Eternally Mortal brought up a good point during the recording of last Thursday’s podcast. He said to me that Christianity (other religions as well, but some forms of Christianity especially) tells its followers that they are born with sin. That without some kind of holy intervention, we are essentially evil beings at birth.
Woah. No wonder self-care often isn’t a priority!
Mortal himself finds it difficult to feel worthy enough to bother with self-care, as if taking time to heal, grow, or just maintain the Self takes away from those around him too much. And I’ve felt similarly—trying to give myself time to rest after an illness, for instance, often depends on how much still needs to get done.
The wheels in my mind started turning, wondering how affected we are—and the world is at large—by this idea that everyone is fundamentally evil. 🤔
Another View
I watch all kinds of helpful videos, particularly when I’m eating something. (It’s not “in the moment,” but it brings me all kinds of ideas to write about. 😉) Nearly two weeks ago, I had come across this video by the wonderfully profane Mark Manson:
Truth #1: Everyone Sucks
As I thought about Mortal’s spotlight on Christianity, this video flashed through my mind. Everyone sucks, everyone is an asshole. (Literally, since the very first thing formed on our bodies is the anus!) That does have a similar ring to it as the whole evil thing, but at the same time it feels…different.
Maybe it’s because Mark isn’t selling some holy miracle cure to save our souls, perhaps?
The thing about religion is, they’re trying to stoke the fires of faith. Mark is simply appealing to our sense of logic (at best) and sharing a distilled version of all the advice he’s given out over the years. He sells his book here and there (kinda), and definitely has an agenda like everyone else. However, it’s not his aim to get millions or billions to fall in line underneath his guidance. In fact, I’d wager that’s about the last thing he’d want to have to deal with.
So the idea that ‘everyone sucks’ comes from a place of equality. He sucks, too. And no, there’s no water to sprinkle on anyone to suddenly stop people from sucking. We all have to try in each and every moment to suck a little less. That’s it. Hard truth, bam.
If only it were that simple, right…
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