everything is relative. that is what i have come to believe. as cliche as it is true...beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. beauty and i guess everything else as well.
so if i say i believe in God, i do not expect everyone in this world to have the same faith. some might worship Allah. others Buddha. and i in Kuya Jess. i would be committing such an elaborate fallacy if i say, "it's either you believe in my god or you don't." if you are of a different religion, i don't see mine as better or superior. and if you suppose that you don't have a god, i also don't see any fault in that. no one stands over the other. we are just that--different.
it is just too unfortunate that others see this difference as an edge or weakness over and of another. why do we have to rank ourselves in terms of what or who we believe in? why do we have to say things that are obviously uncalled for? why do we have to downplay others just because we don't see things the way they do? you could throw rude comments all you want...but i don't think it will make my stand, or anyone else's belief for that matter, much less correct. it won't even make things in this world more peaceful. instead, by doing so, you will have just created unnecessary warfare. you see, the significance of believing or not believing in a god does not lie on the correctness or fallibility of things. what is, though, is how a person, through experiences and maybe even research, ended up as a believer or non-believer.
what's even more unfortunate, if not just outright ridiculous, is that the ones who see themselves as better or others, weaker--for whatever reason--are the ones who get violent when others tell THEM off. i have avoided debates on religion and atheism for the sole reason that these people exist: those who join debates not to learn from others and impart ideas, but just spew fancy english and unorthodox connotations for the heck of it. The people who have closed minds, but also expect everyone else to maintain an open one just for them. The special ones who do all the talking but never have time to listen.
i can live my life avoiding these debates. it may even do me well. less stress. less nonsense. for me, everything is relative. faith and belief will depend on different things. because of this, i can easily respect and embrace our religious differences. what i find unsettling about all this is that many people just can't do that. for them, fallacies make more sense. they prefer name-calling.
for the first time, i will let myself be sucked in by this non-issue. this unnecessary ruckus. for a change. hmmm...where should i begin?
i found time and exerted much effort on this blog because i read somewhere (well, in another person's blog, actually) that people who believe in a god are weak and could not handle life on their own. this is the statement that brought this rage on. i simply could not see the logic in it. Okay, so i am someone who believes in God, so should we also conclude that i am weak? NON-SEQUITUR. Just when did having faith become a sign of weakness? look at me. i believe in God. but can you honestly say, to my face, that i am weak? i have dealt with financial problems. I have experienced my fair share of academic woes. I have disappointed people and fallen short of expectations. I have overcome the death of my father. now tell me...ma'am...who is weaker? you or me?
all those times i felt so down and out, i locked myself away from the world and, admittedly, i prayed. the prayers did not make me feel weak or selfish. if anything, it made me even stronger. the fact that i am still here is a miracle in itself.
when i pray, i don't see it as selfishly demanding for good things to happen for me or for life to drastically rid itself of all pain and suffering. i pray because i need to talk to a friend. to a brother. to a father. to someone who won't judge and just listen to what i have to say. maybe that's the thing. while i see Him as friend, his detractors see him as a "superior being". (reminds so much of pilate and Jesus' crucifixion. the roman soldiers were all pissed and thrown off by the idea that others see Jesus as the king of the jews, that they crowned him with thorns and put a sign over his head, sarcastically acknowledging that he indeed was the king of the jews). it's not a matter of asking a genie for things. it's more of needing someone to just lend an ear.
it is easier to be selfish in our prayers--i want this, give me that, i'm taking that for myself--because it takes a whole new understanding to realize that it feels better to pray for others. that selflessness brings more fullfilment than our own achievements. for someone to assume that all our prayers are for ourselves implies that that person has done the very same thing.
they say that these prayers only give hope and hope is nothing without actions. indeed. but without hope, we will all be walking around aimlessly, having no clue of what we want to achieve or are capable of achieving.
if i achieve something, i readily thank God not because i don't accept my accomplishments, but rather, i acknowledge his role in my life and his influence in my decisions. it is like thanking friends for their moral boosts and family for their support and love. you will never, EVER, see an academy award winner go up the stage and give an acceptance speech with, "i thank me. i did it on my own." this is because we hardly really do anything on our own. we always acknowledge that others--family, friends, acquaintances, and God--have contributed to, if not mostly responsible for, our successes. otherwise, we will have become selfish aliens who think that a man (or woman) is an island.
yes, we are responsible for our own lives. we have the power to excel and fail. but we can never say that we can function on our own. even a car needs gas. a bulb, electricity. us, others. and i need God and my loved ones.
now, if i choose not to blame God when something goes wrong, it is not because i feel that i CANNOT blame him. i can. in fact, other believers do. we could always say that nothing's our fault and hold him accountable. again, we all can. but i just don't. it's owning up to what i was responsible for. isn't blame a tool for selfishness as well? a backdoor for cowards?
as you may have already noticed, i am not here to convince you to have the same faith as mine. i have never been that type of person. i, too, believe in a greater plan. and part of that greater plan is finding your own way to your own faith. i'm not going to tell you to look around and ask you who do you think created all these. if all goes well, you'll realize it on your own. no will have to force you into anything.
simply put, we're manifestations of God's wonder and miracles. and i find no problem if you don't see yourself as a miracle. (so what and how do you see yourself, may i ask? oh, oo nga pla...you're an island who doesn't need anyone in order for you to function)
everything is relative to me so it's always going to be fine with me even if you don't believe in God or if you don't have a god or if you say that there is no God. just don't think you that ARE a god, much more your own supreme being. don't say others are weak and imply that you're better. don't think that since you are responsible for your own life and life seeks its own, you don't need others to help you function. and don't say that because you don't believe in OUR God, you don't fear death. c'mon who are you kidding? you fear death. if you really don't, ma'am, oh brave and magnificent ma'am...don't go to work. don't earn money.'wag ka nang kumain. let yourself go. tutal, di ka naman takot mamatay eh. go ahead, enlighten me with another fallacy.
***pardon the incoherences. it has been hard to be politically correct and make this piece as far from a personal attack as possible. i would like it to sound as if i'm talking to detractors in general.
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