Hallelujah Bucks
A surprising tsunami of sadness eagerly greeted me when I started to research writing this post. Trying to be informed, and doing my due diligence, I wanted to look closer at a festival I had heard of, where devotees gather and whip themselves in order to purify their spirits through grotesque and very public self flagellation. In my mind it would’ve highlighted how extreme and unloving we are capable of being to ourselves. When I regrettably pushed enter there was an entire page of different festivals, all over the world, doing the same thing! Apparently typing in “religious self flagellation festival” wasn’t nearly specific enough. Some used leathery whips, while others preferred sharp biting chains, and it was made up of all faces and faiths, partaking in a barbaric and brutal show of contrition through humiliation. Seeing this begged me to look at how much I might associate my own suffering with holiness, and the idea that this life is a thing to slog through, in order to be rewarded in the hereafter. Could I, too, be lashing out at myself in an attempt to somehow earn eternal salvation?
The more I experience true peace and Love, the more I understand it is entirely about right now. This very moment. It was nothing short of life-changing for me to realize that I was meant to uncover and share as much Love and happiness as possible in this life, and not just try to do good to earn my way into bliss. What if the bliss we want can be found right now? How can my personal experiences with peace be so wildly different than what I have been told and shown?
The thought that heaven awaits good people and hell the bad, is a concept that is not only outdated and lacks intellectual depth, but also lacks any sort of genuine Love. It sounds eerily similar to the way we used to treat working and earning a retirement in America. Keep your head down, try to do a good job, and you should be fine. Like heaven was an account that you made a deposit into with every good deed done, or temptation resisted. Unfortunately, that subtle yet brilliant plan didn’t pan out for most workers, and it gets even worse, and more confusing, when applied to the afterlife. Experience tells me that more often than not when I am asked to suffer now for any kind of pay off later, it’s a scam.
Not saying that there aren’t sacrifices that we all make for loved ones, or dreams, or our beliefs. But there is a mountain of difference between a willing sacrifice, and needlessly endless suffering. Why is it that only pain and perpetual torment can help guide and shape me? Why not through laughter? Is joy not a qualified enough teacher? The daily pursuit of true self love and compassion won’t do?
Dealing with pain, heartache, and even suffering is inevitable in this life, but to focus on that instead of how wonderfully sustaining Love is and can be, during those dark, dangerous and difficult times makes no sense. Love is what makes those times hope-filled and tolerable, not just soul-crushingly miserable! Why give more attention and energy to an injury than the inevitable miraculous recovery? Love is not a soft squishy thing for fairytales and children. It is meant to be the bedrock that we all build our lives on today, knowing that tough times come and go, but Love never fails, and doesn’t believe in waiting either.