On religion.

On the iPod: "Mistress" - Red House Painters

About a year or two ago, I flirted with becoming a practicing Zen Buddhist. But, as it has been with a lot of other religions/faiths I looked into, I found struggles in accepting a lot of what it espoused. I believe what makes adopting a religion so difficult for me is the guidelines. Everything has a set of rules, and I just don't believe faith works that way.

And though Zen Buddhism doesn't necessarily require a faith in God, it still has these rules. You shouldn't eat meat, you shouldn't be mean to other people, you shouldn't poison your body.

Well, some days I want to be mean to people, some days I want to have a glass of wine with my friends and I think cows are delicious. I think it is very possible to enjoy poison, delicious cows and be mean at times and still find enlightenment.

I realize this belief makes me seem selfish.

But I believe most religions have a core problem in that they don't take a realistic view of the world. It's either all pessimism or wild optimism. They create a culture of community, but motivate that community with imaginary fears and sins.

What I liked about Buddhism was that it allows you to see exactly what "you" are, which allows you to objectively view what the world around you is, as opposed to someone's interpretation of it. And that is the way to true freedom and peace.

Personally, I don't think I'll ever find a "religion" that I can put all my stock in. I think the most important thing is putting stock in yourself.