“Do not try to fix whatever comes into your life. Fix yourself in such a way that whatever comes, you will be fine.”
Sadhguru
Beyond the Quote (133/365)
The following story was submitted by Angel via the Share Your Story page on our website. In it, she discusses how she managed to break away and move forward from limiting beliefs that were imposed on her throughout her life that were a source of much stress and anxiety. Now, as you’ll read about below, she lives a more accepting and grateful life. And it all started from a simple recommendation that came from some of her best friends. Here’s Angel to explain:
“I was born and brought up in an Orthodox Christian family. I was taught to believe that Christianity is the only religion and that all other religions are just made up stories with no meaning in them. Whenever the people around me would speak less about my religion I would get into arguments and debates. After marriage, it became worse as my paternal relatives were sort of like, ‘Highly Advanced Christians.’
When I started working, I got to know about Sadhguru through my friends. I was even hesitant to look at him as he is Hindu and I was damn sure that he would be promoting his religion. To my surprise, none of his teachings were related to religion. I watched all of his videos and read his book Inner Engineering. My way of thinking drastically changed after that.
Now I respect human beings not based on their religion, but based on who they are. I realized how lucky we are to be born in this world as human beings and how I have been restricting myself. I owe him a lot for changing my life in such a beautiful way and I feel like now, more than ever, I am capable of dealing with my issues in better ways.
I want every person, especially those who have thoughts of depression or suicide to go through his videos and to read his books. I am so thankful for my friends who suggested I watch his videos and I would encourage all other readers to do the same. One of my favorite quotes of Sadhguru is, ‘India’s future is in the hands of this generation. Let’s strive to create a Law-abiding Nation that values and respects all life in equal measure.’ Thank You.”
Religion can be a very sensitive topic. I have always found comfort in the conversation of religion from The Dalai Lama. Two quotes in particular have become integral components of my fundamental beliefs.
The first, longer quote talks about the importance of acceptance and welcoming diversity rather than the importance of forcing one particular set of views on another. He said, “The purpose of religion is to benefit people, and I think that if we only had one religion, after a while it would cease to benefit many people. If we had a restaurant, for instance, and it only served one dish – day after day, for every meal – the restaurant wouldn’t have many customers left after a while. People need and appreciate diversity in their food because there are so many different tastes. In the same way, religions are meant to nourish the human spirit. And I think we can learn to celebrate that diversity in religions and develop a deep appreciation of the variety of religions.”
And the second, shorter quote is the one I recite almost instinctually now whenever anybody asks what my religious beliefs are is, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
Religion is meant to nourish the human spirit—not numb it to hate, discrimination, violence, or war. Religion should serve as a place for community and service—not division and destruction. Let’s be more accepting of each other’s beliefs and furthermore, let’s question any beliefs we have that move us away from kindness, compassion, and peace. As Angel suggests, read other thought leaders, diversify your understanding, and always seek to contribute to the greater good.
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