Today’s topic explores belief in existence of god (theistism) or not knowing (agnostisism) or not believing (atheistism.

Personally I am a theist,  however, I do not support any particular organized religion.  My experience for many people who classify themselves as athiests or agnostics it’s often more about the practice of organized religion than caring about whether or not there is a god.

Having being exposed to the Catholic religion as a child I am most familiar with that organizations practices.   I was baptized as a child  and then later went through confirmation.  In both cases I was never really offered a choice.  I came to view the church as a bureaucratic enterprise with political and social objectives funded by taxing it’s members through a semi voluntary process called tithing.

Over time this view became my general perception of all organized religions and while it did not affect my believe in god, I currently do not belong to religious group. (Even though the cathlics consider me a member, my babtism was non consensual so I do not consider it binding.)

Respect for All

Whether you consider yourself a Catholic, Jewish, Muslim or member of another organized religion, believe in god, or don’t believe or even know whether you believe or not,  it is critical to respect other peoples rights to make and practice their own choices.  (As long as those choices don’t do not negativley affect the choices of others, this is a little bit of a circular argument unfortunately).

Through history, sadly, there are far to many documented cases where the beliefs of others were subject to violent attack.  Often though, these clashes between beliefs were land grabs or political posturing only related to the religious groups pheripherally.

People helping People

Putting believes aside, religious groups do perform many valuable services.   When my father died the Catholic priest of the parish to which he belonged was a great sounding board for me and many others.  He clearly had great skill in assisting people to move through the grieving process regardless of their personal believes.

On the whole, todays practioners in the main organized religions (e.g., priest, rabbi, iman) are highly educated with University degrees (Master of Theology) or at least a designation from a seminary or equivalent institution (e.g.  Master of Divinity).  This training positions them well to assist others.

I recenly attended the wedding of a second cousin and was reminded about the power of a good memory.

Significant events like graduations,  weddings, funerals and such present the opportunity both to reflect on past milestones while adding another.

The associated rituals with weddings, graduations and funerals create a frame for us remember the past fondly and view the future positively.   By their very design these milestone events can be leveraged in very postive ways, motivating and reinforcing our love for life.

Good Fortune

I always feel fortunate to be a part of these celebrations (whether it be of life, death or a learning milestone) and I consider myself lucky to be able to participate.

Party on dude!

Drinking,  dancing,  eating and laughing, whether the celebration is our own or we are sharing the joy of others these key life events allow us the opportunity to build our own positive energy.  They can serve as reminders that life is good,  enjoyment and pleasure opportunities abound and are ours for for the taking.  we should do this whenever the chance presents itself.

So savour the moment, leverage it,  consider it just a another step in the path toward the search for meaning in your life.

I lived in Toronto,  the largest city in C anada and eighth largest in North America (by population) for about twenty-five years.  I moved to another large Canadian city about five years ago.

I recently made a return visit to Toronto and was reminded of the difference between a large city (population around a milllion) and a very large city (population around six million).

The excitement and energy of a bustling downtown center permeates major population hubs.  The night life is vibriant and continues into the night to morning.  Pretentious bars, clubs and food places of every description abound.  Pretentious is a very subjective desriptive term, just in my view a number of the places are more about being “in”, than a focus on the food or service offered.

The other night, I saw my first example of the use of the Uber online ride request service.   i was waiting outside the tony establishment where I had just had a pleasant meal (for a bit of fresh air) a couple of young damsels were also standing by waiting for a ride.  Their frequent checking of iphones coupled with a discussion about the make and model of vehicle coming to pick them up twigged me to the Uber transaction in progress.  As commented by a reader on a previous blog post, Uber is like the new hitch hiking, albeit with a fee.

This experience is definately trivial, but for me with the surrounding atmosphere and general aura of an eciting night life, it was pretty cool.

In Summary

In all honesty the vibrancy of the big city is hugely enticing although for me small doses are better. Visting a large metropolis infreqently, raises the enjoyment a lot.  Being a resident of the city though caused much of the appeal and excitement to be lost on me.  And while my current home is a fabulous place to live these trips to the big city do highlight the differences In lifestyle between the two  locations.