This post is long. Just a warning.
Many, in fact almost everybody, would laugh at what I call my “religion.” I’ve been studying it again lately, in an attempt to find out who will win The War and I’ve finally realized a few things. But first, I thought it might be helpful to give a little…ok, large background on what I call my “religion.”
Now first off, I am not knocking organized religions. In fact, I think they are amazingly great for some people. Anything that has the type of power that can change a person’s life and continue doing so for centuries on end cannot be viewed as a bad thing. There are many flaws in the systems, of course, but show me one system, ANY system, that doesn’t have flaws. So for the record. I am not anti-religion with religion playing the classical role. I just know it’s not for me.
Growing up, I wasn’t raised in a “religious” family. My mom grew up as a semi-practicing Catholic (I think) and my Dad frew up as a…? I honestly don’t know about either one of them, but I do know that growing up, we weren’t big into religion. Sure, we went to the church on Christmas or on other such occasions, but I knew very little about religion as a whole. I was 14 before I realized that a Hail Mary was more then just a desperate football play or that Southern Baptists didn’t like Disney. But once I started looking around into religions, my parents were both supportive and said that they would help me along the way. My mom made my family start going to church every week for about 2 years and I tried to pay attention, I tried to understand, and I tried to believe. But it wasn’t there. For many different reasons, I just didn’t agree with many things being preached – the preaching being one of them. So, I started looking into religions. I read the basic beliefs and practices of all the major religions, tried my best to understand them, and in the end I was left with what I had picked and selected from various religions as being what I thought the truth was. And then, I found my calling.
As many of you know, on the first day of the 8th grade, I started a journal. After a few years, I began writing in it every night and have yet to miss a day. Now, what I feel – what I know – is that certain things I do make certain things happen. So now we have the major ingrediant in my religion. What most people would call superstition. Though I personally feel this word is a bad comparison since my beliefs are nothing like the definition of superstition.
a) A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance. b) A fearful or abject state of mind resulting from such ignorance or irrationality. c) Idolatry.
a) can be dismissed due to the pure fact that it has “laws of nature” in it. Aslo, “irrationally” and “ignorance” are far from the truth. b) can be tossed aside can again be eliminated due to the same two words. And c)….well trust me, I am not blind. I am learning. You see, my beliefs are based on what I have seen. What I have learned. And what I have proved time and time again. There are certain things – small things to most people – that if done in ANY other way than what I have realized, a set of negative actions that are easily identifiable and 100% unforeseen will take place. And trust me, each and every time I test this, the results come out to be the same. In fact, my journal that I keep is my “religious notes” if you will. I can look back, see what I did, and see what happened. When you see that over 4 years, I did something, say 29 times and that in the day after each of those 29 occurances, something amazingly bad happened, you start to believe that you in fact do have a control over your own destiny. That you do in fact control your own life. But then the question remains, how do I know I still have control over what I do? But I digress, for that is a discussion for a later topic.
Over the years, my knowledge has grown. And with learning of these things that I must do, I have found ways to combat them. Small ways, in the general scheme of things, but ways none-the-less. Here, let me give you an example. Say for instance that I wake up one morning and realize that I missed something the previous day. I can then sit there and try to imagine every possible bad thing that could occur that day. And by mentally realizing them in my head, I have a good chance of avoiding them. However, that lovely word unforeseen will rear its ugly head and something bad will happen – guaranteed. And I’m not talking “missed the bus” or “a bad episode of my favorite show,”… I’m talking pure, 100%, black, vile, evil.
So how the hell is this considered a religion? Prayer, Truth, Beauty, and Virtue. They are all there. When you consider that all recognized religions contain those 4 linking objects and that mine too does, well, I stop calling it superstitions and start calling it a religion. And what do I think I will eventually achieve. Well, many years later, I hope to be able to avoid negative occurances all-together. Call it crazy, call it stupid, but call it me.
So….what is this all leading up to? Well, I’ve finally been enlightened to the next stepping stone of things to avoid. Except, for the first time, it isn’t actions. It’s people. I have identified certain people, who clearly bring nothing but back luck into my life. What bothers me the most is that I went 6 years without realizing them – or even this aspect. I was so blind to the fact that it had to be actions and motions in my daily life, that outsiders couldn’t effect it. But I have finally realized this. Now, I must find a way to rid my life of these people and find ways to combat them in case I must be forced to have them in my lives. Finally, a new thing to meditate on…