Believing in the only thing I've Got

• What we put on it isn't really what we think or feel, generally. It's what we want people to think that we think and feel. For instance, if someone is very religious, they proclaim it loudly on their Facebook. "I Love Jesus!!!" and "Proud Christian!!!" dot some of the religion tabs of my friends' profiles. But others who I know are not terribly religious either put down a random denomination, or just omit the tab entirely from their profiles. Considering religion isn't usually a topic that's discussed in polite conversation, it's very surprising that it's one of the first things Facebook asks you to display for the world. Mine is a quote, from Abraham Lincoln, that simply says: "When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion." Truer words haven't been spoken. Perfectly ambiguous.
  
  I do believe in God. Or at least some kind of higher power. I'm more inclined to believe that Earth was some random cosmic accident instead of "God's great creation". Or whatever. It would be very ignorant to assume that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe. I don't believe in miracles, or healing a person with just the touch of a hand. I don't believe that cancer can be cured by simply praying hard enough.
  
  But what I do believe in is the power of my heart. I believe in love. I believe that I'm not alone in the way that I feel. I believe in the future. I believe in patience, holding on and never letting go. I believe in always being there, never breaking a promise, never letting someone down. I believe in laughter and tears, joys and sorrows, all coming together. I believe in the pain that shapes us, the light in our hearts that guides us, and the love that blinds us. I believe in those rare connection that you only make once or twice in your life. I believe this so strongly that it is almost a tangible, palpable thing that I can reach out and touch. It's an eternal flame that burns within me; that keeps me going on even the darkest of days.
  
  Not just in terms of religion, but everything. I can wake up in the morning because I know that despite the war, hunger, disease, and deprivation that exists, along side it exists peace, full tummies, good health and good fortune. I can accept death because I know that a new life is just around the corner. I can take cold, lonely nights because I know that the sun will always rise for a better tomorrow.
  
  Fuck me for being the eternal optimist, but I don't care. The glass will always be half-full for me. That is my religion. Optimism. Love. Hope. Especially hope. "Hope is what guides me. It is what gets me through the day and especially through the night."
  
  I will never give up my hope. It is the only thing we have that is truly ours, but can also be shared by so many millions of others. Hope unites us. It also divides us, but its powers of divisibility only prove that deep down within each of us, there burns a passion that we cannot let go of. We must never give up that hope, ever. It is the axis upon which this earth rotates. The blood that courses through our veins. It is the stars winking at us in the night sky with the promise of a sunrise. It is the bitter winter snow from which spring flowers will soon bloom.
  
  Our hope is all we have, so never take it for granted. Live each day to the fullest. Live a life you can be proud of. Because we know that this life is all too fickle. Life can be cruel, so one must find the beauty even where you can see nothing but ugly. Seek the rose among the thorns. Find the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Let your heart beat; and take a deep breath of the air all around you. We know all too well that each day could be our last. So treasure every moment. Find the beauty and the happiness and laughter of each and every shining moment. Because if all you ever had are those moments, then it'll be alright. It'll be ok because you never gave up. You never stopped believing and hoping and wishing. You never failed to see the beauty of everyday life.
  
  Whomever reads this, I want you to be happy and healthy. I want for you to never have another broken heart, to never experience more hardships than you can handle. For good times and smiles and pleasures to always come your way. For you to be safe and warm, well-fed and always loved. But most of all, I wish for you to have hope. I wish that no matter what religion you practice, believe in, or put on your Facebook profile, that you'll always have hope. And if you do have that hope, I hope that that fire never burns out for you. I hope you always have something to believe in.
  
  I'd put this on my Facebook, but there's a 450 character limit on the "Religion" tab.