For the last few months, everytime I have heard the word “religion”, or anything related to it, I have wanted to retch.
Religion as the dictionary says, is the belief in and worship of a superhuman power especially a god or gods.
And this is the crux of the matter. You believe in and worship a god or gods which means that anyone who does not believe in or worship your god or gods is the enemy and has to be destroyed. Hence the wars, the destruction of places of worship, killings in the name of religion etc.
So this year I have decided I am not going to “worship” – not any god, not any person! I am not going to give my blind devotion to anyone.
Instead I am choosing another verb. I choose to LOVE instead. I am going to love and spread as much love and hope as I can.
Just last week my daughter was sharing a conversation she had with her women entrepreneur group. The topic was HOPE and what it meant to different people. Some people believed that hope is overrated and they only have confidence in their own abilities and actions. Others said hope is what gives them the confidence to try.
To me, hope is the belief that even if I stumble, if I can pick myself up and go ahead and do things instead of bemoaning fate, I will find myself on the road to success sooner or later.
Love, hope….so important and such abstract terms; but they are so needed by the concrete: the people, the animals, the plants ..in short, the world!
P.S. This is the first of the diversions in my “journey”, which is my word of the year for 2024. I wonder how many more turns and twists the road will take.
Such beautiful words – love and hope. They leave traces of positivity around everywhere. That’s what I like about these words. ❤️
Such beautiful words, love, and hope. Without hope, there is no love. As far as religion goes, it is a personal choice. However, not sure how long it will remain so. Good to visit your blog after long.
Good to see you back.
Anything done with love is sure to give us peace of mind. I think religion, in today’s world, is hyped. With time, we need to progress. But the way the world is going backwards, I wonder when we will realize that love matters most. Love and hope.
Religion has proven to be the antithesis of goodness and a god worthy of worship. To live as some who inspired religion is not religion. Religion isn’t faith; faith is personal. Religion is just an outward display for others. It’s divisive and it is used against people to keep the powerful in power.
Absolutely true.
I agree! Love is the best religion!
It definitely is, isn’t it?
Strangely, in the last year, I’ve rediscovered my faith and gone a little deeper into spirituality, but don’t feel a pull towards religion. I like the way you are examining these important verbs as part of your journey. Looking forward to reading more.