Tomorrow at this time I will be on an airplane.

Have I mentioned how much I love flying? Maybe it’s just because it implies traveling. Maybe because it’s a rare treat. Anyway, it’s great. And I’m doing it tomorrow.

This week’s been relaxing after work. I’ve taken a couple of relax days- just sitting at home, cooking for a while, playing some guitar and bass (and trombone!), reading some books. It’s so peaceful! If I had a couple of relax-hours each day, and I could still spend time with friends and work a fulfilling job, that’d be neat. Maybe I should just create them.
“You have enough time to do anything. If you say you don’t have enough time, what you really mean is that it’s not high enough on your priority list.” - Me

Speaking of reading books, I’ve been reading watered-down versions of some facets of Taoism and Hinduism, namely in The Tao of Pooh and The Book on the Taboo against Knowing Who You Are.

They’re so brilliant! The religions, not the books. (the books are good too) Granted, I’m getting such a limited picture of the religions, I’m sure, but what I read, I like. You can argue philosophy all day, but when it comes down to it, the essential point in each seems to be: enjoy life! That’s so refreshing! It certainly goes against:
- modern American middle-class life (which says “you should get more money and things”)
- Protestantism, my supposed native religion (“Believe the Bible and do good works”)
- What I thought Eastern philosophies were (“Meditate a lot until you transcend the world and reach Nirvana”)
- Catholicism (I won’t even get started here)

Maybe I’m extracting from them what I want to hear. Maybe I’m only reading the “fun parts” of the religions. But still, they both make a lot of sense, and it seems like we’d be a lot better off if we followed them. And whatever it is that we’re all trying now certainly isn’t working. Rock on, Eastern religions that I know very little about!


Comments:

Brian -

you forgot

-Christianity (“suffer now and you will be rewarded later”)

and

-modern America middle-class life (“suffer now and you will be rewarded later – unless Social Security flops)


~ash -

In my experience, that’s what most religions are about (even Catholicism, dammit!), but those who practice often get bogged down in other things or add so many rules to “help you achieve” that they become what you’re talking about (especially Catholicism) says the avid Catholic.



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