and for the love of all that is holy and unholy stay the fuck away from christianity

christianity is rooted in the deepest depths of self loathing and a desire to escape this world instead of doing ANYTHING to ACTUALLY ease the suffering of others

please stay safe from christian hegemony

now more than ever it is important to educate yourself and if you are for whatever reason interested in learning more about islam then you should guard yourself against those who do not have your best interests in mind but rather the interests of capitalists and especially american politicians

and no, not even islam is free from this

the past two hundred years have seen a rise in so called “modernist” movements that seek to restrict people and have westernized and “christianized” what was and still can be a path of love

primarily for the sake of making money by selling oil to the US

you should not be engaging with religion if your self worth is so far in the gutter that you cannot recognize when others are spouting dogmatic bullshit that you dont need to listen to

otherwise you will be *so* easily manipulated its not even funny

“religious” hierarchies and strict adherence to creed is little more than a vector for abuse as has been the case since the dawn of civilization so many thousands of years ago and most people are (not by choice) too uneducated to know when its happening and how to stand up for themselves

and thats how it should be

priestly castes are would-be monarchs or, perhaps worse, those who happily suck up to would-be monarchs for a position of lesser power over those who would otherwise be their peers

in this day and age you are free to do as you wish and so you should

i practice my religion in a personal way, i follow what established traditions and customs i do knowingly and for specific reasons, and while i do look for others takes on certain things and answers to certain questions ultimately its my faith and no one else is in charge of me

for there is no you and there is no i.

there is only us.

light is nothing more than radiation, and darkness is nothing more than the shade cast as that radiation is blocked and reflected in myriad directions.

there are no opposites, only reflections.

so, love yourself. look yourself in the mirror. watch yourself dissolve. see the things you run from. the things you hate. the things you fear. gaze upon your shadow, and embrace it with all the love in the world.

and then, love the other, for all are reflections of the greatest love.

without love, you are powerless to create any kind of long lasting positive impact on your own life or the lives of those around you.

without love, you will rot in a hell of your own making, cowering in fear at every little shadow.

without love, it cannot be seen.

and no, its not on you to end world suffering. you are but a drop in the ocean. but you have power. and with love - for the self, for the other - you can exercise that power such that you can make a difference in the lives of those who suffer. including and especially your loved ones.

through this love one is inspired to do the impossible and make changes to this world. through this love one can do things to make this world a better, happier place. by fearing the other you reject the world and those within it, leaving them to their suffering.

you must understand the other and love the other because the other is no different from you. the other is no more than a reflection of the greatest of loves, as is yourself. to know the other and to love it is to love yourself, and to love yourself is to love the other.

the greatest of loves is that which can only be understood by understanding yourself and the other and how very deeply intertwined these are.

because ultimately there is no “other”.

for me it took embracing religion. do i think everyone should embrace religion? no. do i think everyone should embrace islam? also no.

there isnt a single clearly defined way to the greatest of loves. the way is obscured, full of twists and turns and those who sway you from it and reject love.

i found echoes of this message in a number of places and have seen it and done my best to practice it within my life. where it is found or where *you* find it isnt important. you dont have to find it in the same place i found it. you just have to find it.