Ways On How To Shut Up An Obnoxious Person

       I'm the kind of person who doesn't really care most of the time. Who easily gets bored especially if I don't like the person I'm talking to. And for most of the time doesn't really care for stuff that doesn't concern me. So I have my ways for silencing people who I don't want to converse with anymore than I like to strangle somebody. Seriously, there are those that just couldn't shut it. Those that love the attention, they just talk others to boredom and apparent annoyance. Sometimes going on and on about the same topic over and over again. Drives you to madness and obscurity. Obnoxious fellows who I dare not name. And dare not be caught in a conversation with. People who think that what they have to say is far more important than anything there is. Persistent, egoistical, blabbering globs commonly followed by indistinct buzzing.
       So here are some effective ways of avoidance and for shutting somebody up to save yourself from relentless bugging and buzzing.

Busy as a Bee

       Pretend you have a lot to do and too preoccupied to even pay attention and listen.
   
       "OMG! Why is it that I have a lot to do?" (gushing to yourself). "I have to focus. I'm getting nowhere near finishing this. I'm so stressed." 

       You say this while you act as if you're doing a lot of stuff all at the same time. You should also look panic stricken and so beside yourself for this to work. The person might even end up helping you. And keep on sighing just to prevent the start of a conversation.

Daydream on...

       You have your attention elsewhere. In deep thought with a distinct look of fantasm. Or in a place so far, far away. Even if you can hear everything coming out of their singular mouth.

       Silence.... Throw in some grunts and soft sighs. And don't forget that faraway look.

       You should display a vacant expression as if lost in your own thoughts of love and fairies and happily ever afters.

Affirmation

       Just nod, say yes or agree to everything and whatever they have to say. Don't offer lengthy comments. Limit them to monosyllabic responses. Lengthy replies would just boost them and fuel their drive to talk more. Short responses would only signify lost of interest and boredom. So eventually they will get tired and pissed then shut up.

      "Ahhhh... Yah.; Yup; Yes; Nice; Really?; Really nice.; Great!; Awesome!; Wow!," so on and so forth.

       You should have an almost fake smile plastered on your face and all too eager nod to accompany each affirmation. And an all too solemnly sad face if it's something tragic he/she's talking about. Key here is to exaggerate. Exaggeration may cause annoyance and that will be the end of a tragic, ear splitting narrative.

Hello Telephone

       Pretend you are talking on the phone and need to go elsewhere for privacy. The reception is bad and you need to find some signal. You are expecting a call at any moment and the signal is bad that you have to leave in search of a better signal bearing place so far off. Again there is a need for sublime exaggeration. Be comical if need be.

       "Hello, hello... I'm losing you. Dyan kapa ba? The reception is crappy. Do you hear me? You still there? Choppy, choppy...." "Walang signal. I'm expecting a call. Wait lang ha, hanap lang ako ng signal."

       It's lame I know but works with a smile towards your bubbling, twitting friend.   

Restroom Break/May I Go Out

       Fake a need to go to the restroom. Works all the time. Just be fancy with the reason for doing so. Hint on a worse case scenario about to happen if you don't go. An impending pee fest, a diarrhea about to unleash its full wrath. Accompanied with constant grunting and cramps, the likes.

Puzzlement

      Suddenly open a topic on which he/she isn't well versed with or have no idea about. That would definitely shut them up. Giving you the power to return the compliment by talking too much. That would make them realize that what they're doing isn't acceptable and humane.
       Or it can be you who's the puzzled one. You can pretend that you know nothing of the topic at hand and just be dumb about it. This would cause sudden irritation on the part of the ever so talkative person. Ending the supposed to be long and tiring tirade.
       In order for this to work, you should look a quite uncertain and a blank 'what the hell are you talking bout' kind of look. Ask obvious questions and repeatedly nag the person of a question that would make them end up to be lost in translation themselves. Crafty.    

Diversion

       Divert their attention onto something else as trivial as they may come. Or to somebody they'll probably or more likely to talk to. Relinquishing their attention and transferring it to that very unlucky person. Giving you leverage to just butt in from time to time instead of constantly quacking and gawking at the person. And the chance to edge out of the conversation and be totally out of it. Better them than you. It can be tiring to be so eager and  to look interested and highly conversant even if you wanted to do otherwise. It's relinquished burden.

Deaf Defying Act

       When they start on something, pretend you haven't heard them the first time. And constantly do it again and again. Thus, giving them the idea that you're not paying attention to what they're saying. Deeming what they have to say unimportant and irrelevant to you. That alone would make them think that you're not worth hearing whatever they have to say however cliche it is.

       "What? Didn't hear you the first time." "What's that again? I wasn't paying attention." "Really? Really? Seriously? Come on?"

       Questions like these would surely frustrate the person leaving you to your own thoughts. Not your fault since you are more deaf than a legit deaf person. It's hard to beat a dramatic, expertly put scene.

Secrets

       As soon as your friend opens their mouth. Beat them to the punch by appearing dreamy and full of secrets. Wet their appetite by hinting on a secret that you don't have the liberty to tell. Be overly dramatic on refusing their request for a juicy tidbit. So just sashay your way into amorphous, flowery interlude and then divulge nothing in the end. Let them wait and suffer. Come up with colorful reasons on why you can't tell a soul about your scoop. This will turn you into the star and that defeats their purpose of purposefully edging themselves into the spot light. This will totally drive them crazy, pissed at you. Ending something that was supposed to have suck the life out of you.    
             
  
       So there you go... a few easy ways to cast a stopper into those hungry, word vomiting friends and foes. Just be classy and convincing with an edge of  sarcasm and they will definitely work wonders.          
     

        

Appear, Disappear

     Mirror, mirror on the wall. Whose the fairest of them all? I bet the evil queen always thought about her appearance more than anything else in her life and of course power, how can I forget. But do they go hand in hand? People now have the obsession over how they would look in other people's eyes. For a lot, it pays to be good looking and if not, at least to be somehow appealing. That's why the most famous hang out of people nowadays are cosmetic and derm clinics, salons, gyms, spas and parks conducive for doing all sorts of exercise from yoga to tai chi to simple jogging and cycling. It's been a storm sweeping our country. Like a plague so infectious you can't help but succumb to it. It's been a trend to decrease our melanin count and be the fairest of them all. All sorts of gluta something had been out on the market selling like pancakes coupled by papaya soaps and some other whitening soaps, lotions and medications. Facilities aiming on reduction and augmentation have sprouted like mushrooms. Before everything became to be all about looks, the only products I could remember which lighten skin were Block and White and Likas papaya soap. Do looks really have any bearing in everything that we do? Is it really that important to please everybody by appearing to be so picture perfect and fashionable? Is it all about the image?
       For some it becomes an investment towards getting what they want. That's power. So trust them to go to any lengths just to make themselves appear classy and so chic. For me, I honestly think that no amount of designer clothes and signature stuff can change that. It's either you were born with it or not. So it's really pointless to try so hard to conceal and layer stuff on oneself just to convince others that we are otherwise our original selves. Some people do try so hard as to buy new clothes just because they're due to attend an event. Where they await to be lambasted with mock flattery and admiration. They use appearances to boast and pretend to be better than the lot. To be talked about and commended on how expensive looking their clothes are. As if that will define the person wearing them. Clothes are just clothes, nothing more. You can't really hide behind them and pretend that you are what you want others to think of yourself.
       Everybody now is so concerned about how they would appear before people. Appearances have become an obsession of ours. I thought only famous people and actors do that. Because it's a part of their gig to look great and hot for us to better appreciate them. Now it has rubbed upon us to always look at ourselves and assess how we could improve and further ourselves in the process. It has become a habit to pay the mirror tons of visits before we set foot outside our comfort zones. Makes me wonder about life. Is life a big production number where we have to look good every time? Where our looks and images are what counts most? Is everything for show and are we living our lives like actors in a real time teleserye? A telenovela orchestrated by none other than ourselves. Where we can pretend and make others believe. Playacting on a daily basis, convincing others as well as ourselves that we are what we show and do. Who are we kidding but ourselves in the end.
       The upside of this is it acts as a confidence booster. Good clothes and great accessories inspire confidence. A better appearance, meaning fairer skin, a nice hairstyle and a good build, can mean a better outlook in life. It's like a superhero cape that once you don it gives you the ability to do just about anything. Making you stand a bit straighter and taller. Putting ourselves in the task of self improvement may mean better prospects in life, may it be on our careers or in love. Since a lot of people bank on the way we look, it may mean being taken more seriously by others. An added respect also goes with it. It also helps in facing people without feeling inadequate in their eyes. When I say these, I'm not only talking about clothes and  the physicalities in general but also the way we live and act  around others. What gadgets we have, what tours we take, and the kind of food we eat. All of these are what makes the modern person we see everyday. All of a sudden we do pay so  much attention to all these mundane stuff. So sorry to tell you guys but none of these really counts. Maybe for simpleminded, shallow people who only care about price tags and blings. But then again, these things shouldn't be the defining character in our lives. How much we have and what we can afford shouldn't be the standard of how to live life. We shouldn't be simply defined by materials things and the likes. Because if we lose them, then who will we be? Surely, we do somehow feel the need to better ourselves and reach our maximum potential. But, a big but, is that we don't exist just to impress and please others. We are our own masters. So the only ones we should be pleasing would have to be first and foremost ourselves.
       The said reality is that everything now rests on the appearances we tend to show others. People who can't afford decent homes have the latest gadgets. Those who can't afford to buy decent meals are always dressed to impress. Those who can't afford to get themselves much needed necessities and in over their heads in debts can afford lavish beach escapades. All for the sake to be able to post everything and be commended by people that they can in fact afford this and that and how cool that they have and been able to go to this and that place. Life must be good. I know that first impressions do count. But they are not always what they seem. Some pretentious jerks go to extreme lengths to impress people and in a way swindle away their trust. Making people see that they have money to burn even if they have none. Thinking that even if 'I don't get to enroll next semester as long as I have a new gadget that I could show off'. Or 'I could increase my debts just so I would be able to afford a fancy vacay with the whole family'. How cool is that? I know that it's none of my business but how superficial can you get? Do you think these fancy stuff can really mask the way you really are? The answer is NO. People talk and not everybody around you get suckered and convinced. One look at you and they could tell an authentic person from a wannabe. Just be content and be not always on the race to impress people. And refrain from being a braggart. There is always a person who is better than ourselves out there. So no need to rub it off people who we view beneath us.
       I know that I would be lying if I say just be yourself totally. I do know that it doesn't work all the time. Maybe in movies, yes, but not in real life. All of us have to seek ways to further ourselves. The way we look for example, can be improved by better clothes or a haircut that would suit us. Just take note that not everything that looks great on other people or whatever it is that is in or fashionable at the moment would also suit you. There are certain styles that would suit you just fine. So do look out for that or ask around for reliable suggestions. Some people do lose it on the fashion department just because they have the notion that what looks good on models would also look good on them. Thus, ending up as fashion road kills.
       People do try to fit in so forcibly they go overboard. That in their desperation to fit in they lose themselves in the process. There is nothing wrong with updating our looks or being healthy for a change but don't overdo it. Real people will like you for what you are as a person and not what you can change into just to be with them. If they can't appreciate you for what you are then they aren't worth your time. Even how we present ourselves in front of people and the way we act, we change just to get the approval of others. And to make people think that we indeed are cool and saucy. Mind you, however we mask it, it will eventually surface and reveal the true person beneath the makeshift facade. No matter how we cover ourselves with lavish things and apparent lovely stuff. We can't down the fact that we do become pretentious fools out to get ourselves in the end. To be found out that we are big frauds is the biggest folly there ever will. And end up being the loser that we tried so hard not to be. We have to bear in mind that we can't fool everybody even ourselves.
       Going back to the question of power. Does beauty equate to power? Good looks and a lasting impression can score you a job or a promotion. It can snag you a partner and an alliance. Actors and actresses, models and celebrities,  use their looks to gain fame and with it comes the power to woo and influence people. So indeed looks can get you thus far. See how many actors turned politicians there are. My point exactly. For them it's a way for channeling power. It can get things done. May it be a special favor or a free anything. That is power. In the realms of love, well the majority do look at the physical aspects first before anything else. I have to admit to this since I myself have a specific, preferred look. What the heck. It's the first thing we see. That's why gyms are so in now. No, apparently not because of health aspects but to gain the much preferred abs and physique to attract more prospective mates. Everything for the sake to look good. So what happens to people like me? Who by happenstance is not so conscious when it comes to diet and exercise. We do get left behind with no prospects to even consider. Reality is definitely harsh. So in a way we find it as a competition and end up enrolling in the nearest gym and shopping for the best skin care and whitening cream there is. Should life be like this? All about looks and the appearances we take. a big competition if you think about it. It becomes staggering and a bit hopeless. How life revolves around things as superficial and mundane. How life have been reduced to who is fair and beautiful should thrive and the rest should just conform and follow suit. I do know that this should not affect us in any way but sad to say it does. Now a lot of people are left feeling depressed, insecure, and unsuitable. Feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness are in constant presence. Desperation and defeat for some is a way of life just because it is dictated by our society that beauty is of the utmost importance in getting ahead. All I can say is to let it not rule us. We are here to make our own rules and live life the way we see fit. So what if we fall short on beauty and appearance, that we can surely make up with pleasing personality, intelligence, humor, talent and a good heart. These are far more important things than the 'how to's of looking good and making ourselves favorable for others. Let them appreciate us for who we really are and not who they want us to be in their eyes. To let them see what's deep within us and not the superficial shell that we can easily manufacture. To be judged upon with no care what it is they have to say about us. We are, who we are, so they have to learn and we have to learn to live with it. Someday, somehow people would take a second look at you and see something beautiful beyond your physicality and appearance. The hope that someday somebody would see us in our raw form and be appreciated is not totally gone. Nothing is over till it's over. Somewhere down the road the spiel of realization would hit everyone and get them to reconsider their take on true beauty and their priorities in life. How we see life in its deeper sense and learn to appreciate people not because of superficial aspects but finding meaning and worth in everything that we do is more important than physical attributes and mundane things.
       I do know that image is everything in our society now. You can go a long way with the right image. But the question is, 'Are you really the image you are portraying?' or 'Is it another one of your masks that you put on?'. In the end, even if we go on and on that our image is as important as our breathing, these things disappear. Our good looks and money can't last forever. They could disappear in a heartbeat. Then where will we be? What will be left in the end? What kind of legacy have you spawn? If we are so reliant on the image that we built and the appearance that we keep, then what would we be without it? The said power, respect, and confidence goes down the drain with it. Let us all think about that for a second. And hope that one day, someday in our future, the day would come that everything people consider as ugly in us would become the new beautiful. Fat would be the new sexy, black will be the new rave, and so on. So the choice is ours to explore, we can keep on hoping this day would come. Second one, we can rely on the innate goodness of people and wait to be noticed just as we are. Or we can succumb to the trend and make better versions of ourselves with the help of money and science. Take your pick and see what happens.   
              
       
                   

Glitch

I've been so lost,
No way near right,
Been so far off,
So blinded, so distorted.

Lost all magnitude of direction,
Missed stop lights,
Moved past roads,
Into hills, off cliffs.

Falling down into the abyss,
Crashing into destruction,
No way to turn back,
Broken dreams, shattered hopes.

Each wrong turn, 
Deep into dark tunnels,
Lost all the light within,
Nothingness, darkness.

Amidst all confusion and chaos,
On my dreary way to demise,
Then a tiny sliver of light,
Soft, reassuring.

Baldy

       Going bald isn't something I ever dreamed of... but alas, one day while seating in a barber shop, I had just decided to go bald. It was quite a sudden decision that I myself was flustered for a while. They frequently say that you can always grow it back. In my circumstance, it was a case of a 'no turning back' thing. So as the razor progressed and my hair cut shorter and shorter. I saw myself in the mirror taking on a very drastic change. It's my first time to do it so it's a bit unnerving. Not that I'm on the offense with baldness or maybe I am. It's my future. If you've guessed that I'm at the early stage of baldness then you've guessed right. I've inherited it from my father. The dreaded genes that nobody wants. I would rather fancy genes that are responsible for good skin or even dimples. But lo and behold, I was blessed with that of the baldy one. Growing up I had already been introduced to the idea that someday I myself would get bald and I can't do anything about it. I've seen it from my father and majority of his relatives during a well attended reunion. So through the years I have tried to condition myself for my impending doom. Not that hair is that important to me. But hair does help in the looks department. It can help you look young and fresh. Whereas baldness really depicts that you are on the roads of being ancient. And it doesn't help in any plans of prospecting.
       I've always considered going bald but haven't had the chance to do so until now.  I was a bit hesitant and reluctant at the same time because of the bald spot and the unruly, mess of a hair.  It's a drastic change. And of course, there is the fear that it might not suit me and then there is nothing I can do about it after. It's risky. And the fact that since I'm at the early stages of balding, it won't look great whilst I decide to grow it back. So I thought that once I  decide upon it, there is no turning back for me. I have to be committed to the fact that I'm now and forever more bald. Strange, but that was all brewing at the back of my mind. I was thinking of all the things that might go wrong after this tragic change. Never have I expected that it will garner such mixed reactions from my peers, family and friends.
       My mom hates it. Told me what was I thinking that I went bald. That I look more like a gangster and that it made me look older. Some liked it a lot. Thought it suited me well. That I should consider keeping it that way. My contractor asked me if  I'm going through a rough time and if I did it because of depression. A friend thought I did it to try to fit in and in a way updating my look to jive in with the present trend. It's not at all like that. I blame everything on genetics and heredity. Why, oh why did I inherit such a gene?
       When I decided to go bald I have my valid reasons for doing so just not the courage to live them. It's crazy and maybe a spur of the moment kind of thing. But bottom line is that I've already considered it and that I maybe subconsciously pushing myself to get it done finally. If I haven't so decided abruptly, I would've chickened out and had myself denied of having leaped into the unknown. I could have been left wondering how better off I am as a baldy. Hahahaha....
       We all have reasons for doing whatever it is we do. Mine are as simple and clear as daylight. Eventually in my life I would be bald. Sooner or later I would be dubbed as 'kalbo' by my peers. So in my mind, why not head it off since I'm already halfway there. Maybe being bald now would acclimatize myself into the acceptance that I will and forever more be bald. It would be easier to shift into that way of life if I get used to it as early as now. There would therefore be a smooth and peaceful transition on my part. It has given me the illusion that going bald is indeed a choice rather than a burden dealt me by an upper hand. It's like getting used to the idea of being bald therefore lessening the fear of it finally happening. Now after the experience of going bald have been there. I'm no longer so averse with the idea. Now I can totally accept that it's my fate and I should  learn to live with it. I know it's a bit melodramatic for such a not so trivial thing. But I need this to somehow be able to come to terms with reality and not be bitter and depressed that other people can get to enjoy having a full head of hair and not me. To be able to get different styles done onto it that would define their mood and sense of being. But alas like what I said before looks and appearances can only get you thus far. It's what's inside of you that would really define the kind of person you are. And mind you, I'm not talking bout your innards. Alas! I'm not that great of a person so I need the hair badly. Kudos....   
      
 
  

A Dream

by Alyssa Marie P. Magno*

I had a dream,
Full of sweet singing birds,
A world full of happiness and joy,
A gift from God above.

No mean, bad people,
Just cheerful angels,
Merry families and heroic people,
No troubles whatsoever.

Beggars became ladies and kind sirs,
Honors came to students,
All adults have good jobs and enough money,
No more greedy people, only good ones.

Imagine what will happen if all these is real,
What a better place our world would be,
One tiny help can make good a difference,
Just have a big heart for it to be a dream no more.


 * is an aspiring writer and my most precious niece

LIFE

A single glance
A view from afar
Clouds of dust
Sheds tears and blurs past

A single touch
So near and so light
Thorns on the sides

Damn pricks and draws blood

A lifetime of bliss
A lifetime of agony
As dust quiets and settles
Clarity swiftly glides

Knowing, not knowing
Beyond kindred memories
Past the sour and the sweet
The stream flows dear

Losing My Religion

       I really don't know where to start. The title itself is controversial as the writer of it. Whenever I accept the lamb of God and saying my amens, I always question myself if I'm truly deserving of it or what the little round thing really signify. What's it got to do with me?

       I was born and raised a catholic. Through the years growing up I've been exposed to the ways of catholicism. My family itself, I can't consider as very religious but we are the type who observe Sunday masses, prays the rosary and have religious relics at home. We are not the type who really devote their time tending the church and church matters and being too religious as one wants to believe. But as I was growing up, I began to wonder what it all means and if all that I hear rings true. As what you've observed in my entries, I'm quite an outspoken, critical, radical and opinionated person. So I began looking closely at what my religion really meant to me. As a free thinker, I began to question some of my religious ways. I started questioning my faith in this religion I grew up believing. Everything fast tracked when I entered college and enrolled in Philosophy 1. Having an atheist for an instructor somehow opened my eyes more to the different ideas outside my religious zone. This instructor of mine loved essays. Loves torturing us with very early essays that were mind boggling and too draining especially at 7 in the morning. Not that I hate essays. I live for these stuff. Yes, my class starts at 7 a.m., so it is expected somehow that having just woken up and still half asleep. My brain is still on sleep mode and we always commenced our class with a hefty essay. What's up with that? So coming late for class won't cut it big time. The silly thing in addition to this is that he calls on students to read their work in front of the class. Some added pressure there. Lol! And yours truly was almost always have been called front and center. One time I even had to do an impromptu argument because I have only been able to  write a total of three and a half sentences to be exact. Cool, right? But totally frightening and unnerving. Sir Odchimar is a man fond of arguments. He would always challenge your opinions making you think further and deeper. So to make things more interesting and to be able to bag a prized Uno, I challenged myself to do good and to explore the other side. When given a question especially regarding religion, I often strayed away from the expected answer and chose the other way. Most often going against what I normally think. That helped me look deeper into things trying to dispute everything I thought was real and true. I'm critical and I love to rationalize. I always take both sides into consideration and rationalize my way to a conclusive idea. At one point my teacher, during one of  the many consultations, asked me if  I was indeed verging on becoming an atheist. I said no. Told him that I just want to challenge myself, learn more and understand better. These, and I have to admit the influence of a teacher led me to self discovery and eventually to my real self. I have to admit that the catholic faith does have some major loopholes. And the people behind it more controversial than holy. These people that are supposed to guide us in doing the right thing, not forcing us to conform just to get what they want. Sometimes usurping our freedom to choose for ourselves. RH Bill and the divorce laws, same sex marriage and the likes are just some of the controversial topics that they are pouring themselves into. And I thought they are just supposed to be there to guide us to do the right thing. Let me rephrase that, to do what we think is the right thing for us not because they said so. They are not living our lives to know better than ourselves what is best for us. They are like self professed dictators dressed in holy garb. Using their influence and even using homilies to their gain. Instead of guiding us to make the right choices to suit us. They try to manipulate us into submitting ourselves into their rule. They become too meddlesome that sometimes they go where they aren't wanted. They think they have a rule on everything, even politics. Why don't they just leave that to those people who call themselves public servants.  Sometimes because people rely on them so much for their faith and salvation, they take advantage of that for their gain. Considering not the fact that each one of us as individuals have our own opinions and sides on different matters. We have our own insights and convictions in life. No offense to the church and it's people, it's okay to live a selfless life but one way or the other we have to consider our personal interests as well.
       This is one of the reasons why I lost my trust in the church. Mainly because of the people behind it. I'm not saying all of them but some. The people we fondly call the 'banal na aso, santong kabayo'. Let me expound on that. Is it not the teaching of the catholic faith that we should observe all the religious factions they have introduced to us. Masses, prayer rallies, and the likes. To do rosaries, and observe the holy sacraments of the church. All these are ways to our salvation, or so they say. So does it mean that it makes me a less good catholic and more likely not to be saved if I miss masses even if I'm the nicest person ever? And does that mean a really bad person can redeem himself just by attending mass and foregoing being good? Because to tell you frankly I do see people doing just that, sacred asses and divine evils. With all that has been said, it's a given that I still thank the catholic faith for instilling in me some of the core values I have now. I still treat catholicism as the basic foundation of my faith. But upon my self realization I actually became aware that religion is just religion. Faith is somehow deeper and the driving force behind any religion. So, in a way for me, you don't really have to belong to any religion as long as you believe in what you think is right then you are good to go. Different religions, sects and faiths, are just labels created to woo in divisions and more differences. Giving people further reasons to create tensions and more problems. So whatever it is you belong to, may it be pagan, muslim, catholic, wiccan, or christian, we do have one goal in life. That is to be good and give respect to others and to a higher cause. I once said that different religions are one and the same only spoken in different languages. This for me is very true. They all stand for what is good and right, well maybe not all their teachings. That would be greatly reliant on us what to believe and what not to. This is the ultimate reason why I started writing this essay in the first place. All these different faiths have something good to teach us, it may only vary in the way they teach it or its representations in life. But they speak the same virtuous thoughts. Like, take for example, karma which is quite popular in the hindu teachings. It is simulated in catholicism as the famous teaching which goes, 'do unto others, what you want others to do unto you'. And in a more simple passage, 'you reap what you sow'. Through the witches' view, it is getting back three or ten folds whatever it is you send out, something like that. All these from different religions but meaning the same thing. They may differ in the way they were put to words but their context and thought are the same. Different religions may differ from one another but their goal is only one thing, to guide us to the right path of goodness. They may have ways which can be unfamiliar and sometimes unconventional thus being unacceptable for the others of a different religion. Even contradictory to some. You can't hide the fact that they have more similarities than differences if we look at them closely. Like individuals, no two can be too alike. We have our own stands on things animate or inanimate. Different beliefs and experiences that make us who we are which is unique from the others. These factors can greatly affect our own opinions of religion and of life itself. The fact that we were dealt with intelligence and the power of reasoning gives us the advantage to make choices that would best suit us. And the conviction to actually question things that we deem incorrect. I do have now the freedom to be selective and critical about things that are thrust upon me. Freedom to choose what to believe and what to deduce as false. Given that I do applaud people who think the same but that doesn't give us the right to be critical of other people. We may not see eye to eye on certain matters but that doesn't mean we have to disprove of them. If they wish to believe it, then let them. Not unless they force it on you that you can be defensive about it. As long as there is harmony between people  whatever religion they belong to, there is no need to argue and compare. Their faith lies there, the same as yours laying somewhere else, let them cherish it. I myself have friends belonging to different sects and I'm open to listening and learning from them. Listening from people who have different views can be fun and highly educational. You get to see and understand where they are coming from. You get to know that their religion is no different than yours. Well maybe for some aspects, yes. The thing is you learn and for me, the true religion is the culmination of all the religions there is. We all do worship a God in a way. He or She may have different names, may come in different forms, or may be represented by the sun or nature itself. But doesn't it occur to you that maybe, just maybe He,She, It is one and the same only in different forms depending on the perception of people and their beliefs? Let's ask ourselves that.
       Faith is the driving force of a religion. If people don't believe in it then there is no established religion there. Faith serves a higher cause. It's the belief in something that can guide, help or enlighten you. It's a source of strength and comfort. We hold on to religion because we need something to base our faiths on. I have to admit that catholicism is my base religion and it did teach me a lot of good things. The thing is I don't want to be limited to only that. I'm willing to learn and be enlightened. Nowadays, I still hear mass, I still pray and I still see God as my guiding light. Mary, Jesus, together with all the saints, I see as mere representations of the miracles and goodness of God. It's some of the teachings  that I'm after and the total belief that miracles and good things do happen around us. Things we can't explain. Things that are beyond us. I still thank them  for everything, blessing and trials alike.Faith is about all of these and not the fancy church or the priests and nuns about. So now, when I hear mass, I look past those things and just savor the meaning of the words I'm hearing. All in all, I just pray, say my thanks, listen and learn. For my faith lies on something higher than the people who only speak rubbish just to make a delusional point. Heck, I could do a better job than them.
       Religion is just a sentiment that we have to base our faiths on. But just having one doesn't really justify it.  People now have become too complacent when it came to religion. It's like a go with the flow thing. Some just hear mass during special holidays like Christmas and some other special occasions such as birthdays and the likes. Many of them don't even know what it means to partake in each of these masses and others just plain don't care at all. They just do it because others do. And it ain't right also to mislead our kids into hearing masses just because they can get their wishes to come true. Why not just tell them the significance of attending masses. Doing the former would just give them the wrong impression and reasons for believing in religion. It bugs me when I see people religiously attending masses but then do the wrong things once outside the church. What's the point of all the deed? Is it all just for show? I always tell those close to me that it doesn't really matter how many times you pray or hear mass or confess or subject ourselves to the lamb of God, as long as we do the right things and not commit sins and trespasses against others. It's not a question of how religious we are but how well we behave ourselves and how deep our faith is. Religion is treated like a label now. It only narrows things down. Being in one doesn't make you better or anything less than those belonging in another. No religion should deem itself as superior or more correct than others.We all have our own opinions and takes on different stuff. We believe in different things and want to follow a certain path in accordance to what we think is right. We all have that freedom, fair and square. So instead of disputing others for thinking differently we can try to listen and understand where they are coming from. Every action that we do is subject to reason. No religion should  be in the way for others to live, believe and have faith in something they find more enriching and fulfilling. Respect begets respect. It is what all these religions in a sense teach us. There is no contest there.
       Even in  our own chosen religion we tend to find some inconsistencies that drove me to write this. But as I now profess, who said that we should believe everything they say and follow everything to a tee. It's just being selective and choosy. There is a way to believe in what it stands for and not the other things or what I fondly refer to as sugar coatings. I'm right in saying that I'm critical about some religious beliefs or ways. Now, I have given myself an option to be coaxed and coerced into believing it or just be adamant about it.  No need to argue or dispute anybody. If you don't want to believe it then don't. Leave them be. We are all free to believe or have faith in the things that we want to. 'Walang basagan ng trip', Ika nga. If they think they're on the right path in following it, then there's nothing wrong with that. If it fits, it works. People like me tend to be more open minded that we look for answers or we look for things that we don't find in our current circumstances. Being opinionated doesn't help in just casting a blind eye about things. We tend to look deeper. That made me realize that, well my religion is no different from yours. We may differ in our ways but we are one in thought. Certain idealisms are just the same just wrapped in so many different ways. So I thought to myself, that religion is just a label or some kind of boundary to create division amongst us. Differences that later on create conflicts and chaos. Differences that put ourselves at war with ourselves and other people. We so love labels and religions are no different. It fuels our drive to compare and alleviate one from the other. A just cause for us to judge others and feed our own ego for being better than the rest. So why be confined in one when you can just believe in one thing. So  whatever religion or lack of it should matter as long as we have faith in something. In my case, I'm still in good terms with catholicism. It's just that I gave myself the privilege to a broader perspective of life and not be confined in a religion which doesn't totally suit me in a way. Not confined in one religion but a set of beliefs that works for me. It's like saving myself from the confusion I get from some of the teachings I sometimes find ridiculous and far fetched. This pushes me to look beyond and dig deeper into the main idea, minus the rubbish, which is mainly to do the right thing accordingly. Each of these religions have something to teach us. And with our capacity as free thinkers we can now be judgmental, if I may say choosy, in what to believe in and what not. You may think I'm so out there , maybe I am. The good thing here is I'm at peace with myself. I have a different sort of faith which is not deliberate, rehearsed or dictated. I'm free. I did in a manner of speaking lose my religion but did gain a new faith. Faith in God and faith  in myself to always do the right thing. Then my life goes on....