When religion works

[burythehatchet]

There is so much anger, hate, resentment and fury in thee world and on this board right now. I find myself feeling helpless and hopeless, thus feelings the burn of anger.

Some of the cause of the current state of affairs is religion, though I understand that the neo-conservatives in charge of the world right now are the true puppeteers.

When things come to the point where I think I might explode, I read a few verses of my book, the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of God. It has an immediate effect of soothing my spirit and consoling my mind.

Here is a verse for today:

As they stood between the two armies,
Sri Krishna smiled and replied to Arjuna,
who had sunk into despair.

Sri Krishna:

You speak sincerely, but you sorrow
has no cause. The wise grieve neither
for the living nor the dead. There has
never been a time when you and I and
the kings gathered here have never
existed, nor will there be a time when
we will cease to exist. As the same person
inhabits the body through childhood, youth,
and old age, so too at the time of death
he attains another body. The wise are not
deluded by these changes.

When the senses contact sense objects,
a person experiences cold or heat, pleasure
or pain. These experiences are fleeting;
they come and go. Bear them patiently,
Arjuna. Those who are not affected by these
changes, who are the same in pleasure anpain,
are truly wise and fit for immortality.
Assert your strength and realize this!


I know this is not everyone's cup of tea, but please find something that soothes your mind. If we are to do our duty and overcome the terrible forces in this world, we will all need our strength, and guidance.

Peace

[RethugAssKicker]

1. Intresting... But

Don't you think it condones war in a way?... Why... because of the belief that death is not the end, that you will just be reborn in another body... So, why worrry?... You have existed before and will always continue to exist!... so what happens now is not so bad.. (even though they're about to be slaughtered.. caught in between 2 armies !)

[burythehatchet]

2. The philosophy has to do with one's duty

the war is a metaphor for the war that takes place in one's own mind. The warring factions, in this story, are actually members of the same family.

The importance of one's duty in life is the lesson, and to a greater extent the wisdom of detachment.