness and contentment with the standard world of organized religion, but even after several years of personally being involved in the life of the avid churchgoer, the things that didn’t make sense to me then still don’t make sense to me now. But I’ve really come to terms with that. The longer we live, the more we find out we don’t know so why stress over it. Learn what ya can, don’t turn a blind eye to a blinking light, go camping every now and again.
I think I have a pretty active and enjoyable “spiritual” life (though I always hate these crazy New Age connotations of terms). It’s not something I necessarily share nor feel the need to. I’m only really sharing now to (as is usually my selfish case) get some thoughts out so I can develop them a bit better in my own head. One of the better purposes of language if you ask me. Or Helen Keller.
I’ve mentioned before that I rarely feel any sort of “Hand of God” pushing me forth in my decisions. I get the Eyebrow quite frequently and sometimes even a threatened “I’m-Gonna-Flick-You-On-The-Ear of God” - sort of a “make your own decisions but don’t be stupid about it; you know better” type of thing. And the only reason I don’t straight out attribute it to self is simply because it’s more that ping of conscience, of rectitude that seems logically without reason. Not an idea saying “don’t do this because you’ll get in trouble” or what not, but simply an idea of “do the right thing.”
There’s also the Smirk when you do something sort of amusing and the irony’s in the fact that there’s no one around to see it. Or if you see something serendipitous to whatever might be going on in your life that seems to have such a random chance of actually being there. Sort of a nod, an acknowledgement.
See, in almost every religious base, it’s supposed to be about a relationship. Strip everything else off, that’s the heart of the matter. And like every relationship, it’s about give and take, about certain levels of compromise. We’re not perfect, we’re not going to be. We can’t be. And no matter how wonderfully a person tries to live their life, they’re going to always find new faults within themselves. It doesn’t damn us or make us unfit. Nor does it make us unworthy. I’ve never understood that idea that we’re not worthy. The thought of that seems an insult to creation. You don’t have to be prideful to feel worthy in the presence of the universe, but if you feel confident with your relationship with that universe, with the fact that the same creator that put forth billions of stars put you forth with the same effort but with more love. Makes a bloke feel…so proud.
Give and take. Our lives won’t be driven to ruin if we veer off course now and again. It’s what we do. We look down to see what’s on the radio and when we look up, we assume we’re where we should be but you never know when you’re going to look up to a semi. Or an orphan.
See, there went the Eyebrow. And I throw up my hands and say, “Joke! No harm done. What?!” And then the Smirk. And sometimes after that you get the Sigh of “what am I going to do with you?” And I smile.
I’m sure there are plenty of much more stern ideas that come through, but I’ve rarely been on the receiving end. I said rarely, not never. But that’s the nice thing about having this active conscience, a healthy relationship - it allows you to hopefully avoid most of the dirty looks, the Consternation Foot Tapping or the ever popular “Why, I oughta…” Fist Shake.
And how are we taught to avoid such things? Experience. Practice bringing closer to perfection. When I was alone in Paris at six in the morning and realized I didn’t even have money to get me back to the university in Spain (yeah, always have to throw in some story from Spain…), I can’t recall having even a fleeting moment of panic. I think the thought, “huh, this should be interesting” passed through my head and I wandered off to enjoy the day. And I did, too. I guess I could have been worried but from experience, I’ve learned that things always work themselves out one way or another. So why waste the effort worrying? I had faith that I was taken care of. Now, mind you, I wasn’t thinking, “okay, I’ll enjoy myself while He talks to the guy at the train station” or anything so pro-active, but I knew that things would turn out how they should turn out. And they did. I had a fantastic time and not only did I learn a lot, I gained a heck of a lot of confidence within my own ability. I knew I could survive with what I’ve been given so long as I kept my head on straight.
That’s but one instance of many in the past years where I found myself completely without panic, fear or any sense of impending doom. I’m pretty laid back really, and that’s why. Ya gotta have faith, ta-faith, ta-faith. And none of that blind stuff. Rather, you need the kind you can drag through the mud. Or the streets of Paris. When you’re young, the Faith of Innocence will see you through, but once your mind matures enough to understand the forces of the real world, it can be a world of hurt without the proper experience or knowledge.
To wrap things up, I’ll reiterate that a lot of my personal spiritual beliefs come from Serendipity, Conscience and the Faith of Experience. I enjoy my time on this Earth and feel woefully blessed just about every day, no matter how miserable that particular day might be shaping up. Cheesy enough for ya? Well, no worries. As I said, it’s not always needed to proclaim your ideas to the world. If it’s needed, it’ll happen, right? Serendipity!
You fit in with:
Spiritualism
Your ideals are mostly spiritual, but in an individualistic way. While spirituality is very important in your life, organized religion itself may not be for you. It is best for you to seek these things on your own terms.
60% spiritual.
100% reason-oriented.
Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com
*grin*