Note: This one might be come across as a little disrespectful: it's not meant to be, so I humbly request that you seriously try to not get offended.

As a child, I grew up in two households.

One of them was my home. It was a world in an of itself: sights, sounds, colors, vibrancy, culture, arts, and life. It was beautiful, but life was more musical with a frequency of chaos (frequently, too).

The other was my parents' business. This was a different world: drab, fluorescent lights, boxes everywhere, lots of sounds of brooms and sights of office supplies. Things didn't "flow" here as they did at home: rather, things were neat or dusty, black or white, ordered or chaotic.

My home was a Hindu household. We have pictures of many different deities, many different bhajans (prayer songs), foods, languages, songs, and overall feel. I also, however, went to Catholic school: it was way more "ordered" and "event based" compared to Hinduism. We also never went to the temple so I never got the experience that some of my friends who grew up with had (the only time we'd go is when we go to India. The temple we go to is literally a former mechanic's garage, so my idea of what a "place of worship" looks like was markedly different from the grandeur of the Church.

Niall Ferguson has this idea that Christianity is the operating system of the West. I tend to agree. I sense more about Christian life resonated here, especially where I grew up in the mostly Italian Bay Ridge. As I've grown older, I've been reflecting more on how I should bridge the two philosophies that have guided me throughout life, and I've come to the simple realization:

They're the same shit. (I'm choosing my words carefully here.)

Both religions are saying the exact same thing. Down to the core. The only difference here is the method by which that base-level idea is orchestrated to the world. Each religion brings positive aspects to life: a path, philosophy, points of reflection, and an honor of life. The ways in which we move throughout our lives are heavily dependent on the value systems that religion has the capacity to bestow upon you. The only thing that's different is the sounds and the images that people who practice these religions are resonating with. The "output that most people have when they go through their lives when interacting with religion. Their "shit", per se.

Anyways.

I think these interfacial differences are the reason why I am the way that I am. I interact with people and ideas differently, I find different things funny from others and different things sad from others, and I have different tastes. This, I think, is what people mean when they say "everybody's different".

So, yeah, this is something I was thinking about today. Let's get after it today and revisit our thoughts tomorrow.

Vivek

Note: This one might be come across as a little disrespectful: it's not meant to be, so I humbly request that you seriously try to not get offended.

As a child, I grew up in two households.

One of them was my home. It was a world in an of itself: sights, sounds, colors, vibrancy, culture, arts, and life. It was beautiful, but life was more musical with a frequency of chaos (frequently, too).

The other was my parents' business. This was a different world: drab, fluorescent lights, boxes everywhere, lots of sounds of brooms and sights of office supplies. Things didn't "flow" here as they did at home: rather, things were neat or dusty, black or white, ordered or chaotic.

My home was a Hindu household. We have pictures of many different deities, many different bhajans (prayer songs), foods, languages, songs, and overall feel. I also, however, went to Catholic school: it was way more "ordered" and "event based" compared to Hinduism. We also never went to the temple so I never got the experience that some of my friends who grew up with had (the only time we'd go is when we go to India. The temple we go to is literally a former mechanic's garage, so my idea of what a "place of worship" looks like was markedly different from the grandeur of the Church.

Niall Ferguson has this idea that Christianity is the operating system of the West. I tend to agree. I sense more about Christian life resonated here, especially where I grew up in the mostly Italian Bay Ridge. As I've grown older, I've been reflecting more on how I should bridge the two philosophies that have guided me throughout life, and I've come to the simple realization:

They're the same shit. (I'm choosing my words carefully here.)

Both religions are saying the exact same thing. Down to the core. The only difference here is the method by which that base-level idea is orchestrated to the world. Each religion brings positive aspects to life: a path, philosophy, points of reflection, and an honor of life. The ways in which we move throughout our lives are heavily dependent on the value systems that religion has the capacity to bestow upon you. The only thing that's different is the sounds and the images that people who practice these religions are resonating with. The "output that most people have when they go through their lives when interacting with religion. Their "shit", per se.

Anyways.

I think these interfacial differences are the reason why I am the way that I am. I interact with people and ideas differently, I find different things funny from others and different things sad from others, and I have different tastes. This, I think, is what people mean when they say "everybody's different".

So, yeah, this is something I was thinking about today. Let's get after it today and revisit our thoughts tomorrow.

Vivek