// beliefs

is it more rational to
believe in a monkey god or
the invisible hand of the market?

all of us
follow something
worship something
believe in something
even if we don’t believe we do

friends, shiva, destiny, crystals, genesis
our local sports team, the tao, veganism
jesus, dogs, equality, cacao, singularity
our liberal party, hanuman, our country
science

progress, ourselves, emptiness, data
family, pachamama, the deep state, trees
the dalai lama, adam smith, the universe
moses, ayahuasca, karma, a flat earth
money

the market, free will, lizard people, chaos
our ancestors, luck, bees, the big bang
order, manifesting, the algorithm, our mom
gut feeling, startups, the guru, vaccines
the love of our life, original sin, the one
nature

marx, our heart, einstein, dolphins
our conservative party, our therapist
human intelligence, rumi, the elders
buddha, working hard, the stars, love
god

the creator, overnight success, our kids
our national sports team, the shaman
our life coach, cats, conspiracy theories
muhammad, democracy, coffee
it’s all a simulation
nothing

ultimately
we believe
the stories
we tell
ourselves

stories that were so often shaped
by our stuff
our ego, inner child, fears, cravings
attachments, neuroses, or traumas
by other people’s stuff

stories that sound so different
yet at their core seem so much the same

in our own world
we all try to do our best
do our right thing
for what we believe is true
often something bigger than ourselves

we stand up and sometimes fight for
the things we believe we love
even if our actions may be very harmful
for ourselves, others, or the planet

we filter the world around us
for what proves our stories
we lose sight of the bigger picture
closing off our hearts to others
and their stories
us versus them

what if we slow down
a little more to
just listen?

just listen to their stories
without judging them
without trying to convince them
of our own stories

holding the ambiguity of life
accepting each other
in disagreement
with compassion for how
our stories got shaped
we may see how
we are all connected

they are us
we are them

what do you follow?
what do you worship?
what do you believe in?

what if you held those stories
a little more lightly?
what would you be
without them?