On not knowing

There ain't no answer, There ain't going to be any answer There never has been an answer That's the answer. ~Gertrude Stein

My mom, whom I love, is a devout Catholic, and to my chagrin, over the past decade has transformed into the breed of Christian so full of the Jesus love that she takes every opportunity to tell my friends about the unshakability of her faith. In spending lots of time with her over the past month, we mostly avoided the topics of religion and spirituality, until one evening of evangelism. I listened quietly, tried to evoke patience, not to react rebelliously, lent her my copy of Siddhartha when she began inquiring as she always does about the Buddha.Finally, after her fifteen-minute soliloquy, I told her what she didn't want to hear: my current belief system, or lack thereof. Sometime over the past couple of years, I've slipped into agnosticism like ratty old cozy gray sweatpants. After having been through phases of doubtful believer, doubtless believer, clueless Buddhist, wannabe atheist for approximately twenty years (1989-2009), this is a welcome change. I trust that I don't know. I love that I don't know. I know that I don't know. Nobody knows. We people want to think we understand things, we know what's going to happen later tonight, later this year, and after this life.When I told my mother that I don't believe or disbelieve in God, that I don't think it's an important issue because it can never be proven or disproven, and that I'd rather focus on being present and compassionate to myself and others, she said, and I quote, "Give me a break; that is such a cop-out!"Well, living in questions is not a cop-out, in my opinion. Blind faith is. To each their own? I guess... Not Knowing by Stephen LevineI may not know my original face but I know how to smile. I may not know the recipe for the diameter of a circle but I know how to cut a slice for a friend. I may not be Mary or the Buddha but I can be kind. I may not be a diamond cutter but I still long for rays of light that reach the heart. I may not be standing on the hills of skulls but I know love when I see it.