2014 has come and gone. I would like to say this religious experiment was an earth shattering and deep experience, but if I'm being honest with myself, it wasn't. I had heard many times throughout the year that I was on a "spiritual search" but I never really looked at it this way. If anything, my favorite month was when I was spending time with the homeless...and not studying religion.
Unfortunately, I pulled a Sarah Palin and quit early. I did end up studying Hinduism, and really enjoyed the fact that it was similar to the Buddhist teachings I had studied earlier, but I lost the drive to blog about it anymore. It was about that time that life got busy. I was traveling a bit for work and went back home a few times to Illinois which made it was hard to attend a Hindu temple. I made the decision to forgo doing a month dedicated to Judaism...no offense Jewish friends. Maybe it was laziness, maybe it was the growing idea that I didn't see as much difference between the people of different faiths anymore. Keep in mind, I originally wanted to learn how best to help/communicate effectively with people of different religions. Month by month I kept realizing the truths are all the same, and if I want to be helpful, I need to learn how to be at peace with myself.
That's not to say I didn't learn anything about religion. In fact, I learned a lot. What I learned was (in regards to religion/spirituality/lack thereof) there is nothing to learn.
What I learned was that all theistic religions (that I participated in) seemed to say the same thing: Take care of each other, be kind, wanting/material possessions will always lead you from the "truth", and everything will be ok in the end. Seems pretty basic, and I realize overly simplistic, but is there much more to learn? Sure, understanding the ins/out of your preferred religious tradition can help facilitate deeper learning, but so can taking care of people. Going to church/mosque/temple every week can help you feel closer to God, but so will getting rid of unnecessary possessions.
What I realized about spirituality is that it has little to do with God, and everything to do with the person. So many things play a role in spirituality. The part of the Earth you were born, where you were raised, your upbringing, the beliefs of your family and the communities you associate with, and I'm sure many more layers that I will never understand.
I have learned first hand that everyone has a different interpretation of God. So God has to be made up right? Yes, I think so. Not in the sense that there is no God or that your idea of God is wrong. Just that you make him up as you see fit. Don't get your panties in a ruffle folks, I think for the most part our ideas of God shape our ideals...and are really important to help us strive to be the best version of ourselves we can be.
But here's the fact: your version of God can't be 100% right. Brain experts tell us we all have biases that will sway our thoughts, the great books all say God is too big for us to fully fathom, and there is absolutely now way to prove your version is more/less correct than anyone else's.
So when I say there is nothing to learn, what I mean is there is nothing you can learn intellectually/academically that will get you closer to God. What you do will be the biggest factor in getting you to where you hope to go where you die. My 2 cents would be to stop trying to learn how to get there, and live like you are already are. My 3 cents would be to tell you that I've been trying and its so much easier to think about than actually do.
But I'm just a nobody, so what do I know?
Thanks for reading friends.
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