Man Seeks God by Eric Weiner

This is the guy who wrote The Geography of Bliss, a book from which I read a couple of paragraphs to my good friend R. by a window at his apartment, a long time ago. I was embarrassed to be reading out loud in English, but that's a memory I will always treasure. I still remember it was sunny outside, not sure I was sipping something from a mug. Maybe some kind of tea for we were at the time in a very Japanese state of mind. The sky was blue and shy. We could see some sailboats out in the open ocean, almost where the sky kisses the water and happiness is a constant state from which you don't separate from. Not even when you are awake. The breeze by his desk was refreshing and yet sweet and warm. We were laughing and I was trying not to be too nervous. If I remember correctly, he was smoking a cigar. The sea was a few meters away. Colorful things gliding in the sky. Lucky him to have the ocean as a neighbor. We were reading Eric Weiner by the window and that now seems so idyllic. This morning I found an article by him on The NY Times and I liked it. It's been pointed out to me that his writings are superficial, in particular the Geography of Bliss. But that I wouldn't know since I am not a traveler per se. Maybe that's how some writers become popular to the masses, people's ignorance prevents them from being more critical and they accept whatever comes their way. They are gullible. Generalists are usually guilty of that or susceptible to that since they know a little about a lot of things. His new book is on religion: Man Seeks God. In his NY Times article, he mentions politics and religious confusion. I guess I never associated people who were Republicans with their faith in God, for example. Not sure why I have never done that. It seems so obvious now. Apparently that was my "duh" moment for the day. At any rate, maybe that explains why my political and religious views are so obscure. In fact, I don't like politics and for a long time I have disliked religions. I still do. There were many moments in my life that I have argued with G-d and its idea in itself. A few days ago, I did pray asking for strength because I never felt like asking for anything else for myself. I can do my homework and I will, but for that I need internal energy. Courage. Bravery to face the days as they come. However, I have been more inclined these days to find my own truth and some kind of spiritual peace. I thought maybe Buddhism would offer me shelter. But now that I read this article (and not that I will base my religious choices on this article), but superficially speaking, I see that I could take anything from any of these religions. I don't even think this thought scares me, since I am not affiliated with Catholicism or any other dogma or religious loyalty. It actually makes me feel free and open that I have stepped away from an idea of religious attachment. Affiliations are dangerous things in that they bring you some rigidity that I am not sure I want to hold onto or carry around. I am rigid in some other aspects (my values, for instance), but I don't want to be constrained by a set of rules as far as that goes. I do know that when you don't commit to something you are also being lousy, indifferent, or just reckless - you go with the flow (not sure I am using the right words here). I just don't want to be completely indifferent either and be at a place where I just don't care at all and I let the wind move as if I were not in some control of what is going on. Is there a path for me to follow? Is there a relationship with G-d that I should pursue? It's freeing at the same time knowing that once you die you find some type of unending peace. But why then people seek religion? Immediate gratification in knowing that there's something that will comfort you when things get really bad in between now and death (?!). Obviously - that may be one reason. People like to anchor themselves on something they think is above them. We are structured, hierarchic beings. We report to our families, we report to our bosses, we report to G-d. We follow chains of command. We, ultimately, obey. On the other hand, not rare times in my life I have been faced with the challenge of not belonging or belonging to several things as if I were this puzzle made of several contradictory pieces. Not to mention that I usually get involved with people who have one or two things that appeal to me, not necessarily much more than that. Maybe precisely for believing the impression that I am all over the place and it will be hard to find a person who has a good number of things in common with me. Maybe that's the reason why my relationships tend to be doomed, not enough ground to walk on a longer-term. I should try and look at the big picture. A broader approach would give me better chances of finding a more suitable partner. But I digress. Anyway, in the religion realm, I will just follow the bliss of knowing that it doesn't matter how hard life seems to be sometimes, and not knowing if there is in fact a superior being or beings, the universe or life or reality will always give you clues. Putting these clues together with justice, honesty and a good heart should be enough to live a good life and overcome issues I may face. Of course that doesn't solve all problems, but at the moment that seems like a very good start.