Coming of Age

[zombieharlot]

Here I am, eighteen years old and still discovering life. I'm religiously ambivalent and always wondering "why?" And so, I constantly find myself thinking of all the different answers that religion has to offer. "Do I try to reach enlightenment? Do I pray for salvation? Do I just motion through a godless life?" As such a contemplative and introverted person, it's proven impossible for me not to worry about such things. People ask me how old I am and they conclude that my age has a lot to do with it. But does it really? Is there a coming of age ceremony to be had with religion?

What's your experience?

 

[ayani]

Zombs- i can tell you that i went through and am *still* going through periods of searching, questioning, and wondering. it's part of what people do, especially bright and sensitive people. it's a blessing to be able to think, reason, and question. i'm kind of sad that folks would "chalk it up to age". i'd be sorry for folks who "shut off" spiritually or philisophically after 24. i don't think it's so much about age, Zombs, though that can be a part of it. it's about being human, and struggling.

 

[Mike182]

coming of age? does that involve like, growing up and.... maturity...? :cover:

 

[kiwimac]

Haven't managed it yet, so I can't say.

 

[Nanda]

I've got 10 years on you, and no more answers or insights. :no:

 

[zombieharlot]

Zombs- i can tell you that i went through and am *still* going through periods of searching, questioning, and wondering. it's part of what people do, especially bright and sensitive people. it's a blessing to be able to think, reason, and question. i'm kind of sad that folks would "chalk it up to age". i'd be sorry for folks who "shut off" spiritually or philisophically after 24. i don't think it's so much about age, Zombs, though that can be a part of it. it's about being human, and struggling.

Haven't managed it yet, so I can't say.

I've got 10 years on you, and no more answers or insights. :no:

Crap! I'm screwed!

 

[CelticRavenwolf]

I really wish that I could give you an answer that was the Be All and End All, but I'm afraid there's no such answer to be had.

To the question "Why?" my best advice is to go with the answer that comforts your soul - you'll know what resonates with you and what feels "right" when you find it.

It's got nothing to do with age. I was, as you put it, religiously ambivalent (I quite like that, actually!) for 4 or 5 years until I found the answers that gave me comfort and gave direction to my questions and search for knowledge. It's different for everyone.

 

[PureX]

Here I am, eighteen years old and still discovering life. I'm religiously ambivalent and always wondering "why?" And so, I constantly find myself thinking of all the different answers that religion has to offer. "Do I try to reach enlightenment? Do I pray for salvation? Do I just motion through a godless life?" As such a contemplative and introverted person, it's proven impossible for me not to worry about such things. People ask me how old I am and they conclude that my age has a lot to do with it. But does it really? Is there a coming of age ceremony to be had with religion?

What's your experience?

Self-centered angst is a part of being a teenager. So is that swirl of questions in your head. Try and relax, though. The truth is that you can't gain "enlightenment" by seeking it. So you may as well just relax, and let it come to you, if it will. You also can't gain it by going blind, deaf and dumb. So let your curiosity play, explore new things, try new ways of thinking and doing things, and of course, expect some of them to fail. Meanwhile, keep one eye on practical reality, too. Avoid the extremes. Don't hurry. There is nowhere worth going in life that requires that you rush to get there. Most of all, pay attention to what's going on around you, and enjoy it as fully as you can. Accept the suffering, too, and learn kindness toward yourself and others from it.

These are things I would tell young people, if they'd ever ask. But they almost never do.

 

[michel]

-*

Crap! I'm screwed!

No you're not. We're all in the same boat; I am 58 and although I am confident in that I believe I am right in what I believe (and I will never actually be proved "right" until my death):cover: , I haven't dotted all the I's and t's - no one can. God (IF you believe in one, or many)can only be understood within the thin framework of our pathetic little human minds.

The best you can do (and that is entirely your decision - is to live a fruitful, good life, trying to do the best you can to be true to yourself); if you happen to chose to follow a religion, the "goalposts" don't really change much - you still will want to live that life as I have described (if, as I am sure you are, you are a person of good morals)+.. but then, you have the comfort and the Joy of a relationship with "The big guy up there".

 

[Nanda]

Crap! I'm screwed!

I don't think the answer is all that important, myself, because it is unknowable. The pursuit, however, is what makes us who we are.

 

[eudaimonia]

Here I am, eighteen years old and still discovering life. I'm religiously ambivalent and always wondering "why?" And so, I constantly find myself thinking of all the different answers that religion has to offer. "Do I try to reach enlightenment? Do I pray for salvation? Do I just motion through a godless life?"

I still wonder about such things, and I'm 40 years old. I think what you will find is that sometime in your twenties you will settle on some worldview, whether religious or secular. This doesn't mean that you will stop wondering about philosophical issues. You will probably still wonder about many things, but you may feel that you have formed your identity sufficiently to have charted your course in life. This sort of change doesn't require any ceremony -- it is a natural part of maturation.

Keep wondering.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Super Universe]

I am much older than you, I've been to 40 of the US states and fourteen foreign countries, and I am still discovering life.


You write the story of your life. Is it a drama? A comedy? Nothing is set in stone unless you make it so. Don't worry so much about finding the perfect path. I only know of one who has ever walked on water, the rest of us sort of ricochet our way through life.

Should you try to reach enlightenment? It's why you exist but don't worry, you will reach it eventually. The only unknown is how long it will take you and it's not a race.

Should you pray for salvation? I only pray to kind of say "I know you're there" but if you feel it helps you then do it.

Should you motion through a godless life? Since you say that you are a contemplative person I doubt it.

What is it that keeps you from believing in God? Do you need more answers? If so, then find those answers. They're only a few clicks away from your fingers.