Her Brain, His Brain, Your Brain, My Brain

Part of me has worried since starting this blog that I talk or incorporate spirituality too much into everything I talk about. I have feared sounding like the overly gospel preaching Christians I so used to loathe. (Sorry guys, my teenage angst made me truly despise everything that came with Christianity back then.) But half of that fear comes from the fact that I feel a lot of people view spiritual people as still being religious, when they are two vastly different things.

Religion asks a large group of people to devote the life they live into living it under the terms of a very specific higher power, and the higher powers rules. As beautiful as some aspects of various religions can be, I find them ultimately limiting. To believe that the end all of our existence and how we live is based upon HOW WELL WE FOLLOW those rules, that then determine if we get to be “saved” and go to heaven, or “condemned” to hell, seems very condescending in my opinion.

Whereas, I believe that spirituality is more a principle, or a tool, you adopt INTO your life you are already living. It is completely UN-limiting. You learn that you have more control over your life and things that others don’t see or believe you do. Spirituality allows you to acknowledge, accept and embrace your past mistakes instead of shaming you and out-casting you despite having made them. Spirituality allows you to express and find yourself in many fluid ways. It is expansive, and most of all, spirituality is DIFFERENT for every person, for they have the free will to choose what they want to implement into their lifestyle.

Let me make it clear that I am in no way trying to shame those who practice a different faith, or ask them to not believe in their religion of choice, because that is not my place. I recognize that my path is different than others, and what fits me does not mean it fits everyone else. I genuinely do have an appreciation for multiple religions, and find parallels between certain teaching aspects of various religions and the belief systems of spirituality, and I find great beauty in that.

Everything is really all left up to interpretation of the mind at the end of the day, and what you WANT something to be, is what is shall be. And as I sit here and write, I guess it doesn’t really matter what others think of how much or how little I incorporate spirituality into my writings because of that alone.

This is just simply how I see the world. I find similarities from all sorts of teachings, and see patterns in lots of things that we do not see with just our naked eye, and make my own conclusions on certain ways I want to live and behave with myself and others in this world. I am aware that my mind and the way I choose to live is no more than a theory (in certain regards) to any other brain on this earth, and again, that is the beauty of it.

These teachings that I have implemented into my life, HAVE improved it, and if they have then why not share that? Maybe someone else has exhausted all of their other options, and if I can be someone to offer even one more method to try, then I’m gonna do it. And if I’m being honest, it’s so natural for me to bring it up that I’d probably lose a bet within five minutes if you asked me to NOT mention anything without incorporating a spiritual aspect to it haha! Many will not be able to handle it, and that is okay. But I will never water myself down for others.

I would say the other half of that fear I was feeling surrounding all of this was that others may think I am trying to shove how I view the world down their throats, when I would never do that. I have felt the effects of that myself from members of different religions, so why would I do that to someone else? And that would defeat the whole purpose of what I feel it means to be spiritual. We do not pressure or try to coerce anyone into following any sort of belief, and if someone does then they are not truly spiritual in my opinion. All we are to do is share our personal truths like seeds, and it will sprout if is so chooses to reach a place (aka a person) who will grow it and pass it on as well.

I also only wish for others to not be quickly dismissive of view points that I, and others like me share for the fact that it simply isn’t theirs. We can still listen to other peoples perspectives, while knowing ours may not particularly change even after hearing it. But what it will do is give us a better sense of that other person. And also allowing space for discomfort and disagreement is where you can find a place of balance, if you only allow yourself to be open minded enough to at least understanding the other side, no matter if you choose to agree or adopt that thought into your own mind.

We’re all here just trying to navigate this thing called life, and the more we beat people down and separate ourselves in every way possible, the more closed off and cold we become from one another. And while I stated that spirituality and religion are not the same thing, the one thing that they all do have in common is that there is believe for something greater out there beyond ourselves watching and influencing certain things one way or another. And that should be the main focus. Accepting that while you may view God as a man in white robe with long hair and a beard, or seeing your God having many legs and arms, or even being half animal-human, or simply to view God as all the space and planets that surround us; there is such fascination in the wonders of how and why there could be so many different possibilities to begin with.

My opinion is just that, an opinion. And everything is relative so who am I to tell others they are wrong? But if I am not telling others that they are wrong, while still having my own personal beliefs, I expect others to uphold that mentality in regards to my spirituality and I as well.

Having different opinions is what makes us so wonderful. What makes the world so deep and colorful. Those different opinions lead to thousands of more questions which spider web out and just keeps going and going to more questions for us to chase and sometimes even find answers to.

This sorta feels like that line from a Dr. Seuss book called One Fish, Two Fish and it goes; “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.” And I would say that we are like those funny things, all vastly different in color, shapes and sizes, and yet still all living in the same little world together, like the world Seuss has created for his characters.

I think we all just need to learn to be a bit more kind, patient, and understanding, and the more we do that, the more we can learn to co-exist with another without feeling threatened by our brothers and sisters.

So while I sat here pouring out my thoughts and feelings about my spirituality and I, I realize it was I creating fear, stopping me from expressing a very big part of myself, and I don’t want to do that. I want to open myself up more to those around me, instead of becoming more closed off. To reach anyone I can, because I know that even if it is only even one person who connects to my own personal thoughts and feelings, then I’ve done my job.

It’s time we started embracing and talking about more of what makes us individually unique, and it will in turn do the one thing we should all have in common; love one another.

So I hope you choose to widen your mind just a little more the next time you interact with someone, whether you know them or not, and see what magic happens.

All my love, -A.