The greatest advantage of being a citizen in a democracy is that I can enjoy freedom, not only of religion, but also freedom from religion. Even though there are many religions that purport to have a monopoly on the eternal, ultimate truth, this is not really the nature of the life on earth. To stop evolving in real life is to be dead.
It is simply easier to control and invent memories of what already happened than to control what may happen next. Is this why so many religions focus on the suffering of death rather than the stress and uncertainty of continuing to grow? Fear of the future is not life-giving; it simply promotes stagnation. Stagnation always leads to untimely death.
I have never trusted strict adherence to ritual or tradition because the amount of grief that the collective is to share whenever anything happens to disrupt the status quo seems out of place in a growth-oriented society. It seems to me that any who live only to maintain that with which they are already comfortable might as well be wax figures of themselves. If we don't want to evolve, what good is it continuing to soak up the energy of life?
A partner once told me that it is easy to be perfect if we never do anything. That seems to be the way to salvation for many people; they would rather not do anything than risk making a few honest mistakes. I have always figured that life was a balancing act; it is better to mess up some things than to never attempt to be part of any solutions to existing problems.
I have made many mistakes in my efforts to make everyone I meet feel welcome at my table. I have also lost many tables in my seeking to include everyone, but I must continue to seek and celebrate any good that I see. To do otherwise is killing me.
It has never been in my nature to be afraid because I always had the ability to obtain guidance from those who could assist me with their knowledge and wisdom. I have been misguided more than I like to admit by those who pretended to have answers that they did not possess. I have survived all the charlatans, liars, and hypocrites, so far, and will surely survive many more before I die. This is the price I pay for my never-ending quest for enlightenment. I have gained more than I have had taken from me, so I choose to continue in my quest.
I don't seek to control any outcomes with my acquired information; I simply seek to share it with those who want a wise and willing person with whom to brainstorm. I am a minister, but I don't seek to be a priest for the administering of ritual, a prophet for predicting future events, or a guru to guide those who have trouble finding their own paths. I simply want to be available to those who need a way station to gather themselves on their journeys through life and faith.
It is simply easier to control and invent memories of what already happened than to control what may happen next. Is this why so many religions focus on the suffering of death rather than the stress and uncertainty of continuing to grow? Fear of the future is not life-giving; it simply promotes stagnation. Stagnation always leads to untimely death.
I have never trusted strict adherence to ritual or tradition because the amount of grief that the collective is to share whenever anything happens to disrupt the status quo seems out of place in a growth-oriented society. It seems to me that any who live only to maintain that with which they are already comfortable might as well be wax figures of themselves. If we don't want to evolve, what good is it continuing to soak up the energy of life?
A partner once told me that it is easy to be perfect if we never do anything. That seems to be the way to salvation for many people; they would rather not do anything than risk making a few honest mistakes. I have always figured that life was a balancing act; it is better to mess up some things than to never attempt to be part of any solutions to existing problems.
I have made many mistakes in my efforts to make everyone I meet feel welcome at my table. I have also lost many tables in my seeking to include everyone, but I must continue to seek and celebrate any good that I see. To do otherwise is killing me.
It has never been in my nature to be afraid because I always had the ability to obtain guidance from those who could assist me with their knowledge and wisdom. I have been misguided more than I like to admit by those who pretended to have answers that they did not possess. I have survived all the charlatans, liars, and hypocrites, so far, and will surely survive many more before I die. This is the price I pay for my never-ending quest for enlightenment. I have gained more than I have had taken from me, so I choose to continue in my quest.
I don't seek to control any outcomes with my acquired information; I simply seek to share it with those who want a wise and willing person with whom to brainstorm. I am a minister, but I don't seek to be a priest for the administering of ritual, a prophet for predicting future events, or a guru to guide those who have trouble finding their own paths. I simply want to be available to those who need a way station to gather themselves on their journeys through life and faith.
