Philosophy and Religion
The many religions of the world exhibit a large amount of different beliefs and philosophies. Some believe in many gods, some believe in just one god and yet there are those that believe in no god. One of the things that I agree with is that you can not love anything else unless you first learn to love and respect yourself. I also think that after one?s physical body is deceased, you become reincarnated. And lastly, I don?t recognize one god or overall being, but rather follow the example made by others. These are some religious elements I follow.
First of all, you can not love anything unless you love yourself. If you go around with self hate and little confidence, it gives you no room for any other affection. Buddhism and Taoism also believe this. Buddhism emphasizes love for one?s self greatly, and believe that you can not accomplish anything in life unless you take care of your mind and body. After you achieve self contentment, you must learn to love all beings. I am concerned with loving nature, much like Taoism.
We get our food, oxygen, clothing and everything else we need to survive from nature. Without it, we would not exist. You should also pay great respect and love to your family and elders. As with nature, without them we would never have come into being. They teach us lessons and morals of how to live our lives. Shintoism feels strongly about praising our elders. They think that basically our whole life should revolve around those who brought us here. That is why love for one?s self is so important.
Secondly, I don?t think one?s soul ever truly dies. When a person dies, their physical body and life comes to an end. I think that their soul or karma continues to strive and find a new inhabitant. I always believed that if you can have a body without a soul, you can have a soul without a body. This is stressed in Hinduism and Buddhism They call reincarnation ?samsara?. I also agree with the fact that if you lead a good life, you will come back as something great in your next life. For instance, if you start an orphanage and spend your whole life devoted to saving children, you will come back as something like a queen or king. On the other hand, if you are a criminal, you will come back as a bug or worm. Hindus also believe in that rule. One thing I disagree with is the fact that anyone can exit this cycle of reincarnation. In Hinduism, they think that at some point you will be released and cease to exist. Sort of like a final death. I think that you will continue this cycle of life and death indefinitely. Those are my points of view on reincarnation.
Last, I do not believe in gods or overall power. In many religions, (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) they are monotheistic and worship one god. There are also religions that worship many gods such as Hinduism and Native American Religions. I do not believe in any god. I think that our life should be based upon the mistakes and accomplishments of past human beings. Even though people do not realize when they are setting an example, they show us the consequences of wrong and right choices. On Buddhism, they focus on the life and teachings of Buddha (Siddhartha Guatma). They go by what he did in his life, because he achieved what they all strive for. In Confucianism, they follow Confucius because they believe he was a very wise man and that they will all be better people if they live by his thoughts and actions. I agree with the basis of both of these religions, because I don?t feel that one should dedicate their whole life into worshiping a higher being.
I think that if you want true happiness, you will not depend on something else, but will go after it yourself. That is how I feel about gods.
In closing, I can find a few things that I agree with in religion. Though there are many philosophies and beliefs, there are three that I feel strongest about. Loving yourself is something that we can all learn to do and would benefit from. I believe reincarnation occurs, rather than us ever actually dying. I also don?t think there is one god or ruler that watches over us all. Those are the things I believe in, and some religions think the same way, some do not. Throughout my life I have learned to live by my own philosophies in order to pursue happiness.