I am going to put on my old steel helmet and flak gear. Pull the pin, TTG. This is the part where Kathy leaves the room. We are going to talk about religion. What? In today’s day and age, are you nuts? Of course. Actually I am just trying to think outside the box. I am not a theologian by any stretch but I have given it a lot of thought.

It started with a pamphlet about Lenten meditations that they gave out in church on Ash Wednesday. Of course I took a look at it when I got home and promptly lost it in the pile of stuff on my desk. Cleaning out today, there was a resurrection. Sorry.  Bad joke.

I have done mainline meditation before and it is very cool. Today’s world could use a lot more of it. You turn off the TV, phones etc and try to blot everything out of your mind for the moment. You try not to be distracted by random thoughts but just concentrate on the here and now. You try to listen to your body and maybe if you are really good you can hear your soul. There is a thing called peace.

As I went through certain Scriptural passages the light bulb went off. I call it prayer and you call it whatever but it is getting in touch with inner feelings. It is being open to the word of God or the word of life. Your choice. But you rip away all the material things and try to find out just who you are. You cogitate on the real meaning of existence. You just listen. Maybe this is that thing they call truth.

So much of our life is scripted. We are all on a stage but we rarely question the dialogue. We have acted this part or another and we know it by heart. Our makeup gets heavier every day and we wouldn’t dare take off the residue because that would reveal the real us. Some of us haven’t aged very well but deep down we are all natural beauties.

You know we all love being in control. Delving into the unknown? There is an ultimate discomfort in chaos and playing it loose. Not knowing where the road is leading right now. Boy routine feels good. I know it all and have it all figured out. Wanna bet?

Some of you are very successful and do not have many wants. Some of you are hurting bad deep down inside. Some of you have never known contentment because after all life as you know it sucks or is a bitch. Some of you have never looked for your self. You mistake ego for soul. You are described by your things and relationships but have never let anybody see inside. It has taken me awhile and a lot of dead ends.

Maybe people are cranky for a reason. Maybe that gnawing inside of you is something that wants to get out. It’s tired of being penned up. But oh baby are you afraid to let it go. You don’t know what it looks like or what it will do unchained. Let’s  just not go there.

My buddy Leonardo would sometimes sit on a rock and just think. It could be a problem to be solved or an inspiration that needed some seasoning. He was baking in his mind  and he had to wait until it was cooked just right before he served it up. Best of all for him and I hope us, the recipe changed every time. And it still came out just right. He never really worried about being judged.

Wait!  I thought this was about religion? Last night I watched the archbishop of Dublin be as forthright as any church official I have seen on the horror of abuse. I saw people this week being killed over a Koran. There was a fool who cast the first stone and called a young girl slut while he is working on his fourth wife. We have an Ayatollah who says we should wipe a nation called Israel off the face of the earth. How did we warp this so far out of control?

I just think it is a very special thing to sit alone for some period of time during the day. Could be ten minutes or an hour. You don’t have to be a holy roller. I’m not. But you just put the distractions of the world aside. You sit quietly and you listen. I listen to God. You can listen to whomever. But you do look at the world around you and be grateful for its beauty, remembering how much there is to life.

Some of you might believe this is all evolution and ergo man made. Some of you might believe in a Creator that is all merciful and powerful. It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that we are not separate pieces of space drift but part of a very complex thing called society. Sure we view things differently but that doesn’t mean we all aren’t worthy of love and consideration. We breath the same air. No one is better. No one is worse.

Relax. I am not claiming to have had a vision. The Lord is way too busy for that. I just feel like I have had a morsel of understanding and it tastes pretty good. I am going to look for more. That thing called truth. I have a long way to go but I hope I am on the right track. I hope you are too.

As Always

Ted The Great

Factoids: None. I am just going to let this piece do the talking.. Have a great week.