friartuck

I used to be a lay-preacher (like, 10 or 12 years ago now!). I’m an atheist these days but was asked recently what I would say if invited to speak. I wrote this (very short) one and kinda liked it. Thought I’d share it…

“I don’t think there’s a god. I am not even remotely a fan of Paul – bit of a knob in my opinion – however jesus is a bit of a lad.
“Love you neighbour as yourself.” What does that mean? Most would say it means ‘be good to your neighbours’.
I say it also means ‘You can only love anyone else as well as you already love yourself.’.
Step 1in life. Learn to love yourselves – just as you are.
Step 2. With the inner confidence and security that brings, practise real humility.

What is real humility? It is not actually considering others to be actually better than you. That is a lack of self love that will lead nowhere but to bitterness and resentment.

It is, knowing what your wants and needs are, silently and temporarily setting them aside in order to meet someone else’s needs with no expectation of anything in return. This includes “I’m doing this for you so god will give me a golden mansion-with-everything in heaven”. That strikes me as simply Delayed Selfishness where the onus is on a santa-claus god to spring for the goods because you’ve been a good boy or girl.

It also means asking for help when you need it, and accepting help when it is offered.

True humility is not “I am a self-sufficient island requiring nothing, but let me help you…”.

You know that lovely feeling you get when you help someone somehow? Let other people feel that by allowing them to help you. This is as important (if not more important) than being ready to offer your help to others.

If you always pour out and let no-one pour in, you wind up empty…

True humility is freakin’ rare, even in the most holy of folk from any religion you care to name.

Why is it so important though? Consider a society where this happens as a matter of course. Who will ever miss out on anything?

No-one. Ever.

You don’t miss out – because even as you’re setting your stuff aside for someone else, yet another person will set aside something for you – and so on ad infinitum. I dream about a society like that. We wouldn’t bloody NEED heaven ‘cause we’d have it right here.

No-one really knows what happens after we die, if anything. We do know that right now, we are here. We can make here Heaven or Hell. Our choice.

Step 1 though is always Learn to Love Yourself. This is not ‘selfish’, it is necessary.

Grasping, selfish, egotistical and arrogant behaviour springs from a lack of self love, not a surplus.”