What is this 'truth' people speak of?

Everybody who has ever been born and raised on God's green and blue sphere known as Earth has been raised to believe a version of the truth.  Whether it is about the existence or non existence of God, morality, mortality, after-life and any other epic philosophical life or death issue we were taught in some sort of belief.  Usually these set of beliefs, morals and ethics befall the umbrella of religion. 

Over the course of our lives, these beliefs tend to have the ability to relapse fairly frequently and, unless you have the patience of a Saint or strong, strong faith we search for a new religion.  A new set of ideals to follow.  We, therefore, convert.  That conversion, for many people, can be very traumatic, not only for those who do convert their souls but also for those around them.

Christopher Columbus landed in the 'New World' in 1492 (Columbus day is celebrated around the 12 day in October annually).   Upon his arrival and setting foot on the strange land which he'd thought he had discovered, he was accompanied by a Catholic Priest.  From then on, priests began arriving to that continent to help spread the word of the Lord and the ways of God.  The priests tried to convert the natives and change their ways - trying to get them to kiss the crucifix, to stop smoking peyote, to cover up their nakedness. 

Their response?

THE PRIESTS WERE MAIMED, TORTURED AND BURNED AND THEIR BODIES OFFERED AS SACRIFICE TO THEIR GODS.

I guess the moral of this story is that you cannot enforce your own practices, beliefs and way of life onto others.  If you find yourself in the presence of people of different race, religion and creed and they are good people then who are you to try and change them?  If it works for them and they are good hearted people then there is absolutely no need to feel it is your duty to try and 'change them for the better'. 

I often find, with any convert, whether he or she goes from 8 packs a day to smoke free or Conservative to Labour, ends up condemning his/her former practises with the view 'those beliefs did not work for me....they can't work for anybody.  Their vision becomes tunnelled - blinded by the intensely bright light at the end of that tunnel.  Whether he/she has transformed into a Buddhist or joins drug rehab, they become fanatics.  Before they know it, that light at the end of their tunnel is just a freight train coming their way. 

If you ask me, it is fanatics that fuck up the world.  They are the ones who have the strangest ideals.  Especially the ones who believe they have God on their side.

I am a man of faith, the Muslim faith.  I find it tragically embarrassing that men of my faith carry out atrocities in the name of my religion and in the name of God and claim that it is what God wants to happen.  It is a most NON Muslim thing say let alone do.  Just because others do not follow the same faith does not make them bad people.  What these fanatics, terrorists and all those who condone this behaviour are doing is in fact haram.  It is so disappointing to have people show my religion to be everything it is not.  God who is known as Allah in the Muslim faith condones neither the murder of the innocent nor the judging of people by others.

Where does that leave the rest of us? Well, I believe that not all of us need divine light to stay on the path of righteousness.  In the darkness, we only need enough light to make our way around without stubbing our toes anywhere. 

Much love,

Jackson L.