Three posts in the space of about 3 days? Must be a world record for me...
On the train this morning I was dozing and staring at my lap (no window seat for me) when I heard from across the aisle "Do you believe in God?"
Luckily this wasnt addressed to me - because if it was, in my half asleep state I would of just stared dumbly and went "huh?"
So I curiously turned around to stare at the row of seats next to me (discreetly of course) and watched as a young Muslim girl handed over a tissue to a slightly older lady who was having a bit of a cry by the looks of things.
They then conversed for a little bit, about what I couldnt really hear because the herd of school kids were jabbering louder than normal (watching school kids on the train is like watching the apes at the zoo).
But this got me to thinking (shocking I know...but there's more).
First of all I will admit that I dont "have" a religion, in that I dont really fit into a category as such. I dont go to church or a mosque, I have read parts of the Bible - but not the whole thing, I studied Anthropology at Uni, but wouldnt really describe myself as an atheist.
I read my starsign and in turns believe it and laugh at it, I like the idea of magic and wish that there was more magic in everyday life...some nights I will wish on stars.
Okay so with that announcement out of the way...yet another clarification: I am naive. I dont understand half of the stuff that is going on in the world. There's several wars being fought and I dont know how or why they started or why they are even continuing.
So just remember this is not a religious political debate, because I dont understand politics.
I am trying to get to a point - but I have to make all of these points so everyone can get the idea of what I'm trying to say and not accuse me of anything disastrous. Just know that this is the rambling of someone who just wants to understand what is going on in the world.
When did life become so hard? When did having a religion mean you automatically became an enemy/friend/ally/alien?
Isnt religion meant to be simple - a matter of faith in a higher power? When did so much political factoring come into it all? Arent we all meant to be free to do whatever we want in our lives - without fear of persecution?
Same with our Country of origin...how scary is it that some American tourists pretend to be Canadians when they're overseas?
When I went to the US last year I laughingly joked with my friends that I was going to pretend to be English, Australian & New Zealander on different days of the week.
Will there ever be a point in time where if I say I'm an Australian or New Zealander I'd get treated with suspicion?
Well actually that point has already been reached with the Bali bombings.
I used to sit in the park across from the call centre where the Bali memorial is set up - and watch the fountain...wondering about this world we live in.
So once again I repeat...when did life become so hard? The world become so terrifying? Was there ever a time in history when someone somewhere wasnt damned because of their religion/beliefs/skin colour/sex/race/home country/hair colour/weight? Or has this always been the case?
If so...the human race is a terrifying thing to behold.
And after all those deep thoughts...I got off the train and walked up the steps at the station to be handed a "Dianetics" pamphlet by the Church of Scientology.
Sometimes...you've got to laugh....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Hrm.. In my mind, I don't think our society/civilization has ever had it so good, well, not in recent history anyway. Ancient greeks/romans could be well different.
Ok, so our society now permits unions between same sex, we can voice our own politic/religion views without fear of prosecution (well, that is if you live anywhere outside of china/cuba, etc), you can get divorced, you can even commit euthenasia.. We can kind of come and go as we please to any place on earth.
I think its much better to be thankful of the place we live in. Like, would you really want to be living in Israel, Iraq, Northern Ireland, Former Yugoslavia, China.. If you did voice your religious views, you might be thrown in jail or worse, shot or otherwise tortured.
I think politics and religion goes hand in hand. If not, then why is the Catholic church still so powerful and able to shape governments. How come George Pell (Australia's top catholic priest) still able to draw reaction on the nightly news..
People need religion.. religion need people (as Terry Pratchett eloquently puts it). We need to feel as though we belong to something much more grander than just ourselves. But at the same time, religion can't alienate everyone so their views bend and change with society (except maybe the catholic church, but surely that will change in time too). And any smart politician will use this fact to their advantage. George Bush is a good candidate for this rule. Push to voters that he's a God fearing person, but at the same time, push for justification that he can invade/kill and maim all under the pretense that it's God's word. But, he gets away with it. The media also has a role to play in this too, as, i'm sure that if the real truth of death and injury, shown on a nightly television would certainly curb voters enthusiasm for this practice.
If you go throughout history I think you'll find that a lot of wars were started on the pretense that it was religious in nature (going back again to our human nature of wanting to belong to something) but soon changed to a political motive. Arabs against jews, Germans against Jews, Protestants against Catholics, Christians against Arabs.. the cycle continues yet nothing is ever resolved. Sadly its just human nature wanting to kill each other.
Just be happy and thankful that you've never known war, or severe hardship. Appreciate what you do have, coz if you are ever involved in war, its no paradise but just a complete waste of time, energy, resources and most importantly, people.
ooooh...i'm a contributer? :p
When I went to England, I was scared to death to even speak in public because I thought people would find me to be an ignorant, arrogant American.
Religion has always been tough. I don't know why. But it seems to be a fact of life.
Well SG you seem to have found a decently intelligent bloke. Can't say I totally agree with him but he is right about many things. One slight correction if you will please permit and please don't be offended but Bush never said anything about Iraq being because of the word of God. God didn't start that war. But I do see his point in that certain aspects of humanity are using their relidgion to justify the extermination people. Lines are starting to blur. War is hell, people die, sadly. But their is a major difference between targetting ligitimate targets such as soldiers and innocents being caught in a fight compared to targeting innocents. There is nothing more terrifing than a madman who thinks he is right with God. I ask one thing, watch a speech by the leader of Iran. Hell for that matter look at a photo of him. Is it just me or is there a light of madness in his eyes? A madness, an obsession, to systematically wipe a people out of existance. What is more insane though, is that he openly calls for this and the world act like he is harmless. Or, maybe it is that we are all insane and just waiting for the end.
Post a Comment