Brain activity written down: October 2011

Monday, October 10, 2011

Losing friends

Throughout life we make friends, we burn down bridges and then fix them again. I've always had good relationships with all my friends, even though I don't see most of them very often.

Tonight I went out with an old friend, we've been friends since 2002. We talked and talked and shared a lot of secrets, we always do. Then we came home and talked some more, and then it came down to religion. I'm agnostic, he's a strong believing Christian.

He asked me if it makes me a better person if I don't believe in Jesus, and I replied no, and it won't make me a better person if I believe in Jesus. I am who I am.

He started preaching that I need to get my head straight. I've been working on it for 2 years now, my head is as straight as its going to get.

I told him about my involvement with Mormonism, showed him the famous banned Mormon cartoon, and then I told him about coming back to South Africa and realizing that Christianity is also flawed, and that I can't believe in people's mistakes. I believe in a higher being, not the flying spaghetti monster, or Elohim, or Jesus that did miracles that differs from each book.

He removed himself from the conversation and went home.

My closing statement: "I'm not evil, I'm not the anti-Christ, and I know what I believe in and who I am."

The world is so much bigger, with a lot more explanations, with religions that have a lot in common. I don't believe in a single religion, and if I had to, it would probably be Hermetic Qabalah.

Lessons in Life

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned that no matter how much I care some people just don't care back.

I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but whom you have in your life that counts.

I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And, just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I’ve learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I’ve learned that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt, and you will hurt in the process.

I've learned that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I've learned that heroes are people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I’ve learned that you can keep going long after you can’t.