thanksgiving

I want to respond to the comments from the blog, son of a preacher man. Here is to hoping I have not offended too many people and become the hypocrite I don't want to be.

First, I believe that organized religion provides an incredibly powerful sense of community. a sense of community is severely lacking, in my opinion, in the united states. we are so isolated from those around us due to the over abundance of technology that we have forgotten how to be human. religious gatherings can be one of the few places you can find community and support.

Second, I would like to say that I believe the Bible to be an incredible historical text.
It is unfortunate that I never sat long enough to study the Bible, as there are many interesting and insightful passages in the Bible. But I would say the same of other religious texts that I am unfamiliar with. There is a giant black hole in my education where there should be knowledge about religion. So, any and all of you that read this blog, please fill me in if I'm missing something BIG. (other than faith)

Third, I must admit to being a very spiritual person, though my spirituality is much more in line with beliefs of many Native American cultures. I am constantly inspired by the beauty and power in nature and do not believe in one all-powerful God.

Lastly, I would like to respond to Julies comment:

"there is a funny thing about being thankful and organized religion; often one is told what they should be thankful for. not that you needed another hypocrisy to add to the list of many."

Many of the things you are told to be thankful for are legitimate things. Like food! And love. And, well, you get the idea. The point is I don't believe that people are (or can be) truly thankful for these things unless they have experienced life without or had some intimate set of experiences with others that caused a change in perspective.

One of the things I've learned from travel is life without many of the things we take for granted: clean water, safety, healthy food, education, support, and shelter. I've lived with people who sit and wait for the well to recharge before they can pull up contaminated water. I've spent a few nights without money and shelter in unfamiliar places. I've spent time with families suffering from malaria and malnutrition. I lived with a family in a home surrounded by concrete walls topped with shards of broken glass, guarded by men with automatic weapons. This is reality for many people on this planet.

What made all of these things tolerable were the people. The families I got to know, the life I have never lived, and the perspective it gave me. And despite the hardships these families endure they have community. They are thankful for the rain when it comes. They are thankful for the small portions of food they may have that day. They are thankful for their relationships with other people.