Kill The Lights

That disgusting destructive sinking feeling you get when you know the love is slipping away.
Knowing you should be happy because everything else is beautiful.
Just can’t seem to let the saddening disappointment or relationship go away.

Essentially, religion is designed to be our spiritual source of comfort and advice, a structure to provide moral guidelines, a caring community and help for those in need. In many ways it is, but religion is also the cause of violence, wars, discrimination, bigotry, pain and suffering. All of which are a long way from kindness, compassion, comfort and spiritual reassurance.

Religious morality is also used to justify political reasoning and supremacy. In the U.S., the First Amendment draws a clear separation between church and state, between religion and politics. Yet every presidential candidate is judged by his or her religious beliefs, as seen in the attempt to prove that President Obama is a Muslim, more so because his name is Barack Hussein Obama, which generated hate and fear.

We often hear somewhat extreme candidates constantly pushing their religious beliefs into the political arena, with outrageous statements like, “The hurricane and earthquake happened as God is punishing us!” Whether it’s because of gay marriage, abortion or any number of reasons that support their ideology.

This is taking religion into realms that are not religious. When religion is used to validate killing because there is a difference of opinion, then it has gone beyond having a moral compass to imposing belief and power over another. We see this with the killing of abortion clinic staff, all in the name of saving a fetus, despite the pregnancy being caused by rape or incest or threatening the mother’s life. Yet how many who are trying to stop abortion are also willing to adopt an unwanted baby?

At the same time, spirituality is a loaded word, often misunderstood, as its practices include meditation, contemplation and direct communication with universal consciousness. Pope John Paul condemned meditation and yoga as immoral, deluding and even sinful. Yet spirituality is simply the discovery of our authentic self without any trimmings or labels, which gives us a rich source of values and a deeper meaning to life, whatever our religion.

In the seeking of such meaning, religion and spirituality come together. Spirituality highlights qualities such as caring, kindness, compassion, tolerance, service and community, and, in its truest sense, so does religion. But where religion is defined by its tradition and teachings, spirituality is defined by what is real in our own experience, arising from an inner search within ourselves, the finding of our own truth.

Where religion tends to breed separation — my religion vs. your religion, my God is the only real God, my ethics are better than yours, etc. — spirituality sees all people as equal. We are not an “ism” or a label, we are spiritual beings whose purpose is to awaken to our true nature.

Buddha wasn’t a Buddhist, Jesus wasn’t a Christian. The great ones didn’t create a religion, they just said to look within. They recognized the truth that is always here, always present, but so easily forgotten. We are not able to see this because of a mind that is veiled by ignorance, hatred and greed: the “me-centeredness” that rules and deludes.

“Your body believes everything your mind tells it…” meditate, meditate, meditate!

Don’t ask me anything on here if you’re going to be mean. I give advice and answer questions about me. I am going to stop answering anonymous questions.

I`m not sure when I first fell in love with you, because it’s still recurring. I guess it could have been as early as the first time we held each other. Or even the first time I realized that you liked me and I liked you back. I`m not sure, I just remember thinking of you more and more and falling deeply in love with you in the process! I remember hoping it was you when the phone would vibe, but at the same time hoping it wasn`t because I’d get so nervous and stumble upon what to say or talk about. I didn’t know whether to play hard to get or go get it… so I just did me and stayed myself and let you pour yourself into me. I didn`t know how in the world I was going to impress you, and still be cool, calm, and romantic at the same time. Every time I spoke your name I got tongue tied in the process. It amazes me how I still get so anxious and thrilled at the thought of you. I’m so proud and feel so lucky to have someone love me back the way I love them… it’s always been love received so this time it feels so good to be giving the love back. So excited for our future and this new edition we are having that is ours and nobody can take this away. You’ll always be the one I turn to no matter what or where we end up… just know I am not going anywhere and if I do I will always come back to you so therefore we may as well just stay together and waste no time of anyone else’s. Xoxoxoxo Rosenio TDDUP.