But I digress.....

"Every path is the correct path for the person walking on it." -Vivian Ashcraft

It's Sunday, once a day of rest for most of the country, so I'm not blogging today about work or goals or job-hunting. Today I am thinking about tolerance because of a conversation we had with a visitor a couple of days ago. Of course tolerance is one of my favorite subjects.

I believe there is only one higher power in the universe, and its name is Love. As imperfect, physical beings with egos we are not capable of practicing unconditional love, but I try. It's not easy when public vitriol is the order of the day, but I remind myself of what one of my heros, Dr. King, said (paraphrasing), that we can't teach love by showing hate. And that makes sense on paper, just not always in my heart when people are being hurt.

But Love loves everyone, no exceptions. Love doesn't think Rush Limbaugh is a jerk. Love doesn't pick sides in the fight, it just holds and comforts and tells all of us that we are loved and valuable and worthy. It knows much better than I do that it doesn't matter who is right or wrong, it matters only that we live in the way that we know is right, and we teach our children what is right, and that we love.

All major religions have the ultimate lesson of unconditional love*. I cannot exist within organized religion, even the non-major ones, because I believe that once you put rules on your beliefs you have already distorted them. The evidence, to me, is pretty clear on that. But on paper they are beautiful in their teachings, and if people could actually live the teachings instead of the buildings and organizations, perhaps we could have a more peaceful world.

So if I could impart a lesson to the world, it would be this: Love one another. Make no exception.

*I confess I know little of the Islamic religion, but I have been told that the Koran includes lessons on methods of beating your wife, so they may be excluded from this statement.