Accentuate that which makes us human ......... 🦅

Ronald Reagan in 1980 was asked by a reporter, "Are you a born again Christian?" 

His response, "I don't wear religion on my sleeve." I can respect that response from our late 40th President. 

I can respect others even when I do not share their views because there are pearls of wisdom in all belief systems, even those, that seem alien to our American cultural beliefs. 

I like to remind people especially those who are devoutly staunch in their views that,  fundamentalism is dangerous – it forces ill-willed people to live their lives ignorantly due to a lack of spiritual insight and a narrow-minded belief system. You can find these extremists in every religion throughout history. 

Religion is shaped by one’s parents and by their parents' parents, but our spirituality is what we are born with. Spirituality is the spark, the essence, and the spirit that sustains us and all things. It’s beyond rituals and religious symbols because it’s the core of our existence. True Spirituality is the torch that lights the way, not religious principles that are imposed or mandated on others. It is lived and expressed freely in one’s character for others to emulate and embrace. 

Many devoutly religious people place religious mandates and their human beliefs over what it means to be spiritual. On the other hand, many spiritual people are devoid of religion because they implicitly understand that the spirit of love transcends religion, and trumps all human understanding. We need to remind ourselves,  the true essence of God's love is at the core of our being never separated from our existence ......... 🦅   

Always with love, from Suzhou, China. 

Thomas F O'Neill 

WeChat - Thomas_F_ONeill 

U.S. Voice mail: (410) 925-9334 

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