WARNING: RELIGOUS-Y post. Disconnect now and know I love you, or read on for some thought provoking ideas.
I’m a religious mammal. I think about it all the time.
WHY?
I’m not sure there is reason that would satisfy- you or me – for that matter. I’m leery of anyone who would say to anyone- YOU don’t belong… isn’t that the point of RE- LIG- ION? (TO BIND BACK?) It gets exhausting. Justify yourself. Justify others. Justify what someone said. Dependent on where you’re born on the planet- or if we want to be completely scientific about it- at what longitude your were born- and how the people’s skin there reacted to the exposure to the Sun. Scientifically, racially profiling someone is stupid. No one can control where they are born on the planet. The sooner folks get on board with it, the better off we’ll be. And the sooner we’ll start seeing the beautiful souls born all over our planet, the sooner we’ll become a WORLD instead of different nations.
ELEPHANT in the room- I’m a Christian “Little Christ” -So I take that seriously. All the good and bad. I won’t deny it. I’ll accept my/our mistakes. I’m not going to condemn or judge anyone. I’ve made a mess of it plenty, so no high horse here. And, these days, The All-Mighty-Algorithms do that fine without me passing judgement. Your news feed does that without you even knowing it… We need more kindness, less money-driven news feed. Being a Christian- or any religious follower for that matter doesn’t mean you have to prescribe to someone else’s ideas. It mean’s you’ll love EVERYONE else and treat them like they were your GOD incarnate.
T O U G H S T U F F
All I know is that I prescribe to an idea that, “We all belong, we are all loved, and we all are needed”… DEAL with it.
SO back to my reason for keeping up the Science/Sci-FI/Astronomy/Astrophotography blog and the title of my post… DUST.
I attended my church’s “Ash Wednesday” service the day before yesterday. My career and position has been the Youth Director (for almost 25 years now)… meaning, I spend a lot of time with teenagers. I instruct and try to be patient. I don’t have all the answers and I’m quick to tell them that, but I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on, and I try to keep that info at the forefront. Because, let’s be honest, most of the time, we all fake it till we make it. Right? And how many times in your life has anyone ever been there to say to you, “It’s OK, I don’t understand either, but let’s just see what happens”? At least I feel like I’ve been alone and lost a bunch.
HONESTY.
None of us have all the answers. Christianity? No. Islam? No. Judaism? No. Atheism? No. Shinto ( I know- not really a religion but my education insists I call attention to amazing individuals who live by morals-code-honesty-life lessons-experience) but- No. And I might add that I have so many friends of all different faiths who are amazing people. They are all doing the best they can trying to be KIND. <3 to them all!
The fact is, we are ALL just guessing. I’ll take some heat for that, but bring it. I live a life to act, live, and show what I believe… so I can take it. I’m not perfect. I follow an idea that…
We all belong, we are all loved, and we are all needed.
Finally to my point. Sorry, I get side-tracked.
Through my life I have had several teachers who impressed upon me different things.
-showing up
-being honest
-being kind
-standing up for what is right
-being ready to sacrifice for those who don’t have a voice
-admitting when I am wrong. AND making amends by action
NONE of these things are new ideas. They’ve been around forever. Resist those who might spin any of them. For my part, all of these things have served me well.
Seek them out.
THE UNIVERSE IS OUT THERE… MOVING… TURNING… CHANGING
And we can’t stop it. We can only face it.. so I face it with the realization of ashes- No – they aren’t DEAD PEOPLE as one of my former Priests told a student one time. (Love you, Mac, will never forget that day… and it brings a smile to my face each time I think of it).
They are the accolades of our former celebration reduced to dust… the Palms in my tradition. The palms laid at the feet of Christ. The best of what we had. Our best intentions, our best praise, our best wishes. All reduced to dust and placed on our foreheads to remind ME… us that we can’t escape the Universe.
This post isn’t meant to scare anyone.
I personally don’t think God-god-GAWD-YWH-Allah- is in the business of scaring folks. Just my opinion, but there it is.
It’s just meant to say, I’m trying to figure it out.
I’ll try to listen more. I’ll try to be kinder. Please help me do better.
One day, I’ll return to dust and I’ll know. Or I won’t.
So it seems to me, the most important thing is…
WHAT I do now.
And trying to be better, seems a good place to start.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” –Maya Angelou POET, DANCER, PRODUCER, PLAYWRIGHT, DIRECTOR, AUTHOR
Dust might not be such a bad thing…
But… and that’s why I made this post… I believe… we… are… all…
ETERNAL BEINGS…
And if so… What would YOU do differently? If anything?
Please, Please, Please, don’t take this as a preachy, holier-than-thou post. I just want you to know we all (you) matter. My faith, reminds me of that. And I’m hoping I can encourage you to embrace your worth. Not my or any religion, just your worth.
YOU MATTER. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. YOU BELONG. YOU HAVE A PURPOSE.
To help those on your path.
Go With Love.