Religion

I don’t think everyone feels this way, but this time of year is kind of hard on people. There are expectations, false hopes, obligations, myths, and endless activities that may not mean much in the end. It seems to heighten every year. It’s important to some religions and it’s very important to capitolism that this time of year is very very jolly.

I think it’s stressful too. We make ourselves crazy over the smallest details. We imbue significant meaning into activity that might be time better spent just being quiet with people you love.

So this time of year, ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing. Think about your actions and really think about the people around you. We should be thinking about these people all the time, not just this time of year, because we are supposed to. I’m not trying to lecture anyone, just questioning the status quo. It’s always good to think about your actions and because of how busy this time of year gets, you might forget to take a breath or two, relax, enjoy and approach your acts of kindness and generosity with mindfulness. If you are mindful you might be able to save just a little ‘comfort and joy’ for yourself.

Maybe it’s just a severe case of PMS, but when I saw that Terry Schiavo had died this morning, I started to cry. I was at the gym and all of stations on the televisions that hang in the front of the work out room were blasting it. I had about 3 or 4 different station views of the coverage and all of the televisions were showing one of those views.

Why did this make me cry? Well there are many answers to that, but the biggest one is relief.

She has relief now. No longer physically attached to this mortal coil, this woman is now free. Her husband has relief now. He is a strong and brave man in my opinion. His actions appeared to me to be selfless and incredibly challenging. He really fought to do what he felt she wanted.

The country has relief now. The courts decided that in the end it was up to her husband.

Her family has relief. Their endless struggle and difficulty in dealing with her situation are over.

And I’m relieved.
I’m relieved that it’s not going to be on the news anymore. I’m relieved that the very conservative religious don’t have control over everything in the country (yet). I’m relieved that the rights of a husband and wife are that secure. I’m relieved that our government has three branches and in my estimation they worked in this situation.

It’s tragic and it happens to families all over the world more than you’d care to think about. It may be happening to the pope right now. It is an artifact of us getting so good at living. We have more years to live than our parents, grandparents, etc. This makes it more complicated. But in the end it is a family affair. The decision was made by the family she chose. That’s relief for me.