Hello everyone:
Do we, as a population, have a direction in life? What do we believe in? Is it OK to be religious anymore? Can we logically look at religious teachings and gain a basic direction for our life path in a non-secular way? Why do humans have so much trouble co-existing?
I have been journaling now for a while as a way to put my thoughts to paper and to de-stress. I find myself pondering what that heck is wrong with people these days. It brings back, in my mind, something my grandparents used to say. "This world is going to Hell in a hand basket."
Watching the news these days does make me wonder if the world truly is going to Hell in that proverbial hand basket. It is my opinion that more people than not are just wandering through this world with no real direction; be it a religious direction or a life path. It's easier to just follow the crowd. Some people, if they do have strong religious beliefs, are afraid to share them for fear of being chastised or of retribution.
It is not my place to preach to anyone else or try to impose my beliefs on others. However, I think we can look at lessons from religious teachings and apply them in a very basic form in a non-secular way.
Whew! That's pretty deep. Let's talk about where I am coming from for a while.
I was raised in the church. My grandparents on my father's side were very devout in their beliefs. They lived without modern luxuries like electric washing machine and dryer, television, etc. They dressed modestly. My grandmother, until she became too elderly and ill, made all of her own clothing. I remember her listening to nothing but gospel on the radio each day. She would sing along to every song. I could tell the ones she really liked because she would belt them out even louder. All of these years later, I still am immediately transported back to her kitchen whenever I hear certain hymns.
As I grew up, I became a rebellious teenager. I got multiple ear piercings (don't judge, it was the 80's). I wore outrageous clothes. I dated and ran around in a pack just like most young people of the day. My grandmother never was short for an opinion about that or any other topic, and she would try to make me see the error of my ways. Even though I wasn't what anyone would consider devout in my faith, I still believed in the basic principles. Once I got married and had children of my own, I tried to instill those basic principles in my children. Now that they are both adults, it will be up to them to continue on whatever life path they choose. I can only hope the principles they learned are enough to keep them healthy, happy and productive.
Now, for an example of what I was trying to describe at the beginning of this post.
Let's take Adam and Eve. Nothing like starting at the beginning, right? Let's not call them Adam and Eve though. Let's call them Justin and Brittney...or insert any kid's name. Instead of God, let's call it Parents.
Parents: Here is a wonderful house with a great big yard to play, lot of video games, anything you could want.
Kids: Thanks! We are grateful.
Parents: The only thing I ask is that you do not go into the fridge in the garage. That is strictly for us.
Kids: No problem.
Now, the kids have a friend over to play. Parents do not like this kid because they think he is a bad influence. Sure enough, friend convinces kids to get into the fridge in the garage.
Parents: Why did you get in the fridge in the garage after we told you specifically not to do that?
Kids: We didn't think anything bad would happen, and the food in the fridge was delicious!
Parents: Well, unfortunately, since you disobeyed the only rule we gave you, we are forced to take away all of your privileges. No more playing in the yard. No more video games. Nothing. You will have to work for money to purchase the things you need in life. Good luck.
See....when you put the Adam and Eve story into a non-secular context, it's less scary. It's still the same message, a good message at that, but it's less taboo to learn from the "parents" than from God these days.
