Proper etiquette often states that you should not talk in polite company about sex, politics, and religion. Some events in this past week have gotten me thinking more about our child and faith. I am writing this post knowing that I might offend some folks, make some folks laugh, and connect with others. I had some interactions with some very religious people in the last week, and it did not go swimmingly. Nothing biblical in nature-yes pun intended, and it was an example,to me, of people making their faith and beliefs more important than common sense, respect for other people's things, and making assumptions. I am not going to go into details since they are not important. And it got me thinking. Interacting with people of various faiths will most likely be a part of our son's life.
I am not what most people would called religious. I have had an adventurous experience with religious, spiritual, and humanistic traditions. Since I was young I have had numerous interactions with people who profess to be extremely religious in nature, and many of those interactions left a sour taste in my mouth. Many of these interactions seemed to me that these people were not acting like their belief system said they should be acting. It got me wondering at an early age. I will not be pointing a finger at any one religion. I don't see the point. We have enough of that in daily media already.
Anyway, I have been thinking about my spiritual journey that I have taken over the last 46 years. I did not attend Church as a child. But I did spend many hours outdoors. My mom and I did go to midnight services at the Storrs Congregational Church on Christmas Eve many times to hear Handel's Messiah. I still love that whole piece. I was part of the teen youth group there in high school because my girlfriend at the time was a member. When I was about 9 years old or so, one of my neighbors and his mom moved in and they were Buddhist. I had never met a Buddhist before and had only seen them in cheesy kung fu movies. They were Buddhist AND vegetarians. This was in the 70's mind you, far before being a vegetarian was trendy. Anyway, my friends mom was one of the most peaceful people I have ever met. Her Buddhist funeral was the first funeral I ever went to. I was already interested in eastern thought by the time I was 10 or so. Too many kung fu movies I think. I also found great happiness outdoors. I grew up in rural Northeast Connecticut on an old horse farm. Lots of time outdoors.
When I got into high school I was still fascinated with Asian philosophies. I had started practicing Judo, and was interested in the Samurai, Ninja, Shaolin Monks, Buddhism, and Bushido. Still am. Most of my friends, if they were religious they didn't show it, or I was not aware enough to notice. While there are several religious centers in Storrs because of the University of Connecticut, it was not a hot bed of religiosity. Anyway, as I got into college I had more interactions with folks who were fairly religious. I remember one night at dinner in the dorm I was sitting with one of my roommates and some of his friends. I heard him say, "yeah my roommate doesn't believe in that". I asked what I did not believe in, and he said God. His friend asked if that was true, and I said yes, and that I was more disposed to eastern philosophies. Then he said I was going to hell. I had never been told that before. I replied-"Yeah I can't wait. I will be eternally warm." I was a bit of a smart ass. That ended the conversation. You could hear the silence.
I began attending a small meditation group. Didn't last long. I had some attention issues in college. Anyone surprised? Also in college I spent about two years hanging out with many of the Asian students from various countries. Being an Asian studies major, made it easier and I had some really wonderful learning experiences with those folks and in several of my classes. I had the opportunity to delve deeper into eastern philosophy, mostly Buddhism and Taoism. I had also begun training more in martial arts including Tai Chi, Wushu. I still wanted to be a Shaolin Monk. Or a ninja, which was all the rage in the 80's.
After college I got to travel to Thailand and had some wonderful conversations with a couple of Buddhist monks, including the abbot of one monastery. They seemed to be living what they believed. And I was also beginning to notice that it is easier to live one's beliefs when you are surrounded by a community of like minded people, and more of a challenge in the arena of daily life.
In the years since I left college I have gotten to explore more aspects of Buddhism, Judaism, Taoism, Humanism, Indigenous spirituality, and deep ecology. People have asked me what I "am" in terms of religious beliefs. I gave up trying to explain my varied wandering along the spiritual paths. So often I say I am a "naturalist"-people often think that means nudist. It doesn't. Or I say that I am a "Shawnist". Which I think is the most accurate. I believe that whatever a person believes in, from extremely religious to Atheist, none of us experience life in the same way, or through the same filters. In fact our beliefs are extremely personal. I hope to encourage my son to explore life with great curiosity, and to first seek to understand others and their beliefs before being too judgmental. There is still a lot to explore in terms of the world of religious and religious experiences. But that is for future posts.
"Hmm, let the force flow through you."
