Conversations with God

One night at the shelter the guy next to me decided to start singing loudly while all the rest of us were trying to sleep. Now he's quite an imposing fellow---black sunglasses (even indoors...at night...with the lights out...and sleeping), a bandanna tied pirate style on his head, and quite burly to boot. And on top of all that, he believes that he is God. I'm not talking about the pantheistic notion that we are all a part of God-----he thinks that he is THE God. You know, the wrathful inflicter of judgments and merciful bestower of blessings. And while he might ultimately be right, he was still annoying the heck out of everybody.

Well, he just kept on singing, very loudly and very off key. At another time (and in tune) it might have actually been uplifting, cuz it was something about Beauty, but at the moment he was keeping everybody up and driving us crazy. Finally, at the risk of incurring the wrath of God and suffering eternal fiery damnation (or at least a good beating), I decided to try some "engaged Buddhism". I put my hands together in a wai (prayer gesture), bowed a bit, and in my humblest tone let him know that we were all trying to get some sleep.

Evidently unimpressed by my display of subservience, he threatened to kill me instead. Luckily for me, his follow through was not quite Biblical as he apparently had a change of heart and decided to let me live. But he did shut up, and we did get to sleep. And in the morning, he turned out to indeed be a forgiving God as he accepted my apology for disturbing his singing.


"Who dares challenge the King?! I shall slaughter them!"
---God, the wrathful

"I'm not trippin'."
---God, the merciful