To preface, I know firsthand how easy it is to grow disillusioned with spirituality. Keeping my audience in mind, you needn't fear I'm about to launch into some self-righteous diatribe full of scriptural references and assorted God talk. That would be quickest way for me to make many people on this site deeply uncomfortable and in doing so, almost certainly encourage several caustic remarks from fellow members. We live in secular times, this is a secular site, and furthermore I understand how quickly one can lose faith in any spiritual movement, particular when any group, no matter its intent, that professes virtue and peace proves to be neither virtuous nor peaceful in the final analysis.
Instead, I'm going to talk about something I adopted for myself that has been majorly beneficial in my own life. Consider it something of a stress reliever and a coping mechanism, if you wish. When I became a Quaker three years ago, I resolved that I was, true to the teachings of the faith, going to look for the bit of God in every human being. It's a tall order for anyone and I openly admit that I frequently fall short of that noble cause.
Still, I find it incredibly freeing if you can do it. Imagine not having to hold anger and suspicion in your heart. Imagine if you could force yourself to give other people the benefit of the doubt for once. People make mistakes. People have bad days. What comes to mind is a phrase used in circles which advocate for the abolition of capital punishment:: Imagine if you were judged on the basis of how you acted on the worst day of your life.
If I were judged on my worst day, I'd probably be in jail or dead, since no one would have much sympathy for how I acted. I don't pretend to know how to speak for you out there, but I honestly doubt you'd fare much better yourself if that were the sole criteria upon which the world judged you. And in saying this, I know how much fun it is to slam the misinformed or the ill-tempered. There's a kind of satisfaction in venting our rage upon those who do probably deserve it, for whatever reason. It's just that I've found this sort of reaction doesn't do anything but encourage me to hate humanity. So long as we live, I can think of lots of valid reasons to heap invective on other people. But that doesn't mean I should.
The point of life, in my opinion, is to learn to live with people. They're not going away, after all. We can watch the news or drive on the interstate or wait in line at the DMV, fuming at people who make us upset, but they're not going to ever go away. I've stopped expecting people to be anything other than people---since if I myself can't live up to my own exactingly high standards, what makes me think other people can, too?
Instead, I'm going to talk about something I adopted for myself that has been majorly beneficial in my own life. Consider it something of a stress reliever and a coping mechanism, if you wish. When I became a Quaker three years ago, I resolved that I was, true to the teachings of the faith, going to look for the bit of God in every human being. It's a tall order for anyone and I openly admit that I frequently fall short of that noble cause.
Still, I find it incredibly freeing if you can do it. Imagine not having to hold anger and suspicion in your heart. Imagine if you could force yourself to give other people the benefit of the doubt for once. People make mistakes. People have bad days. What comes to mind is a phrase used in circles which advocate for the abolition of capital punishment:: Imagine if you were judged on the basis of how you acted on the worst day of your life.
If I were judged on my worst day, I'd probably be in jail or dead, since no one would have much sympathy for how I acted. I don't pretend to know how to speak for you out there, but I honestly doubt you'd fare much better yourself if that were the sole criteria upon which the world judged you. And in saying this, I know how much fun it is to slam the misinformed or the ill-tempered. There's a kind of satisfaction in venting our rage upon those who do probably deserve it, for whatever reason. It's just that I've found this sort of reaction doesn't do anything but encourage me to hate humanity. So long as we live, I can think of lots of valid reasons to heap invective on other people. But that doesn't mean I should.
The point of life, in my opinion, is to learn to live with people. They're not going away, after all. We can watch the news or drive on the interstate or wait in line at the DMV, fuming at people who make us upset, but they're not going to ever go away. I've stopped expecting people to be anything other than people---since if I myself can't live up to my own exactingly high standards, what makes me think other people can, too?
