Felicitas, Integritas Et Sapientia

I think that my sleep issues are now a thing of the past. I'm very happy about that as you might guess! I'm able to sleep for 6- 8 hours a night, and my sleep deficit is almost clear-I don't fall asleep randomly in the day either. Progress! Hurrah! Pain, however... working on that. I'm doing my best to manage my level of activity so I don't exacerbate my back or add to the fracture. I'm waiting for an appointment with the surgeon to treat the fracture in my spine, and hopefully that will sort everything out. The biggest problem, though is the heat-I checked today and we're the same as in Trinidad. I'm finding it very difficult to breathe even sitting in front of the fan. I spent a lot of the day in the air-conditioned bedroom, which was a little easier, but still not easy. I also understand the power of suggestion-we were watching a TV show in which a couple were locked into a sauna that was running at full blast. There were thick clouds of steam and they were panting in the hot, humid place. As I watched, I found that my breathing became laboured and I had to stop watching for a bit!

Trigger warning here!

Like many of you, I get many posts daily with religious thoughts and Bible quotes. Most of them I simply ignore. Then there are the ones that have the line: "Share if your [sic] not ashamed of me." or other words to that effect. Now, I've often told people that I'm Catholic, which means that I dispense guilt, I don't feel it. So I treat these posts as the garbage they are.  I can’t judge someone’s level of belief based on their willingness (or not) to share a meme.  And the level of passive aggressiveness needed to try to guilt someone into expressing their beliefs is really astounding!  I do accept some from people, usually after they ask, “May I share these thoughts with you?”  I don’t object to religious material, and some is meaningful, but I don’t accept or endorse the guilt!  Oh, and the poor grammar guarantees that I’ll just trash the post.  Either use proper grammar or stay off my feed.  Thanks!

Religion, for many people, is something that is a list of rules to be followed. They keep "religion" to Sunday morning services, and repeating rote prayer. It doesn't affect their behaviour in any way, except to pass severe, negative judgement on others. Ironically, they are adept at the conduct for which they censure others. Sadly, religion often brings out the worst in people: hypocrisy, fanaticism and cruelty. The people who go down that route are very often the ones who seek out places of prominence and who pray the loudest and are the most ostentatious at participating in religious ceremonies.  They adhere strictly to rules, and enforce them strenuously. Often they do not see any extenuating circumstances. I find it tragic that people choose this approach.

There are those for whom religion is a facet of life. They actively follow the teachings in the spirit. You have, I hope, met people like that.  They are warm, loving and kind, with an inner glow that fills all of their actions. These are the ones who embody "love thy neighbour," and "do as you would be done by." They don't seek out glory or praise, but just go around doing good. I don't think that there are enough of them in the world. I'm delighted to say that I know several of them and they are among my close friends.

The people who fully live their religious beliefs are the polar opposite of the ones who use religion as a prop. Not only do they show love and compassion, they are open to the joy in the world. It doesn't matter to them which religion anyone follows~they accept them all as manifestations of loving- kindness. They exude positive vibes around them, and they make others feel calm and loved. You can sit with them in silence and feel like you've communicated.

Silence between people can often tell a lot about them. Have you ever just sat quietly with someone and felt perfectly comfortable? Those people are definitely precious, and need to be nurtured There are some kinds of silence that are good, that strengthen and deepen relationships. It's prayerful and restorative.-it actually fulfils all the mindfulness requirements for meditation. It's peaceful, and healing- something to be encouraged.

There are other kinds of silence- a silence of indifference; when someone doesn't open up to hear what's being said. There's a silence of terror, where people are afraid of triggering a reaction. And there is the silence that goes with oppression where someone is so thoroughly cowed that they have no capacity to fight back. Any or all of them go along with those who use religion as a weapon.

What kind of silence do you create around you? Are people comfortable in your silences? Do you encourage conversations when they are necessary? Do you listen without judgement when you're approached by views that challenge yours? Or do you resort to quoting rules and regulations, wanting conformity and adherence to an unchanging norm? Do you create peace, or do you enforce quiet so you can hear yourself more loudly?  I hope that I encourage people to feel at peace and loved, and that they are comfortable correcting me when  it’s necessary.