I believe in getting drunk and then drinking a couple glasses of water and feeling great.
I believe in trying to befriend cats. Getting better at it, and actually getting them on your side.
I believe in friends, who can party, then talk, then end a night with a significant feeling; a mutual feeling that's shared where gripes, hang ups, and misunderstanding are nothing but a common bond that makes a friendship stronger.
Religion is tough. I've been watching RELIGULOUS, Bill Maher and Larry Charles's film about religion, and I've been moved by it. Bill Maher is the kind of guy that gets people talking. He polarizes - in the best way. Sure, most people don't like him - fuck, I don't like him. But I love him for what he says, the way he says it, and how he says it. The man has an opinion, and I respect that he does.
The film addresses religion and how it's totally stupid for people to believe in religion. I agree. Believing unequivocally in sets of rules and magical histories...you might as well base a religion on Harry Potter. Why not? Just because it's old doesn't mean it's more right and less fictitious than Harry Potter, The Girl with a Dick Sleeve Tattoo, or The Hangover.
My family is religious. They're certainly not zealots and they certainly do not believe blindly. But they believe. They go to church; they cross themselves when they pass a church on a road trip; they do things that mean that they believe.
I for one believe. There's no church or religion or faith, only a belief that your actions are meaningful. If not believing in God is a belief, well, I believe that that's as good a belief as any. But I take it a step further, believing in all that shit I laid down at the beginning of this post. Plus music, of course.
I'm not quite sure what I am getting at in this post, other than: "I just believe in me, Yoko and me...Now that's reality." It's a John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band quote, I know. It's rock and roll. But can there be more than that? Most people spend their entire lives searching for love, and once they've found it, they do everything they can to keep it, protect it, and make it grow.
Is there anything larger or stronger? No. Love is the answer. But please, make that love you believe in one that is real. Belief in Jesus? Sure, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe when I die there is a religion and I'm screwed - but am I? If i lead a good life, without believing in anything, will I not be greeted in the kingdom of heaven with enthusiasm. I'm sure many, many people will say that I won't be. That's unfortunate. You see, religion is real, but it's not anything that's been passed on from generation to generation; it's not anything that you'll read in the Bible. Religion is people being good to one another, struggling to make their may in the word. When I meet a guy in NYC who says thank you for letting him and his children pass by me: that's religion. When I say thank you to a guy holding the door open for me, that's religion. The moments in life when I connect with a stranger - that's religion.
I will never, ever put someone down for believing in something. Just because I don't believe it or don't think that it makes any logical sense doesn't mean that their beliefs are untrue, or less untrue. They are beliefs. But don't make those beliefs into something that is more than understanding and coexisting with people. Without people, you are nothing. Because they believe in something else doesn't make them different than you - it makes them the same. I believe in this, you believe in that; because of this, we are all the same.
Bill Maher does a great job. Sure, he's a sarcastic prick most of the time - but so am I. So are most of the people I see eye to eye with.
So please, dismiss religion without dismissing it. See what it truly means to you. Walk down the street, see what makes you happy, and follow that. If getting drunk and smoking a stog does it for you, Hey, that can be what you believe.
