the religion of kindness…

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
Dalai Lama

Everytime I dwell on the above quote,  I get this warm and fuzzy feeling.

The Dalai Lama speaks with simplicity, which I truly love.  It just makes it so much easier for all of us to understand, because there is indeed a simplicity yet profound depth to what the Dalai Lama says.

Religion gets a bad wrap, if you ask me.  It kind of reminds me of sports.  Everyone has their favorite religion like sports fans have their favorite team, and everybody wants their favorite team to win…  and so it is with religion, that followers of a particular religion naturally want their religious faith to win…  It is in fact, a matter of faith.

And so it should be with kindness.  It should be everyone’s religion, no?  And kindness is all about Love and Compassion, Understanding and Tolerance.

If everyone in the world made Kindness their main religion, I think the world would be a better place.  There would be less War and Hatred for whatever reasons…  actually, those reasons would turn out to be unimportant.

People can start with Kindness on the simplest of levels.  A smile.  Saying “hello”.  And as simplistic as this solution sounds…  people can agree just how effective a smile or a hello can be!

We need more kindness in this world…  I think if we all start out simple.  Then, it’s a great and noble start to a new world in which more people enjoy happiness rather than suffering.

anger and intolerance

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.
Mohandas Gandhi

I was reading that there is once again a growing number of neo-nazi’s, the klu klux klan, skinheads, and this has been all brought about by the illegal immigration issues and laws.

I am just appalled that we are in the 21st century, and racism, bigotry and hatred are alive and well in today’s society.

It just shows us all how easy it is to hate our fellow man.  The challenge is to have complete tolerance and patience for all people, however superior or inferior they may be to us.  I’ve always had this subtle feeling that “a peaceful co-existence” is the ideal scenario for us all.  Hatred has its way of dividing all of us, whereas, Love is the one true thing that can bind us all together and hold the universe in perfection and peace….

can violence ever be justified?

In all of the world’s great religions, there is a law that prohibits taking the life of another human being.  Taking away the life of another is one of the most immoral acts that one could ever do.  In Chrisitianity we have the commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Kill”.  And yet, in or society it seems there is a time  and place for killing, which is when one goes off to War to fight for one’s country.

I just watched a movie directed by Clint Eastwood called “Flags of Our Fathers”, about the battle between the American and Japanaese forces on Iwo Jima.  The heroes never really considered themselves heroes.  They didn’t feel good in taking the lives of the enemy soldiers.  How could anyone feel good about that in the long run?  And many soliders suffered psychological torment and years of nightmares because of their experiences in the war…  watching their fellow soldiers die as well as having to kill enemy soldiers in the so-called process of War.

Now the main point in justifying any act of killing another human being is in the act of “self-defense”.  This could be a small scenario of having one’s one life be threatened by another person, to the act of defending one’s country because of the threat of terrorism and violence by another country.  And it is in this sense that I too am still questioning my moral logic as far as killing goes.

But that’s the dilemma I see.  Everyone will tell you that to kill another person is wrong.  Even taking the life of a killer just feels wrong to me.  The executioner can feel justified and the courts and the judicial system, but me personally…  I just don’t feel right about it.  I don’t always believe in “an eye for an eye” because that kind of logic might perpetuate any animosity and hatred.

As Gandhi said, “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind“.

If anything, it is always best to resolve any conflict and hatred in peaceful terms.

But the question remains…  Can violence ever be justified?

Can the killing of another human being ever be considered the right thing to do?

My mind tells me that it is more sacred to respect life to its fullest.  And to honor and obey whatever moral teachings we come to believe.  And hope and pray we never get into a situation where we would have to decide….