There are about 40 recognized faith based belief systems here on our beautiful little space marble. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, the all-encompassing spirituality, and more receive their daily devotional by the millions. On the other hand, around a billion people think we’re floating through the void, just waiting for the lights to go out. That’s all OK by me – in fact, I think it’s time to jump into the entire subject head first.
Every following comes fully equipped with their own variation, or “how-to” manual to go by if you’d like to enjoy the fruits of what the religious deity has to offer. Some religions even state that if you don’t follow the rules “by the book”, that you’ll eternally suffer, live in a ball of flames, or be forced to scoop dog leavings every day for the rest of eternity – something like that.
But what if it’s much simpler? Why do we humans try to over complicate things and separate each other?
I feel that there is a “source” for everything. Call that source whatever you like, be it God, Universe, Source, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster if you will, it makes no difference to me.
One way or another, it all started from that one original point and spawned outward to grow into what is “now”. Although what “is” is only a manifestation of “the source”, everything has it’s unique identity while still remaining one with its roots.
I’ve heard, “Oh no, that religion kills people, this is the ONLY way, etc.”… I’ve come to believe that this is not the case. If you don’t believe me, dig into the diverse culture of the world and you’ll see that the similarities between religion FAR outweigh the differences. Many differences are nothing more than the stories themselves.
Furthermore, I’ve heard that a phrase, quote, or scripture is an act of plagiarism; that one came before the other, and that it’s blasphemy to credit anyone else with a teaching because someone else came by and said it first.
Do you feel that an omnipotent, ever loving God would banish you from the fruits of Heaven for purposely/non-purposely infringing on his/her/it’s copyright and spreading the word of love, light, and positivity?
What if there’s no real “right” answer? What if there’s only a simple set of common principles to follow? If so, are you living those principles in your daily life? That is your spirituality.
Here’s how I see it (please refer to the note above before a mental mountain of malevolence wells up as you read on).
There are a simple set of principles that just about every one following spirituality of any kind has in common:
1. Love yourself
2. Love others
3. Have faith
4. Know that the power of love is infinite
5. Cause no deliberate harm
This seems pretty easy to understand, right? It’s simple, straight-forward, and would fit on less than one page.
Surely I could write hundreds of pages on the topic, but it’s as easy as remembering to practice these principles with every thought, word, action and reaction. You’re really only in control of you; what happens outside of you is merely an experience awaiting your reaction. I’ve seen the most devout of religious folks lose their way in the simplest of situations.
So I ask you, will all the teachings in the world be thrown out the window when they’re needed most, or will you learn to start subconsciously LIVING these practical principles of spirituality with your every moment?
“The earth is what we all have in common.” – Wendell Berry
If I’ve learned ONE thing throughout the course of my spiritual journey so far, it’s that we all have one similarity – we’re human and live on Earth. We must remember that we’re all in this journey together; if we can’t support each other in a positive way to foster the growth of humankind, we’re doing ourselves a disservice; we’re ignoring the necessary glue that holds humanity together.
Think of everyone and their own (non-harmful) belief as just a different color in a crayon box. We’re not all the same, but we are in the same box. And if we don’t stick together how can we possibly fill in a picture with each beautiful color? For example, think of what the world would look like if blue never mixed with yellow, or if red never mixed with blue.
Everyone is on a spiritual journey and should be allowed to travel it – our path in life is both a birthright and necessary for the good of our spirit. If you think we have a “source” or “God”, cool. If you’re just waiting for the lights to go out, hey, that’s fine too, I just hope that this brightens your horizons up a bit.
Final Thoughts
For all I know, my opinion missed the mark by a mile. All I can say is that I’m moving along in this incredible journey of spirituality just as you are, and would love to share conversation with you about it. So, be sure to leave your comments in the conversation below!
