Comments on: Guest Post: Deililly

By: deililly

deililly — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:52:14 +0000

Thank you for letting me borrow your lovely readers MTFF. It was great fun to be a proper blogger for a day! Definitely would do it again.

By: Mothership

Mothership — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:59:43 +0000

Deililly, this was a brilliant post and very thought provoking. I sincerely hope you are going to start your own proper blog that we can all read and I want to thank you for doing a post for me while I’m away. Any time you want to do another, just let me know – you’re WELL popular!!! xoxo

By: deililly

deililly — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:37:24 +0000

minibeastgirl – What have I let myself in for? You are going to be joining Picaress nagging now aren’t you?

Geekymummy – Thank you. Funnily enough the final year of my degree spent time on religion and the environment. Deep ecology and James Lovelock’s Gaia Theory being of special interest at the time. That Atwood book sounds like another to add to my read list.

Potty Mummy – Ah the traditional ‘a big boy did it and ran away’ defence. I suspect I used that more than once myself. (secretly wish it still worked sometimes) The vampires is an interesting one. Eternal life, beauty etc. Certainly becoming a rather strange religion lately too isn’t it?

Dee – I promise to try this blogging malarkey. Though can’t promise anything too amazing in actual post quality!
Actually someone told me yesterday that they work in palliative care and finds the ones with a more religious outlook often find it more difficult. A lot of them seem to feel their god has let them down somehow. Isn’t that interesting? I think the chance of making death less significant is supposed to be a reward in religious life but it seems the human fear can still take over. Particularly if they haven’t traveled um, internally (stuck for words) with their faith. If they have just taken it at face value as a bit of a contract between them and god. Am I making sense?

Totally saving those four principles. Definitely like them.

By: DeeGF

DeeGF — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:33:38 +0000

Ooh Kiz,
What a lovely post! I had a feeling there was a bit of Philosopher in you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland where the religion of guilt was all pervasive, led to some serious questioning, reading and research in later years. How sad that religious (catholic indoctrination) education was often given preference over science studies in many schools throughout the seventies and even into the early eighties.
Many years ago, I was given a little book by a friend called, ‘The Four Agreements’, by Don Miguel Ruiz. Some of the language is “flowery”, to say the least, but it’s central tenets are simple: Who and what we are can only come from within.
– Be impeccable with your word
– Don’t take anything personally
– Don’t make assumptions
– Always do your best
All good principles by which to live. At this middle stage of my life, I can only come to the conclusion that religion was invented to allay human’s fear of death. Maybe there would have been, and continue to be, less suffering in the world in the name of religion, if it had focused more on the enjoyment of the life we have whilst alive; not on the imaginary one after death.

More blogging, please?
xxx

By: deililly

deililly — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:44:46 +0000

Lozzie – The feedback and book suggestions I have from this one wee post are great!

Haven’t read that no, but shall put it on the Amazon wishlist! It is an intriguing thought and I think there is a core of truth in it. Life doesn’t come with guarantees so perhaps through religion we make some. Particularly about death, which no matter how advanced we get is still very much beyond our control.

By: deililly

deililly — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:08:50 +0000

shayma – Oh bless you love. Thank you for reading. I really appreciate it. I think your 18 year old self was an incredible lass for taking that on and saying it was wrong. That takes guts. Especially against a religion you were raised in. That creates a hurt that never leaves doesn’t it?

I think I was so sure at that through stroppiness, ignorance and very non religious parents who supported any start I got into my head (atheist father used to drive me at age 6 to sunday school every sunday with no complaint) no matter how strange it seemed to them. It is only now I really realise what a gift that was to give me.

By: Potty Mummy

Potty Mummy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:21:54 +0000

Great post, even more so for a first-time one. I know what you mean about this extremism and the apparant human need to find some greater power to take responsibility for things, be it God, Nature, or vampires. Drives me crazy – and I call myself a some-time Catholic. Why can’t people just take responsibility for their OWN actions rather than automatically just looking for a fall guy?

Interestingly I see this with my kids a lot; they fall over, they drop something, they mess something up, and their first instinct is always to look for someone else to blame. I’m hoping they’ll grow out of it, with time, maturity and education, but I suppose that the current trend shows that there are plenty of people out there who are somewhat older than 6 and 3 and who have yet to do so.

Depressing.

But I still liked your post – write more please…

By: geekymummy

geekymummy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:31:49 +0000

Congrats, lovely post. I’m reading “year of the flood” right now, Margaret Atwood, which explores a society where environmentalism and evolution have become a religion. I think humans are wired for some kind of believe system, that it must have confered a survival advantage. Its a fascinating subject. I”m an ex catholic athiest myself, and a scientist, with a strong “faith” in scienctific method and evidence.

By: minibeastgirl

minibeastgirl — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:12:09 +0000

That a girl! How long have we been all nagging you? And as we knew, you haven’t disappointed!

Having grown up with a grandmother who had all the questions and answers, I beg of you, never aim for that! Not knowing might be uncomfortable, but sure beats being cock sure and not allowing something new and potential wonderful into your life.

Abby xx

By: Lozzie

Lozzie — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:03:35 +0000

Have you ever read “The Denial Of Death” by Ernest Becker? I’m ploughing my way through it at the moment, slowly, half-wishing that I had done so at University twenty-something years ago. Except, I didn’t go to University twenty-something years ago. And so am having to make up for it now.

In the book, Becker basically seems to be suggesting that all human constructs – our symbolic world – which includes religious belief, is just a very elaborate self-defence mechanism that we employ in order to kid oursevles that we do not fear death. Most of the things that we do (or try to do) throughout our lives are kinds of ‘immortality project’. Could be anything from raising a family to raising a rumpus to raising a pyramid. It is all done in order to cock the snook at our own physical frailty and impermanence. Subconsciously, of course.

I guess that incudes blogging ..? Eek! L xx