Hello friends, and happy mothers day! Today I woke up quite late after a night of fun with my friends, But as I was drinking my morning (afternoon...) coffee I started thinking of how people treat each other. I was reading a post of an atheist friend of mine and how he often faces ridicule for his lack of beliefs in a god. However, why is it that people assume kindness is directly linked to belief in a deity? I would argue that in fact the superior man is the one who lives with love and morality regardless of the threat of hell or promise of heaven hanging over him. But that is not what I want to talk about here, that merely was what got me thinking about how we interact so independently in society.
Part of the reason the world faces the problems it does is because people think of only themselves. but that is not how the world works. we are not merely ourselves. We as human beings, along with all other sentient beings are cells working together to form a larger organism. Think about it that way. each of our millions of cells is born, lives, and dies without us ever really even noticing. No single cell means anything in the greater scheme of things. However if these cells did not band together and work toward a greater purpose with what little power they have, we would cease to exist.
Some of us are incredibly vain and selfish, we get our own ideas about things and act recklessly without thinking of the consequences for our brothers and sisters in humanity. We often get others to join us in this twisted and unnatural behavior. This is what leads to crime and terrorism and war. When this happens in terms of biology, It is called cancer. Selfishness and ignorance is cancer and if we do not correct ourselves and act with more selflessness it is going to destroy us one day. While it is natural to feel angry or upset with someone do not allow it to control you. when you allow yourself to act out of anger you are the beginning of cancer.
There is a story that the buddha once told. It's about a two headed bird, while the bird had two separate heads and minds it shared but one body. One of the heads became greedy and ate far more than was necessary so that the other got none. The second head became angry and scolded the first. The first was very upset to chastised like this. But the second head was still angry and decided to take his vengeance. He quickly offered a false truth to his brother and told him where the most delicious berries in the forest were as an apology. Although it was a lie and the berries were in fact poisonous. however he was foolish in his anger and forgot that though they were of different minds they still were one, and they died together. And so in their ignorant acts of gluttony and wrath they destroyed their shared existence.
This is a vivid illustration of how dangerous it is to forget that we are one. We are part of a greater existence. We must remember our selfish and wrathful acts do not go unpunished. Karma is not punishment for sins from a god. It is merely the results of our actions. That bird could have gone to church, and been told wrath is a sin, but through christ he is forgiven. That however would give him the foolish idea that It really isn't a big deal to act like that and that it is ok as long as he believes in his savior. he may still have become angry, prayed for forgiveness and killed them both anyway. But in the buddha's teachings he would know the true reason for morality; to act with kindness, not because you are commanded to with no knowledge of why. But because you understand the nature of reality and what the consequences of selfish acts really are. There is no hell my friends. Treat others with kindness or at least do not act in anger, not to keep from going to hell, but to keep from creating it!
After many long years I am at peace with religious folk. But to all of my friends who are christian/muslim/jewish etc... I must warn you of the dangers of being overly dependent upon faith. You may keep your God, but I implore you to explore morality from the eyes of the godless. Ask yourself why these people can be kind with no need of your God. Then you may come to understand you rely too much on your God to explain things for you that you could know for yourself. If you understand the way the world is in that light, I promise you will only strengthen your religious morality and it will be much easier to understand, accept and follow the morals God has given you. You will show kindness and tolerance because you understand kindness and tolerance not simply as an act of obedience to a book.
if everyone learns this lesson, we will swiftly beat the cancer of ignorance.
