Grateful Dead

NFA! ( ~ ) ; ~ ) You know our love will not fade away! Not fade away Not fade away!

Love is Real not Fade Away........ Sums it up for me, and if we are going on the religion side I choose NONE. No Religion.....now Spirituality, well it could mean so much to so many people. Personally My beliefs are straight out of the Biblical Sense.....However I am by no means one to judge others beliefs. I know that I'm spiritual and I also do know there is TRUE LOVE going on in this community of People. I love you all! I also just realized how I reached all these epiphany's with a little help from a notorious band's Energy and Spiritual Relief......The good Ole' Grateful Dead....... ENJOY! Love is REAL!!! ♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥

Thank you lamagonzo from the bottom of my heart.Makes my posts look even more rambling than usual though!; you're showing me up here! ha ha!! The gonzo as succinct as ever! And that's pretty surprising regarding the Furthur show. Weird! In a family area that's busy, then i'd agree but otherwise..... I like that sentiment too; recharge then pass it on. i shall have to do it more often.

Reading the last 20 posts I find Marye's admonishments to be over the top in this thread, Why dictate? Humor and satire are not necessarily bad and can be instructive. Marye has bashed me for throwing a joke in this column also. I resent it, so I don't post in this thread anymore. There are people here who THINK they know the truth about everything. I agree with 95% of Jonapi"s comments, especially the last one with the graphic images of starvation in the horn of Africa coming in. But a lot more. I got a good laugh about his joke. It was funny. As for Jonapi's general sentiment I agree completely. Walk the walk. Religions SHOULD come with a warning label! Though I have no problem with parents who wish to induce good tendencies and charitable beliefs. The coolest parents take their kids everywhere and then say "you decide, even if nothing". I saw a lot of fundamentalist Deadheads on the current Furthur tour acting like the Taliban. I was accosted by one young man for smoking a joint in the "lawn" area of a very uncrowded show. I don't resent them, mostly because they offset a lot of the opiate crowd out there yelling "Dirty needles, peanut butter & used underwear here!" I DO resent their poor taste and temptation. Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly with Jonapi that we would all do a lot more good by practising our beliefs in our communities most of the time with a proviso that everybody needs to take time for themselves to recharge with their Divinity. I must confess that I was an ordained monk in the order of His Holiness The Dalai Lama for 12 years. Few listen, few learn, few progress on the spiritual path.

"Religiously" try to avoid?.....ha ha!!Hey, no worries. Like i said, i wasn't out to offend anyone. I guess it can come across as too angry but i feel that sometimes it is justified. On occasions, enough is enough and it's time to pierce the lethargy and "oh, well, nevermind" approach and cut to the chase. That day was one of those. I appreciate your reply. To make clear, i was not a victim of anything that appalling, although i have friends who were. They too switch between moments of compassion, forgiveness, and blind rage. The most important thing is to discuss it which hopefully now others will. As i wrote in my initial post, i applaud and am fascinated by different schools of thought; but in times of such immense suffering maybe relying on this just doesn't help enough. To rest on one's laurels as it were is dangerous. The safety zone too close to being complicit. But this is a Friday; the clouds here in London have parted and the blue in view. I would like to offer positivity to everyone, not negativity. Have a glorious weekend.

I religiously try to avoid this forum but if I think someone is putting down others or my beliefs I will jump in. Thanks for your explanation and if you were a victem of abuse in any way I'm truly sorry. I liked your Dali Lama prayer. Good post.

"Ever notice how 'What the hell' is always the right answer?"— Marilyn Monroe

Ahh, but is there really a hell?..........................................................................

Whoa, a little surprised there at that reaction.I thought i made it quite clear about my feelings regarding the importance of spiritual enlightenment. At no point, in any of my posts, were i mocking religion or damning people for whatever path they are on. In fact, i think i repeated myself a fair few times, probably quite unnecessarily! I am all too aware of the importance that any religion plays in people's lives. My mum is Christian and goes to church regularly and it's certainly a place of sanctuary for her, especially after her husband, my dad, died a long, drawn out death from cancer. A couple of replies to your comments i feel are needed, out of respect. Siskiyou Brian? at NO point did i write that i knew it all. Please re-read my posts. I know about as much as you, anyone else in this Forum, and the Universe at large. My post was meant to, hopefully, generate discussion. A discussion about the way people on the Forums view Religion in their lives. About what they feel they are a part of and what they feel they accomplish. Having watched a variety of news stories the morning of the post (the drought in East Africa, the drowning of over 100 hundred people, including many children on a cruise ship in Russia) and them coinciding with my reading at the time (both "Freedom In Exile", the autobiography of the Dali Lama, and a wonderful, inspiring book by Chöyam Trungpa called "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism"), i felt compelled to write. The disgraceful scenes in Africa; the fact that in 2011, with all our advances in science and technology, coupled with leaders of that country purporting to be God-fearing, it is vomit-inducing to still see starvation and suffering on such an epic scale. How can we possibly still have such a situation in this day and age? As someone rightly pointed out on the news, with all the billions of euros going to bail out Greece and the like, just ONE stinking billion could radically alter this appalling catastrophe. Have we forgotten the words "water pipeline", "infrastructure" ? They're in my vocabulary. But i digress. My anger is directed at those who casually, and in some cases, not so casually, align themselves with a particular group and get caught up in the theatre and ritual instead of pulling up the shirtsleeves and helping. Of course, not all of us are in a position to do this, INCLUDING me most of the time. We aren't in positions of power or influence in a large sense, usually only in our own community or to the friends and families around us. (Which can spread change of course). But my exasperation is rightly felt because, i believe, that the true core message of Spirituality has (and has for many centuries) become debased. I believe (that's right, just an opinion, not a statement of fact, hence the reason for an open discussion) that by it's very nature, any Religion will eventually create divide. It just can't help it. Maybe not for thousands of people, but unfortunately to many thousands more who DO have these positions of influence on a grand scale and it's these who are doing the most damage. As i pointed out before, there is nothing inherently wrong with someone buying into the New Age schtick; they have a couple crystals, some twinkling bells and some whale song music on the stereo; better that than committing acts of violence, very true. But even then, by reducing spirituality to that kinda level it gets distorted and reduced. You go out in the street and ask what the words "Spirit" and "Spirituality" mean to people; it has become something of a joke; fairies at the bottom of the garden, cloying, sickly sweet images of "angels" and such. It's not harmful per se to like that type of stuff, but it perpetuates the laugh and dismissal of something so important. And you're right, Siskiyou Brian, i do have a serious problem, although not in the knee-jerk reaction way you meant; i would like my fellow human beings to remove the clutter of pageantry and theatre, discard membership of any particular club and practice, wholeheartedly what it purports to preach. As far as i can see it gets in the way; people follow the ritual, maybe without knowing; there is a comfort there that i can understand of course, but it can lead to "going through the motions", repeating the words without feeling the meaning. Doesn't make them bad people some of them and i never said it did, but it doesn't actually help those in desperate need. Say everyone, instead of going to church, used that Sunday morning to do something for the community instead? That's not a smart-ass thought is it, genuinely? I'm not asking such an outlandish question? And no, in case you misunderstand this sentence as well, i am not writing this with a smug smile on my face, patting myself on the back because i've figured it all out and what took you so long?; NO, it IS a serious question that i believe would make a massive difference, not only to others but also to one's own spiritual well-being. A quote here from the Dalai Lama autobiography: "...the problems we face today are mainly caused by humans. They can be resolved - but only through human effort, understanding and the development of of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. To do this, we need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and for the planet we share, based on a good heart and awareness. I am convinced that these qualities can be developed by anyone, with or without religion." To marye: i am quite chilled believe it or not ha ha!! And with all gentle respect, i did repeat many times in my posts that i am concerned about the distressing things that humans do to each other and the very real important need for spiritual growth and understanding. I also stated that i was not out to mock anyone for their beliefs in any way whatsoever. I am on the side of love and compassion for everyone, yes, including pedophiles. They do not choose to become one, like one chooses a haircut or a meal from a restaurant menu. They are born that way. It will never be eradicated because it is part of human nature whether we like it or not. And as one of the victims of abuse on the news stated quite clearly, he is not ant- or against the whole church but is against the overwhelming deceit and corruption inherent in it. He also made it clear that he forgives the priest who committed the act. And so to the supposed "joke" i wrote. I don't consider it a joke. True, the wording is so that it adds a sneer to the point i was making but i did not set out to offend anyone. Again, i believe i used the words "love", "compassion" and "spirit" enough times to show where my beliefs are. I was and still am, incredibly angry at the way the Vatican and the Catholic Church has dealt with (and probably still will) this situation. It is a complete, selfish, greedy and downright disgusting way to treat others. And i strongly believe that anyone who would call themselves a Catholic has the moral duty to bombard the Vatican and the rather dubious Pope in it, with a an overwhelming tsunami of outrage and sow the seeds that will make sure a cover up NEVER happens in this way again. No one is above the law. If it was the head of your company dragging the employees names through the mud and overlooking atrocities and declaring himself a spokesman for YOU, i think you would behave very differently. I would, for the Users above, highly recommend the book "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chöyam Trungpa. It's incredibly gentle and inspiring. I would also recommend watching this for it probably says what i mean to say with a lot more intelligence and in less of a convoluted fashion!! http://vimeo.com/13781908 I don't agree with everything said but hopefully this will spark a better debate. Hopefully too, people will read what i've written this time and understand where i'm coming from. I would like to apologise if that certain remark offended anyone, although i do believe, as John Cleese once said regarding the chest-beating and public outcry over "Life Of Brian", "some people need to be offended". And i would kindly like to suggest Siskiyou Brian, that as you jumped in with condemning me as "knowing it all" and having "some serious problems", without knowing anything about me (or seemingly actually reading the whole post, not just a short section of it), that perhaps, like me too in future, it would be better to look before you leap. If one of those "serious problems" you mentioned was due to being a victim would you still be happy with what you wrote? And lastly, i would like to end with a short prayer, again taken form the Dalai Lama book which i most definitely agree with: For as long as space endures, And for as long as living beings remain, Until then may i, too, abide To dispel the misery of the world.

I was with you until that joke...poor taste, brother. Ya got your point across without goin' there. The Church, contrary to current popular belief, does NOT have the market cornered on child abuse. If you believe, fine...if you don't fine, also. I DO agree that if you're gonna do something, do it all the way (like work, or a job...anything worth doing, is worth doing right), but trying to live a good life, or at least in the precepts of love, understanding, compassion, etc. is not always easy. Everyday is a learning experience. It's always a work in progress, no matter how you look at it.