My Thoughts On Religion
What are my thoughts on religion? What about Spirituality vs Religion? In a world where there is a huge debate over Spirituality vs Religion, sometimes sharing your thoughts helps to spread light on why you do what you do.
So, what is Spirituality? Spirituality has several different meanings, but the definition I go by is this, an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” This is why I love Spirituality, it allows you to discover yourself without the rules and regulations of Religion.
Why is this important to me? Why not follow a set of rules guided by a Religion? While it’s nice to have a set of rules to go by, one may not always agree with a certain aspect of their own Religions standpoint. How many times have you found something in your “Holy Bible” that you didn’t agree with. In fact, how many other people don’t agree with that, or at least debate over it frequently? Seriously? If you can’t come to a conclusion about what something means, then what’s the point?
With Spirituality I get to set my own rules to follow. Which is great, as long as I don’t break those rules. If I break those rules, then I’m no better than anyone else. That and that alone is what keeps Spiritual people in check, but why? Simple, we don’t want to be like everyone else. We choose to be our own person.
You see the other problem with Religion don’t you? Religion teaches you to be someone you’re not, while Spirituality encourages self discovery.
What about Religion? My thoughts are that Religion was created to control those who can’t control themselves. Have you ever wanted to go run that reckless driver off the road, that cut in front of you and nearly rand you off the road? Yeah, we’ve all been there, but here’s the thing, we don’t act upon our thoughts. Why? Fear. We fear the consequences of getting caught, going to prison, etc.
We’re better than that right? We’ve learned through lives own experience that if we do something wrong, then there are consequences.
I love how Religious people use the argument, “If there isn’t a God, then where do you get your Moral values from?” Let me ask you a question, If you’re wrong, then you’ll be the one going to “Hell” right? Fact, Life gives us Moral Values and a set of Guidelines to follow, not some “Holy Text,” which may or may not be the “Word of God.”
Again, Religious people use the phrase, “But it’s in the Bible and the Bible is the “Word of God.” My thoughts? Word of God? No! Inspired by God? Perhaps! More like, inspired by events that happened. Don’t get me wrong, there are things that you can learn from the Bible, but I don’t think one should take it literally.
But hey, who am I right? Just some random guy writing on his blog. Who knows, I could be wrong, you could be wrong, we could all be wrong. The answer might be much more simpler than we’re making it. Often times, it is. Food for Thought.
Now, before you start flaming me about not believing in a “God,” let me say something first. I’m not saying that there isn’t a God and I’m not saying that you’re wrong either. I won’t go that far. What is a fact though, is that we don’t know. We think we know, but in reality we don’t know. Now that’s food for thought.
While I will take the time and effort to at least listen to you and your thoughts, I think it’s important that we develop our own belief and realize that we’re all different. Only through understanding others, can we really begin to understand ourselves. Only then, will we be right.
Care to do your own blog post? Feel free to share your thoughts with us.
Social Media and My Experience
I’ll be going over my thoughts on Social Media and My Experiences with it. Social Media is a great way to keep in touch with friends, colleagues, net workers, and even your favorite celebrities.
If you’re using Facebook, Twitter, or have used MySpace, then you’ve used Social Media. Even Youtube is considered to be a Social Media Network. If you want to increase your presence on the web, you’re going to have to do some Social Networking.
My Experience takes me on a long journey from the days of first signing on with MySpace. This was something that my friends were doing at the time and I thought it was a great way to meet people. I didn’t really have a purpose on MySpace, other than just having a profile and having fun.
Skip forward to Facebook. At first, I neglected Facebook, but at the same time I was angry at MySpace for making all those profile changes that ended up making it slow and eventually killed it. I eventually logged into Facebook for the first time and started doing Networking on there. Not too long after that, I made the complete move over to Facebook. I was actually surprised to learn not too long ago, that MySpace was still actually getting roughly one million new people a month.
Facebook so far has made some changes and people thought it would be the next MySpace with all the changes it was making. So far, Facebook has stood the test of time.
When Facebook released the gaming aspect of the Network, I was all over that. I actually added friends just play the game, which ended up being a huge waste of time for me. I spent I don’t know how many hours on Farmville.
I eventually tried out Twitter for a little. I never really stuck with it though, that is until I joined Empire Avenue. It’s a virtual Stock Market game where you invest in others, meet new people, and connect via your networks. It’s a great way to measure your performance, meet people that you wouldn’t have met otherwise, all the while, growing you and your business. You can find me on Empire Avenue at my ticker name, which is e(TFLAT).
Nowadays, I’m all over the place on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google+, LinkedIn, Flickr, and here on WordPress. Via Empire Avenue, I’ve met people who have taught me how to use Social Media to grow my Network. I’ve also learned that if you want to grow as an Individual or a Company and actually be something of value, then you have to have a purpose.
What’s my purpose? Inspiring others to do things that they have always wanted to do. How do I accomplish this? By talking with them and encouraging them to take the first step, because the world isn’t going to come to you. You could have a thousand opportunities, but if you don’t open one of the doors, you’ll get nowhere. I’m hoping that my stories of inspiration and success, will inspire others to follow their dream. After all, that’s why we’re here right? To help one another?
So, that brings me to what I want to achieve on Social Media. That happens to be find those in need and help them achieve their dreams.
“A Dream is like a flame, if you don’t have the cover to protect it during the turmoil of the storm, it will surely flicker and die.”
Even though we all have dreams, we all have areas that we lack in. One of my biggest problems is that I’m not very consistent with my Social Media. That may explain why I’m not growing as much as I should be. If I’m going to do a daily blog post, then I need to do just that. Perhaps I’ll only do it for five days a week? Either way, I need to be consistent.
When it comes to Social Media and My Experience with it, it’s probably an average tale. You won’t hear me complaining though, because I’m going to make it beyond average. Are you with me? Are you going to take that leap of faith and together we will achieve our Dreams?
“I believe that we can be extraordinary together, rather than ordinary apart.”
The Pounding – Poem – by Roger Hoyt
The Pounding
There is a disturbance in the force.
My mind isn’t running the normal course.
The head is pounding away.
I think my body is about to sway.
How can I even think?
When it hurts to just blink.
Is there no remedy for this?
Can I not find my peaceful bliss?
Perhaps a pill will suffice?
Day after day, I roll the dice.
Playing the game, but I’m alone.
I had it coming, should have known.
You can’t win every time.
The clock tics and the head does chime.
Written by:
Roger Hoyt
Click the image to visit it’s source.
Dance In The Rain
Dance In The Rain
I dance in the rain with thee.
For your mind and soul set me free.
Laughter and love on this night.
Together, we will not be fright.
Standing against the storm.
This is how love does form.
I cherish this moment for all time.
And hope I never turn into a lime.
For when that happens, all is lost.
Love is always the last to be tossed.
I will always remember you.
Even if it means, that I’ll turn blue.
Despite the fact, we’re worlds apart.
Only you can have my heart.
Written by:
Roger Hoyt
Rain
Twisted Souls
Twisted Souls
The world twist and turns.
Thus my soul surely burns.
Life leaves, yet is still there.
Nothing is ever really fair.
To hear the cries of a million strong.
No, it’s not something I did wrong.
They lash out at me.
When all I want is to be free.
Written by: Roger Hoyt
The Fallen
The Fallen
Now I see with my own eyes.
Tears of the fallen, are many of cries.
Though sorrow they do feel.
Like the skin, it does peel.
Wine and moan, as they cover their face.
Struggling to climb back grace.
No one sees them, for they are shamed.
Their wild spirits, can not be tamed.
Written by: Roger Hoyt
It’s Now Or Never
There is a great quote that was shared with me this past week. ”If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.” by Erica Jong
This has a lot of meaning to me in the recent days. This quote can be taken in several different ways. It can be taken in a Psychological way, or a Physical way.
What this means to me is that you have to put yourself out there. You can say what you want to do all you want. If you don’t actually get out there, nothing will ever happen.
Why is this important? It’s everything you will become. It’s your future.
My plans to travel the world have taken a full turn. Instead of being lazy about it, I’m taking charge. I’m not going to sit here and be a lazy bum the rest of my life. Never.
I now have a goal. We can’t make that goal happen though without dedication. So, what am I doing to make it all happen? What’s my dedication?
My dedication happens to be the fact that I know I’ll never get anywhere if I don’t do something now. So, why wait around for things to happen right? In order to get some where, you have to have a plan.
Goals are useless without plans. That’s one thing that’s been holding me back. They say that realizing there is a problem is half the battle. I’m moving ahead at full speed now.
I’m inspired. Thanks to Social Media and the connections I’ve made, I’m able to push forward. And Kickstarter is going to help me get there.
My goal now is to do a bit of research and make a plan to make my dreams happen. Then it’s off to Kickstarter. I’ll get enough Pledges to at least get me where I need to be to get started.
What is my goal? Simply put, To Travel. My goal is to immerse myself into the world. Not everyone will have the opportunity to do so. I plan on making that happen.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ll find that way. Success is around the corner. Just in reach.
What are you going to do now, that you’ve been holding off? Are you going to let that last second slip away? That last chance?
It's Now Or Never - Time Is Ticking
My Plans For Change
Ever notice how people change? Some people change trying to be like other people. Others change for a need more or less. Then there are those who are forced to change.
I Choose to change because right now, my life is in Chaos. It’s Hecktic. There is nothing worse than being 30 years old and having done nothing with your life. So, here’s what I’m going to start doing to make it better.
Sense I’m avid about losing weight and even possibly running a marathon, I need to get out there and start hangin with people that already do that. So, that’s what I’m going to do. If you want to be successful, you’ve got to hang out around successful people. If you want to be Fit, you’ve got to hang out around Fit people.
Why is this important? Influence. People in our lives influence us everyday. If you hang out with Smart people, guess what, you’re going to have the urge to become smarter, and hopefully do just that. Heaven forbid the general population get any dumber.
Some people have family who are just lazy, obese, can’t get off their butts for nothing. What do you do about that? Well, for starters, instead of hanging out with the people just like you at school or work. Start making new friends. Have that desire to make changes in your life. Your new friends will respect you for that and probably will even help you.
Networking. I’m going to start Networking a heck of a lot more. People that you talk to and connect with, that’s what it’s about nowadays. If you have connections, you’ll go far. If you have connections, you can get yourself out there, become known.
Sense Changes are inevitable, why not start making your own changes now? No excuses. So, my question for you today is this.
What kind of changes are you going to start making in your life? Start today. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me, 30 years old, (or older) and not getting anywhere in life. It’s never too late to start now. Join me in this #OccupyThisChange movement.
Drowsy Sugarcane
Is it just me, or is there something about Sugarcane that makes you drowsy? Today is my 30th Birthday. I spent the most of yesterday and today traveling and learning about Sugarcane.
What was the topic? Weed control, of all things. The ironic thing? Sugarcane is actually a very tall grass, and the most common form of weed control when it comes to Sugarcane? Grass. Why is this ironic?
Supposedly, the absolute best way to manage weeds in your Sugarcane patch is, get this, digging it out by hand. Gasp. There are other options of course, but seriously? I could have told you that. And I’m not a Gardener.
So, how was my weekend? For starters, I had a headache yesterday. I think it was Sinus Congestion related, so we picked up some cold medicine. Why? Cold medicine is good for relieving congestion. Now, if only that would work on traffic congestion?
Needless to say, the cold medicine didn’t work, so I had a headache most of the day and had to sleep it off. Next time, I’m getting the Allergy/Sinus pills and taking some headache pills.
I thought about taking my camera, but there wasn’t really much to take pictures of. Nothing worth while anyway. There was one building that would have been worth the effort, but alas, no camera.
So, between driving to the Sugarcane, loading it up, and driving back from the Sugarcane, it’s been a pretty taxing trip. Enjoyable, despite the headache, but taxing. I was really tired last night, not sure I even slept. Not doing much today has made it another tiring day.
I did however learn about something that I’m going to do a bit more research on. A religion called Santeria, that actually still practices animal sacrifices today. They do mention though, that 99% of the animals they sacrifice, end up eaten. The other thing that I learned about? Tiger Lizards. Those things are ferocious and strong for their size. Both worth looking into.
Being my birthday, we stopped at Outback Steakhouse on the way home. I had the No Rules Parmesan pasta with Grilled Shrimp and Scallops. It was pretty good, especially the shrimp.
It’s great to be back home though. Let’s see how tonight’s sleep goes. That was my weekend in a nutshell. How was yours?
