Worship?

[Diana]

Let's take the memory of cheating boyfriends example, experiencing / recollecting the memory, is it a really a suffering?
Initially perhaps yes, that's why it's better to store the old memories on the cloud and make it temporarily inaccessible .
Yet after some 'additional experiences' (thus more wisdom and knowledge), accessing the memory of cheating boyfriends might not be a 'suffering' anymore.

"Suffering is optional"
-- Dalai Lama

I agree that in the scenario above suffering is optional as the Dalai Lama says. And this can be done in this lifetime by recognizing patterns and triggers.

This is not the kind of suffering I refer to. I am referring to things like starvation and war. And, mostly the suffering humanity inflicts upon other life forms (not because I value humans less but because humans have choice).

One could say that starvation or being maimed or killed from the horrors of war could be traced to some sort of karmic choice. But how do you justify hurting the plant and animal life dropping nuclear bombs, the torture of animal factory farms or the modern horrors of lambs being cruelly slaughtered? How is this choosing suffering from the sufferer's point of view?

Wasn't this thread supposed to be about worship?  Hmm.

Fair enough. But I will add that some things are intertwined. Also, that worship for one person may mean one thing, and for another person something else—hence discussion on different views. You already pointed out: "Some sing a song of struggle while others sing a song of Divinity." While this makes sense on the surface, I feel it is too simplified. I personally don't think "not getting caught up in the maelstrom" means ignoring what is going on here; rather, I think it means accepting it, but that doesn't also mean I like it. One can love and accept something one doesn't like. 

But if you like I could drop out of this discussion or split this thread. It is not my intention to stir the pot—oh, maybe it is. I've been known.... 

Also, I find this a bit lacking in compassion and maybe insulting. So, to exaggerate to illustrate my point, let's take:

1. Person A: White, privileged. Born into comfortable circumstances and never had to struggle to pay bills or had any survival challenges. This person doesn't even have to work. They live in a nice home. They have lots of time to do anything they want.

2. Person B: Minority, without many resources. Born into poverty and struggle (war-torn country; North Korea; Harlem NY single-parent situation with so little hope or even food to eat). 

Setting aside any karmic or biases from other incarnations, who do you think will find it easier to choose divinity over struggle? I am referring to Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

That said, there is always a choice, and that, I think, you are pointing out. But I have been in wealthy new age circles where people say things like that when they have no idea what struggle is. I am not triggered by this by the way, though I do find it eye-rollingly irritating. 

I would respond to the above that, yes, in a culture which glorifies the illusory/transient elements of life the resultant absence of social spiritual focus leads many into suffering rather than leading them into the labyrinth of self to seek their own experiences of love and truth.I don't fault the veil, per se.  The veil requires one to work more pointedly towards spiritual goals, and without solid spiritual guidance this is difficult.  For example, if we regularly enjoyed spiritually focused and truly uplifting public worship rituals, then more of us would begin to have a clue about the deeper nature of self.

I'm not sure. If those spiritual practices were based on "love and truth" then yes. But religions as they are now are not. The so-called sacred texts would have to be put in their proper places first—as historical artifacts. Otherwise the teachings in them would still be identified with (bible old testament stuff as a good example—genital mutilation; killing enemies; and so on).

But your idea does bring to mind The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I loved it when the Who's from Whoville came out and sang on Christmas morning even though the Grinch had stolen their presents and Christmas paraphernalia. So perhaps this is closer to what you mean by worship?

  But in a place and time where we argue that religion is bad or mine is better than yours, etc., things become completely muddled for most of us.  Dang!

These are two very different concepts. A particular religion thinking it's the correct one and another is not is one of the reasons religion is bad in general—separation.