To Gun in my Garter

Don’t associate your parents so strongly with the religion. Yes they’re important but they’re not all-powerful nor all-knowing. The religion itself isn’t about not questioning at all…it’s all ABOUT searching for what’s there. It just concludes that the obvious answer is God. If it DIDN’T like searching, why was judaism the basis for the kabbalah? And what is the kabbalah but a way of searching for, describing and defining God? Honestly, I feel that if you look deeper and think more about the situation you can see that. The ‘simple’ answer is right in front of you, obvious and plain for all to see. In fact, a friend even said it for you. Hiroshi says there should be less judaism in the world, and less islam too. He takes the ‘simple’ way, and the very very ignorant way as well, I would conclude (no offense to him, but the standpoint is very unknowing and selfish, in my eyes). The answer is very very simple….that problems stem from the religion rather than the person themselves. That’s just foolish….a bigoted and hateful person is going to be bigoted and hateful no matter what he believes and says and does. It’s very very plain to see this. For instance, look at buddism, one of the religions (though in many ways it’s more of a code of how to act and why rather than religion) accepted as almost exclusively ‘good’. We’ve had some buddist tyrants in the past and I know I’ve met some buddists who were so elitest that it totally defeats and undermines what the religion’s about….but that’s not the religion’s doing; that’s the person. That’s the person’s own weakness, their own rigidity, their own lack of foresight. I feel it’s important for you to recognize this.

I think the situation is pretty simple…they’re forcing themselves on you because they’re too something (strong in belief, ignorant, caring, uncaring, something) in an effort to guide you along the right path, in their eyes, and you revile that. That doesn’t mean it’s the religions fault, to reiterate. I also feel that you’re taking the ‘simple’ way out and assuming that that’s everything the religion is, when in reality it’s something much much bigger than a small handful of people.

Based on that, my suggestion is this. E’rech a’pa’yeem – rav tvu’na. Patience carries wisdom. Don’t be rash or violent with your changes. Take the time to ask around, to think about them, to decide on where you are and then act on that. Don’t rush or there’s a very very strong chance you’ll miss things that could matter all the world in the future. Don’t just act because you want to act, feel the need to act. A metaphor for you: You’re more than capable of taking a gun and putting it in your mouth and pulling the trigger…based on feeling the need to or wanting to. That doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do, nor necessarily a good thing to do. I guess what i’m saying is to not be rash; it’s very very easy to shoot yourself in the foot with that, especially in times of spiritual change. Don’t act until you’re completely utterly sure and don’t act until you have all the evidence in the world backing where you are. The strongest beliefs after all are based in fact….fact because the entire world proclaims the belief and shows it and emphasizes it. Look hard and more importantly talk with people about it. Ei’ze’hu cha’cham ha’lo’med mee’kol A’dam. Who is a wise one? He who learns from everyone. While of course almost everyone is bigoted or shallow in some way, there’s something for you to learn from all of them as well. If you look hard enough and put things together enough and learn enough….you’ll find where you are. You just have to try. It’s not easy, it’s actually very very difficult until you reach the end….but it’s worth it.

Look. Look and don’t let yourself take the simple way out, as your friend seems to; there’s much more to it than merely that. I’m sure you’re capable of finding your own path and I think that if you honestly put yourself to it, you’ll find it. If I may, I’ll offer some of my own feelings on what I expect for you to eventually discover. Evil and other negative (and non-good) things come from people…religions are, in large part, misrepresented by the people who believe in them. It only takes a look at christianity’s, buddisms, islams and judaism’s histories to find this. There are always those who distort the faith, who misunderstand the faith….And that from those people who misunderstand, a lot of of frocking of the religion will be distorted as well, especially in customs….That there will also always be those outside of the faith who revile faith’s on weak and baseless points….that organized faith is far more universal than they seem….that true faith doesn’t ever come from the book, nor from parentage. Faith based on those things is weak and fragile; not faith at all. Real faith is something quite different. It comes from inside of you. For me, it’s because it’s the most logical thing to do. Perhaps it’s not the same for others, but that’s how it is for me….and finally I thnk that you’ll see, if you look, that almost all religions are different takes and versions of the same thing. Or others just focus on a part of another religion. Look at the kabbalah, if you’re interested….look at the tree of life, really learn about it, and then try to apply the various world religions and aspects thereof to the tree. You’ll see what I mean. Chazak V’Amatz.