Some people practice religion, some Yoga. Some embrace the Art Of Living. Some do Rythmic Breathing. Some vociferously chant, ” Namho Renge Kyo”.
What do I practice? Nothing. So, am I missing out on something?
Right now my life is all hunky-dory. But what if tomorrow, there’s a famine, or The Great Depression revisits? Will I have the strenght to cope with problems then or will I turn chicken and start praying to God, something I haven’t done in a while? Then, I would feel like a fraud.
These issues sometimes trouble me and I wonder how easy it will be for the thread of contentment to snap.
I would prefer to tap my inner strenght to solve problems, to cope the pressures and if possible, to feel peace within. Is that possible or this defiance a worthless quest?
My roommate pretty much does nothing in terms of consciously cultivating spirituality or religion, except dropping into the temple once in an eon.
She plays table-tennis, goes for a swim, walks in the rain, parties on the weekend, settles the disputes between the landlady and us, spews venom when the need arises, faces life’s compexities head-on.
Perhaps the fact that you’re questioning if you’re missing out on something implies that you realize you are? I would guess that this posting resulted from you doing a little soul-searching, and realizing there’s more you need than just what you find within yourself, and that while it’s great to draw upon your own strength to accomplish things and solve problems, there will be times you will be depleted and have insufficient resources to overcome an obstacle. That’s just the way we’re all made.
I have to think that you already understand this, or you wouldn’t have said, “Right now my life is all hunky-dory. But what if tomorrow, there’s a famine, or The Great Depression revisits? Will I have the strength to cope with problems then or will I turn chicken and start praying to God, something I haven’t done in a while? Then, I would feel like a fraud.”
On and immediately after 9/11, many people started praying to God for the first time… at least in a while. Many of course have returned to “self-sufficiency”, but when it comes to the answer of “If there’s a God, why does He let terrible things happen”, the fact that it causes people to realize they do need Him is a likely sufficient response.