Mahatma Ghandi led his country to freedom in clothes he had made himself on a little handloom.
How easy it would have been for him to sit back and revel in his own success. To be satisfied with his own graciousness. To bask in the glow of his people’s love. Lesser men, in achievement and in personality, have indulged far more deeply their fondness for their achievements.
And what is the harm? Indeed why do anything at all, if we cannot bask in the lovely glow of people’s admiration. Why make our own clothes when many would queue up to make them for us?
It is not, ultimately about false humility or even self-denial. It is because a deep humility is the means by which one can aspire to understand God. By keeping proximity with the cotton of our clothes or, in our century, the garden out-the-back, the children screaming in the playroom, we put into context our achievements (great or small). We are reminded that we all walk upon this same earth – aspiring, loving, creating. And it is in unity with each other, and the Devine which overseas us all, that the truth will be found.
I drive a tractor because I can’t knit.
Adrian Rachele, about 1 year ago
I’m an atheist.
I will tell you what my humility helps me understand, if i look deep inside:
“The frailty of the human race.”
This can be quite scary once rationalised. But…..
Life is lived for the immediate surroundings.
The small amounts of brain reaction achieved from creation.
Happiness that you get from the love and sharing of friends and family, and our small modern Internet groups like that of the bubble.
I believe your greatest asset Pilgrim (given what i have read over the last month) is giving of yourself selflessly.
Your musings always make me smile and although our views of this world are so very different, it’s very much the same.
You always remind me quote “that we all walk upon this same earth” and deep down were all one and same, all a little bit insane.
Nice one.
Pilgrim
,
about 1 year ago
I used to be far more bent-out-of-shape about atheist vs non-atheist. Increasingly, however, and in an impossible contradictory way I find that both thoughtful atheists and non-atheists who dwell lovingly and caringly on the issue of how to live see the cosmos in remarkably similar ways. My only explanation for this is that thoughtful atheism brings with an inherent humility, whereas a lot of believers develop a foolish bravado which is blinding (a few world leaders fit this category!).
Adrian Rachele, about 1 year ago
So to i Pilgrim.
I used to get hassled a lot by Born Again’s in the street, and there used to be a random that preached at Swanston Walk where i used to catch a tram of an evening. Although i was brought up Roman Christian i was really starting to hate it.
But like most things, you only tend to notice the bad as that’s what you end up having shoved into your face.
Used to frequent pubs in Melbourne alone and with a book. One of my regular haunts i met a man who was studying Modern Christianity in at the Christian Uni there in central Melbourne. After chatting and finding out my history and my current attitude to religion he was very intrigued and we got chatting. We would regularly see each other at the pub where we would chat not only about religion but humanity as a whole.
This gent restored my faith in people who have faith in religion. Just like my Muslim friends i have made here in London, we are able to relate on a humane plane of existence.
Unfortunately for the world, the media giant it is, peoples views are often based on the few rotten apples.
That’s why i’m a great believer in talking religion and politics. Talk, share, connect, and accept. Even if i disagree with people, i find that we find a deeper acceptance and sturdier relationship after a ‘disagreement’. Acceptance is found. This is a large part of forgiveness. And then we move on. We evolve………together…...
citizen "KHAN", about 1 year ago
i live with a couple of babushkas- the older one, baba lida (80) is an aethiest. the younger sister baba tanya (76) is a devout orthodox christian. they both agree that the most important thing is to believe something, even if it’s nothing- then you don’t have to waste time thinking about it, and can get on with the chickens out the back.