apologies and atonement

So as you know, this Thursday was the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Well, Holy Day, not so much holiday. Anyway, it's all about atoning for your sins, saying sorry, etc. etc.

I've always found this day to be very confusing. On the one hand, it's a great concept--you sin all year, say you're sorry, and get a clean slate for the new year. But the thing is, even though there's a part of the service where you say you'll do your best to improve and sin less, there's no consequence for NOT doing so. So I guess what I'm saying is, where's the motivation?

I don't know. I'm going to make an effort to be less of a douchebag, that much I know. But I wish there was some sort of underlying SOMETHING to make me WANT to be better, other than just the guilty conscience that comes with NOT being better. The whole honor system is good--I like that I'm a member of a religion where God trusts us enough to control our own lives. But still, I don't know if I trust us enough to control our own lives.

But I guess that's the whole thing in and of itself--God gave us the right to make our own decisions, and we have the responsibility to make those decisions.

But seriously--a little guidance couldn't hurt, right?