The Mud Puddle

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The Issue of Religion

Religion is helpful as a code by which to live, but if it starts providing answers that are too big or that result in people getting hurt, then it becomes a problem.

I don't consider myself a member of a mainstream organised religion, but I do have a code by which I live. It is divided into three books, each of which has three passages, listed in order of importance. It is very simple, and reads as follows (with annotations).

The Book of Commandments

Here are the general guidelines that I apply to my conduct.

1. Try to do nice things for people.

   Nice things are simply things that make people happy.

2. Avoid doing mean things to people.

   Mean things are things that make people unhappy.

3. Help people become better.

   Humans are animals. There's no way around that. But if you happen to be one of those humans that manages to be responsible and nice in spite of the self-serving nature of existence, then you've promoted yourself to the rank of person—you have value that justifies pride in your identity as a member of your species.

The Book of Happiness

Happiness comes in many forms. The following three groups are the forms of happiness that are natural and true; if you don't satisfy your need for one or more of these forms of happiness, you will replace them with unhealthy alternatives, i.e., vices.

1. Love

   Love of any kind (spiritual, sexual, or emotional love; physical, emotional, or social contact) makes people happy.

2. Exercise

   Physical and mental exercise creates a feeling of satisfaction due to self-improvement. Exercise can include acts of love.

3. Meditation

   A meditative state of any kind—engaging in any calming, enjoyable activity—promotes physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Meditation can include acts of both love and exercise.

The Book of Statements

Here are some general statements about life that I have found to be true according to my experience.

1. Love makes humans into people.

   Love and empathy are the things that make humans overcome their natural instinct for self-preservation, and devote some of their effort to the preservation of the community of those around them.

2. Pain makes people grow up.

   Children are born not knowing pain; this is the reason for their innocence. Children that are exposed to too much pain grow up too fast and become disillusioned with the world. They must find the natural love of a child's innocence again to be able to experience happiness. If they can't accomplish this task, they will replace love in their lives. So, in essence, pain is a good thing, because it teaches a person about the world, but too much of a good thing is always dangerous.

3. Contrast makes people feel.

   For someone to genuinely feel something, they must have a standard of comparison. The greater the difference between it and their view of normalcy, the greater the degree to which they feel it. It's the difference that matters. Art creates contrast against reality and/or against itself, which is the reason that art has the power to make people feel. The creation of art can be both a form of meditation and a labour of love.

So that's it. Those are my views on religion as it pertains to life. I hope you enjoyed reading.

last updated 1 year ago #