The Power of our "Beliefs"

Do any of these pictures make you uneasy?

If it does, it is because you were conditioned to think that what you where taught is the "right" way and everyone else's beliefs are wrong.

I went to Catholic Mass every Sunday with my mother and brothers. I had to go to classes in order to be a good Catholic.

I didn't buy in.

I had a hard time believing the "God was all forgiving but would put you in Hell if you did the wrong thing". It simply made no sense to me. Children, if left on their own, are pretty smart. Children are born full of wonder and love until adults step in and change them.

I'm not saying your beliefs are wrong, but if you honestly study other religions, on your own, you may find you have more in common than you realize. At their core, religions have either cropped up for socio-economic reasons, the people in charge were abusing the "lower" classes enslaving them, keeping them in poverty and telling them that is all they deserve. Or, the people in charge have convinced others that they were placed there by God and they are all powerful because of that. In this country we have replaced God with Money. Some of those with a lot of money believe they are rich because they deserve it, they are meant to be rich and others are meant to be poor. As if man-kind had no say.

Keep an open mind. If what you believe causes you pain, makes you angry at others, how can it be good for you?

Choose carefully, choose wisely and don't be afraid to change your mind. Love leads to happiness, hate leads to sorrow and pain.

I choose love, and I have to work on that every day. Hate is much easier to achieve and takes no time or practice. Hate is lazy, hurtful and will not serve you.

Loving yourself. I will save that for another post.