Archive for May, 2007
faith »
Monday, May 21st, 2007
I’m not a religious man; most people know this. In fact I haven’t been in any sub-Cross seating arrangement, aside from one wedding, since I walked out of my Confirmation ceremony. But I have Faith. My specific beliefs are different than most. They have some reliance on an omniscient being, but they’re based more on personal responsibility than repetition of memorized chants. I won’t bore you with them here, or at least not presently.
Organized Religion is fundamentally flawed. When you take individual faith and apply it to the masses you are forced to set precedents and remain predominantly inflexible. I’d like to explain why organized Religion has almost no bearing on my activities. I’ll reference Catholic tradition because it’s the only one I have even a passing knowledge of but the others run the same general flaws.
Religion—not the comet watchers—is based on texts that are thousands of years old and stories that are older. Oral traditions still live on from Greece, Rome, and earlier. They are exaggerated, fantasized, and filled with symbols of the time that even when first told would not be taken literally. There are hundreds of books and stories that were excluded from today’s Bible because of prejudices and social climates of the time. The main characters were dead for hundreds of years before their stories were even written.
It is impossible for me to fathom that God would use such incredibly inefficient means to relay His message. He’s omnipresent after all. Wouldn’t it be more effective for him to wait until the children He created in his image had a comprehension of historical referencing before He told them how to live to avoid damnation? And why would He take the time to talk to us at all? He created, by his own power, the universe. On the scope of the universe we are at zero on the scale of importance. Only in our own egocentric perspective would we think we could even have a miniscule effect on something so immense.
Within the Book there are moral tales that explain how to act and guide those into the paradise of Heaven. Along with these are stories that explain why the Earth acts as it does. Wrath of God due to sin is to blame for geological, microbial, and meteorological disaster. Since Its writing, all of these have been explained by scientific reason. In recent century we have discovered bacteria, viruses, and DNA. There is a probable, even if coincidental, explanation for the plagues. And this is the second fault of Religions: their defiance of science.
The disconnect between science and religion is baffling to me. Religion continuously resists any discoveries that challenge its view of the world. The world used to be flat. The Sun used to orbit the Earth. Dinosaurs couldn’t exist because the Earth is only six thousand years old. Women were vessels, contributing nothing to the process of procreation aside from a warm place for nine months. We all now know these are ridiculous. We’ve seen the round globe in photos from space, we use dinosaurs every day to commute to work, and women contribute as much, if not more, to the creation of life than men.
It seems to me that Religion could use this evidence and further study to prove the existence of an all-powerful being. The processes and coincidence that led to our existence are infinite. There are laws governing every aspect of life on this planet and even more that govern the movement of stars and galaxies. Ecosystems are incredibly diverse and interconnected. Things we take for granted, like walking at a steady pace, breathing easily, and seeing the world around us, are all reliant on millions of different factors. Isn’t that proof there’s something out there providing guidance? Or proof that in it’s creation the Universe was given a general purpose or direction? If you don’t see a God in everything around you, you’re not looking. And because Religion hasn’t embraced every discovery as more evidence of infinite wisdom I can only view it as simply ignorant.
Thirdly, religion spurs from a belief in an omnipotent being from which everything was created. Unfortunately, because our brains cannot understand even a fractional fraction of the implications of this, Religion has promoted exclusion. The blueprint for each western Religion is the same, with different players, timelines, and stories. Whether Muslim, Jew, or Christian, Muhammad, Moses, or Jesus, we all believe in one all-powerful God. Billions have perished in the name of this Higher Power because of believing in a different One or not believing in One at all.
Persecution of homosexuals, other races, and other cultures saturates Religious history. The belief that one Religion is superior to another, or that a culture without Religion is inferior, is uniquely human. If Religion is based on the belief in a higher power that is all powerful and forgiving, why would anyone be excluded? Why would He hold one culture above another? Why would strict adherence to guidelines make a difference? Why wouldn’t He promote the interaction of cultures and species in order to coexist on the planet he created to work toward a greater good?
Religion is a set of rights and wrongs that were determined by hundreds of scribes, each adding their interpretations, connections, and exaggerations. It is a set of stories to explain acts of nature and the unknown that have been—and are being—systematically explained through other means. Religion’s contempt for smaller belief sets, known as cults, is that of an older brother ridicules a younger as he learns to walk, but with malice. Is there really a difference? Or is it just age and history that makes Religion right and a cult crazy? The recruiting tactics of certain sects of Religion have the stench of desperation as the outdated nature of Religion is realized. The superiority complex that Religion cultivates is disastrous on the world stage as cultures become increasingly reliant on each other without understanding one another.
Faith should always be prominent. It is a driving force toward action and great change. Faith is flexible. It adapts to changes in society, climate, and science fluidly. Faith can bring people together. Understanding of Faith can help someone gain wisdom and the ability to look beyond their immediate surroundings. Without Faith a person can lose optimism, become heavy with helplessness, and easily be overwhelmed. But, when you manipulate that Faith into a religion you lose strength in flexibility and you create strength in conformity. A denial of constant cultural and scientific shifting makes Religion insignificant.
it’s over. »
Monday, May 21st, 2007
We’re through. It will be tough at first because I’ve grown very attached, but it’s just time to end things. There may be a few times where I catch myself involved and become overwhelmed by shame, but I’m hoping it will be minimal. It does mark an important change though. I’ve been thoroughly committed to the relationship for as long as I can remember. It will be a tough road, but I’m willing to give it my best effort.
It’s probably the strongest relationship I’ve had outside of family. We go back, way back, into the grade school years. We’ve been through the tough times, and the awesome times. And I can honestly say it’s one of the few things to which my commitment has never faltered. She’s always been reliable, and there whenever I needed her. She never judged and was never harsh. The relationship itself was something I could fall back on when I was feeling down or just bored.
The relationship has seen me through some funerals, hundreds of tests, and a wedding. It’s held strong as my kidney split, appendix swelled, and wrist gave way to a shard of glass. It was there when I was alone, in a dense crowd, or just hanging out with a few friends. It was even there during study hall when homework couldn’t hold my attention.
It’s by far the longest relationship I’ve had, but probably the most lopsided. Not a lot of mutual benefit. And that’s why it needs to end. There have been many changes to the relationship over its course. It started as a crutch; something to distract. Then became mundane and uninteresting. Later on it was more a curiosity and lately it’s transformed into a mildly frustrating quasi-fixation.
It’s gone on long enough. From here on out I’m making a stand of sorts. As of now, about two-thirds through my Monday workday, I’m going to try to stop orally abusing my fingernails. They don’t deserve it and some of them look to be in rough shape. The oral fixation will probably stay, but maybe with some time away from the gnawing I will again be able to open a can of soda without searching about for my keys.
It’s a sign of weakness and it’s pathetic. It’s a disgusting habit, so I’m turning over a new leaf. I just have to stop by the Speedway a few blocks off my path home for some cigs.
the little things. »
Friday, May 18th, 2007
so i’m not normally enthralled or even mildly interested in little people. i dig the show on tlc, but beyond that they aren’t any different than anyone else. there’s a guy that rides the train, though i haven’t seen him of late, that always wears the same knit cap. he only sticks in my memory for the fact he almost got taken out by a not-so-coordinated woman taking her bike off the rack. twas an unfortunate sight.
but then, as i walked from the rail this morning, i saw another guy who has me sort of curious. i don’t know how tall he is because i was a block or so away, but he’s about six inches taller than the hydrant at third and marquette check it out if you’re ever in the area. the reason his appearance stuck out was that he appeared to be a scale replica of a man five-foot eight at three hundred pounds. everything was proportional, but i got to wondering: what’s the scale for obesity in little people?
he looked healthy and everything, and due to their shorter limbs and smaller overall bodies l.p.’s tend to appear chubby, so i guess i just don’t know how that works. if he were the same body type, just two feet taller or so, he’d be considered obese, easily in fact. if he hadn’t had a heart attack, or some other cardiac or respiratory ailment yet, he would be on his way to one near-future-like. but what is the case for this guy? is he healthy as an ox, just scaled two-thirds?
in other news… i had an ensemble dream last night that i remember some parts of. shitton of people from back home and up here chilling at a bar that should exist, but, at least as far as i know, doesn’t. the place was sweet; most notably the fifty cent cricket on the darts. everyone was having a wicked time and there was even a dance floor for my ladies back in miltown to shake that ass. and they were.
the best part was it followed one of my movie dreams. all the parts were played by people from two men and a truck. i don’t remember any of the movie though, which sort of annoys me. the best part: there were end credits. yes. a dream that actually had customized end credits. and i wasn’t even the director. i may watch too many movies.
wait, what?? »
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007
I could be looking at things the wrong way here. feel free to let me know if you have some reality that could clarify things, but there’s something i find peculiar. we have a man sitting as the director of the justice department who can’t remember any meetings he was in. or rather, he can remember the meetings that he was in because he has a day planner, but he doesn’t know what went on. and he isn’t fired.
that doesn’t add up. brown got toasted after his supposed irresponsible handling of affairs after katrina, but he lacked all the support that would have made any substantial changes to how things were run. gonzales has all the necessary equipment to explain the actions that have him under investigation, but instead he’s apparently using the less-known, i’m just a complete-sack-of-shit-that’s-barely-more-accountable-than-a-toddler defense. i don’t see how it could work, but because of all the bureaucracy and polite inquiry, it’s been working so far.
it’s absurd. was it back when the robber barons were around or was it when companies that outsourced most of their labor and imported most of their parts started trying to get consumers to buy american that this started happening? how do people like this get into power? why can’t someone just come up behind and beat him across the scalp with a miniature souvenir bat?
too bad all the political push-pull will never result in any action and a mentally deficient kiss-ass will have no consequences. i guess if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. until it’s too late and the empire not only falters, but implodes.
shocked! i’m in awe! »
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007
i wonder why congress is so hot on benchmarks lately. i wonder why the democrats herald their opposition to the war, but draft a bill that amply funds it. i wonder why the passage of this law is a benchmark. i wonder why it’s listed before a benchmark to set up an infrastructure for voting. i wonder why both the U.S. and the U.K. are ignoring Iraqi Nationalists. i wonder why their movement to end the occupation is covered so little in the media.
oh, nevermind, it’s probably none of my business. what’s on E! Entertainment? holy shit! the dumber of the Hiltons is going to jail? travesty!.