Faith and Respect

It is now the time of the year when we celebrate. When cherishing special moments with friends and family. While including a time for reflection. I am no doubt grateful to have come so far despite the odds against my survival. I was given a religious name Vishnu; a Hindu god. The amazing thing is I was never a religious person, I am just spiritual. I respect the many religions and faiths and the fundamental teachings of various religions. My values and beliefs are grounded in my upbringing, and the diversified knowledge that I gained over the years. Considering that there are over eight billion people in this world, stemming from multiple faiths and followings. Was this a divine plan of God? Who knows? The fact is people of these multiple faiths and followings are given a divine right to choose their own faith or spiritual path in life. In every faith out there in our world, there exists the same basic religious principles and teachings that we all follow. Our world is changing, poverty, wars, natural disasters, constant racism, and prejudice. History has taught us so much, but it seems that some of us have not learned from it. Maybe we do see this or we seem to ignore it. The only thing that changed over the years is the manipulation of these religious teachings and principles, and the lessons from history.

"All religions try to benefit people, with the same basic message of the need for love and compassion,

for justice and honesty, for contentment."

- Dalai Lama

Among our many faiths and followings there is a plague that is growing, that will ultimately destroy all of us. We all see this happening. The growth of religious hypocrites. Those that use God's name in vain, and do not matter what their faith is. These people steal from the helpless, kill and destroy, spread hate, manipulate the gullible in the name of their beliefs. Then there are those people that just commit these atrocious acts because they can and simply do not care. Our fundamental common values and beliefs are the same; the only change that is common now is the fact that we lack respect for each other. So instead of condemning each other’s values and beliefs, ask yourself where respect for one another has gone or did we ever respect each other in the first place. On the other hand, there are some in society that are simply lost souls, which cannot be respected nor is there any hope for them. As for the rest, we all have the ability to treat everyone with compassion, empathy, understanding, humility and kindness, faith, and respect for each other simply flows naturally. Faith and respect for yourself is fundamentally important since it gives rise to your ability to respect the faith of others. Live up to your own values and beliefs, while respecting others with an open heart and mind. Have the faith to believe in yourself, the strength to stand the test of time, and the courage to follow through.