Islam, Jesus & Atheism

What do you believe?

Allah?

Yahweh?

Jesus?

Nothing?

Karma?

Whatever we believe, they are all very different, but cross many similar boundaries.  Jews, Muslims and Christians are united by Abraham and divided by many other aspects.  They all believe on one God, who is all powerful, all knowing and timeless.

Buddhists (and many people who are vague about their beliefs) believe in Karma and what you give in life dictates what you get.

Atheists believe in no god/gods and that this life is the beginning, middle and end.

We are all united though, because we are human.

The right-wing preachers and bringers of death and doom can all go f*** themselves because the reasonable ones of us realise that life is beautiful because of questions and wonderful dialogue.  Carmen and I had a good time last night chatting with the local Indian restaurant owner about his faith in Allah and the traditions he follows.  His belief in the Koran, Allah and Mohammed was intriguing and interesting.

I honestly don't know what is 'out there' but I do know that I don't want to be ignorant to others' beliefs because our world is built on faith traditions and to ignore them is to ignore our heritage.

Peace.

The Arrogant

Anything you can do I can do better.  You're wrong, that will never work or happen.  You don't know what you're talking about, get real - look at reality.  Step out of the clouds and stop dreaming.

The words of arrogance.  The words of pessimism and negative ideology.

Great icons of history never bowed down to the voices of the arrogant.  They never succumbed to those words which were like an irritating ulcer in the side of your mouth.  Barack Obama would not be president if he allowed The Arrogant to dictate to him his thoughts and dreams.  Martin Luther King Jr would not have implemented the road to equality had he allowed the voices of disdain to guide him through that tempestuous road.  Jesus of Nazareth would never have been more than a carpenter had he been brow beaten and pushed down by the arrogant presumptions of the religious elite.

We must never assume our thoughts and deeds and dreams are unworthy because others scoff, scorn and criticise.  Their world is tainted by disappointment and resentment.  The arrogant have knocked them down and they have given in and given up.

But.

You have dreams and hopes and ambitions.  It does not mean you have to change the world, but simply look at your world and the world of those around you and dare to think of something better, greater.  A change in the dynamics of a relationship.  A change in the way you see yourself in the mirror.  A move from anger to peace.  A shift from resentment to forgiveness.  A day where you open your eyes and look to the potential of the day, not a hope for the day to end.

I have so much I want to achieve and The Arrogant can make me believe it won't happen.  There are things over the past few months which have changed.  I am in love, when I wasn't sure it would happen because I barely even liked myself let alone could love another.  I see opportunity and hope in each sunrise, whereas I used to want to remain in the dark of my room as if afraid of the sunlight.

You must not believe the voices of doom.  Listen to your voice and follow where your dreams are taking you.

Peace.  x

Bijou

The explosion is violent and it tears at my brain,
Scattering my thoughts through the cosmos,
Teetering me on the edge of the almost insane.
I steady myself, blink once, twice, am I lost?
No, I am still here gazing in one direction,
Letting the dust settle and swirl and scatter.
I try not to be swayed by the noise and distraction,
For the explosion is cleansing and only you matter.

Out of the violence and disruption purity comes,
Leaving behind the muck and filth and scum,
And projecting into the light my beautiful one;
You who is not dragged and beaten undone.
No, the fire and explosion is the purification
of my mind. Taking away the grime and muck,
And leaving love which is wonderfully true.
For it is from you my jewel, my sweet Bijou.  

The End is Nigh

The end is nigh.  Simply pondering on it at the moment, but I wonder if the implosion of Europe and beyond is actually going to be a good thing?  Will the peaking of oil actually create a positive out of a perceived disaster?

If countries suddenly find they are unable to trade on the massive scale they are, will they start to focus locally and begin to energise local industry again?  If oil is so expensive that importing of goods and services becomes impossible, will communities create those goods and services instead?

I am ignorant to global economics and naive about international trading, but I am curious as to whether the world needs to collapse in order for society to build again with community as the focus and not greed and individualism...