that word "blessed"

probably one of the most abused and bastardized terms in the english language. i hate it. i hate what it has become associated with. and i hate that it doesnt mean anything anymore.

for example: ive lived a blessed life [says the rich guy]. he has a lot of money. life has been enjoyable. therefore it must have been ordained cuz why would it be otherwise.

ivel ived a blessed life [says the poor guy]. he hasnt got a lot of money. life has been tough. but he's found other things to enjoy so it must have been ordained to be that way. why would it be otherwise.

god has blessed me [with x, y, or z]. this person has had something work out favorably that they could not have influenced themselves. hey it happens. things cant go wrong all the time. its statistically impossible.

god has blessed me [with x, y, or z]. this person has come into possession of something they didnt have to work for directly. hey, it happens.

god has blessed me [with x, y, or z]. this person has taken things that someone else has worked for. and god wants it that way. so, why not.

its become a catch all justifaction and explaination all wrapped into one and its dropped faster than a blood soaked towel. thats also on fire. and crawling with maggots. at the same time.

cant explain it? blessing. feel bad about stealing? its not stealing its receiving a blessing. had some hard life lessons? blessed experiences, you mean. havent had to seriously work a day of your life? blessed. swindle somebody? blessing. somebody lend you something? blessing. recover from an illness against long odds? blessing. woke up this morning? must be a blessing. stayed with your mate through tough times? blessing. home team won a game? blessing. got that job you applied for? blessing. lost that job you really liked? what the hell, its a blessing in disguise. had a good meal? must have been a blessing. pastor bought a mercedes with the works? blessing. plane crash? blessing. lost pet came back? blessing. got that console for christmas? blessing. car started after breaking down? blessing. where does it end? it doesnt. gods got his hand in everything, right? and the bad things arent really bad, theyre just making room for the good things god'll do.

the second thing i hate is that religion is AN INDUSTRY that feeds the astronomical demand for inner stability and peace of mind. period. all that mouth flapping about give unto the church and god will totally hit you back sometime... eventually... when the time is right... is bogus. if i had an infinite timeline to accomplish everything i said i might do i would have a pretty much spotless track record too. didnt happen when you needed it to happen? hey dont worry. just keep praying. the time wasnt right in the first place. your blessing is right around the bend. its in the works. sware. but in the meantime, make sure you tithe.

not saying the underlying principles and value of belief in SOMETHING is worthless. just saying call it what it is and drop the rhetoric and curtains behind curtains behind curtains behind secrets behind thousand year old rituals behind stories written about time before history all based on that magical pixie dust word "faith". people do the dumbest things for religion, but if they could just boil it down to the things that are of value, the things that help them get along better with EVERYONE else while easing inner suffering... if they could just separate out the garbage and divorce what is useful from its individuality smothering - guilt inducing - pyramid scheming -fear mongering - arbitrary rule making - tradition touting - unquestioning blindness to reality - faith spouting - super structure the world would be a better place. maybe. it would at least be a more honest place.