my personal essay on religion..

Haley Norton

Mr. O’Brian

English- Dark Humor

7 March 2013

                                                                                     This I believe…

                 So I revised my last essay, it was a little more specific than my fellow peers. So tonight I had an experience where I was faced with religion. I was at work, and as it was getting slow I whipped out my phone and saw my mom had texted me, saying “Come get the car after work.” I sent her a message back saying, “aren’t you driving? I’m still working.” She replied with something I never expected, “I’m in the hospital, don’t tell your sisters. I don’t want them upset.” I saw this as I was at work and I started to freak out. I found myself saying, “I pray to god she’s okay.” That is something I don’t say often. I am far from religious, and when I try to be religious I follow Buddhism.

In the book Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, he describes the end of the world. As the people of San Larenzo look around and see their community members freezing to death they choose to take part in Bokonism. Even though it is against the law, they needed that sense of security in their lives. Like today, somehow in the back of my mind I thought praying to god would somehow help my mom. The people of San Lorenzo followed Bokonon to their death, hoping it was the right thing to do. I believe religion is hope. Doesn’t matter if you live your life by the bible, you still hope that the overall effect is that you go to heaven. In my case, religion played a role that wasn’t heaven or hell, but rather life or death. I made a comment about praying for my mom, because there was hope that she would come home healthy.

                Whether the San Larenzo’s followed Bokonism strictly or not, they are like us today; some are very religious and others aren’t. If I were going to die I would jump right into a religion because I would want to feel that security that I wasn’t going to die by myself that I was going to follow a god.