Quit screwing with religion all together. Nothing kills the spirit quicker. Want to feel more spititual, read all of the available texts and take away what you need from each. Nothing more, nothing less.
Want to be kind and do all you can? You don't need religion or spirituality. JUST BE KIND AND DO ALL YOU CAN.
...and recognize that some people don't want you help. Respect that. Offer it and if it is refused, turn your back and live your life. Do not let them bring you down by constantly feeling you could have / should have done more.
If you have in good faith attempted to render aid to someone and they outright refuse, NOT YOUR PROBLEM. Move on to the next charity case.
Do not look to others to heal your spirit. Look within yourself and discover what your spirit truly needs. If it is a shoulder to cry on, I know you have friends here. If it is time to yourself, make it. If you NEED to help the needy, volunteer! Get it?
Spirituality is not given or grown through religion. Religion may nurture it, but YOU had the seed to start with, and YOU grew it by feeding it what it needed. In the beginning, sure, religion may have taught you how to feed and nurture it, but, YOU did the work. ...just as our tastes change with age, our spirits require a change in its nutritional skurce as well. Some spirits may be fine feeding on the same diet for a lifetime, but, I'll promise you, those spirits never grow. There is no one food for the spirit or soul, there may be common tastes, but, each is different once matured. The only way to find what YOUR spirit needs is to get out there and sample the menu. ...not ask others what helps them. We are not you. And there is my problem with religion. In religion we are not individuals, we are all SHEEP. We are all told what to read and how to think. There is no room for the indivdual in religion, it is a one size fits all affair. It is *wrong*, especially for a spirit that has outgrown it.
I consider Religion a greenhouse for the spirit. It is a great place to sprout, but you have to get out into the wild to truly flourish and serve your purpose.
I know many non-Religious people who are deeply spiritual. Make the distinction between the two, and seperate them.
My spirituality gives me life through loving my God, my fellow man, and respecting all life.
My religion SUCKS the life out of me via guilt over things I can not change.
Guess which "quality" I gave up on.
If I was still of the religious type, I would be spending my days in tears racked with guilt over my flaws, my leaving the church, and my inability to successfully witness.
I try to set an example as a Christian, but I will never be a part of organized religion again.
The movie Dogma (as blasphemous as it was) contained quite a bit of spiritual wisdom. :) Start there. |
