| While thinking over this past week, after | | | | startling amount of similarities in all belief systems |
| Christmas and before New Years, I was watching | | | | that can be classified as spiritual. I may have |
| the news on all the New Years traditions that the | | | | missed some, but if I do, please point them out in |
| Southern United States still adheres to. Things like | | | | the comment section below.StoriesI was reading |
| eating greens for financial security in the coming | | | | about different beliefs this morning on |
| year, not taking your trash out on New Years for | | | | beliefnet.com, and I realized that all belief systems |
| luck, and black-eyed peas for something my great | | | | have a love for stories. Most of the Bible is |
| gramma used to tell me, but I find myself | | | | written in a story format, and to see it translated |
| forgetting. The South is full of superstitions, as | | | | into a contemporary version makes you realize |
| most places are, but I woke up this morning | | | | how true that is (Try The Word on the Street or |
| thinking about those. I was wondering where they | | | | The Message Bible). This morning, I read a story |
| came from - like the fear that if you sweep your | | | | from the Dalai Lama about wisdom. In the parts |
| house after dark, you'll sweep your good luck | | | | of the Qu'ran I have read, it was a storyline. The |
| away because you can't tell the difference | | | | Native American tribes not only told their stories, |
| without the light - and I realized that some things | | | | but acted them out with elaborate costumes and |
| are universal, no matter the religion a person holds | | | | music. Humanity has an awesome connection to |
| themselves closest to.When talking about | | | | the story, and even as the smallest child, we beg |
| spirituality, I try and focus on the common | | | | to hear more. We soak up the events that are |
| grounds that all people who consider themselves | | | | relayed with not only a plot, but learning character |
| spiritual share, not unlike superstitions that cross | | | | and morality by the experiences of others.We, as |
| regions, families, and belief systems. I researched | | | | a human race, are fixated on stories. We spend |
| it online; I found that there are two sects of | | | | millions and billions of dollars on cable TV, books of |
| people - those who believe spirituality is a part of | | | | all sorts (novels, biographies, poetry collections...) |
| organized religion and those who believe spirituality | | | | and then movies. |
| is the opposite of organized religion. I also found a | | | | |