I’ve realized who you fall for never makes sense. It’s just a feeling. You either feel it or you don’t. I can go back and look through all the people I’ve cared about and make an argument for why it would make sense. But I could also make a counter argument for all of them that’s just as strong. Love is patient and love is kind… no one ever associated it with logic.

A Christian God is separate from humans. He is perfect. We are sinners. But it’s ok because God loves us and will forgive us as long as we believe in him. If not, we will pay for our sins.

My God is not separate from humans. Everything is God all existing in different life forms. We are God, God is us and the only thing separate from us, the only thing that is NOT us is fear. Fear and ignorance.

Christianity = Perfection is apart and separate.

Or = Fear is apart and separate.

Awaken. You are perfect and fearless. You don’t need forgiveness.

It makes me angry when Christians say, “I think being gay is a sin because it says so in the Bible. But it’s ok. I still love them. I don’t judge.” First of all, A) You’re allowed to enjoy free thought and still consider yourself a Christian. You are the only person in the whole world that holds power over what you believe. Being gay is not a choice. However, having the ability to choose to believe in what’s right, is . The Bible is a tool to help you on your path to spirituality. But you will not find God there or in anything else external. God exists inside. B) Nobody cares how much you loooove gay people. This is about respect, dignity and understanding. So you’re obviously lacking in these areas if you’re still hanging on to a Bible technicality to justify your fear. Free your life of fear. Fear is the only reason for anything bad happening. Ever.

Yay gays! Yay marriage equality! Yay love!

I just realized that every person I’ve ever really fallen in love with has had to move far away from me before anything could even really happen… How sad is that? And the early ones were before FB. So they just fall off the planet… #sadrealization lol

todayi:

Jesus was all about the idea that people are transformed. Not by being loved … but by the act of loving somebody, no matter how hard it is. 

- CHOKE (2008)

The United States is a great country. But I’m not going to deny we have some major cultural flaws. I’m not going to try to find blame… but it could have a lot to do with the fact that we are both a very large and very young country. But there’s no denying the fact that Western society is plagued with much more mental health issues and school shootings that let’s say… Africa, Thailand, or Vietnam. Now, no country is perfect. But this got me to thinking about the differences between 1^st and 3^rd world problems. To put it simply: In 3^rd world countries, there is usually a strong sense of family, community, support and ancient spirituality. (In fact they don’t even have to be 3^rd world countries to find these values, perhaps just older countries than us)But there’s no denying that the problems they face in 3^rd worlds have to do with survival and as a result they rely on each other as a community or a family to overcome them. Their problems are external.

But when you live in a world where your external problems are limited to the vending machine stealing your 50 cents you don’t fight for survival as a group each day. If you’re born into wealth and given tons of material possessions but aren’t blessed with a sense of family, community or spirituality… your problems can become internal.

So, I recently read a book. It was called “Happy,” and it listed and described festivals, holidays and customs from all over the globe that were designed to keep people it good spirits… or spiritually and mentally healthy. Now of course it is much more powerful to actually experience these customs with large groups of people. It’s much easier to disciple yourself to be happy when these customs are just what you’re expected to do a certain time each year. It would be amazing to actually go to Thailand and release a paper lantern into the night sky with hundreds of other individuals to symbolize the release of worry, anxiety and fear. BUT unfortunately we’re not there yet in the U.S. so I drew up a list. Each bullet point came from a custom from somewhere in the world and I condensed them all for your convenience. J

·         Create specific goals for yourself (Japan)

·         Work towards those goals (Spain)

·         Prioritize your well-being over your financial success(Bhutan)

·         Let go of worry (Thailand)

·         Accept differences (Mexico)

·         Accept change as the only constant (Tibet)

·         Become self-sufficient (Australia)

·         Forgive (India)

·         Trust (Spain)

·         Be patient (Israel)

·         Appreciate what you have (Thanksgiving! J)

·         Accept your own and others’ mortality (Mexico)

·         Shed inhibitions (Korea)

·         Never stop learning (Indonesia)

·         Control your temper (China)

·         Live in the now (Japan)

·         Turn pain into humor (Italy)

·         Reflect alone to realize your life’s direction (Native American)

·         Rid yourself of clutter (China)

·         Acknowledge your influences (Vietnam)

·         Accept when you’re not in control and have faith (Everyone)

·         Exercise (China)

·         Enjoy the finer things in life (Ethiopia)

·         Recharge (Israel)

·         Be comfortable with your body (Finland)

·         Be aware of your connection to the natural world (England)

·         Breathe deeply (India)

·         Connect to community (Italy)

·         Face your fears (Vanuatu)

·         Luxuriate (Turkey)

·         Appreciate silent time (Indonesia)

·         Spend time in the sun (Sweden)

·         Express yourself physically (Ireland)

·         Learn discipline (Egypt)

·         Dress how you want to feel (Senegal)

·         Talk about what’s bothering you (Germany)

·         Test your limits (NYC)

·         Let loose (Brazil)

·         Don’t take yourself too seriously (India)

·         Realize your connection to place/home (Australia)

·         Create a fresh start when needed (Thailand)

·         Respect and connect with your parents and your elders (Mongolia)

·         Embrace and accept the past (Panama)

·         View difficulties as learning experiences (India)

·         Embrace  your heritage and know where you came from (New Zealand)

·         Be kind and selfless, even to strangers (Uzbekistan)

·         Celebrate your accomplishments (Barbados)

·         Get cozy and enjoy the basics (ex. Good friends, a bottle of wine and a fire in the fireplace) (Denmark)

·         Be a useful member of society to feel a part of something greater than yourself (Chile)

·         Enjoy life now because you never know what’s ahead (New Orleans)

·         Appreciate the gift of family (India)

·         Give (The Pacific Islands)

·         Create balance in your life (Korea)

·         Release your inner child and play (India)

·         Realize we are all brothers and sisters and help people who need it (South Africa)