Why Be Buddhist?

Is it even important to be a Buddhist?

[@tobinswafford2709]

I've heard it said that we are totally responsible for our lives. When you start talking karma and reincarnation, I can see how it could be thought that we are completely responsible for this lifetime from the very beginning. That's a hard pill most Westerners to swallow. I think we can at least say that once we get to adulthood we are responsible for our lives. It's a liberating idea. People often go through life thinking they are caught up or stuck in circumstances beyond their control. But I think we all have more power than we give ourselves credit for. We've simply abdicated our responsibility for ourselves in most circumstances. Once we start to reclaim our lives, doors open up for us that we were not even aware of sometimes.