Recipe for Life

Although I have my own recipes for certain dishes and my  own way of making them, occasionally I like to look online to see just how other people make them.  The other day I was looking for a recipe for pasta carbonara and another one for curry.  We are quite happy with the results of my own way of doing them but I was curious to see if other people did things in more or less the same way.  Often we follow a recipe that has been handed down from previous generations or the way we learnt it.  We like things 'like mother used to make'!  So I wanted to see what other people did.  It seems that everyone has their own particular slant on things.  Each of the different celebrity chefs came out with their version.  I got so tired of looking at the seemingly endless list of curry recipes that in the end I just switched off the computer and went back to my own tried and tested method of always.  And we enjoyed it - as always.

So many variations on a theme!  What was evident, however is that all of the recipes for a given dish had some basic ingredients that were included in every version.  But then each one had some extra something, a vegetable, some special herb or spice or added cream to make it more luxurious (and fattening)  But the basic ingredients were in all of them.  So the question some would ask is, 'Yes, but which one is the true version?  Which is the authentic recipe?'  Well I guess that depends on your particular taste buds.  In the recipe for pasta carbonara, some wouldn't dream of making it with any pasta other than spaghetti.  The bacon has to me smoked.  Well, actually, we don't like smoked bacon so I use unsmoked bacon because that's our particular taste.  So is our version not authentic?  It is for us.

It reminds me of the fact that I can get 3 different buses to go to visit my sister, each one going a different way but all ending up at the same bus stop a few yards from my sister's house.  So which one is the right one?  All of them, of course.  You hear people saying that this or that version of the gospel is the only true version.  Their particular recipe for a Christian life is the real authentic one and anything else is a deviation.  Well, I guess if that particular way is to your taste then maybe it is - for you.  The Bible says, 'Taste and see that the Lord is good'.  So if I don't feel comfortable with a particular way of expressing my faith then maybe it isn't good for me and I need to look for what corresponds to my taste.  Some people like it quiet and organised while others like it happy clappy and noisy.  Ahh! but which is the true version?  Well, as we said it depends on your taste - and often depends on what you have been taught from childhood and learned from previous generations.  Sometimes you're happier with what you;re used to and don't want a new or different version.


Having looked at a number of different faiths lately, including those of Buddhism, Sikh, Unitarian Universalism, Baha'i, Muslim, Jew, Pagan, I have discovered that there are certain basic 'ingredients' found in all of them.  They all seek to worship a Supreme Being.  Many of them accept and follow the teaching of Jesus.  They all acknowledge the need to fight injustice and help the poor and broken, seeking to make life better for humanity and caring for the planet, the world that God has given us as our home.  Most people follow the religion that they have grown up with.  We look to, admire and accept people of other faiths, often quoting their words of wisdom like Confucius, Gandhi, the Dalai Lama among others.  Their recipe for life depends much on geography and their cultural background.  Who am I to say that my recipe is the only true, authentic one?  It is for me but might not be for someone from a different background and upbringing.  There are so many different recipes, different ways to the same end goal.  I have come to accept that you have to find the one that is right for you even though it might not be right for everyone.