Belief laid out on a Sword

Still on holidays in India - reading OSHO and thinking the following

a double edged sword
is always found Etched in
Religious beliefs

One shiny
polished edge
holds hope
trust and -
allowance of giving of one self
over to the
greater God

The same God
that remains
elusive
unfathomable
untouchable
ungraspable

the other
dirty
stained
tainted
edge
withstanding our
age old religious beliefs
holds
doubt

For -
within hope
lies
uncertainty of the
greatest truth of
that which cannot
be proved into our
material reality

So -
within our beliefs
we must become
friends with doubt
we must
lay with doubt
- alongside hope
we must
be happy with
never knowing for certain
never cementing the fictions
your belief systems actually
belong with the greater truth

Or
if this dissatisfies you
you could learn to sit
in silence
learning to
throw away meaning and
understand that in
this life where
we add meaning to
all
really
none of it matters
for the time we are here
is short and the
biggest teaching
should be to
unlearn
cultures
traditions
histories
language
consciousness

unlearn this reality
where hope and doubt
have no home
where you can once again be
free

Reviews

[Valentine]

As a Christian, I cannot hold with the second stanza of this write. He is not elusive, He is always there, we touch Him in His heart, the only thing He will not look at is sin. I had violent seizures for 10 years, turned to God, read the Bible, gave my life to Him, a believer lay hands on me, prayed and not one seizure since. Just believe on Him. Valentine

[KWP]

Of course you are right / always there he be / still sometimes you still get the feeling of doubt / that was where elusive was coming from / glad you experience the greatest love of all X

[Einstein Noodle]

I agree .. there is a tremendous human effort to understand, to find wisdom, peace, contentment ... and there is nothing new under the sun .. i also believe that .. things are only new to us in discovering something we have not encountered (tho others have)
i agree that letting go of doubt is a learned experience but not letting go of hope .. with the "nothingness" concept seems one would be content to stay in meditation ... when i think of faith i look at my hand in front of me and say there it is .. no doubt about it .. then place it behind my head and lo and behold .. i have no prove it exists .. but i believe it ;)
E.

[Sleiman Azizi]

Never cementing the fictions indeed...

Good to see you tackling some important concepts Harlequin.

[KWP]

Also a big tackle of the evening was 'do I wear underwear out to dinner in Goa - if I am wearing a Curti?' Ha!

[Sleiman Azizi]

No comment.

[KWP]

Yes - well the answer to that takes skill and expertise ... Hedge he xx

[Sindu]

Very true! both cannot stay together.
a feel-good poem beth! :)

[Pushkar Prabhat]

amazing poem!!!
well explored perspective!!!
and as Richard said, there is no better place to find religious diversity than India.
Welcome!!!
:)

[KWP]

Ahhh thank you Pushkar - I am so enjoying being back in your crazy diverse yet simply beautiful country - it always brings me back to base xxx

[Pushkar Prabhat]

thank you Mam! Enjoy your vacation; we will never disappoint you!!! :)

[Onyia-Ali, Kingsley Chu..]

Your style of this poem is really fabulous. The arrangment of word with deep meaning. Your fifth stanza struck me most. Well articulated.

[KWP]

Hey There and thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read - I am very happy you were able to find some meaning within the words xx have a great night xx

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

the other
dirty
stained
tainted
edge
withstanding our
age old religious beliefs
holds
doubt

A great poem, this part really speaks to me, cause as I always say like anything involving humans it is tainted by our emotions and own beliefs… I know the Bible is suppose to be the word of God but there is no doubt some is altered by those who wrote it.

[KWP]

5000 years of little alterations here and there - certainly will
Make a different book to when it started with all those editors:-)

Thanks for reading - lovely to see you xx

[Tech]

Love it! As a person who tries to balance religion and the hardships of life I can relate 100%. It can be hard to just blindly believe in something you cannot see. Even moreso when things happen that make you believe there is no god to be had in the heavens.

On a side note as just a suggestion the line that reads, "we must lay with doubt alongside hope" I urge you to toy with that line a bit. It is a very powerful line and can leave a lasting impression on the reader. Something along the lines of " we must lay with doubt, cheating on hope but keep hope to one day dispel doubt..." or something like that.

Keep up the writing, you never fail to amaze me with your thoughts.

[KWP]

Hey Tech - thanks so much for reading and even moreso your suggestion- the reason why I say lay with doubt is because I believe that we must indeed see doubt as it is - it is there it must be observed - it cannot be dispelled - but if we observe it we acknowledge it and so then can pass on by - I also do not believe that hope is the way forward - I am more one to recognize that all religions are fictitious and written only some 5000 years ago - written to give man meaning and purpose to life - but why do we need meaning - why do we need purpose - really are we not like every other piece of nature - just a momentary expression of life? Ahh but that's just my thought and I am glad you set your advice forth :-)

[Tech]

Glad to see another person who is willing to question the restraints of religion. I notice more people saying that they did something good because God is watching them. It raises the question that the only reason that someone does anything good is because they are being watched. Can humanity not have morality without the idea of a possible reward behind it?

Very thought provoking piece I'm glad I read it.

[KWP]

Yes exactly - what is the 'intention' behind the deed? If it is not selfless and done for the good then it's all just an act right ? As we continue the play using ourselves as puppets ... Nice one xx

[Rene Salinas]

I have been reading quite a lot about John the Baptist lately. No particular reason I confess to a slight obsession with the character and life. But also the Perceval story comes to mind. Just to attest for a belief can potentially mean your death, or beheading you pick what you like the most, on the other side you also have through honesty and purity of intention the piercing through a veil. But to remain untouched is not an option, not choosing is a fallacy. Not to make a stand foolish. Which one will it be? Well whichever way (or sword) belongs to your individuality but please do discover one. To let hate and spite dominate is for lack of a better word " a lazy " take on life. Does the sword you wield cut? Sure it does, does it lead to freedom? I don't think so! But whatever helps the other helps you.

I felt embraced by the writing and I apprciate the effort put into it. But after the events of today we either help each other to discover what we need or the anti being will prevail.

Very refined and intricate thoughts here.

Thank You

Freedom at this point seems like a comodity.

Helping each other seems to bring human dignity.

[KWP]

Helping each other, learning that love and acceptance above all will Carry us through is no easy lesson - the human Rach has endured more than 5000 wars in as many years - and we still do not learn - one must let go of all to be able to finally pass through to freedom - we cannot give up trying though - can we? Does it even matter?

Thank you for reading Rene - I will always lay my faith in the greater goodness of human population xx

[R Smith]

unlearn all those brainwashed teachings of what we must do and be, thus becoming one with the true reality of bliss, consciousness, existence, your writing expresses our path through life to the truth perfectly, good work Boss Lady :)

[KWP]

Thank you Mr! It was a quick write but it does allow me to cement my own thoughts - well long enough to wait until I decide to shatter them
All again ;-) x x

[R Smith]

I doubt you'll do that, you have a genuine grasp of reality and truth and are in the best place (India) to pursue your beliefs :)