Faith ~ #MondayBlogs

What is faith? Is it our religious belief or is it having the confidence that our fellow man will work in the best interests of humanity? Believing in something, someone, or ourselves is a basic human need. Belief is faith.

It seems that we are living in a world filled with hatred and fear, one in which man allegedly uses the name of a religion as a reason to destroy and spread hate. There are those who hide behind supposed commandments of their god(s) to spread ruin and there are those who hate others simply because of the deity they pray to. Some people believe in a supreme deity but do not agree with the tenets of organized religion (agnostic); some do not believe in any higher presence (atheist). A growing faction is yelling that religion is THE problem why men cannot get along with other men.

We can have faith in humankind without praying to a god by any name. Or we can follow the true teachings of our chosen religions – every religion is founded on common principles that include: loving thy neighbor; forgiveness; treating others the way we want to be treated; giving charity; honoring our parents and elders; being truthful; showing kindness; and living peacefully among our fellow man. While the phrases and wordings may differ, each religion shares commonalities with the others; some religions are monotheistic and some pray to multiple gods.

Every religion has members whose interpretation of its teachings are zealous and self-serving, most often those fanatics are in the minority although they may be loud. People who choose to practice a religion should do so because they believe in the spirit of their scriptures rather than simply following step-by-step rituals with no meaning behind our actions.

Rather than focusing on the differences in our religions practices or alienating those who call themselves agnostic or atheist, our need to believe in something makes us more alike than different. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if we could embrace that sameness and work towards fostering an atmosphere of peace and unity instead of viewing others with suspicion and hatred?

As a child of a Ham Radio Operator in the 60s and 70s I remember going to group get-togethers. One of the places that held an annual picnic was a Monastery located several miles north of where we lived. The monks that lived there and hosted the event were all very friendly, intelligent, welcoming and knowledgeable. I was amazed one day during a discussion with one of these men to find he was very proficient in Hebrew scripture and my own faith of Judaism. In adolescent surprise I asked him how come he knew so much when his religion taught otherwise. His answer was so simple — to truly understand your own beliefs you need to understand what belief means to people. Every monk, he told me, was schooled in all forms of theology and was required to be proficient in multiple religions.

Perhaps this type of education is needed for all of us so that we can love and appreciate our own convictions as well as understand and respect other belief systems. Somehow we must work towards unity and love of the entire human race or there will be no world and humanity for our future generations. Mankind is our own enemy when we allow hatred in our lives.

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Positivity ~ #MondayBlogs

It seems like the world is "going to hell in a hand-basket"

It is frightening, mind-boggling, despairing and frustrating to hear of tragedy upon tragedy in our country and abroad. Just about every news report contains scenes of grieving families, funerals, anger,and so much more negativity.

Whatever feelings you have about alleged perpetrators or police officers - who is right or who is wrong - it cannot be denied that when ANY parent/family is left to mourn a loss, it is a tragedy.

When a local legislator receives a threatening picture where his head is superimposed over an ISIS beheading... it's unbelievable. And when we hear of journalists and aid workers being kidnapped and beheaded, it's appalling.

What kind of world are our children growing up in? They worry about terrorism, disturbed individuals with weapons (guns, knives,cars,etc.) causing massive damage. Of course there are the natural (and unnatural) disasters such as weather/storms,fires, floods, quakes and sinkholes to add more uncertainty to our daily existence.

Where is the innocence that a child should be able to enjoy?

Have we reached a point where we should just throw our hands up in surrender? I don't plan to.

Too often we've seen strangers pulling together in times of despair, Even young adults have formed organizations to offer help for worthy causes. Professional first responders, police, fire, and EMS (both paid and volunteer) are heroes who answer our calls for help. Medical science has made advances to treat many conditions that once were considered death sentences and research continues in other serious conditions.

I once heard someone say that every morning the sun rises is a sign of hope. It is. Every day we begin with a fresh start, and new chance to get something positive done. Make it your daily focus to offer a hand, make someone smile, feed a soul, pray or wish for something good to happen for those around you, to offer a compliment...

Make every day you have count - make your life a reason to do something good for our world.

Carpe Diem

It’s been a tumultuous week. It began with the horrendous bombing at the Boston marathon, an explosion in Texas that devastated a community, followed by the senseless killing of an MIT police officer and the latest today, a 6.6 earthquake in China in an area still trying to recover from another earthquake a few years back.

Some people say the end of the world is near. They say that mankind has been “naughty” and like Sodom and Gomorrah, life as we know it will be struck down. It’s been intimated that we angered a supreme power and we must now pay the consequences.

I say that these events, heartbreaking  certainly, and overwhelming to families who have lost loved ones, have also allowed human beings to show their resiliency and strength in the face of unremarkable obstacles and threats. In times of calamity, mankind has always found a way to unite with fellow man.

The world sent messages of support, prayers, hopes and good thoughts to the city of Boston. Die-hard Yankee fans cheered for the Red Sox just because. Just hours after an explosion shattered the community of West, Texas, cars and trucks were lined up on the highways bringing supplies and offers of help. And back to Massachusetts, where cheers were loud and boisterous and emotional when the surviving Boston bomber was apprehended. South China was hit with an earthquake and once again folks huddled around television sets hoping for anything positive.

People care. It is the acts of heroism, compassion, selflessness and demonstrations of strength and calm that fill me with hope every day.

No one is ever sure of what will happen tomorrow or even if there WILL be a tomorrow. This makes it so important to live each day as if it were your last – never miss a chance to tell your loved ones how you feel, experience life and not just walk through it, and truly appreciate all of the good things around you  and the people in your life.

There are no guarantees and in a way that’s a good thing – why else would we force ourselves to live each day to its fullest and savor each delight that comes our way?

Laugh often, revel in the sounds all around you, enjoy the beauty of nature, and always give shelter and compassion to people in need. We can all be there for each other and sometimes even when you might ask for help, it does more than just make you feel better, it makes another person less frustrated and feel necessary.

When we do face adversity, intolerance, cowardice and terrorists, and hate – know that these are thankfully fewer than the good people around us and certainly not as vital to our communities as we are. Don’t live in fear, don’t stop living, don’t stop believing in yourself and in the good of people overall.

Be there. Live. Rejoice.