I believe that Jesus taught how to live a simpler and happier life. He contradicted old values, which were mostly influenced by greed and hunger for power. He wanted to bring back the world to God's original message.
Jesus criticized the superficial world we had become. He preached that we must not necessarily live by the word of God's law. He disagreed with the pharisees who took the law to the extreme by enforcing strict rituals and unnecesary laws. Just because we "showed" that we were living God's law, did not mean we believed it. For example, no one could work on the Sabbath, not even if that person was doing God's work. Jesus showed by healing the sick on the Sabbath that God did not intend the law to be interpreted that way. He taught us that we must not complicate our lives with the minute details of God's message, instead we should live by the spirit of his word and aim for "the big picture" of bringing about God's Kingdom.
Another of Jesus' messages is that all humans are equal. He reached out to the poor and opressed when much of the world saw them as disgusting and out of God's favor. He even reached out to the gentiles. He taught us to love our enemies, and to forgive others for wrongs they have done to us. This teaching makes our lives simpler by eliminating hate from our world, which would also remove violence, poverty, and pain.
I believe I am a follower of these teachings, or at least that I try to follow them. In our modern world it is difficult not to get caught up in selfishness. However, I do think that loving everyone, even our enemies, is the key to a happier and simpler life. I have enough to worry about without having to deal with drama and fighting the evils of the world. If we all just looked out for one another, problems would be solved before they were even started.
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