A Moment of Resolution

Let's talk about New Year resolutions since this is the first day of 2021. Of course, I don't make such resolutions anymore: to resolve to do better is a continuous state of mind, not a an annual ritual to be observed and immediately forgotten. 

The essence of living is resolving. One is always transitioning from one state to another. What one sees at any point in time is just the dy/dx--the instantaneous gradient of the curve. Being aware of this moment to moment inflection requires a nimbleness of mind that can only come through years of meditative practice.

Take this moment: how does it feel? Is there tension and anxiety somewhere? There, you can sense a bit of the dynamics involved. One can sense fear, craving and desire in the mix too if one observes closer. Every moment is what it is because of the previous moment. It cannot be anything else. 

To sample each moment completely is to put oneself in the best possible position to tackle the next one. This is what living in present means. All you can do is to comprehend each moment in its totality, and then things will take care of themselves.

One has to open the aperture of the mind wide to be able to do so.  And be aware of those moments of illumination, when one sees clearly, albeit briefly, the larger scheme of things.

I look forward to 2021 to provide me with many more moments like that. And to be able to receive those moments, one has to maintain this open-aperture mode continuously.  And this is what we call 'mindfulness'. 

Being mindful is being aware of the gradient of each inflection point as one traverses the curve of life. Each moment of awareness is both a reading and a resolution.  So let's do this now and see where we are on the eve of 2022.

The Spirit of Religion

Sometimes it amazes me how much respect we give to supposedly religious people. Being religious does not necessarily immediate make one a virtuous person. More often than not, it is a mask to hide a certain shortcoming in one's character.

I've written about it before and I'll state it again here: I'm not against religion per se but religion should not command more importance in the evaluation of a person's character than knowing his or her hobbies or favourite sports.  A person's adopted religion is a matter of upbringing and taste. Nothing more, nothing less. 

More often than not, religion is but a lifestyle choice. It comes in the form of dressing, the upkeep of a certain facial hairstyle and a distinct attitude towards life.

It is not surprising that many religious teachers and leaders abuse their position of authority in the community simply because the masses often give them too much respect, not realizing that they too are human beings, susceptible to the promptings of greed and pride. 

Every culture and civilization produces its own form of music, art and religion.  A greater part of religion is simply a cultural response to fear, the inevitability of death and the mystery of existence. No one has gone to hell nor heaven and come back to tell us what it is like. 

Religion at its best, dispenses some lessons in psychology an human behaviour. Its doctrine might even contain some good guidelines in community living which could have worked well at some point in the evolution of its people.  But to say that one must follow the rules and restrictions written in some book centuries ago as a kind of universal law ordained by God, is sheer nonsense. 

We must trust our own wisdom that takes into consideration the norms and challenges of the present times. Salvation comes from the struggle of the individual to better his or herself in response to the individual's unique circumstances. Religion could provide the inspiration and starting point but each person's spiritual quest is different from another's.

Let's all take religion in the right spirit. Honour its traditions, as one honours any school of art. Some of its doctrines could even be good rules-of-thumb and proven codes of conducts for human beings as social animals. But it is our divine right to take them further and create a new school of the spirit, that is a response to our unique times.