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“All too often world history is told as if religion did not matter. The Spanish conquered New Spain for gold, and the British came to New England to catch fish. The French Revolution had nothing to do with Catholicism, and the U.S. civil rights movement was a purely humanitarian endeavor. But even if religion makes no sense to you, you need to make sense of religion to make sense of the world.”
― God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter
― God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter
“Atman or Soul is visible in the ‘Samadhi’ stage. The Soul is percolated. It means ‘Kundalini’ or Life power is percolated. After percolation from the whole body, it is accumulated in the cerebrum or the seventh plane of the body and is seen. If any cell of the brain is defective, the man will not thrive at this stage. The life power will melt. And if it is flawless, the life power will descend from the cerebrum, and just at this stage, Atman is seen.”
―
―
“Of all the terms used in the world's religions, none is as controversial as jihad. Jihad literally means "struggle," and Muslims have traditionally understood it to point to two kinds of struggles: the spiritual struggle against pride and self-sufficiency; and the physical struggle against the "house of war," namely, the enemies of Islam. The second of these struggles calls for a variety of tactics, including preaching, teaching, and working for social justice. It may also include war.
Some apologists for Islam have tried to minimize the importance of jihad, and to insulate Islam from its extremists, by arguing that, of these two struggles, the spiritual struggle is higher. A Muslim merchant I met in Jerusalem took this argument further, contending that jihad has nothing whatsoever to do with war because jihad is nothing more than the personal struggle to be good. "Treating me with respect is jihad," he said. "Not ripping me off is jihad." The Quran, he added, never even mentions war.
But the Quran does mention war, and it does so repeatedly. One Quranic passage commands Muslims to "fight," "slay," and "expel" in the course of just two sentences (2:190–191), while another says that fighting is "prescribed . . . though it be hateful to you" (2:216). Whether it is better for a religion to largely ignore war (as the Christian New Testament does) or to carefully regulate war (as does the Quran) is an open question, but there is no debating the importance of the themes of fighting and killing in both the Quran and Islamic law. So while it is incorrect to translate jihad as "holy war," the plain sense of this struggle in both the Quran and contemporary Islamic practice is both spiritual and military.”
― God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter
Some apologists for Islam have tried to minimize the importance of jihad, and to insulate Islam from its extremists, by arguing that, of these two struggles, the spiritual struggle is higher. A Muslim merchant I met in Jerusalem took this argument further, contending that jihad has nothing whatsoever to do with war because jihad is nothing more than the personal struggle to be good. "Treating me with respect is jihad," he said. "Not ripping me off is jihad." The Quran, he added, never even mentions war.
But the Quran does mention war, and it does so repeatedly. One Quranic passage commands Muslims to "fight," "slay," and "expel" in the course of just two sentences (2:190–191), while another says that fighting is "prescribed . . . though it be hateful to you" (2:216). Whether it is better for a religion to largely ignore war (as the Christian New Testament does) or to carefully regulate war (as does the Quran) is an open question, but there is no debating the importance of the themes of fighting and killing in both the Quran and Islamic law. So while it is incorrect to translate jihad as "holy war," the plain sense of this struggle in both the Quran and contemporary Islamic practice is both spiritual and military.”
― God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter
“he said,
what do you want?
i said… you.
he said,
no. i want to know what you want… for you.
i want…
to search. and stretch. and grow. and glow.
and drip myself in wild creativity,
and burn and breathe at once
in this skin. in these lungs.
wings untethered, under the moon, into the sky,
and to dream big and bigger and biggest,
and to feel free in here… inside my anxious chest.
to just. feel. free.
and to have the universe say… yes, you are worthy of all this.
and yes… you.
…the way you give me butterflies and adrenaline highs,
and who you are, and how you are, and how you think and
speak and feel and exist and move,
and there’s this feeling when you look at me… i think
this is maybe love… how you actually give a damn
about all this mess inside my head.”
― she's flowers and fire
what do you want?
i said… you.
he said,
no. i want to know what you want… for you.
i want…
to search. and stretch. and grow. and glow.
and drip myself in wild creativity,
and burn and breathe at once
in this skin. in these lungs.
wings untethered, under the moon, into the sky,
and to dream big and bigger and biggest,
and to feel free in here… inside my anxious chest.
to just. feel. free.
and to have the universe say… yes, you are worthy of all this.
and yes… you.
…the way you give me butterflies and adrenaline highs,
and who you are, and how you are, and how you think and
speak and feel and exist and move,
and there’s this feeling when you look at me… i think
this is maybe love… how you actually give a damn
about all this mess inside my head.”
― she's flowers and fire
“The markings on your surface
Your speckled face
Flawed crystals hang from your ears
I couldn't gauge your fears
I can't relate to my peers
I'd rather live outside
I'd rather chip my pride than lose my mind out here
Maybe I'm a fool
Maybe I should move and settle
Two kids and a swimming pool
I'm not brave
(Brave)
I'm not brave
I'm living over city
And taking in the homeless sometimes, I've
Been living in an idea
An idea from another man's mind
Maybe I'm a fool
To settle for a place with some nice views (nice views)
Maybe I should move, settle down
Two kids and a swimming pool
I'm not brave
I'd rather live outside
I'd rather live outside
I'd rather go to jail
I've tried hell (it's a loop)
What would you recommend I do?
(The other side of the loop is a loop)
This, this fe-, this feel, this feel, this feels
This feels how molly must feel
This feels how molly must feel
How molly must feel
This feels how molly must feel
How molly must feel
This is not my life
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
This is not my life
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
It's not what I'm like
It's just a fond farewell (brave)
Speaking of nirvana, it was there
Rare as the feathers on my dash from a phoenix
There with my crooked teeth and companion sleeping, yeah
Dreaming a thought that could dream about a thought
That could think of the dreamer that thought
That could think of dreaming and getting a glimmer of God
I be dreaming a dream in a thought
That could dream about a thought
That could think of dreaming a dream
Where I cannot, where I cannot
Less morose and more present
Dwell on my gifts for a second
A moment one solar flare would consume, so why not
Spin this flammable paper on the film that's my life
High flights, inhale the vapor, exhale once and think twice
Eat some shrooms, maybe have a good cry, about you
See some colors, light hang glide off the moon
I'd do anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you, anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you, anything for you”
―
Your speckled face
Flawed crystals hang from your ears
I couldn't gauge your fears
I can't relate to my peers
I'd rather live outside
I'd rather chip my pride than lose my mind out here
Maybe I'm a fool
Maybe I should move and settle
Two kids and a swimming pool
I'm not brave
(Brave)
I'm not brave
I'm living over city
And taking in the homeless sometimes, I've
Been living in an idea
An idea from another man's mind
Maybe I'm a fool
To settle for a place with some nice views (nice views)
Maybe I should move, settle down
Two kids and a swimming pool
I'm not brave
I'd rather live outside
I'd rather live outside
I'd rather go to jail
I've tried hell (it's a loop)
What would you recommend I do?
(The other side of the loop is a loop)
This, this fe-, this feel, this feel, this feels
This feels how molly must feel
This feels how molly must feel
How molly must feel
This feels how molly must feel
How molly must feel
This is not my life
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
This is not my life
It's just a fond farewell to a friend
It's not what I'm like
It's just a fond farewell (brave)
Speaking of nirvana, it was there
Rare as the feathers on my dash from a phoenix
There with my crooked teeth and companion sleeping, yeah
Dreaming a thought that could dream about a thought
That could think of the dreamer that thought
That could think of dreaming and getting a glimmer of God
I be dreaming a dream in a thought
That could dream about a thought
That could think of dreaming a dream
Where I cannot, where I cannot
Less morose and more present
Dwell on my gifts for a second
A moment one solar flare would consume, so why not
Spin this flammable paper on the film that's my life
High flights, inhale the vapor, exhale once and think twice
Eat some shrooms, maybe have a good cry, about you
See some colors, light hang glide off the moon
I'd do anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you, anything for you
(In the dark)
I'd do anything for you, anything for you”
―
Serena’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Serena’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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