Post # 1000

Guess what? This is post #1000! Kind of. I think Blogger counts on the drafts as well, and I haven't cleaned those out properly, but still, THIS is supposed to be post #1000. And I won't make it a smart post, so let's just open the babbling box and babble away.

I submitted my book list for the Swap Book Club, and now I'm waiting for whatever will come next. By some magic procedure a secret friend will be assigned to me, and I'll work to get her one of the books from her list. It's like getting a present with insurance! Then, as I was thinking about Spirituality (out of the blue), I came over pictures of Native Americans and suddenly I developed a fancy for feathers in the hair. I'd love to wear feathers in my hair, like the ancient Native Americans. I have done that before, basically by sticking feathers into the tip of my braid - when I use my hair braided - and have loved it! Then again, I love feathers, and I tend to collect them when I find them on the street or at parks. Yes, I have heard about diseases sprad by birds and how everything from birds could sneak up on you and kill you dead, but so far feathers haven't killed me.

But what was thing thing about Spirituality? Well, a friend on the Twitter was fighting with other friends about this "misconception" in declaring that religious people are prepotent. This friend said those who supported this thesis were guilty of "Argumentum ad hominem" (which in plain English means that you at dragging a debate into the personal ground. Like when somebody can't attack your arguments, so they attack you). Now, though we could argue that just because someone is religious that doesn't make them prepotent, we should take a moment to decide who do we call religious and what are their characteristics. Religious people go to church or whatever their peculiar religion demands them to go to; the attend to their prescribed rituals, know their sacred texts, study their scripts or pergamins, holy books and stuff written around it, and living them or accepting them or whatever. Am I short in here somewhere? Now, from where I'm standing, this leaves little room for tolerance, specially when time and again the message that it is their duty to "spread the word" is hammered in their heads time and again, and they are told time and again that anyone who's not following their path is going to burn in hell for ever and ever an all eternity.

It may not be true to other religions, but it my experience it is true for Christians. Handpicking verses from the Bible and interpreting them as they see them fit, yes there is a sytematized movement to basically bully people into Christianism. In my personal opinion, when you start by nudging others towards Christianity - even if you come from a good place in your heart - there's a prepotent behavior.

In comparison, Spiritual people are not necesarily following a particular religion, wrapped in particular rituals and attending church regularly and feeding from it. Spiritual people connect directly with God, The Universe, The Divine or whatever they call that Spirit, energy or force that pulls their souls. They can talk to it through the frame of a given religion, but they don't make that religion true or right, just like English isn't the True and Only language of the world, and Spanish or French aren't false. Spiritual people don't try to force you down any particular path, but rather respect your path and if they can help you, they will in your terms, or offering the aid they can give instead of pushing it on you. Whether you think that Jesus is your only path to salvation or you believe that meditation can open up your soul and lead you to enlightment, they accept it, don't disqualify any path and understand that all of these are paths to take you to a better place.

There's crap everywhere, there's prepotent people everywhere and prepotency isn't exclusive of religious people, but when you follow a path that encourages you to disregard those different from you and "save them from their mistake", then call it what you want, defend it how you like, but for me that's a free card to be prepotent.