Category: Words To Live By

Is texting destroying our ability to truly connect with each other? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, as it seems like it’s becoming the number one way for people to communicate and that categorically frustrates me. Why? Because it feels as if the world is ultimately moving away from having any real interpersonal connections with each other.

It is said that this next generation of kids growing up right now are primarily going to use texting as their main mode of communication, which pains me, especially because I’m hearing more and more stories about parents these days who have to resort to texting their children just to talk to them, even when they are in the same room together!

I find this so sad, because using texting for this reason isn’t personal at all. In fact, it is extremely impersonal and hard to even know how a person is actually feeling through the words of their text.

I’ve often received text messages where I’ve struggled to know whether the context was out of anger, joy, despair, etc. But maybe that’s precisely why people are resorting to texting so much, as they don’t want others to know how they’re truly feeling with anything.

And could this be why the rate of depression is skyrocketing in our world? Could the more we text, instead of verbally communicate, lead to greater feelings of loneliness within? Weren’t we all brought here to form closer bonds? How can that even happen through texting? I honestly don’t think it can and I must say this trend is probably only going to grow even more prevalent the more our technology advances.

Nevertheless, my number one pet peeve right now with texting is when someone sends me a text to ask how I’m doing, because if I pick up the phone to answer their question, I tend to only get their voicemail, which always makes me feel so unimportant and that I don’t matter, hence the source of some of my own depression.

When I’ve occasionally asked people why they don’t answer their phones and text instead, the answer is always the same, they’re too busy. But if that’s true, what the heck did we all do several decades ago when cell phones didn’t exist? Are we that much busier these days? I sincerely doubt it and believe this is probably becoming one of those excuses many make for themselves to avoid having any long, drawn-out conversations that may take up too much of their time for other things that are more important to them. So not only is texting advancing more impersonal connections, it’s also increasing our selfishness.

I must admit though, I need to also look in the mirror, because I have fallen into this downward trend of communication at times myself. My partner has called me out on it when we’re spending time together and so has several of my friends.

So, for as much as this is a trait I’m seeing in the world I don’t like, it’s really just a reflection of something I don’t like in myself that I’ve fallen into a little bit too much as of late. Thus, I have some work cut out for me, because I don’t want to become that person who relies on texting rather than verbally communicating. And I don’t want to keep making excuses by using texting as another form of escape.

I also don’t want to become one of those people who constantly text others while out at a restaurant, or at the movies, or at any other type of public venue for that matter. Instead, I want to be more mindful of those I’m with, and even those I’m around I may not know yet, because I never know when God may want to bring someone into my life, who may not approach me because I’m far too immersed in texting someone else.

Regardless, I do believe texting is destroying our ability to truly connect with each other and I’ve definitely been guilty of furthering this negative trend at times. That’s why I’m making a personal pledge here to work on this and asking each of you to call me out on this if you ever see me doing it.

And in return, I only ask that if you want to reach out and connect with me in the future, please do call me, as that will mean more to my heart and soul than receiving a bunch of bits and bytes from you in the form of digital letters and emoji’s…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

There is one topic I definitely don’t like to debate with anyone anymore in life, although I used to do it quite regularly, and that’s anything to do with religion and spirituality.

I’m a firm believer these days that each of us has our own walk with God and if God exists in an infinite of ways, then why can’t a person’s walk with God manifest in an infinite amount of ways as well?

I say all this because often in my writings, I receive comments from so many who try to refute, debate, argue, prove wrong, and outright deny that which I either propose or currently believe in when it comes to my religious and spiritual views.

And truly, that makes me sad, because I don’t believe that any of us have the exact formula to God.

As I’ve mentioned plenty of times before, my spiritual walk consists of both Christian and Buddhist teachings, along with some understandings that exist in plenty of other religions as well. I’m blessed that I can see a little bit of God in every one of them, but for now, I do seem to be identifying the most with the walk Christ took.

Nevertheless, to debate one’s religious beliefs to another is something I ultimately believe comes from a fear. A fear of the possibility that maybe there is more to God than just what one is raised to believe.

Trust me when I say that I was raised in a way that the only path to God was through Christ and that if one didn’t turn their will and life over to Christ that they would go to some place called “Hell”.

So, for a long time, I debate and argued with people I became friends with, who were good people that walked in other paths to God. I tried to rationalize with each of them all those Christian points I was raised with, and would throw one bible passage after another at them, trying to show them that the Christian life was the only way to salvation.

Yet, when I fully came to terms with my sexuality, the very religion and God that I followed and was raised with completely backfired on me and those who once supported me, now turned vehemently against me. I became a sinner who needed saving in their eyes and suddenly the Christian walk I solely believed in didn’t seem so wonderful anymore.

I stopped debating and arguing religion at that point and began to explore the possibility of God existing in other ways. And the more I delved deeper, the more my eyes started to open to God manifesting Himself in ways I never saw before. It’s then I realized my conception of God had been so blinded by my own fear, the fear that my Christian walk with God might not be the only truth out there.

Truly, I see God now in a multitude of ways, in people who proclaim themselves as Wiccan, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and even atheist and agnostic. I see God showing Himself in ways that isn’t just limited to the walk with Christ.

But, in the same breath, I must say that I am identify mostly right now in my life with Christ due to the suffering I’ve endured the past bunch of years. And because of that, I have returned to my faith in Christ, except this time I’ve brought other parts of my spiritual journey along with me and that’s what makes my journey to God so unique, like God Himself.

In doing so, I no longer feel the desire to get into those lengthy debates about whether reincarnation exists, about whether it’s a one and done type of deal here, about whether prayers are even answered, about whether God is for or against homosexuals, or even about the notion of if God exists, why do bad things happen then?

Each of those discussions only ever bring about more stress and confusion and move away from what I find is the most important thing in life now and that’s to love each other no matter where their walk is with God.

So, whether you choose to believe in God or not, or how you worship that God every day, or what principles you stand by under that God is, is something I ultimately feel is meant for you. Your journey with whatever exists Greater than you is just that, your journey and not something I think is meant to be thrown onto someone else and argued until they either give up in anger or conform.

That isn’t the way my soul has been leading me, nor is it ever what I saw in Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, or any of the other beings of Great Light that dedicated their lives to God, Oneness, and unconditional love. And although many factions have split off over the centuries ever since, taking original teachings that were once filled with peace and love, and go one to do many bad things all in the name of God, I believe it all started with attempting to argue and debate religion with someone out of fear, instead of just accepting and unconditionally loving them.

Some might say my words here is heresy and well, that’s what was said to so many who have walked on their own path alone with God and shared their experiences along the way.

I’m just thankful I no longer fall into the illusion anymore that God only manifests in a certain way. And I’m also thankful I embrace everyone’s spiritual views these days instead of engaging in any lengthy debates and arguments anymore. Because the only thing they ever did was lead me away from the very thing I believe God is, that being unconditional love, light, and peace…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Why does it always seem like far too many people judge so harshly those in the public spotlight when they make a mistake? Lately, that happened with Bill Maher when he used the “N” word during his show, and Kathy Griffin, when she posted a picture of the president’s bloody head on a plate on her Twitter account.

While I may agree that both of their actions were not in their best interest and definitely not even remotely close to being spiritual in nature, I don’t agree that they should have received the critical lashing they did, especially after they apologized.

This is where I connect most with Jesus’s words, as multiple times he made it abundantly clear how we’re never supposed to judge anyone. In one case, he told a bunch of people who were about to stone an adulterer to cast the first stone if they were without sin. And in another case, he asked a crowd why they look at the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eye when they haven’t addressed the plank in their own eye.

In either case, it was pretty clear that he was saying to never judge, yet so many of us continue to do so, day in and day out, each time we see someone else making a mistake that we ourselves might be just as guilty of as some point in our life, and maybe even still in the present as well.

I’ll be the first to be honest here by admitting that I was once guilty of regularly using the “N” word back when I was dealing and doing drugs. And I’m also just as guilty of formerly regularly sharing highly charged negative propaganda-based pictures on social media too. Both actions came out of me having a very distant relationship with God during those periods of my life.

These days though, I never use the “N” word nor do I ever place any highly-opinionated negative propaganda on my social media either. Either action just doesn’t factor into my spiritual calling with my Higher Power, yet in light of me saying that, it still doesn’t give me free reign to judge others who may still be doing so themselves.

The fact that both Maher and Griffin apologized for their hasty actions should be enough for people to forgive them and let it go, yet unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be happening. Many seem to be so fervently angry at them, that they want greater retribution, which I find to be truly sad.

Look, if all of our flaws and imperfections were suddenly 100% exposed for the entire planet to see, I don’t think any of us would remain spotless. In fact, I’m sure plenty of us would have a number of things we’d be sorry for that we probably once judged others for having those very same spots.

So maybe we might try to remember this the next time we find ourselves judging and condemning anyone who’s made a mistake, whether they’re in the public spotlight or not? And how about forgiving them instead and focusing on owning our own mistakes? As doing so will greatly improve our spiritual condition and draw us much closer to that which I believe Christ would want for each of us…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson