Is Religion Killing Us?

Image Credit - Paul Brennan - Public Domain Pictures

We see it everyday all around us. Religion with its icons and archetypes are never far from any one of us. Even to a person who claims Atheism, the barrage of religious traditions is perfectly recognizable. It’s easy to claim that the vast majority of people today can identify the symbols which represent the most common religions. The Christian Cross, the Star of David, the Star and Crescent of Islam, even the Pentagram of the Nature Religions has become known to most. Religion has become embedded in today’s society, and on into every individual’s life, whether or not you personally adhere to one. And yet, within the cry of “love your brother” we kill and maim in name of God.

Unless you've been living under a rock, no matter where in the world you are, the actions of ISIS set an example of how horribly twisted the “Word of God” can get. Any average Joe understands the danger and damage possible when fanatics/extremists from any religion are turned loose on society at large. But what about those who are practicing the love that is taught through these religions, surely that can’t be a bad thing can it?

The reason I ask is because I wonder if the world would be better off without religion of any kind. Are the religious using their faith as a crutch? Are human beings being held back from what may be the real truth because they are blinded by their faith? Perhaps there is no God. Maybe people are too afraid, down deep, to deal with issues like death, and extreme poverty and need, so they make up this Godhead to answer the questions they can’t.

I really don’t want to offend anyone, but these are honest questions that I ask myself. I understand that the faith a person holds in their deity can be an absolute. To a person who believes there are no lingering questions as to what happens after death, or why perfectly good people are plagued with the destruction and greed from, what can only be deemed, evil people, God’s will can be a satisfactory answer. Many times when presented with these questions a person of faith will simply reply that if everyone else would finally come to their senses and except their God, the world’s problems would go away. I guess to an extent that’s true. I mean if every human being on the planet shared the exact same dogma and saw God in the exact same way, perhaps the world would be a better place. I, however, am more pragmatic than that and I understand that even if every person shared the same dogma there would still be conflict because one person’s vision of God is never going to fully match another’s. In other words, I think that as long as religion exists people are going to fight about it, and it’s going to end bloody.

So now what? What are we to do in this world where, religion, our own beliefs are killing us? I’m afraid that due to my pragmatism, again, I have to be the bearer of bad news. The possibility of everyone abandoning their faith for the betterment of the world is really just as far fetched as hoping that one day people we will all believe in the same God. So now, for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts on how to come to grips with our religious differences.

I think that humans need an answer to life’s immortal questions. We want to know and understand what will happen to us when we die. Are we really going to be reunited with our loved ones or will we simply fade into the nothingness of dreamless sleep? I can’t answer that. I know I can’t answer that, so why bother my brain with it at all? My loved ones are either out there somewhere waiting for me or they’re not. I’ll find out when I’m dead, or, maybe I won’t.

Why is there so much evil in this world? Because sometimes people suck. There are people in this world who want to squeeze every last drop, of whatever they can get, out of it. If you want to make the world a better place, decide now that you are not going to be one of those people. Does the thought of that make you afraid that you’ll be left behind? Who cares!? Why would you want to be with that crowd anyway? Find your own way, find good people, and work with them to make the world good, and I don’t mean good as in everyone needs to think my way good, but in the way of, truly good. Love people, care about people, help them when you can and don’t take advantage of those who have opened their hearts and souls to you.

I think that there are many good people in the world and that most people really do want to do what’s right. Sometimes things get confusing, people get scared and they may make a bad choice but that’s not the same thing as being “evil”. To the people out there who are truly “evil”, you know who you are, I say; I don’t know what happened in your life to screw you up so bad and there’s nothing that I can do to change your circumstances, so...if you don’t like what you see in the mirror then change. It’s that simple, really. Take it from this recovering alcoholic; the only thing that is going to release your pain is your ability and your desire to let it go. The world is what it is and if we want it to be a better place then we need to make ourselves better. Love and Respect are two very important words to know and practice. It doesn't take religion to understand compassion, and it doesn't take religion to be a good person. If you find that having faith in a God helps you to deal with your deepest fears, then so be it. Just remember that you are unique. Even if you are surrounded by others who share the same dogma, when it comes down to picturing the big picture everyone sees their own artistic interpretation of it, so relax and don’t try shoving your vision down someone else’s throat. If you honestly want the world to be a better place then accept others for who they are and allow them the same respect you would want for yourself.

I know this has been a long post and that after all these words are written and read it really comes down to a simple statement. Live and let live. The world will be a better place because of it.

Hanging on to Hope

Photo Credit - Rostislav Kralik - Public Domain Pictures

Before I get started I would like to apologize for the long wait between this and my last post. I was having some computer issues which prevented me from being able to write. However, that said, it lends me the opportunity to share with you now my perspective on hope. Yes, it’s a strange segue but I think when I’m done you’ll see how it all fits together.

For the most part, in my little piece of the world, my life goes on undisturbed from day to day. I have, at times, had major life issues of course, but on a daily basis my biggest worries are usually things of a more mundane nature. Sometimes I worry about paying the bills, this past week I worried about getting my computer up and running again. What does this have to do with hope you may ask? I’m getting to that.

First, let me tell you what happened when my computer started giving me issues. You may find this hard to believe but it’s true. After the initial, “Well, this sucks!” I thought to myself, “I guess all in all I’m pretty lucky. I could be dealing with a much worse situation. There are people throughout the world fighting each day just to survive and my biggest worry today is if I can get my computer working again.” Do you see where I’m going here? Sure, my life could be worse but that’s not really it. There’s so much more than just, it could be worse. It’s about how the people who are having it worse continue on, how they find the strength to keep going, how they can grasp onto the tiny bits of hope and pull themselves up; and also, how I (we), who has (have) much less to worry about can learn and in turn share back the hope to those people who gave it to me (us) in the first place.

I’d like to share a bit with you about the days following my daughter’s death. I’m not ready, yet, to go into the depths of my feelings and thoughts on the subject but something happened when she died that you should know about.

As a recovering alcoholic I know all too well that the death of a loved one could easily lead to a relapse, even for a veteran of 21 years now. Because I know this and even though I didn’t feel like I wanted a drink, I knew I had to get myself to a meeting. Now, prior to this, I hadn’t been to a meeting in a good long time. I had moved to a new city and never bothered to check out where any meetings were even held. Needless to say, I was downtrodden enough and not really in a state of mind to go looking up local meetings. Here’s where the universe comes in....I know because this sort of thing happens to me often...if you strive to live your life in tune with the energies around you, life will find a way of giving you what you need. Getting back to the AA meetings...I’m trying to comprehend that my baby, my youngest daughter, has passed away but the rent still has to be paid...so, I walk over to the church, where I’m renting from, to pay the rent and on the front door of the place there’s a little ol’ sign, “Tonight’s  7:00 PM AA meeting has been moved to room XXX.” I kid you not. So at 7:00 I went to the meeting without knowing what type of meeting it would be. Some are quite large with one or two people sharing their experience, other’s are smaller and more intimate. This one, as it turns out, was the latter. I walked into a group of about 7 or 8 people who listened to me introduce myself and then put the entire itinerary on hold for the night so that they could listen to me and so they could assure me that they were there for me and they cared.

I don’t know if you see the connection here to hope, yet, but for me it’s like this. That little sign on the door gave me a spark of hope during the darkest days of my life. The people that were there for me gave me the confidence to go on and the hope that someday light would return to my life. It’s in these small things that I find the largest gifts and I can’t help but feel that I’m not the only one in this world who understands that.

When I hear about or read the news and see such awful things happening in the world, people in the Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, and Africa living with the daily horrors of war. Others dealing with illness, famine, natural disasters, everywhere I look I see what could be seen as hopelessness, but I don’t. Instead I see hope. I see that despite the most horrendous difficulties and the highest obstacles people continue to move forward, they trudge on and I believe they do this because they have hope. Somewhere inside them they find that same little spark and believe it’s going to get better so they keep going and in the process they set an example, an example of hope for the next person who is struggling through what could be a hopeless situation. It’s hope that has allowed the human race to persevere. It’s hope that motivates each and every one of us to get up and get on with our day, our lives, and our dreams of a better life.

Human beings are a remarkable species and our ability to hold on to hope is one of the reasons why. I can survive the death of my daughter because I have hope that maybe, just maybe, one day joy will return to me, I hope that I can give her son a vivid, lasting image of her, and that even though we have to go on without her, life can still be good. Our species thrives on this type of hope. When we see it in others we are inspired to hang on to our hope and a beautiful circle of hope and light is created and carries onward throughout the existence of the human animal.

So there it is, one strange little incident that began with a computer malfunction that blossomed into an entire contemplative experience. If you’re reading this then my hope for you is that you find within yourself the hope you need at this moment in your life. Know that somewhere out in this large world you have an ally who is hoping to pass the spark along to you and hoping that you, in turn, will keep that spark alive by passing it on to someone else. In these troubled times be of good cheer and hope for a better tomorrow. And remember that even in the smallest incidents hope can live large.

Modern Day Living and the Human Brain - Part II - A New Species?

Photo Credit - Charles Rondeau - Public Domain Pictures

Have you ever watched “Through the Wormhole” with Morgan Freeman? Personally, I love the show but I only get a chance to watch it every now and then. A little while back I was able to catch an episode. They were discussing the internet and the various effects it had on society today. I found the topic to be so intriguing I just had to share.

The first thing which hit me was the idea of being addicted to the internet. Actually, this just isn’t as strange as it may sound. When a person becomes an addict they become dependent on whatever substance is their drug of choice. When they are deprived of that drug they will suffer physical withdrawal. This means that their bodies go through measurable changes which can be noticed by others, as well as, the person experiencing the withdrawal. In the case of Internet addiction, scientists examined people who spent an average of 10 hours a day online. Then, they took them offline. The test subjects displayed all the symptoms of drug withdrawal; they had higher rates of aggression, impatience, jitters, and all the other nasty symptoms of withdrawal. Internet addiction is a real thing. Interestingly, addiction to the internet has an additional symptom that no drug or alcohol addiction can claim. It’s true, I’m not making this up - the Internet will shrink your brain. We are talking actual, measurable size differences when a person becomes an Internet junkie. MRIs and CAT Scans were done on these junkies and scientists found changes to both sides of the prefrontal cortex and to the sides of each brain. Their brains shrunk, this is a physical change that does not take place with drug and/or alcohol addiction. We’re into a whole new game here, and that’s just the beginning.

What else could this Internet be doing to the human race? Well, how about absorbing us into it, just as a single cell organism is absorbed into a larger life form? Do you think this is Sci-Fi? It really isn’t. There are, in fact, reputable scientists who believe that the Internet could easily become a sentient life form. The premise works like this....we, human beings, are the mitochondrial DNA which is absorbed into the larger life form, the living Internet. They base this idea on the fact that the internet has enough information and enough processing power that it would be able to develop an understanding of humanity well beyond any understanding we ourselves would be capable of. If, or when, that happens the human race will no longer be the dominant species on earth. It is at this point, when we may witness the merging of technology and human beings, as it could be beneficial to both. This wouldn’t be the first time Sci-Fi ideas came into actual existence you know. Perhaps we truly are in the dawn of a new era, a new evolutionary step for the human animal. Maybe, just maybe, our need to be connected and the sentient Internet’s need to feel and experience life will lead us into a merger of unimaginable evolutionary growth. So, now I wonder, how much Internet do you need?

Modern Day Living and the Human Brain - Part I: Your Child May be at Risk

Photo Credit - Karen Arnold - Public Domain Pictures

Modern day living has given our society some marvelous benefits, but some of those benefits may be costing us dearly. Living in the world today is tough, there’s no question. Every adult has seen the changes from technology, to global warming, to the health and welfare of ourselves and our children. But, some of the things that we take for granted today may be causing us a lot of harm. Yes, technology is having a giant effect on our brains and I will get to that, but first, I want to talk about our children. This article isn’t just about the technology that everyone, including our children, is affected by. I’m also talking about the effects of society on our kids. Listen up parents! Their future may be permanently altered because of your financial status.

Oh sure, everyone knows about the disparity of social classes and that the rich will always benefit more than the poor, but now we know why. Recent studies have discovered that children who live in poverty will grow up with substandard brains. In an article presented by NPR we learn that a child’s environment has a physical effect on the development of their brain. This isn’t due to a poorer diet, or a lack of housing in and of itself, but rather the stress which is caused from those situations. Along with worrying about violence, the daily stress that is present in a poor child’s life is changing their brains. It is being called “Toxic Stress” and a child who has suffered three or more traumatic events within a year may very well be dealing with this. A school in LA did a survey and found that eight in ten students fell into this category. A traumatic event may include such life issues as losing a home, or a family member, neighborhood shootings, divorce, having to deal with the stress of an unemployed parent, or not having enough food. These stressors in a child’s brain become cumulative and physically change the brain.

The changes that take place are primarily in the prefrontal cortex. This is the area of the brain responsible for problem solving and learning. It also carries the brunt of the weight when it comes to learning how to control emotions. We often hear adults making remarks such as, “What’s wrong with these kids today?” or “Kids today are more violent.” I say, what do you expect? Poverty levels continue to rise, the income gap grows larger and larger with each passing year, and now we have proof that these circumstances are creating a generation of children who, not only don’t care, but are physically unable to. The mental health of tomorrow’s adults is being dealt physical blows that they may never be able to recover from because their brains have been permanently altered. If the parts of the brain needed to process emotions are not there how can we expect a person to properly deal with emotions? If the problem solving area of the brain is stunted why are we shocked to find children who can’t figure out something we would consider to be a simple task? This is plainly showing us that we need to take the mental health of our children much more serious!

Okay, so I have your attention, I hope. Now let’s talk about how we can fix this. One of the most efficient ways to reach children is through the schools. The kids are there which basically creates captive participants, so to speak. The schools which participated in the studies found that having more counselors in the school was a good start. Where the child felt like they had the support of an adult, they improved. The schools also equipped themselves with more after school programs and tutoring. They set up programs for the adults, too. Parents were given help in the areas they needed, as well as, being taught how to better handle these same stressors. Most parents want to help their children, the problem, I think, is that mental health over the years has received such a bad wrap no one wants to deal with it. However, if parents can see that there is physical damage being done to their child, just as if an arm or a leg were being lost, they would want to help.

There is, of course, one big problem with getting our children the help they desperately need. Money. Where will it come from? Across the board school systems have had to deal with cuts to their budget. We’re not talking small cuts either. These cuts are so large that schools have had to let go of counselors, administrators, and even teachers. Why have the schools seen such dramatic cuts to their funding? The simple answer, politics. Our representatives see our children’s education as a non-priority. Let’s face it, most of our representatives are millionaires, this is not going to be an issue which directly impacts them. Their children are sent to the finest schools and chances are pretty good that they will never have to worry about a neighborhood drive by. So what can we, in the trenches, do about it? We can vote! Duh! This is the only way things are going to change. We need to demand that the educational system gets the funding it so desperately needs to combat this problem. Without the support of the house and the senate our children will never be able to grow a healthy brain. We need these support programs and we need them now. Oh look! It’s an election year for our representatives and senators. How convenient is that people? Let’s make some noise and tell the people who are supposed to represent us that we want to see the educational system get the necessary funds to run these programs. If we wait until our children are grown and out of school we will have lost the fight, recovery for them will most likely never happen. Is that what you want for your son or daughter?

Next post will look at the brains of adults and we will see how that well loved internet is working to change our brains. Yes, there is more physical evidence. And speaking of the internet is it possible that it could become self aware, a living entity which in its all knowing self may one day reign as earth’s new dominant life form? Tune in and see.

Why so Serious?

Photo Credit - Dawn Hudson - Public Domain Pictures

Lately I’ve been spending some time thinking about the difference in the world today compared with what the world was like when I was growing up. I’m not talking about the technological achievements or any other modern day conveniences. I’m referring to the changes in people themselves, their attitudes and the way they see and think about the world around them. That, in turn, got me thinking about the generation before me and so on and on. As I continued with this train of thought I asked the question, “Why is everyone so serious these days?”

Here’s the thing, there has always been war, racism, hatred, genocides, famine, disease, and suffering in general but these days it feels like this is all we focus on. The current state of the world feels tragic and it appears that this feeling of tragedy is shared by a great many people. We hear all sorts of reports about young people today and how they have to deal with this, that, and the other thing and how much of a toll it takes on them, but everyone seems to forget that we all grew up with many of the same things we just handled it a bit different. Our solutions consisted mostly of either never speaking about it or just dealing with it because that’s the way life is. This isn’t going to be a post, however, about the tragedies of a generation, no; this is going to be a post of remembrance, one that will hopefully invoke that world consciousness and strike a chord within humanity that allows people to finally, once again, lighten up!

Let’s take a look. In fairly recent U.S. history we had the “roaring” twenties and even in the middle of a depression and prohibition the party spirit carried on with the speak easies and  some good ol’ fashioned, sometimes blinding, moonshine. The forties were fab and the war boys and the girls of the U.S.O. made even the horrific event of a world war seem classy and the country rallied to everyone’s aid. People donated their tires; they saved up their green stamps and harvested their victory gardens. By the fifties everyone was living the “American Dream” even if you had nothing at all you knew you didn’t have to remain that way, with some hard work and some frugal spending anyone could own their own little piece of America. The sixties may have seen a huge revolution and a change in how humanity looked at each other, but it also ushered in the decade of brotherly love where, “If you can’t be with the one you love, honey, love the one you’re with” was the rule of the road, and the road was open to anyone who had a thumb, a bike, or a car. By the time the eighties and nineties were over something had happened, the world began communicating like never before and suddenly it was in everyone’s face.

Is this what happened? Did people “wake up” and realize that there was suffering and discontent all around them? Is this why everyone became so damn serious about life? No. No, it’s not! I’m here to tell you why so listen up. In today’s world we have seen and heard about some awful things, things that would make your hair curl, make you ashamed to be human. How can we do these things to another human being, to an animal, to mother earth? Well, the fact is we’ve been doing it all along. There was never a time in human history where we were without atrocities so terrible that it disgusted the average human being to the point of wanting to vomit the foulness from the guts of humanity itself. The difference? People also knew that compared to the horrific things that were taking place around them, their life in comparison, wasn’t too bad.

That’s it people. There was a time in human existence when we understood that yesterday was gone and there was nothing you could do about it now, that tomorrow would take care of itself if it decided to be there for you, and that all you really had was right here and now; and if you’re not dying then things could always be worse so be happy with what you have, right here and now because if you want more from life all you have to do is make it happen. Buck up, take some responsibility for yourself and if you want things to be different in your life, change those things. And most importantly, while you’re changing those things live a little, because that’s really all you have when it comes down to it. It is my humble opinion that people were happier “back then” because they understood that all you really have is today, here and now, so enjoy it. The real waste of a life is spending seventy plus years, or however many you might be given, and never really enjoying it. So people, my words to you...Lighten up! Don’t be so damn serious all the time. Have some fun and enjoy being with whomever you’re with right now because you never know what tomorrow will bring. Be glad that you have this moment and make the best of it. Enjoy your life for whatever its worth. Peace and love man, peace and love :-)

And here’s a little note to get you started....

ItDon't Mean a Thing_Louis A

Enter the Substitute

Photo Credit - George Hoden - Public Domain Pictures

I’ve added a new hat to my wardrobe of life experience, I became a substitute teacher this week. I think that this will be a workable solution to help me make ends meet and still allow me to moderate my energy levels so that I don’t end up with a flare up or an illness. Being on disability makes it very difficult to survive. Some people think that we just sit back and let the money roll in while we do nothing to earn it, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that living on disability alone a person, most likely, will not be able to support their self. In addition, some people forget that the amount of disability a person receives is dependent on what they paid into the system in the first place. It’s not a handout, it’s an insurance policy.

Anyway, I digress. Substitute teaching, it’s a good thing. I can choose which days to work so if I’m not up to it I don’t need to accept a job. I can also do half days which is necessary since it takes me so long to become mobile in the mornings. I’m certainly not going to become rich doing this but it should fill the gap enough that I won’t have to worry about the normal day to day bills. But, there’s more to this substituting than meets the eye because it’s really not about me, it’s about the kids.

It’s been about 35 years since I was in high school and, yes, things have changed. I’m quite sure that as time goes on and I continue to spend more time in the schools I’ll see even more changes, or maybe even similarities. My first day allowed me to see just how different things are now. It was hard to fathom as I experienced a world that I once lived in which has now become almost alien. This first experience was in a high school, today I was at a middle school. I would strongly suggest that any parent, if given the opportunity, take a day out and spend it at your child’s school. I’m certain that it will be an eye opener for you. The days of the quite, focused learning environment are gone, probably for good. Your children are not being given the gift of education that you were handed. No, the kids today who want to learn have to fight every second of their day to get that education which I, honestly, took for granted. Between the over stuffed classes and the disruptions caused by the students who don’t want to be there, it’s honestly a miracle that anyone can learn anything. I’m here to tell you, things have changed more than any person, of my era, could possibly imagine.

That said, when you get down to it, the kids I met and worked with are super. I had a lot of fun with them and could tell that down deep they are all just kids. I don’t know if their lives will be impacted by my presence and I don’t know what this school/war zone will do for, or to, them, but I hope that they will leave my class feeling better about themselves and others. To the parents I’d just like to remind you how important it is for you to be a part of their lives and the biggest part of their lives, right now, is school. They need you to be there for them, seriously. You can’t expect to understand and share their lives if you fail to be involved in the largest area of it.

What Do You Believe In?

Photo Credit - Public Domain Pictures, Anonymous 

Faith, it’s a source of pride to some. Others see it as a necessity for survival, and some claim to have none at all while they blindly move forward in their day to day lives without ever acknowledging the most basic belief which keeps the human animal moving on. It’s been my experience that every person has faith in something. This doesn’t mean that everyone believes in the same thing or that all people have a vision of God in their mind when the word “faith” is used. But, in and of itself, faith is something that is there in each of us.

Faith is there for us when hope fails, it never goes away, and it’s as integral to our minds as a heart is to our bodies. Most of us probably don’t even think about it, again, much like the heart, it works on its own pushing us into one direction or the other, playing us like cards. I’m talking about our most natural instincts here. Our minute, meaningless actions transpire because of faith. We place one foot in front of the other believing we will walk, and we do. We don’t start out this way, of course, we are taught to have faith. As our parents encourage our first steps we begin to develop a deep sense of faith by trusting them to not let us fall. As our faith in ourselves grows stronger we become surer of ourselves and we build our lives equivalently to our faith. Those of us who have little faith seem to achieve little, and those with an enormous amount of faith achieve fantastic things. The faith we have can be used for our benefit or our demise, but no one is without it.

So, tell me, where does your faith lie? Do you place your faith in the unseen, assured that somewhere out there an entity of some form is watching out for you, planning your life in a manner which will, in the end, grant you the rewards you seek? Is your faith within yourself the driving force? Are you pressing onward in this world because no one else is going to do it for you? Or, do you have a little of both? Perhaps your faith is something you’ve never really considered; maybe you’re totally unfamiliar with your faith. If so, then maybe it’s time to think about it. Know and understand your faith and you will know and understand yourself.

I’m not saying acknowledge your faith and move on. I’m suggesting a thorough inventory of your core beliefs. Take some time to evaluate your life, honestly. I don’t mean for you to drag yourself down by looking only at your shortcomings, or to give yourself a false sense of pride by ignoring them. Be honest with yourself about yourself. Search inward to discover the driving force of your animal. Don’t expect anyone else to understand it, this is uniquely you. The faith you live by is a result of all your life experiences. Some may find that their faith is dark and well hidden. Some might, instead, see their faith as so strong and vibrant that it actually blinds them, and so, hides their true self in plain site. Whatever you find, where ever you find it, once you really have it, it’ll be yours to do with as you wish. You can be your own captain if you truly understand where your faith has led you thus far. So, I’ll ask you once again, what do you believe in?