Atheist

I think topic of God is one of the most sensitive topics for a discussion unless they are spiritually mature and open.

Have you met someone who called himself or herself an atheist? Someone who doesn’t believe in God’s existance. Many people who consider themselves to be atheist won’t share it much with others. They might choose to keep it within themselves. Because one’s belief is so individual and very personal. And it’s OK to think this way and keep it as his own. Many people are not so open about this.

I know someone who openly said : “I don’t believe in God unless God is present in front of me, so I can see His form. I am an atheist.”

We have known each other quite well, in a sense of each one’s way of thinking. This topic was not a sensitive topic for both of us. At least he knew that I would not react to his statement unexpectedly or oppose his views. So he might have felt safe saying this to me. We were in conversation with another person.

To be honest, I didn’t know how to respond to his statement. I was silent. I was not responsible for him to accept what I believe. So I didn’t say anything. I kept myself from not being provoked by his statement. I avoided a debate with him. Well, it was his confusion and problem, not mine.

But this made me think in what form he expected to see God. Did he expect to see a physical figure? Was he also open to understand if God is not in a physical form? Was he only ready to see God with his physical eyes? Or was he also ready to see God through his heart or the eye of the soul? Was he aware that we were all limited. Everything that has a physical form or material is limited. Our eyes are limited, some of us need glassess to see objects better and clearer. Both of us wore glasses 🤭. We cannot see all that exist in the physical world with our eyes. Something is probably too small or too ‘subtle’ that only our heart can see it. Was he aware of this?

God is not a human being, for sure! He doesn’t have a physical body. If God has a physical body like us, God will become very limited. He needs a mother, a father, a place to stay. He needs to sleep or take a rest, because a physical body can get tired. It is not possible (at least for me) that God takes a break for sometimes. It doesn’t sound right. All of these were just in my head.

He then said: “Tini, I think you are an agnostic.”

The other person asked him what agnostic was. He defined that an agnostic as those who do not subscribe any particular religion and are not sure about God.

This time I gave him a response because I thought he was not fully right. I said: “I believe in God, I know God, I build a relationship with God, I consider my relationship with Him is quite real. I love Him, I need Him. I am sure of all that I said.”

I think the three of us are open people and hopefully spiritually mature. We didn’t find it to be a sensitive topic, though each one of us has a completely different views.

A Free Spirit

Imagine you can live the way you have always wanted and you enjoy it completely.

Imagine you can do everything you have always wanted without feeling that somebody will disagree.

Imangine you can dress the way you have always wanted just because you feel comfortable.

Imagine you can have hair style you have always wanted because you like it and you feel it fits you.

Imangine you have the freedom to be who you have always wanted to be.

Imagine you can express everything in your heart freely and the way you have always wanted to.

Imagine you don’t need anyone’s ‘approval’ for anything you want to do, want to have and want to wear.

Artists are associated with having the freedom to do all of these. They are not afraid of any judgment. I know an artist here. She told me that she is a painter, though I have never seen her artwork. She has tatoos on her arms. She is a young pretty girl. She is very courageous, cute and also funny. I think everybody agrees with me on this.

I have associated artist with being eccentric or looking eccentric, so does she. The other day I met her wearing two different socks. She likes wearing socks with no shoes indoors. The socks were more like for children, the short ones. Probably she feels more comfortable with it. One sock was upside down. I was wondering if she did it on purpose. Later she said that she was in a hurry to leave her appartment because a taxi had been waiting for her at the lobby. Yet, she felt so comfortable with it.

I met someone who knew her and we talked about her. I said to him: “She is a free spirit.”

….meaning that she can always do anything she likes without any feeling of worries.

She always expresses herself courageously, confidently and also comfortably.

She is just her own person. She is not worried that others might not like, approve, accept or love her.

I was not surprised when he said to me : “I have always wanted to become a free spirit like her.”

Many people have become people’s pleasure and they do not express themselves freely. They are not free spirits. You do not need to be an artist to become this. You just need courage.

Inappropriate topic

What kind of conversation would you like to have during the weekend with a friend? Do you prefer to discuss about a heavy topic?

For me, it is definitely not a serious one. Weekend is associated with something relaxing not for thinking something very heavy

I was happenedly in conversation with someone new this weekend. We both introduced ourselves as an opening such as name, where we live, what we do and where we came from. A standart self-introduction when we meet someone for the first time.

Somehow we then talked also about culture, religion, mental health, coping with stress, OCD, divorce rate, meditation and also death. Our conversation was just flowing. It turned out to be a serious discussion. He admitted to me that he suffered an OCD for years. He has a very critical mind. He asked me a lot of questions on what we discussed and some were also personal ones and very sensitive.

He said: I have a lot of questions for you, and you don’t need to answer it if you don’t find it comfortable.

I was quite comfortable and open and direct answering his questions actually. Since they were personal ones, I think there would be no right or wrong answer. I mean he could not blame me for any answer that did not satisfy him. The more I gave him the honest answer, the better.

One of the question he asked was ‘how do you meditate?’
I said that my meditation practice is more for managing my thoughts. I need to be aware of thoughts in my mind. Observe the thoughts. Be aware of them’

Unexpectedly he responded ‘It’s so scary! I don’t want to see my thoughts.’

This really made me surprised. Thoughts or ideas and also feelings are very close to us. They are in our head and also heart. They are probably the closest object to everyone as long as we live. Since we never stop thinking (and also feeling). Why get scared? If we really get scared of it, probably we need to realize and start dealing with it. Not the other way around, ignore it and deny it.

It turned out to be more like a debate between the two of us. Because he disagreed with me most of the time. Well, again, all was my personal view. I felt no pressure if he disagreed.

This topic is definitely not a cool topic to be discussed on Saturday evening. 🙂