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Believing in Something

I watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, for the 2nd time, tonight. And wow. Although I knew the story line and what to expect, it still moved me. There are many levels to this movie and many things I could talk about, but I also don’t want to give the movie away for those who haven’t watched it.

I want to talk about what is right. And for whom. The Germans thought that it was right to capture Jews and kill them. We obviously know that it’s wrong to persecute someone based on their beliefs (well at least we should). I’ve talked to people about this and there is a fine line between what people define as religion and a belief system. A religion doesn’t (IMHO) allow for interpretation. Whatever is written is what you have to believe and follow. A belief system allows you to pick and choose what you believe in for every situation. I believe in the latter. And I believe that religion has caused more harm to man (err human)kind than anything else. Why? Because people get very angry when someone doesn’t share their belief.

But let’s take this a step further.

What is the right job to have?
What are the right clothes to wear?
What is the right car to buy?

We are so concerned about what is right and what matters to other people instead of doing something for us and because that is what we believe in. Ok sure, people can believe they should have a Coach purse because by having one, that means you are in style. However, why do we believe this? Were it not for marketing (the whole goal of which is to attempt to tell us what we WANT to have). Not that we should make a decision. But that we “want” a particular type of purse or car or watch.

Why won’t we ignore all the noise and bullshit which we’re exposed to on a daily basis and make our own decisions based on what we truly WANT to have. Think about growing up. What did you have. What made you happy? I can guarantee that growing up I didn’t have a lot of possessions or eat out a lot, but I’m not going to give my kids all that I “didn’t have”. I had more than most could ever dream of; a loving family, all the opportunity in the world to play sports and best of all, parents who cared enough to teach me about being a good person. For that, I will be forever grateful.

All I’m saying is that you shouldn’t believe something because someone says so. If a kid is bullying someone, step in and stop them. Let’s start caring more about what matters instead of the extra crap that we spend so much time and money worrying about.

If we did this, our world would be a much more aware place to live in and people would care so much more about each other.

How great would that be?

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