Anik (in a comment on the previous post) has raised an interesting point about whether there is a need for more hope in Saxony or whether people here are already full of hope. Also, she has touched on an issue that we really need to address since it is a huge misunderstanding a lot of people have about what we do here: religion.
First, to the issue of hope. It is true that a lot of people are optimistic about the way things are in Saxony. I would not characterize Saxony itself as hopless. However:
There are countless numbers of people in Saxony who think things are so bad that they wish they could return to the way things were twenty years ago under communism.
Every night, here in Dresden in the Neustadt area, hundreds of teens gather to drink and do drugs and see no point to life other than seeking a constant high.
Many young people in Saxony see things so bleak, with little future and no connection to society, that they have turned to gangs and neo-nazi groups and iseologies of hate.
Even the people who are optimistic and “hopeful” will tell you that they see life as merely a material, chemical process with no greater purpose or meaning. They try not to think about it, but most have a worldview that says when they die they will cease to exist and so our only hope for purpose lies in leaving the world better off than the way we found it. Unfortunately, that same worldview tells them that simply living their lives is destroying the world.
All that being said, we think that the answer is not to be found in Religion. Religion is a part of the problem. Religion in all of its forms is simply man-made rules that try to please a god who is out to punish people. It is about guilt and control and trying to pay a debt that can never be paid.
Instead, hope is found in knowing that life does have meaning. The true God of the universe does not want religious converts. He wants people to be in a relationship with Him as their Father. He loves us, and has already done everything needed to pay for any wrongs we have committed. He wants us to live our lives as the people we were created to be, with a future and a hope.
So, for all of the Aniks out there, our question would be—where do you find hope in life? What gives your life meaning? What do you hope your legacy will be when you are gone?
Thanks for your comment, Anik, and please keep the conversation going!
2 comments:
I find hope in life through love. Love gives my life meaning. I hope to leave this world with a legacy of honest selfless love, and also wish to leave the world a better place for future generations. As for where my soul will go, I guess I'll find out when I arrive at that moment. That's the beauty of the mystery.
One may find hope and consciousness through the role model of Christ or Buddha, through the beauty of nature and knowledge, through meditation or prayer, or simply through the relationships within one's life. Some might call the mysteries of something greater than us God. Some call it source, truth, energy, spirit, creation, non physical power. Some don't believe in a transcendent power at all. And that's ok too. That is our god given right as intelligent minds. At the core of all these metaphors lies the same truth, though. LOVE! Love thy neighbor as thyself.
There is the conflicting dualities which bring up negative ways of thinking and behaving. People everywhere fear the systems in which they live. Youth in every city and every country experiment with drugs and alcohol. Dualism is a constant provable force. Male/female, night/day, negative/positive, north/south, hot/cold, good/evil, but most importantly fear/love. The goal of being human is finding balance and our own sense of inner peace within all the confusion.
I think it's great that your team is dedicated to helping people to find this inner peace and balance. The world could use more selfless acts such as this. And I was happy that you brought up the fact that religion and converting people can be a big problem. Because that is my main issue here. Christianity in all it's spiritual beauty can often take on an absolutist view that I find incredibly dangerous. You must believe in order to be "saved". If you don't, you will find yourself in eternal damnation. There are other religions preaching the same thing. that their view is the only truth. Talk about judgment! I strongly believe that until the world can accept that there are many diverse paths (like there are cultures) towards the same goal, which is "Live with LOVE in your heart", there will be no peace.
Germans have had some pretty intense lessons within the last century which has brought them to living more Atheistically and searching for other routes to spiritual freedom. And they absolutely shouldn't be judged for this.
I do thank you for responding to my first comment and for keeping this conversation going.
Once again, thanks for the comment!
I find it interesting that you are building your view of life on the same basis as I do... Love. This is the essence of Jesus Christ's teaching: Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Every religion on earth builds its teaching and practice on people being judged and having to behave in a certain way to appease that judgment. They are all built on fear.
Jesus taught something radically different. He said that God had created the world and that He desires to have a relationship with us. He is the perfect example of love. In order to defeat all of the evil in the world and the death that it brings, He took all of that evil upon himself and died for the world. He then rose again in victory.
What that means for us today, is that we no longer have to live in fear, guilt or shame. We are free to love the way God does. We can put others first and make the world a better place.
Of course, the same problem that has affected the world for ages still persists: Pride. We demand to be convinced. We are too afraid to accept anything on faith... God or any forgiveness.
But God will not make anyone believe. We are free to chose for ourselves.
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