God's not up there...

“Religion seeks to cement the world order….Spirituality seeks to escape it…

For religions, spirituality is a dangerous threat.  Religions typically try to rein in the spiritual quests of their followers, and many religions were challenged not by laypeople preoccupied by food, sex and power, but rather by spiritual truth-seekers that wanted more than mere platitudes.  Thus the Protestant revolt against the authority of the Catholic Church was ignited not by hedonistic atheists but rather by a devout and ascetic monk, Martin Luther.   Luther wanted answers to the existential questions of life and refused to settle for the rites, rituals and deals offered by the Church.”

From the book: Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, By Yuval Noah Harari

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.

–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Otherwise

I got out of bed

on two strong legs.

It might have been

otherwise. I ate

cereal, sweet

milk, ripe, flawless

peach. It might

have been otherwise.

I took the dog uphill

to the birch wood.

All morning I did

the work I love.

At noon I lay down

with my mate. It might

have been otherwise.

We ate dinner together

at a table with silver

candlesticks. It might

have been otherwise.

I slept in a bed

in a room with paintings

on the walls, and

planned another day

just like this day.

But one day, I know,

it will be otherwise. 

–Jane Kenyon