Kindness is my religion in Scott

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness” is a quote by the Dalai Lama.

I am an atheist and have a dislike of religion in general. I do not see Buddhism as a religion, but more a philosophy, a psychology, a way to live. I borrow from it in my life.

Years ago, I read the above quote by the Dalai Lama. It had a great effect on me. I often remind myself of it so that I can practice the only thing that could be considered a religion for me.

Kindness.

Let’s add to that compassion and empathy because they are part of kindness just as fear and anger are related.

The greatest feeling in the world for me, is to practice my religion in doing simple things such as being kind to another person or living thing in this world. I was never a cruel person in my past life, but I was insecure, hateful of myself and full of fear. When I practice kindness for anyone anything unconditionally, I am lightened in a way that some would say their religion makes them feel.

Today I put up two new branch perches in my kitchen for my birds. I found a great joy in it such a simple thing. Then I saw them using the perches and it brought me joy because I had I added something to their life.

This past summer and spring I had put out peanut butter for animals to eat. Mostly squirrels. At one point there were eight squirrels in my yard. Fortunately most of them disappeared and I hope they are all well. It is a good feeling that for a short time, they were well fed. Recently, I’ve been putting peanuts and gobs of peanut butter on my porch. A Bluejay would come along and eat some of the peanuts as well as squirrels and a chipmunk. I believe the chipmunk lives under my house and I think I hear it sometimes. It’s a very shy creature. I have told it to come on over and we can have a talk since we are housemates. Recently two squirrels have been coming to the porch. One of them made me laugh my ass off as it started to climb the screen of my front door when it saw peanut butter, on a rubber scraper. I wondered what would happen if it got into the house. I think it would be totally freaked out and try to hide in my house plants. As it is, I pressed my shoe against the screen and it decided it was a bad idea. It ran away up into a tree and watched me as I went outside and put the peanut butter down for it to eat. Every couple days I put water in a pan in my yard. It feels good to see a bird or two and squirrels drinking from it. This is the suburbs where what animals get water from? I don’t mind it if possums or woodchuck or even skunks come by as long as they try not to stink too bad. Putting water in the pan I feel I am helping some lives with an act of kindness.

Today, throwing some chopped up, banana peel onto my lawn I felt I was giving an offering to the Earth in some small way. To the trees in my yard. I saved my fruit and vegetable scraps, I grind them up and put them in the yard with coffee grounds in my own way I suppose I am religious in making an offering to the Earth, which sustains me I like the idea of the trees, soaking up the nutrients from the ground produce scraps and coffee grounds. There isn’t intelligence to so much life that humans think is stupid. Such as trees they will communicate with each other through their root systems. I read an article about how the smell of fresh cut grass is actually the fresh cut grass doing the equivalent of screaming. It changed my view of so much life. Now, when I have to cut my lawn, I apologize to the grass and whatever else I am hurting. What I am trying to say is that kindness, empathy, and compassion need not stop with humans or more intelligent animals. I don’t know if it’s kindness, but it’s maybe an imaginary connection when I touch a tree and try to empty my mind and feel it.

Briefly I reflect upon the misery in this world for all beings, and I think what a wonderful world it could be instead of quitting such misery to look to simple acts of kindness, empathy, and compassion as a universal religion without any particular God to it. Be kind be kind be kind whenever you can. When I find myself automatically acting in a positive kind way I sometimes smile to myself and go good man you’re being very true to your religion.