Love Is The Answer To A Question I've Forgotten
I will preface this by saying that while this is a specific series of questions, I am not angry or pointing the finger at any specific person reading this. I just now have words with which to speak. Please do not take this offensively, don’t be worried about me, but if you feel the need to tirade or anything similar, send me a private message, as it can get ugly on here. <3
We are told sometimes that we are ‘in charge’ of ourselves. Walk in, head down, mind your business, don’t bother anyone, don’t rock the boat, for they know their issues & you can’t change them. But hasn’t showing love to anyone ever changed their day or even their life?
What is the point behind ‘acting well’--it is for ourselves, our future in the Great Beyond? Or is it so that people can see the love that we emanate from our hearts, unjudging & open? To say it’s for your future place in heaven sounds like the epitome of delayed gratification & borderline martyrdom.
Have you ever asked yourself the question: what if it doesn’t exist?
Please, don’t argue with me about whether or not you believe it does/doesn’t. Believe me, I have been through almost every denomination you can think of & have even dabbled in a bit of agnosticism, gasp. I don’t need your words to try to convince me. Don’t think of this as a place to sound-off so some other poor soul, not unlike myself, will hear the words.
I am just asking a simple question to think about in your own mind.
If you’ve never thought about it [& please, please don’t feel bad or stupid if you haven’t] just try to find the most information you can from all sides. Be open. If you want to wax philosophical, there is no question you can answer for certain at all. [it’s called faith, which is, by no means, a curse word or something to be ashamed of]
I heard ‘you think you’re gonna convert the world one person at a time…it doesn’t work’ You can say this for absolutely any endeavor, not just a religious one. A few persistent people come to mind whose main goal is to change the world. I think of a few people who are absolutely adamant that you can’t change a thing. Logic & emotion don’t always [see: rare-to-never] match up for me, so I will say that while I admire the former, my more jaded self leans toward the latter, adding that people only change when they want. Regardless, we need to do what we need to do. How do you figure that out? Depends on the person. Do what you can live without doing & do nothing that you can’t live with yourself for. Figure out the neutral ground. You will find your way. You always have, haven’t you?
While you have to work to find your own way, you don’t have to make it happen. As much as I have given up in situations or started freaking out, thinking ‘I’m really in a pickle now‘, you know, it’s always worked out. Freak out about my car breaking down, I have people more than willing to help transport me around town; freaking out about how much money I don’t have to fix it, calculating how much more in debt I’ll be, my grandmother, unasked, sends me a check that will cover well-beyond the amount due [& will cover my electric bill too] Every day I’m faced with situations & I’ve realized, it’s just about changing the way you think. Essentially, it’s behavior modification: situation a, reaction b, outcome c -> situation a, reaction d, outcome c/e. Worrying never did anything except give me headaches & I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that, to this day. It’s a habit, but habits, thankfully, can change.
Sure, you can go looking for a church in which to ‘feel God’ [or your Higher Power--yes, I’m dealing with AA steps at work nowadays] & it can be done, I assure you. But you know what always works for me: being outside. It’s kind of gross this time of year, even though most of the Pensacola kids are dying for snow [trade you?] But once you realize you can see the Universal Power [look up Om] you will see that you don’t have to wait until Sunday morning to feel it. Regardless of creed or lack thereof, you can detect a certain something which leads, ultimately, to the feeling of peace. Something that doesn’t come through paying your cable bill or going through a drive-thru. It’s that feeling of ultimate well-being, connection with everything. Now I’m getting hippie-ish. ;)
Why do we hear to ‘put away all the things of a child’? Will anyone argue that children have the most peace & joy? A world of difference exists between being ‘childish’ & ‘childlike’ but you can’t completely drop the positive characteristics of children; it’s unfair.
‘We have no time for stupidity & frivolities of this world’--back up to the first big question: what if this is it? Are we not to enjoy ourselves? Are we not meant to enjoy ourselves? Should we feel guilty? I’m big on the guilt thing, in a way, it raised me. But I think as long as it’s not distracting from daily duties, etc., it’s fine, just like anytime you take into classification if something’s abnormal or addictive.
On the last note [I swear] of addiction:
I have seen more love in a room full of drug addicts than in most churches I’ve been in.
Think about it.
We are told sometimes that we are ‘in charge’ of ourselves. Walk in, head down, mind your business, don’t bother anyone, don’t rock the boat, for they know their issues & you can’t change them. But hasn’t showing love to anyone ever changed their day or even their life?
What is the point behind ‘acting well’--it is for ourselves, our future in the Great Beyond? Or is it so that people can see the love that we emanate from our hearts, unjudging & open? To say it’s for your future place in heaven sounds like the epitome of delayed gratification & borderline martyrdom.
Have you ever asked yourself the question: what if it doesn’t exist?
Please, don’t argue with me about whether or not you believe it does/doesn’t. Believe me, I have been through almost every denomination you can think of & have even dabbled in a bit of agnosticism, gasp. I don’t need your words to try to convince me. Don’t think of this as a place to sound-off so some other poor soul, not unlike myself, will hear the words.
I am just asking a simple question to think about in your own mind.
If you’ve never thought about it [& please, please don’t feel bad or stupid if you haven’t] just try to find the most information you can from all sides. Be open. If you want to wax philosophical, there is no question you can answer for certain at all. [it’s called faith, which is, by no means, a curse word or something to be ashamed of]
I heard ‘you think you’re gonna convert the world one person at a time…it doesn’t work’ You can say this for absolutely any endeavor, not just a religious one. A few persistent people come to mind whose main goal is to change the world. I think of a few people who are absolutely adamant that you can’t change a thing. Logic & emotion don’t always [see: rare-to-never] match up for me, so I will say that while I admire the former, my more jaded self leans toward the latter, adding that people only change when they want. Regardless, we need to do what we need to do. How do you figure that out? Depends on the person. Do what you can live without doing & do nothing that you can’t live with yourself for. Figure out the neutral ground. You will find your way. You always have, haven’t you?
While you have to work to find your own way, you don’t have to make it happen. As much as I have given up in situations or started freaking out, thinking ‘I’m really in a pickle now‘, you know, it’s always worked out. Freak out about my car breaking down, I have people more than willing to help transport me around town; freaking out about how much money I don’t have to fix it, calculating how much more in debt I’ll be, my grandmother, unasked, sends me a check that will cover well-beyond the amount due [& will cover my electric bill too] Every day I’m faced with situations & I’ve realized, it’s just about changing the way you think. Essentially, it’s behavior modification: situation a, reaction b, outcome c -> situation a, reaction d, outcome c/e. Worrying never did anything except give me headaches & I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that, to this day. It’s a habit, but habits, thankfully, can change.
Sure, you can go looking for a church in which to ‘feel God’ [or your Higher Power--yes, I’m dealing with AA steps at work nowadays] & it can be done, I assure you. But you know what always works for me: being outside. It’s kind of gross this time of year, even though most of the Pensacola kids are dying for snow [trade you?] But once you realize you can see the Universal Power [look up Om] you will see that you don’t have to wait until Sunday morning to feel it. Regardless of creed or lack thereof, you can detect a certain something which leads, ultimately, to the feeling of peace. Something that doesn’t come through paying your cable bill or going through a drive-thru. It’s that feeling of ultimate well-being, connection with everything. Now I’m getting hippie-ish. ;)
Why do we hear to ‘put away all the things of a child’? Will anyone argue that children have the most peace & joy? A world of difference exists between being ‘childish’ & ‘childlike’ but you can’t completely drop the positive characteristics of children; it’s unfair.
‘We have no time for stupidity & frivolities of this world’--back up to the first big question: what if this is it? Are we not to enjoy ourselves? Are we not meant to enjoy ourselves? Should we feel guilty? I’m big on the guilt thing, in a way, it raised me. But I think as long as it’s not distracting from daily duties, etc., it’s fine, just like anytime you take into classification if something’s abnormal or addictive.
On the last note [I swear] of addiction:
I have seen more love in a room full of drug addicts than in most churches I’ve been in.
Think about it.