Govina's mid-morning adventure...

So...some Baptists came to my door with a flyer for their church this morning and generally I'm just polite and I listen and I get rid of them as soon as I can; oh the breakfast is burning, phone's vibrating, etc. But today when he asked me that question, "if you died today, do you think you would go to heaven?" I said...

"No. I don't think of the universe that way. I'm a pantheist. I think that god is in everything that lives and everyone you encounter is a potential lesson or sign to guide you towards achieving an eventual enlightenment if you choose it. So when you die your soul is either reborn or, having achieved a sort of purification, dissipates back into the "all"ness of God. Now when times are rough, I do on occasion, pray to Jesus though. Because I think he did come with a message and it's been perhaps misinterpreted and repurposed through out the years but essentially I think he was trying to show us that we're all divine creatures or have the potential to be so if we follow him not as a martyr, but as an example of what an individual is capable of attaining. We don't have to put our relationship with God in some "authority's" hands, we can develop it through our own personal effort and practice. We are all divine when we seek to channel the part of god that resides in us." 

"But when you look at the world today do you really think that we're all divine, when you see all the bad things happening in the world right now. I mean you have to admit its getting worse, people are getting worse, the crime rate rising and all?" he says.

"No. It just seems that way because our lives are so short and our memories are even shorter. Historically speaking there are more people in the world at this moment with more rights and better living conditions than at any other known point in human history. That's progress. It's getting better." 

"But what about the rise in crime?" 

"That's just a rise in information. There's no more crime now than there was before. It's just a lot easier to spread information. The sad part is that the bad stuff is what we focus on. The news doesn't report all the good things happening because people don't need or want to hear about that. They would get bored and change the channel or click on a different link. There are good things happening in the world all the time. People coming together, becoming more tolerant and compassionate. It's very slow going but we're getting better. There's no quick easy fix to humanity...it's all in due time...but it's about the journey...not the destination, ya know?"

I said all that. I really said it. Not just did that thing where I think of a bunch of stuff I should have said after the fact. It was probably the most articulate thing I've ever said out loud before noon. 

So he was chewing on that and said, "Well...we'd still like to invite you to our church. You might find it boring but you never know until you try." 

To which I said, "well that's one thing we certainly agree on. I might check it out. Thanks." 

Just felt good. Being awake, in the moment and speaking honestly from the center of myself. I'm going to have to do more of that from now on.