“My Religion Is Kindness” — Dalai Lama

Such a simple religion.

On or about June 5th, I saw the most curious tweet with a quote from the Dalai Lama:

The four words, “My religion is kindness”, have reverberated through my mind for weeks now since I saw that quote. I am not really religious myself. I have little faith in organized religion because they all seem to me to be needlessly complex.

The major religions have giant books to explain their respective faiths. I found them to be complicated and confusing. I am interested in simplicity because I am a human that can be easily confused. If I am to adopt any religion, it must be a simple one. Kindness as a religion is about as simple as I think I can get.

When I was a kid, I was introduced to Christianity more than once. I saw the bible. I saw the cross in the church and the statues of Jesus, Joe, and Mary. I heard them talk about God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. I didn’t know why we needed all three of them. I didn’t see the point of morality expressed through folklore, and then being told that the folklore is God’s word.

As a younger adult, I worked the 12 Steps because they were so simple. I did that work not because I knew it would work. I did it to see…