A Very Personal ?Faith?

People pray to a god, invoke it's name when they need something, are facing a complicated problem, or are in distress.  They call upon it in moments of bliss, meditate on it in times of happiness, and relate it's power to their happiness.


For me, I believe in the ties I have with the people around me, with my friends and family.  I call on them, whether by actually calling, or by invoking them in mental conversation.  I choose who to call, or think of, depending on the circumstance.


Building something: My Uncle, VanaIsa, or Lee

Knitting/Crocheting: My cousin or Aunt M
Being Elegant: Granny, Aunt F

Baking: Granny, mom
Travel, Adventure: Mom, J, K, T, F

Motorcycling: K
Cooking or art: Mom, Granny, VanaIsa

Being kind through pain: VanaIsa
Being brave and fabulous: P, F,
Being silly and smart: Jos, Car, Lau
Being techie: J, K, Andy

Being authentic: B, K, L


I never ask WWJD,
I ask WW?D, and I fill it in appropriately depending on the circumstance.



Sometimes I talk to ghosts
Sometimes I talk to the dead grandparents, at the cemetary, or at the lake.


Estonians used to have a kind of ancestor worship. I guess this is kind of like that, only it's not all people who are dead.


*I do know that it's not real.*

I don't care.


It provides a kind of comfort, and that's the point, really. I do, however, think it is important to understand, and not lose sight of the fact that it is not, in fact, real.  These are people, yes, but in the moment that I am imagining them there, caring about me and helping me, it is myself doing whatever it is, not them.

It may be, in fact, due to their help and tutelage that I am able to do it, but it does not negate the reality that I am merely tricking my mind.


Should I ever lose sight of the fact that this is not real, I will have become delusional.


Religion/faith is, therefore, either:
people refusing to understand the things they take comfort in, and draw hope from
people engaged in singular or mass delusion
people lying to themselves and/or each other


I can respect people who admit that they believe things in order to be comforted, provided that they understand the inherent falsity of such an action. 


I think that people need to draw comfort from somewhere.  One has a life philosophy, of some kind, and within that, there is a need for sustaining faith in something, be it science, knowledge, language, relationships, nature, the inherent decency of humankind, cats, or one or more deities. 


I don't know why that understanding is so important to me.