Hearts be open

If you can manage life with equanimity

Without having to reference the contrast between compassion and selfishness

Then by all means

Go forth and be happy

For everyone else

Repeat after me

I know God

****

that's spirituality

Knowing God

And letting God help you navigate through life

Especially the bad parts

Religion

Is someone telling you

What your relationship with God should be like

I have my own internal compass to God; fortunately

I understand and accept what resonates with me from all parts of the world

All parts of existence

Of my experience

So I don't feel the need for religion

When I have spirit with me

Available always*

---------
*as does everyone in my religion. ;)

And no I'm not trying to start my own religion

That would be sheer hypocrisy

Wouldn't it?

But if even one heart opens one day

From something I said

Something I did

Something I was to them at that moment

Then that's a wonderful thing.

Gratitude makes it more tolerable

I don't know why the world is the way it is

Why we are forced to play pieces in this chessboard of good against evil

Of circumstance

Why it can be so unjust

Unyielding

And oppressive

I don't quite know why

All I know is that letting that oppression into our hearts kills us slowly

And gratitude goes a long way towards remediating that

It's a great start at least