Religion and Life

It is interesting to think of all that we, or at least I, do in chasing fleeting moments of happiness. So much energy is put forth into being what we, in some degree, consider 'happy.' This is, I think, what one of the major facets of consumerism is; fleeting glimpses of euphoria. The beast wants us chasing these temporary pleasures. The products offered wear out and we're left nothing but our want of more. The song that spirits you away, its feeling wears off, and you need a new album. The serendipitous moments in a movie scene tugs at your heart strings, but you already know the end, but that's okay. A new one is coming out with all your favorite actors. Best Picture for sure!

Fashion is like this too as well try to put on what makes us look best to others and then, hopefully will help us feel happy inside. Books can be fashionable too as we buy them to put on our bookshelves for someone to walk by and go, "Wow, what great taste!" I've purchased several albums over the years in hopes that people would see them and go, "Wow! I love that band!" The pain and money put into trendy acceptance by people I don't even know...

And now religion. To me, this is what religion battles against (and, perhaps, other faiths, but I'll stick with what I know for now). Religion is the antithesis to all that. It says to cast off the trappings, expel the transient and focus on what really matters. Because while you are running around chasing un-catchable dreams, time carries on, burning life away. Fast or slow, it is inevitable and relentless. Reality itself is merciless and it is only our collective civilization that keeps us from falling into the abyss of utter despair and destruction (apologies for sounding like a preacher).

Your movies, your music and your fashion will all become dates, your books forgotten and all you'll be left with is the morbid passage of time that leaves you with wrinkles (if you're lucky) and a grave.

This is truth of the hadith (loosely paraphrased): "The son of the children of Adam will not be sated but by the dirt of the grave. Give him a mountain of gold and he will only want another."

This is the truth of Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death" where Death the gentleman caller carries her passed the setting sun to the grave. We are so busy drowning in illusions that we don't see the sun is setting, and once it's gone there will be no more. Not for us.

I've wasted too much of my life for these realizations not to hurt but I, hopefully, have enough in me for them to inspire.

"The world is filled with people who are 'killing time,' completely unaware that time is actually killing us."

-Hamza Yusuf