I grew up going to a Methodist Church and learning about God and Jesus. Being told to love others with open hearts, open arms, and open doors. To this day I love that saying. What’s ironic is the more I turned to love, the less I turned to the church.
Growing up I was always observant and paid close attention to how people acted and interacted with others. It fascinated me and still does to this day. But watching people who say one thing and then do something different or said one thing but twist the words when explaining it confused me. Or, I would have two people I respected and trust tell me two different things.
Oh my! There was so much confusion! What was I supposed to believe? I just wanted someone to be right and to tell me what to do!
Though being depressed sucks and I never want to go there again, it did help me. See, when you’re depressed, you turn inward and that’s exactly what I needed to do. Only the small voice within could answer my questions. Only the small voice within could guide me. I learned to listen to myself.
What I realized is the laws within religion are black and white. Do this. Don’t do that. Act this way. Don’t act that way. And so forth. But a relationship with the Divine (God, Goddess, the Universe, Allah, etc) is black, white, grey, and multicolored. It is sitting in a dark room quiet and motionless, as well as dancing around a fire singing loudly, and everything in between.
What I also noticed recently is that the core of all religions are the same. So I have decided to dive deeper into them all. I am going to use my blog as a place to write out what I find and share my opinions. I hope to interview religious leaders and the everyday person. I also want to travel the world and learn first hand how people in other countries worship.
My main goal though is to connect with other people through love. One the of the best ways to love, is to listen. Listening allows us to learn and what we learn is no longer the unknown. The unknown can cause fear and by knowing we then remove the fear.
Fear of the unknown is necessary because it keeps us safe from danger. However, unnecessary fear causes us harm. Fear between cultures can create hate and keep us from creating relationships that could add more love and joy to our lives. His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop Demond Tutu talk about unnecessary in The Book of Joy and how it keeps us from living a joyful life.
So here I am, on a journey to listen, to learn, to experience, to connect, and most importantly, to love.
NikkyNicole #mebeingme 