Afraid of the Dark

If you've been reading this blog then you will know that I often bring this subject up. I don't do it purposely, I promise, but it always seems to come up again. I was reading more of Walden today and stumbled upon this quote:

Sorry about the cut but you can still make it out. I love how when I read Walden I often make connections with it and Thoreau's thinking. I've left you all with my quote multiple times: "I'm not afraid of the dark, I just prefer the light." I think that anyone who has spent time out in the wild could easily connect with Thoreau and I. When your out there and the only light is coming from the moon you realize what darkness truly is. I will not lie to you, when that darkness rolls in you react in one of two ways. Either you feel completely relaxed or you feel on edge and fearfull. Thoreau goes on to talk about that some of his best moments at Walden were in the dark late at night. After reading that, I want you to go outside tonight and observe how light is. Even at night we do whatever we can to keep it light. I promise you that more then half of you will not be able to find a truly dark spot tonight.

My other point from this quote would be Thoreau's remark about candles and Christianity. For my entire life I've been a Catholic. I became really involved over the past few years and even thought about becoming a priest. Over the past few months things have changed, I started thinking about the power that religion has over us. Don't get me wrong, I believe in God and the Catholic Church but I do think that religion is especially attractive to the weak, to the scared, to the hopeless. Religion makes you feel safe, it makes you feel like everything is going to be ok. There is nothing wrong with that feeling but after dealing with many people I can tell you that most people in church don't believe because they want to or because they truly believe. They go to church and pray everyday because either they fear what will happen if they don't or they need the comfort that you get from it. They do not truly believe in God or his awesome power, they believe that "As long as I pray everyday and I go to church every sunday I will be saved". It's sad but true. Many of the so called "Jesus Freaks" are actually simply scared of life and need something to comfort them.

Religion is a touchy subject but the most important thing is to stick with what you believe. Don't let others change your mind. In the end your going to have to answer for yourself. You can't blame others for your decisions, you can only blame yourself.

As for the candle remark, I don't know what I would do without my tea-lites. Catch ya on the flip side.