The piece below has been making the rounds on Facebook for several years. Supposedly it’s attributed to the Dutch Philosopher, Baruch Spinoza but there’s some doubt as to its authenticity.
Nevertheless, these words reflect my spiritual identity so I decided to copy an edited version here.
Happy Sunday!
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God would say:
Stop praying.
What I want you to do is go out into the world and enjoy your life. I want you to sing, have fun and enjoy everything I've made for you.
My house is in the mountains, in the woods, rivers, lakes, beaches. That's where I live and there I express my love for you.
Stop reading alleged sacred scriptures that have nothing to do with me. You can read me in a sunrise, in a landscape, in the look of your friends, in your son's eyes….
Stop being so scared of me. I do not judge you or criticize you, nor get angry, or bothered. I am pure love.
Respect your peers and don't do what you don't want for yourself. All I ask is that you pay attention in your life, that alertness is your guide.
I can't tell you if there's anything after this life but I can give you a tip. Live as if there is not. As if this is your only chance to enjoy, to love, to exist.
So, if there's nothing after, then you will have enjoyed the opportunity I gave you. And if there is, rest assured that I won't ask if you behaved right or wrong, I'll ask. Did you like it? Did you have fun? What did you enjoy the most? What did you learn?
Stop believing in me; believing is assuming, guessing, imagining. I don't want you to believe in me, I want you to believe in you. I want you to feel me in you when you kiss your beloved, when you tuck in your little girl, when you caress your dog, when you bathe in the sea.
Stop praising me, what kind of egomaniac God do you think I am?
Feeling grateful? Prove it by taking care of yourself, your health, your relationships, and the world.
Express your joy!
The only thing for sure is that you are here, that you are alive, that this world is full of wonders.
(I took this photograph looking east early one morning in 2007 on our South Dakota farm)
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