Who do you answer to?

July 23, 2009

I got to thinking about a phrase the other day..

“May he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”

I can picture a whole angry mob, cowering over some thief/whore/bad politician, some coward who’s fractured spirit is racked with pain and defiance, kneeling in the dirt, being given a small chance by this phrase, for those ‘above’ him or her, while they consider how flawed their own choices have been…

and it struck me.

WHO do I answer to? Since I am not a Christian, I do not answer to Jesus and his All-Powerful Father. (though I should mention I do respect them). I do not answer to Mohammed or Allah (though I should mention I do respect them). I do not answer to Buddha, the Great Mother Goddess, Odin, or even Quan Yin (though I should mention, if I may repeat myself, I *do* respect them).

I realized while having this mini-philosophical meditation, that atheists will sometimes cite Science as their God. Though they may cringe at my even saying so, and not being an atheist, I don’t claim to speak for them, but they often lean on the logical, ordered, explainable prove-able world of Science to carve out their place in the murky world of the religious.Not all, but many.

So it got me wondering, if there are all these figureheads to look to, what about those who don’t subscribe to any of the abovementioned?

Me, for instance? As an animist, I manage and hold my own behavior accountable for my actions on the planet, to my fellow humananimals, and to Spirit itself. I consider my ethics to be very strong, because the path I walk in *front* of me, is determined by the style of energy I put into the steps *behind* me. Catch, and release. In each moment, I am examining, thoughtfully, the course of where I want my path to go…a little to the left..maybe up a little, no too far, down in a big swoopy loop that will make my stomach drop, then a gentle rise back up and aaaaahhhh… Perfect. Then I do the next step, and the next. It used to be exhausting, but now it’s Second Nature.

Back to our topic. For those of us who don’t look to a specific _____ for how to conduct yourselves, where does your right mindfulness come from? Your parents? Your friends? Old friends, or the newer ones? Business colleagues? (I love this word) Circumstances you’ve witnessed that horrified you? Delighted you? Marvels you never thought the human race could accomplish? Maybe a combo of one or all of these things?

Or was a gradual steeping, such as exposure to a new town, a new partner, maybe even your children taught you to be the person you’ve always wanted to be? Maybe they taught you that you aren’t..*hmm.* Even, and I mean this sincerely, trying on a new color on a sweater. For women, a lipstick they never thought they would wear. Having a pet. Trying a new cuisine. These things don’t always look like a big shift, but believe me when I say, they can be.

My drift here is just to ask the question, of myself, and others who read MLP, that you may make choices, every day, that form the essence of how kind you are, how selfish you are, how deep your boundaries are, in terms of who, or rather, what, holds you accountable. Maybe you have a little green fairy inside you, who tells you right from wrong. Maybe you only see that fairy when you’ve been drinking. Maybe there is no fucking fairy, Promise, OBVIOUSLY, because its a great roaring lion that yells at me when I’ve been bad, or maybe, you hear nothing, you just go about your life, try the best you can, and don’t give two pennies worth of thought about it.

I do wonder, though. It seems like people are often complimenting me on how I conduct my life, and I am a bit mystified as to why. It’s not as if I’m doing mine any better or worse than others. Maybe I just know people who are really into gratitude.That’s probably the case.. *nods*

In any case, I think its an interesting question. What do you think?

Photo credit-

http://www.dgs.illinois.edu/fifthstory/tiltviewer/imgs/2.jpg

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