“To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists,
manifesting itself as the highest wisdom
and the most radiant beauty,
which our dull faculties can comprehend
only in their primitive forms -
this knowledge, this feeling,
is at the center of true religion.”
– Albert Einstein
For many years now, I’ve been learning an awful lot about religions. And questioning many things that have been drilled into my head over the years. I’ve come to a personal decision that back in the day (thousands of years ago) religions were created to keep tribes or groups in line. This is not to say I don’t believe in God, or a higher/supreme power. I do. But I believe that religions have steered people in the wrong way. To say that it’s acceptable to live the way you want no matter how it hurts another and then be able to just say ‘I’m sorry’ and what you did is wiped away…or to profess your love for all human kind and then kill people in the name of religion is just ludacris to me.
People really don’t ‘practice what they preach’ anymore. You’ve got people writing legislation, for instance, against gay marriage siting the Bible as their basis…and then it comes out that this person is gay. Or you have someone who goes to church every Sunday but is cheating on their spouse during the week. Or someone who can quote at will, their respective holy book yet hates an entire race of people.
Somewhere along the millenniums the purpose of religion itself got skewed. And now what we are left with is a bunch of corporations collecting huge amounts of money. That’s not where I want to be in my existence. I’m more in tune with the Eastern philosophies.
Let’s take good will for example: Good will is a desire for happiness. Wish for everyone to be happy. It’s really that simple. You don’t have to like someone to express good will for them. Just simply wish happiness for that person. And there’s a good reason to wish happiness for those you don’t particularly care for… Because when mean, nasty people suffer, they become even meaner and nastier. Really, to be in such a mind set as to wish good will on those who irritate, aggravate or bother you the most is not only in your best interest….it’s in every one’s best interest, including the interest of every one on this earth. Personally, it’s difficult to be around these types of people. I know I cannot affect their personality flaws but I do know that I can change the way I react to them.
Feeling good will towards everyone is not like sugar coating the whole human race. And I suppose even I can’t pretend that there’s no one that I just ‘can’t stand’. The intention seems to be that if you can be honest and figure out why you don’t care for a person, it’s easier to find good will to extend to them. So that is what I’m going to be working on personally. And to wish someone good will is not simply thinking, “I wish you good will” or to picture them happy. It’s visualizing a real change for that person.
Furthermore, there’s Karma. Karma comes from ’seeds’ that were sewn in the past. Take a look at what you or any person is living in at this moment. These are seeds of past karma starting to grow. How you live your life, think and handle things NOW, will determine your future karma. And if you really think about this last statement, I believe that many religions were started on these principals…it’s just that this original belief may have been lost, misconstrued or tossed out along the way.
And as for that person that you really don’t like…the one you should be wishing good will on? Maybe, just maybe, they are living in their karmic present. Maybe they are reaping what they have sewn. Wish them well on their journey.
I for one am going to focus on developing what is good for my karma. For my soul. I have come to understand that the physical life that I am living here and now is just that. The bigger part of me and very much separate from my body…is my soul. To develop the very essence of ‘me’ is the path on which I’m traveling. It’s difficult and I am just beginning to learn. My physical life is something that is aiding me, I believe, in developing my soul. Merely my vehicle.
*ironically, in the creation of this post, I have learned something very significant in my life. Putting your thoughts into writing is a fabulous thing.
