Disclaimer: This is most likely to get hazy.
I'm a big believer in sending positive vibes out into the universe. I once had a friend explain to me that we should be like trees, though not just in the way they grow in all directions and spread themselves out into the light. She made the point that trees take something that we humans see as waste and work with it until it can be put back out into the world in a more positive form. Now there are some interesting quirks in this idea, since carbon dioxide is not waste to a tree so maybe the tree is really just being selfish, but I think the idea that pushing bad vibes away instead of taking them and working them out until you can pull the good from them is a good way to try to live your life.
Earlier this winter I had the chance to send a lot of time talking with someone who really is a great listener. What I mean by that is that she isn't just nodding along or feigning interest while waiting for her turn to speak (something I am guilty of more than I like to admit). This friend really takes what you say to her and turns it over in her head until she can see what you are trying to say. This tendency of hers led to me sharing in a rather clear and concise way the fact that I truly believe that putting good things out into the universe will bring good things back to you. Personally, this ties into my relationship with God.
Here's where I might get hazy, if I haven't already. What I was able to say to this friend of mine is that I believe that my God is different from everyone else's god (capital letter or no). Not because God is fragmented in that way, but because people are. I have no other type of relationship to have with God but a personal one. And if that is the case, who am I to say that the relationship someone else has with their god is wrong?
It's in my Catholic upbringing (and current affiliation) to try and understand what God is. But that's part of the point of God, isn't it? That I can't understand him. So why can God be all the different things people believe him to be?
Because when I say karma, I mean God. God knows I mean Him, my friend knows I mean Him, other people who are close to me know I mean Him. My favorite God metaphor, the one that seems closest to whatever truth I can understand about God's nature is that He is the peak of a mountain and there are so many ways to get to Him.
So mostly, what I'm saying is that I am trying to be like a tree, I have really good friends who do their darnedest to understand me even when I'm not making too much sense, and I'm climbing a mountain.
the rules: 1) one word titles that promise to be at least loosely related to posts 2) little to no name dropping (translated: this blog isn't about who said what) 3) unless I can't get in touch with you some other way, no commenting back on my own posts. Other than that, anything goes (though I am prudish and overly literate).
when I was feeling brave.
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2 comments:
Climbing up the mountain is a really interesting metaphor, as is the tree of good energy (was that Rachel?)
When I was in middle school we were studying Eastern cultures and our teacher was explaining to us (young Christians in training) the concepts of Karma and reincarnation forwards or backwards along the food chain depending on the goodness of your life. Well, young troublemakers that we were, we dove and tried picking it apart, saying that if a person knew that doing good works would ensure a higher position in the next life, then their good works had selfish motivation and were not wholly good as a result. The goodness was tainted, I guess. Mostly we were just trying to prove to our teacher that we were clever, but I think some of this understanding of Karma has stuck with me.
Just today I was talking with a co-worker about volunteers (I work with volunteers) and their motivation. We like to think that volunteers do good because they want to help others, but by helping others they are able to feel good about themselves, and in the end, much of the benefit lies with themselves. My co-worker and I were really just joking about this, because I do think volunteers have a heart of gold and the good that they do for others far outweighs any possible selfish intentions, conscious or not. I just found it interesting that we talked about this on the same day you wrote about karma.
Anyway, I think that the idea of karma fits into Christian belief pretty easily, not necessarily as an even tit-for-tat (pardon the dorky expression!) but as an eventual reward if nothing else. Not to mention we are commanded to serve others and love our neighbors as ourselves and entertain angels unaware and that damning "Faith without works is dead." Maybe none of this relates to what you were talking about. I'm afraid I sound like that friend who nods and waits for her turn to talk, but really I enjoyed your post and I would love to read more about your ideas and faith experiences and your climb up the mountain. I didn't find your post hazy at all, by the way. You make sense.
Furthermore, I find your idea interesting that everyone has a different God/god because people are fragmented in their experiences/relationships with God (do I have that right?) Can't one unchanging person have multiple personal relationships with different people, and those relationships look different but the common person (in this case God) doesn't change? Ah, sorry, maybe our friendship is kind of young to tackle such personal ideas, but I like it, I like to hear how people think about these things. I'd love to hear more about this idea of a personal God in future posts/conversations by and with you.
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