On the up: Cults
On the down: Getting exiled from Planet A

This is why you should never talk to your parents about anything other than the weather:

Apparently my father is now following the advice of some dude up in Cameron Highlands who people believe is a half-god (whatever that means lah). Cameron Dude says that superstition and religion is pointless.

Okay, so I agree superstition can be silly but wait, Cameron Dude also says that following any religion is pointless because apparently we are all from another planet, called Planet A. And we've been put on earth as a punishment. So following religion is pointless because we're all going back to Planet A soon anyway.

It follows that we shouldn’t bother to try to be nicer people or try to achieve better qualities, because “if you’re born evil, you will always be evil” and anyway we’re all going back to Planet A, so what’s the point.

There's also a Planet B and a Planet C but I didn't bother to find out what those were about.

(When I told Bibi, he said, “Oh, too bad there isn’t a Planet T and a Planet C.” As in TC. HAH.)

So I had this little debate with him about how this and was talking about my own experiences from the little time I’ve spent in Dharma.

Back track a bit: I’m in a Dharma centre and our spiritual director/Guru/teacher/whatever is man who was severely abused as a child – emotionally, mentally and physically – and speaks to us most often about what it means to develop qualities like patience, forgiveness, kindness. The teachings encourage bringing happiness to others and being of less harm.

That’s all it’s about and is what makes me stick around (cos I sure ain’t the holy sort that would otherwise be caught dead praying into a string of beads!). Sound simple enough? Sound logical?

But during our little spiritual debate the other night, he told me I’m in a cult, I’m following with blind faith, I’m not doing things the right way. But his Cameron Dude friend and the Planet A theory makes total sense.

Go figure.

Anyway, every time he goes up to Cameron Highlands to worship the planetary system, he brings back bags of strawberries and fresh vegetables and big bunches of pretty flowers, so I can’t complain.