Whether we Americans realize it or not, most of our lives are spent making, spending, saving, gifting, you name it- money. Why do most of us go to work or school everyday? To make a “living.” It seems like such a silly thing to waste so much of ourselves on. I mean really, we center our lives around glorified pieces of paper? If we should worship anything, shouldn’t it be something more important? The ancient Greeks worshipped beauty and truth. Though that may seem frivolous to some, to me it makes much more sense than the current system- at least the truth part. There are so many wonderul things in this world and it seems like money just brings out the worst in us.
I suggest we start caring more about things like, oh I don’t know, each other? Or maybe this amazing planet we all take advantage of or the beatuy of sensual pleasures and everything around us which inspires us to grow into better individuals?
As I sit at my desk pondering the mysteries of life, I see the bust of a Hindu goddess sitting on my laptop, eyes closed, brows arched, and head adorned with sacred golden chains. This image strangely impresses upon me two very different feelings; a certain sort of peace, as well as disgust at how commercial and degraded religion has become. Whoever bought this mass-produced joke of a sacrament knew nothing of its purpose or meaning within the culture that spawned it. I personally have no idea what the significance of her head adornment or drooping ear lobes is, and so I feel almost embarrassed that it is within my house, let alone in a room that is used primarily for storing things that can’t be put somewhere meaningful. Should I feel guilty for having something that is meaningless to me, yet assumedly very important to many others sitting here, on a computer desk, with nobody to take care of it properly?
This dilemma leads to a more general problem which I mentioned earlier; the degradation of religion. So many people around the world take religions that are not their own for granted. We see it all the time, especially in the Western world, where phrases like “zen” and “karma” have practically nothing to do with their true meaning and where you can be “jokingly” called a Jew or Muslim for maybe doing something that has been stereotyped as being done by those who practice Judaism or Islam. This sort of behavior is downright disrespectful, and I will not deny that I have probably said a few things in the past that were terrible, so if I have insulted anyone that is reading this, I truly apologize.
It seems to me that humans have a natural tendency to think that whatever they believe in is the best thing to believe in (obviously, or why would they choose to believe in it?) and that anything that differs from their belief is stupid or wrong. How arrogant do you have to be to completely dismiss thousands or millions or billions of people just because they have a different opinion? You wouldn’t dismiss your best friend simply because they liked a different sports team than you, and I am in no way saying religion holds the same importance as sports, but the situation really isn’t that dissimilar. In most religions, humility is a virtue. If you don’t have enough humility to open your mind to the idea that your way isn’t the only way, then what does that say about your faithfulness?
Now this might just be the American in me talking, but I truly believe that each and everyone of us has the right to peacefully practice and believe in whatever we want to believe in. I’ve never understood how or why religious groups could combat with other religious groups. As gooey and heart-warming as this sounds, we’re all in this together! We all want to find happiness and peace, and so we should go about it whichever way we want and respect everyone for having the courage to try, even if they aren’t trying exactly the way we’re trying.
Imagine how much happier this world would be if all religiously-based hate was gone…
So next time you want to make a joke about “that Islamic guy’s head towel” or those “crazy bible-thumpers that exorcise the demons,” remember that what seems like a harmless joke to you could actually be spreading negativity and hate. And if you aren’t the one making the joke, remember that laughing at the joke has the same effect as making it. I’m not trying to be a downer here, but some things really do deserve serious contemplation and effort.
None of us are perfect, and sometimes we do things that are very destructive, but I expect all of us to try our very best to be better in order to make the world we live in better, brighter, and happier. After all, what have we got to lose?
How entertaining. Thats actually the first time i compare mankind to an animal, without calling everyone sheep! Oh well. Ever seen ostridges on the tv? In cartoons and the
like, where they get scared and stick their head in the ground? Thats what this is about, because that is what you do. Up here is reality, in the dirt there is nothing.
But for me to do this, we have to get to the question “what is reality?”. Well, I wont try to debate what reality actually is, because what i see as my reality is really just my brain interpreting electrical signals from my senses. And who is to say that the reality I personally am experiencing is real, maybe none of you actually exist. That leads to.. Alright. I’m stopping myself there, because i could go on like this infinitely. And now, thanks to myself, i probably will loose hours of sleep over this matter.. (Now you see what i am going through)
So. In truth, I am not talking about reality, I am talking about escaping from it. From this point on, lets for the next few minutes abolish our sense of existential debate, and go ahead and say that what your brain interprets as reality, is. This is, in essence, what people want to escape from. But can you really?
Getting wasted or getting high, gaming world of warcraft or counter strike. Simply fantasizing yourself away, or pretending to be someone completely different because thats who you think society wants you to be! Everything is fine, in small amounts. But too much of anything isn’t good for you. (Alright, maybe not the pretending to be someone else-part)
Now, I’m not judging anyone. Who am i to sit here and pass out judgement? Quite hypocritical that would be, as I once escaped completely into the World of Warcraft universe. A time when my real life sucked ass, so i emerged myself completely, and ignored real life. I am not ashamed of this, because i got past it and i grew from it.
Well anyway, no matter why and no matter how, people try to get away from the hassle. Why do i blog about it? I’m not sure. It doesn’t really aggravate me, and I’m not sure if i would like it to change. But the fact of the matter is, there are things that are more important than getting high from that joint, or getting better stats at that game.
I wont say stop it. Honestly, Who am i to? I am simply saying that there are more important things. Dont loose yourself, don’t make an alternate reality your real one. The world is a bad place, and you can’t hope to escape the inescapable. When more than half the worlds population is suffering, the world needs you. When 18 000 children die every day of hunger, the world needs you. When something scares the living hell out of you, don’t stick your head in the dirt. Raise it high, and speak aloud.