Nature: The Only Perfect Church

"If I am not doing the works of my father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."

- John 10:37-38 (Bible)

"And when it is said to them, 'Follow what Allah has revealed,' they say, 'Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing.' Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?"

- Surah Al-Baqarah 2:170 (Quran)

"Do not believe in something just because you have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in something because it is rumored by many. Do not believe in the written scriptures alone. Do not believe in conjecture or logic alone. Do not believe in something because it appears acceptable. Do not believe in something because it aligns with your preconceived notions. Do not believe in something out of respect for a teacher. But when you know for yourselves that these things are wholesome, blameless, praised by the wise, and lead to benefit and happiness, then you should practice and abide in them."

- Anguttara Nikaya 3.65 (Kalama Sutta)

Ruins in Nature - Dall·e AI

All churches and religious institutions around the world have one big flaw in common: Humans.

Each one, despite their best of intentions, has a very human interpretation and along with that comes pushing very specific agendas and deliberate misinterpretations that uphold a specific status quo.

The Universe

"We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us." - Albert Einstein

Earth as an Atom in a Pumpkin Vine - Dall·e AI

The universe is willing to teach you anything you want to know about it - all you have to do is listen.  This is my current understanding of the universe as learned through the garden.  As with anything in life, it is subject to change upon new (and constant) learning.  A mind should be like sand - constantly shifting and morphing as the tides roll in and out, always dynamic, never static.

Acts of Goodness

"If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody."

- Chinese Proverb

Smile thru storms

If you find yourself getting frustrated with the mundanity of life, try focusing on how you can serve others.  This can have an immense impact on your own life.

Cook a neighbor some cookies, buy a meal for someone experiencing homelessness, help someone who is stranded on the side of the road, buy someone's groceries, volunteer at a homeless shelter, donate some of your homegrown vegetables, volunteer at an organization helping refugees, volunteer at an orphanage, those are just a few ideas of how you can help others - if you so desire.  There are probably millions if not billions of ways you can help others.  Get creative with it!

Think about how if a neighbor were to bring you some cookies, how much that would make your day.  Even if you don't like cookies, or if they're terrible or if you don't eat sugar, just the act of them bringing you cookies will still brighten your day.  If it would make your day better, go brighten somebody else's day with it.