Oh ye of little faith, join the club.
But ye of faith, don’t give up the holy ghost just yet. Because I’m genuinely interested in your take on this wee heathen’s modus operandi when it comes to matters of belief.
Like many others who don’t have any kind of religious affiliation or formal belief system, for me Easter usually means painting half a hundredweight of budget boiled eggs to launch off the upper reaches of Kelvingrove Park in the joyous company of the wider Word Ups.
There’s also the unadulterated pleasure of watching the Word Up Wean’s freckly wee fizzog light up when he receives whatever chocolate ovoid rip-off of choice we’ve chosen for the annual hot cross bun fest.
But, seeing as we’re in confessional mode, the spiritual and faith elements of Easter largely pass me by.
As a devout secularist, organised religion plays no part in this particular philistine’s belief systems and daily doings. But before you get on your holy high horse, haud on a moment.
Just because I don’t feel the need to attach myself to any one of numerous creeds, or schools of religious thought; just because I don’t care for organised styles of spirituality, or have a fixed faith, doesn’t mean I am devoid of any kind of spirituality.
Because as well as the guaranteed chocolate and hot cross bun bonanza, I also associate Easter with spending time with my wee clan in the wilds and wonder of the Scottish countryside.
Watching on annually as spring works its magic on the landscape and wildlife of this most diverse and awe-inspiring of countries is a source of profound peace and hopefulness to this somewhat restless soul.
Spending time with those who I love above all else, feeling some of the shackles of the daily toil slip off, even for a few days, provides space to recalibrate and reconnect with what really matters.
I find that it does no harm whatsoever to be reminded eggsactly where one fits in the grand scheme of things.
Feeling like a speck of insignificance when faced with the miraculous magnificence of a mountainous skyline, glistening lochs and ten thousand acres of Scottish sky is not only uplifting but strangely spiritual.
These moments in the midst of something way, way bigger than yourself are not only a salutary reminder of one’s own place in the cosmos, but for me, always act as prompt that we, and nature, are all connected one way or another.
I don’t have to like or agree with every other member of the microcosm that is the Word Up world, but I do choose to operate on the basis that we are all born equal.
I do my damnedest to apply the principles of fairness, equality and respect in my daily dealings. And I attach those behaviours to business too.
I am far from saintly tho’, sometimes my high standards do fall below par. But occasional halo slippage hardly makes me a sinner either, simply human.
So no, I don’t operate within belief strictures as laid down in holy books, various, but I do do my best to behave like one of the good guys.
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