A reader who is Buddhist observes that some of Matt’s mantras—such as “It is what it is” and “You can only do what you can do”—are reminiscent of tenets of Zen Buddhism.  The reader asks Matt whether he is, or has ever been, a Buddhist.

Matt responds:

I’m a Roman Catholic.  I believe in Christ and his message, but I revere the message of Buddha and the principles that guide the Buddhist life and philosophy.  I also revere the Jewish and Islamic faiths, the American Indian spiritualism, and so on.

It’s too bad that we always have to put labels on things.  I’m against labels, because it gives the impression of, “Open the bottle and drink the milk.”  There are no nuances; there is just a scrambled-up process that is difficult to define.

The question of who and what we are goes much deeper than labels.  It goes to the core of what we really believe in.  In many cases, what you say is not what you do; it’s just a lot of bullshit that makes people think you know what you’re talking about.

I really admire people who have a faith in something and an ideal in something.  Because all of the great philosophies of the world can enrich, empower, and challenge the spirituality of the human being.  I can’t think of a philosophy or a religion whose sole job is to make you skinny or fat, a better lover or a better hater, a cooler dude or a wimpier swine.

The nature of our spirituality is manifested in many cases by the sign that we carry with us:  the cross, the Star of David, the crescent...  but they’re really much deeper than the sign itself.  The history of them is really what puts the meat on the bones and the blood in the veins.

That’s a long answer to a short question.  In the old country, it’s what we call “good Irish bullshit.”  But in this case, I’m very sincere.

Matt