In our fast-paced world, we often make hasty and convenient decisions that may seem right at the time, but ofter are not. We judge things superficially instead of taking a deeper look. We not only judge a book by it's cover, but we assume that it must be good if it is a best seller which is like assuming that McDonald's has the best food because it is the most popular restaurant (no offense to McDonald's, I eat there occasionally myself). We buy the suit or dress that looks good on the model without considering if it is well made, if it is easy to care for, or if the style will be out of fashion in six months. We stand in line for ten hours to be one of the first to buy the latest iPhone, than complain that it has problems. And we elect politicians based on one or two issues that we agree with them on, and don't take a deeper look at the persons overall record.

    Perhaps we would all do better, and live in a better world, if we started taking the time to look more deeply so that we choose the well with the clear, clean water deep down where it matters. And there is no area where this is more important than religion and spirituality. For starters, I don't see how an atheist can make the conclusions they make unless they observe the world around them in a very superficial way, looking only at the surface, studying the paint and ignoring the break beneath it. But also, many of us have a tendency to choose a church, a spiritual school, or a spiritual teacher based on the surface. If a church has bit buildings and many members, it must be a good one, right? Unfortunately, no. If a spiritual teacher has many best selling books, he must be one of the best in the world, right? Again, probably not. If a spiritual school has a million members and is located in a recognized spiritual center like Sedona, it must be a very good one, right? Once more, not true. The big church is big because it teaches what people want to hear rather than teaching what is true. The best-selling author is popular because he is a good writer, but his spiritual messages may be superficial, if not false. On the other hand, the small spiritual school with limited facilities may be teaching the truths that are sometimes uncomfortable to hear and so they are not as popular, but under that surface is that spring you are looking for, the one filled with the Waters of Life, eternal life.

    And we also need to look deep within ourselves to discover who we really our, and not just the superficial, material, surface self.