RANDOM THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, A MIND AT WORK, OR PLAY
Here,
I post thoughts, ideas, and other stuff that I have seen, read, or
heard. Feel free to enter your own comments, or to pass anything
here
along to someone who may be interested.
What I Believe
I
was baptized and raised Presbyterian. Sometime in my 20s, during
the 1960s, I began to question the beliefs of my youth. I lurched
from staunch belief to nihilism. As time progressed, I spent
little time in spiritual contemplation because I was working fulltime,
learning the intricacies of marriage, and acquiring possessions.
Over time, I began to feel that I was drifting, floating in a boat of
meaninglessness on an ocean of emptiness. I had much I could
touch and grasp, but I knew all that was temporary. Indeed,
everything I knew would end. How then could I find meaning to my
life, know why I was here, and know what I should do with all that I
possessed? I thought of how organized religions had evolved from
the earliest caveman ceremonies to our times. I knew that I could
not live by codes of conduct formed by groups of people coming to
agreement on matters earthly or spiritual. I no longer believed
in the theories of a god, salvation and the afterlife. I became
convinced that I had to live simply and contentedly, and that there
were guides out there to help me achieve my goal. I started
reading books on Buddhism, and books authored by the Dalai Lama.
I am not a practicing Buddhist, but I do find much in Buddhism that is
in tune with the spiritual life I wish to live. One of the key
elements of Buddhist thought is that all beings wish to be happy and
avoid suffering. I believe that to avoid suffering one must, as
much as possible, put aside one’s own wants and do whatever one
can to help alleviate the suffering of others. The suffering of
others is oftentimes greater than your own, and by helping alleviate
the suffering of others, you tend to forget your own. By the same
token, helping others can cause their happiness as well as your
own. Finally, I have one belief that takes precedence over all
others: I believe in optimism. There is no better medicine for
your spiritual ills than to know that they can be overcome and that the
power rests in each of us to make the changes necessary for us to be
happy and avoid suffering. I believe we need not be concerned
with what happens after our time here is over. I do not fear
death, but see it as a passageway to whatever may wait beyond.
What that may be I can only conjecture. There will be no choice
but to accept it. I cannot compare myself to others or assign
positive or negative attributes to them or to life’s
events. I believe we should fully experience every moment with
mindfulness and then let it go. Trying to hold onto is what
creates suffering. What matters most is how we all treat and help
each other. Our spiritual rewards come to us in this life.
They are the thankful smiles of others, their laughter, their hands
shaking ours.