Religion

Whenever I'm asked about my religion, I need to take a big breath. Most times I just say I'm a Buddhist to save time. The truth is I don't follow a specific religion. I take things from here and there and make my own, custom designed "religion".

We have a saying in Portugal (that probably only makes sense in Europe) that "all roads lead to Rome". This comes from the Roman Empire times, when they would literally build roads from Rome to all over the empire. However, it now has only a metaphorical meaning.

A metaphor that I think applies to religion.

I believe that all religions are roads that lead to the same destination. God, the Universe, Heaven... LOVE.

So, if all roads lead to Rome, it shouldn't matter which one we take. Sure, one might be straighter, faster... Another might have many narrow turns... But that's okay. It's okay that we all have these different roads, because we are all different from each other. Some people like to go fast and walk on a straight line, some people like to take their sweet time and find all those turns to be adventurous and fun... We're all heading the same way. We might as well enjoy the road while we're alive.

I also believe that it's okay to change roads. We might be walking on a certain road, realize it's not the best road for us and change to the next one. And maybe that one is still not the right fit for us, so we change again... And again... And again... And as many times as we want...
Why shouldn't we try all these different roads and find out which one we prefer?
We might even find out there is no right road for us and decide to build our own from pieces of stone we gathered from this and that road. And it's all okay!

We don't have to stick to this one road because our family ancestors have always been on this particular road. We are free! We can choose (or create) which ever road we want. The one that better suits us. Because I believe, the religion we choose should be custom designed and not one-size-for-all. We shouldn't try to change ourselves to fit a specific religion requirements. #1 Love is Love, it has no requirements or limitations. And #2, we are all different people. Each one of us. There aren't two people alike. What is right for me isn't necessarily what is right for you, and vice-versa.

Let's stop fighting about who is right or who's road is more pretty! Let's just respect each other's differences, enjoy the different choices of roads that already exist, enjoy the infinite possibilities for new "custom designed religions" and ultimately, enjoy our trip to Rome (I hear it's very nice)!

P.S.: Rome in Portuguese is Roma. Backwards it spells Amor, which means Love.

Para que serve a morte?

Deparando-me com a morte, dei por mim a pensar como será quando for a minha vez:
Como morrerei? Sofrerei? Quando morrerei? Quem virá ao meu funeral? Quem cuidará do que eu deixar? Quem ficar, será que vai sofrer ou saberá que eu estou bem? Como me sentirei, enquanto espírito, observando tudo isso?

Apercebi-me destes pensamentos porque a minha respiração, geralmente calma, estava acelerada. Como é que ficou assim? Há quanto tempo? Para onde a minha mente me levou?

Retomei o controle da minha própria mente. Parei o fluxo de pensamentos e respirei fundo...

Uma vez de volta a mim, surgiu um novo pensamento, como que em resposta a uma pergunta muda:
Não tenho que me preocupar com a morte, mas sim com a vida.

Nesse instante, os meus ombros relaxaram, a minha respiração aprofundou e voltou ao ritmo normal. Senti que me tinha libertado de um peso e deixei os pensamentos fluírem:

O Hoje é tudo o que existe. O Agora é tudo o que existe. O resto ou é passado, ou é um futuro imaginado. A vida é tudo o que existe e pede para ser vivida Agora.

Questionar-me sobre a morte não me levará a lado nenhum. Mas a Vida, sim:
Como é que eu escolho viver o Agora? O que escolho fazer com o meu Hoje? Como quero viver a minha Vida?

Por vezes (muitas vezes) esqueço-me disto, mas a morte vem relembrar-me.

O meu tempo é limitado. Como escolho vivê-lo é tudo o que importa. Há muita coisa que eu quero Viver e não há tempo a perder. Tem de ser já. Agora.

Now = Agora