Venting but accepting

Since the very beginning of learning about Hinduism I knew the one thing i would struggle with is the upset and anger I face as any human does. I have bipolar disorder so when a negative thing happens it manifests inside making me more and more angry either at myself or whoever has caused the issue. I thought that nothing could change this and recognising any changes could be an issue but the initial upset is hard but the more and more I go over it I find that I eventually feel more at peace and compassionate towards myself, another person or whatever.

This is very much a venting blog but also a realisation one which I hope others will find helpful.

Since June I hold my hands up and admit that I have made the choice to just distance myself from others who were not really supportive of my lifestyle choice. This I did because I didn’t want to argue and to be honest I felt vulnerable at being at the start of the journey so not able to answer awkward questions. I’ve made this huge choice which had an external change where I wear what I feel most comfortable and have a bindi but the most important thing was this was a very internal process, I had a lot of work to do on myself. I couldn’t focus on negativity because I had finally found a belief framework which made total sense to me and I am still learning. I’m so much happier in myself, I know myself more than ever and know that my aim in life is to display compassion and love in each thing I do, it’s not wrong to have compassion in fact it’s so important for everyone’s wellbeing.

My main heartbreak has been losing friends and a job I loved very much but that’s the price I have had to pay. I just wish that by avoiding putting myself through destruction people could see that this new identity is the first thing that’s ever made total sense and also it’s made me a much more relaxed and happier person. I’ve really had to avoid anything which can cause arguments because I love and respect people no matter what beliefs they have, religion should not be cause of arguing. I’d rather not put anyone in the position of them feeling they have to oppose my beliefs because it’s not nice for either side.

Surely avoidance is better than hostility however by avoiding I’ve shown hostility which I certainly didn’t mean to but I hope one day I find other ways to show others love and compassion yet also preserve my inner peace and keep the whole situation peaceful.

All I do have left to say is that we all strive for inner peace and hope that each person who reads this finds that peace in whatever way as long as it’s through love not hate and through good not harm.

Namaste

Freedom through speech

Throughout our lives we go through things which make us happy or sad, free or confined, accepted or rejected, in fact so many opposites that I’d bore you if I listed them all. The thing is we see things on an individual level, no two stories of the same thing are the same and this reflects very obviously when we speak about faith.

A great deal of emphasis is put on gossiping, it is really spoken badly about within some religious surroundings but what is it really about? 

I have a friend who sometimes finds their faith journey very confining and likes to just have a bit of a vent to me which I take how it is but I’m reluctant to say this is gossip, how can the feeling and emotions of a person be seen as gossip? Why are people given a dressing down and made to feel so wrong in their religion for having such emotions and being able to share this with someone?

Quite often the sad thing is there is still this fear within people, that their narration of feelings makes them an outsider or a failure within their faith, so much so they hide what is really going on in their life, head etc from the people they should be turning to for guidance. We are still human and I really do believe that it’s not just about loving yourself but to be close to God you must accept and get to know everything about yourself, God doesn’t look at you and see your failures. It’s hard to see and hear that someone feels confined and afraid in their religion and the expectations they feel they are failing at, however sometimes anybody can release them from these feelings just by allowing them to talk, without judgment, the right and wrong speech doesn’t help to free them of such feelings, it doesn’t help them accept themselves for who they are and how they perceive things. 

Putting a label on a persons story/narrative by saying it’s gossiping actually makes that person feel that their experience is wrong and invalid.

Listen with love for each individual, the truth is each person is fascinating because we are all so different and even if our key beliefs are the same every single person has a different take on things meaning you can really learn a lot, my favourite is listening to people with other beliefs because it’s inspiring. 

Be loving, Be inspired and Be inspirational 
Love to all