What's Your Religion?

When you see the world in black and white, everything becomes a religion.

This phrase popped into my head as I was washing dishes one day. What happens when there is only ONE way to be, think, do? You create an inflexible list of rules and regulations, not just for yourself, but for anyone you interact with. From a family member, friend, or girl behind the counter taking your order, you have predetermined your thoughts, feelings, and how you will react.

The reaction is an automatic response with no conscious decision, it happens that fast. A reaction is judgement and you decide if you agree or disagree in a spit second. And then you decide if that person is right. Or wrong. If they are right, they fit nicely into your little model of the world, whatever it is: political, religious, economic, what you put in your mouth. If not, they are banished to the World of Doesn't Matter. You dismiss not only what they are saying, but you dismiss them as a person. Judgement dehumanizes anyone who doesn't fit into the structure you have created.

The question becomes: Where are your prejudices? What unexamined opinions do you hold as TRUTH? Whether you're a political leader or opinionated family member or an intolerant coworker, this is the stuff that creates wars. Little ones, big ones. Something to ponder the next time an automatic judgement pops up, ready to spew on someone. What's your religion?

Grey in a Black and White World

I once had a Jehovah's Witness guy come to my door. He was standing there with his sweet little boy, about 8 years old. He was smiling and we stood on my porch and chatted. He asked me if I feared the devil because there was so much evil in the world. I said, "When your heart is full of God's love, there is no room for the devil." He said, "You must be a Christian." I smiled, "You think?" Then I told him he was on a street with mostly Catholics, so good luck with that.

I think it's human nature to have a tendency to put Panacea Blinders on and think that if everyone _________ (fill in the blank here: became Vegan, went to the gym, learned Reiki, became a Christian/Muslim/Buddhist/whatever) the world would be a better place. And it would, wouldn't it? Or not.

I was watching an interview with that great philosopher Larry David. He said that he got criticized because in one episode of his show, he was making fun of his father-in-law's religion. He replied, "It's a comedy!" It's not real, it's a show. And then he went on to say:

"Your religion SHOULD be made fun of. It's quite ridiculous, isn't it? Think how people spend their lives. They have no idea. They go around as if this is a fact. It's so insane, you know. If I really believed that stuff, I'd keep it to myself lest somebody think I was out of my mind."

The beauty of this world is that we have free will. We are all branches on the same tree. What good does it do to argue the value of one branch over another? But we will. Reminds me of the days shortly after 9/11 when I had a friend who left NYC to stay with us. She was a v. strict vegan and we were out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Her first order arrived and it had meat in it. Then came the anti-eating-innocent-animals rant. She sent it back. The second order she said the enchilada sauce had meat in it (it didn't--but was followed by another it's-wrong-to-murder-animals rant). In the meantime, her starving husband ordered french fries. Finally her food came. During the course of the conversation, she said, "If I were a man and my country called me to serve, I would."

I said, "I find it interesting that you think it's wrong to kill animals, but you're willing to travel to a foreign country and kill people you don't know."

Now, this is not against anyone serving our country. Far from it. It's not anti-vegan. This is not against anyone's religious beliefs, either. But they are just that: BELIEFS. Beliefs are our filters and we will experience the world as we believe:

The world is a beautiful place. Or not. People are basically kind. Or not. God is a loving God. Or not.

It's all in what you believe. And it's not like we are even conscious of our beliefs, it's all programming, as Bruce Lipton points out in his book, The Biology of Belief. The problem is that we then create rules and then we SHOULD all over ourselves and others. We cast judgements and dispersions against whole populations. We try to convert people to our side. Like we know. There's a Sufi saying, "Take responsibility for sweeping your own porch, and all the porches in the world will be clean."

On the eve of Valentine's Day, the ONE day greeting card companies and flower shops have reserved for love, perhaps we can make room for other people's ideas, opinions, and beliefs without judgement. Personally, I think God can handle a difference of opinion. Of course, that's just a belief.