Writing poetry has required I develop a philosophy and think deeply on the meaning of existence. For some people, religion serves that purpose. For others, schools of thought. For me, it has been a salad bar.
If I had to declare a religion, I guess it would be Unitarian. But it’s really a mixture of Buddhism, humanism and the universal language of caring deeply.
Underlying Beliefs (in no particular order)
- Matter is neither created nor destroyed. It simply changes. Therefore, we are all everlasting beings, and while we have no memory of past existences, we have extensive histories in the universe.
- The veil between the living and the dead is thin and semipermeable. That’s why we have spiritual experiences and the dead never really “leave.”
- Living things are sacred energy and connected. Therefore, we must treat people and living things with dignity and love. We must be mindful and responsible in how we treat living things.
- We create our own worlds and, in some way, after we die, we come back to the world we have created (and I suspect we have a choice in how we return). Therefore, we must leave a positive footprint, not just for ourselves, but for everyone (see above on interconnectedness).
- The petty worlds we build, the superficial, the fake infrastructure, the societies, the political games – these are not permanent or even “real” compared to the larger existence and histories of the energies that power the universe. However, since we are timeless energy experiencing these physical forms and these moments, we must do good within this infrastructure, understanding we will come back to what we have created as a species.
- Religion is an attempt to grapple with the underlying truth of existence. Every religion holds part of the truth, just like every person does. But the structure of religion (like other institutions) is more a convenience than anything else. It grounds people and makes them feel better that there are strict rules and doctrines rather than a vast existential sky too easy to be lost in.
And there you have it. My personal Bible.
Feel free to print it out and put it in hotel desk drawers. Copyright, the universe.
