I heard once before someone saying that the world is neither good or evil, it’s simply the world. There is no greater Good or pure Evil the world is as fucked and beautiful as it is because humanity made it that way. God didn’t tell us to rise up in dire times, he didn’t tell us to do the weird shit we do, and he didn’t smoke us for doing bad things either. My view on the world and its independence may, or may not oppose my religious belief. But in the end, I really don’t care. Because I’ve come to the belief that a man can pray as much as he likes but without the sweat of his brow nothing will bare fruit in his garden.
My view of God and his irrelevance to current events sounds blasphemous. In fact, it most likely is. I don’t refute his existence or his authority but I do question the interpretation of his text by mortal men. Because of this I’ve always cringed when people talk about religion, when the imam preaches it, or even that odd SMS of: May God protect you ya-da-ya-da-ya-da. Religion is an idea like any other thing its been created by humanity. Therefore, even if it is the truth it can be twisted because man had a hand in it. The best example would be extremism, Jihad, the crusades and all that bullocks. I’ve always thought this way ever since that one time in Friday prayers the Imam was talking about how the Americans were hell bent on destroying Islam. And how Iraq was the first victim of this modern day ‘Holy’ crusade inspired by olden times. This didn’t hit me just yet until I got back home and later that night discussed it with my mother. She said something so profound that day, unwittingly maybe. In the talk I jokingly remarked, ‘Can you believe it the Imam preached that the Americans are on some Holy Crusade.”
My mother replied, ‘What if what he said was true?’
That made me think deeply, he was a religious figure someone thousands if not, tens of thousands trust. His information could be baseless, he could be crazy, he could be on the pay roll of some terrorist group or hell, he could be telling the truth as unlikely as that sounds. The point is that he is a man, endowed oh so gracefully by God with all the faults of lust, pride, greed, ignorance, fallibility, and stupidity. No man other than the prophet should have the right to call out blood in the name of God. In fact, shouldn’t a religious figure preach peace not war? Shouldn’t we talk about things first? Negotiations should be first choice not the sword. And the argument of they hit us first is childish, even if it does involves thousands of lives innocent or otherwise. As a collective we should be above the stupid atrocities leaders past have done. So when people call out Jihad, or say Israel should burn. Or down with Jews. Islam 4eva. I would like to say. FUCK you. Some of us rather take the high road no matter the cost. Fighting fire with fire solves nothing.
I’m not saying this to spite anyone. I am just so sick and tired when people talk about war and how awesome it is that X country has Z advantage. Or how Y president told M country to go fuck itself. Or how we should all be in the fight just because we’re the same religion. Just because we pray to the same God, it doesn’t mean I owe you two shits for anything.
Enough of religion and its relation to modern issues, its a morbid topic.
Despite the fuck ups there are times in this world when things feel warm and fuzzy. A song, a moment with friends or family, an event, a piece of art, what we read, what we watch, it can move us. Especially me, I find myself always so easily swayed by the art that is storytelling and its characters and even more so if they are non-fiction. However, the opposite shit comes around as well.
When people scream racist and vulgar remarks, although only in text, it still hurts and even more so when its voiced. When a car dangerously cutting into your lane without signaling, when a cashier gives you that sour face just because you were that last fussy customer and her early return home had been delayed, when TV news start rolling and the world’s problems seem endless with no easy solution. These will always make people feel down. Even me, as much as I preach and lecture about how much I don’t give a fuck I still care. I’ve always told myself and whoever who would listen that; its not that I don’t care. I do care. Things that hurt be it words, text, even those dirty smug looks, they all stab me in the heart like any normal person. But the difference for me is that, I can take it. The pain is still there but my reaction to it can always change, and the best part of it all is that I have the power to choose what that reaction would be. I could start mouthing off, I could get physical and throw a chair, or I could be calm and collected and walk away. Personally I’d rather mouth off, or laugh maniacally muahahhahahah.
The world is as fucked as it is beautiful. In the words of some motorcycle anime that I have yet to watch, “The world is not perfect. Therefore it is beautiful.”
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PS: I forgot to mention my Sunday goal in my last entry. This week’s goal is: Baking a cheesecake that is based on my mum’s own recipe.
