Got To BE There, Got To BE There

People argue that God and religion are dangerous. It is argued that religion gives people license to behave in inhumane ways. People use God to cosign their bigotry and murder. Religion is the opiate of the masses. It is a tool for control and not nourishment for the soul.

In some ways, I agree with these arguments. Some groups at different times in history have made God and religion perverse with their deeds they claim to do in the name of ______ (fill in name of God here).

They say, as Buddhists, if you see Buddha, kill him. This is to say that if you see Buddha, in your mind or in time and space, you are then unable to be Buddha, have a Buddha nature. You are not to idly worship the object or image of Buddha, but you are to practice what he did, find the peace that he did. That cannot be done while you focus on the image. The practice of Buddhism should be the image and the worship.

I am not Buddhist, however, I understand and think it to be ingenious. I have found a black hole in my life. While small, its gravitational pull is incomparable to anything else in my life. It pulls in everything else, distracts me from everything.

My God is missing and has left behind a powerful, destructive black hole. In prayer, in meditation, in fasting, in crying, in holding my tongue, in choosing my battles, I seek Him to ask for Him back. Not to see the image and worship the image but to learn the ways and perform them in my life so that others my praise God when they meet me.

In this space, this green blog space, or whatever color it should become, my sister, Shahedah, and I, Zainab, will chronicle our journey to God who is ourselves.

The month of Ramadan has begun and we have completed one day of fasting and prayer. Each day will lead us to our God and show us the way, for as of now, we have no idea where we are going.