tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87009193836242987942024-03-13T13:47:38.093-06:00Pursuance“There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice” John CalvinNice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-67604151315627701272009-05-28T13:47:00.000-05:002009-05-28T14:37:09.704-05:00Honest RatioAligning ideas and principles in the correct proportion and ration is very important when dealing with a philosophical analysis of life and action. The misappropriation of ideas is one of man's highest errors. For instance, say that B is a direct result of A. Then, say that C can never be a product of A. Now, if a man states that he is dealing with C because of A, he is insane and mis-rationalizing, or mis-apportioning A to C, which is a logical fallacy. Any further action that results from this will be twisted and irksome in its nature and fruits. The problem comes when the reason why A to C is a logical fallacy is unclear on the surface.<br /><br />For instance let us examine a men stepped in addiction to drugs. This man may justify his habits by saying his substance abuse is just for fun, a good time with friends, and doesn't really hurt anyone. As a result, he rationalizes, he may continue in his behavior without a worry, and the behavior itself is in fact all right. The problem with this is that first, he is flawed when he explains his addiction by saying it is just for a fun good time and harmless. He is mis equating it with nominally innocuous descriptions which treated superficially seem valid. The truth is that he is addicted for some deep psychological reason, perhaps insecurity or confusion or as a reaction to violence he was forced to endure or as a reaction to uncertainty and lack of control over his own life. All of these result in addiction which is an escape from the world and reality as the man knows it, and originated because it is sensually gratifying and erased the actuality of the life he was living. When he incorrectly equates his addiction with an otherwise virtuous or harmless ideal, and then twists that ideal to justify his behavior, he is committing an abhorrent crime. This crime is compelled by ignorance of the truth and an evil pragmatic wit that has one thing in mind: self vindication no matter what the cost. An inner argument like this will breed a defensive attitude and an quarrelsome or shameful demeanor when it comes to the subject of the addiction.<br /><br />Just as with the man described above many people take nobel ideals such as love or truth or justice, and in the name of these ideals justify odious actions, because on the surface it appears to be logically sound. The concept is very similar to the idea of 'fair is foul and foul is fair' as seen in Macbeth. As a result of this antimetabole, Macbeth, through the wit of the Three Witches, was able to justify killing King Duncan for his own selfish gain. In the same way a man might put up with selfish desire for a woman, which in itself if misplaced and not reciprocated appropriately is an addiction on its own, as a means of escape from the world, and defend his doing so by saying that he loves her. Love is not self-seeking and as a result cannot be used to vindicate his hideous addiction, however, love also connotes absolute goodness, and therefore by saying 'my actions are because I love her' one is misplacing the name of love and using it as a tool of justification. In this case one's argument is benefited by the fact the love does indeed connote goodness, and is in fact good, therefore as an isolated statement 'my actions are because I love her' is valid. However, this man is mis-appropriating the name of love because his actions are not because he loves her, but because he loves himself. This is truly a Heart of Darkness of the world. The simple act of misappropriating ideals is bad enough on its own, but the act of twisting virtue to absolve wickedness is truly execrable.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-87282632840407040402009-05-11T07:55:00.003-05:002009-05-27T21:29:39.289-05:00PresenceMen expend their lives trapped in wishful thinking. Every man is always bending his mind toward something not yet realized, something which is only valuable to him as an object looked forward to. Humans are trapped in the pattern of lacking fulfillment and desperately seeking that which is materially satisfying, because we live in a material world. Men pander their lives away in lust and greed, endlessly seeking and never realizing that they can never actually get what it is they are professing to want in the first place. Why do men believe that receiving a material possession will make him happy? The allotment of stuff and things is in no way correlated to true happiness, or, more importantly contentment and fulfillment. Man achieves nothing but ceaselessly wanting more, what is it that keeps him from being satisfied with what he has- and, specifically, what is it that causes him to long toward the future, and deny the present reality he is living in. More importantly, I would say that men have taken this pattern which is applied to materialism and reapplied it to mental and spiritual realms of life. In relationships people psychologically assess that 'once this or that is as I want it to be, then I can proceed accordingly.' In the same way that men seek physical objects according to their instincts and desires they model the rest of relationships in their lives; relationships with other humans, with themselves, and with God or spirituality, or whatever it may be, as being incomplete until another thing may happen to satisfy their own impulses. The problem with this is that it expunges and erases accountability, and honesty to reality.<br /><br />Throughout all of a man's life there is one thing that he has for certain: the day in front of him. The present time and moment, and the timelessness of that instant. The wishful thinking I described above is a denial of the present and a attempt to foretell the future, a future that no man can know, nor does any man have authority over. Honesty is necessary to realize that every instant we complete a thought or action is homologous to every other instant of our lives. We are incessantly changing and growing, but this truth of presence remains continuous. As a result, by necessity a man must base decisions off the reality that wishful thinking is ignorance and that instead he must realize his ideals about life in every instant that he lives. When men believe they can decide what is best for themselves and cause the future for themselves they are mistaken. First, no man can say what is best for himself in the material world. Second, a man only has a slippery hold on the future according to the laws of probability; namely the physical laws that govern this universe that things commonly proceed in a known and predictable fashion. However, a man is still operating based on the laws of probability and is not actually causing a future event to become accomplished based on his own authority and will.<br /><br />The essential point is that craving a future that is different from one's present circumstance is evidence of a lack of fulfillment. Any pattern of life that is feed by this dynamic or by its nature encourages this dynamic, such as procrastinating, mindless indulgence in sensual entertainment (movies, TV shows, magazines, shopping, eating), drinking, smoking, sexual addiction, is utter insanity and must be understand for what it is: a testament to the inner dissatisfaction of man's heart, and the realization that contentment must certainly does not come from any instantly appealing source.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-15437778250606052682009-05-05T16:38:00.003-05:002009-05-05T17:22:04.092-05:00MeaningThe pursuit and definition of meaning is an inevitable action of the thinking man. Differentiating meaningful and meaningless entities in life is of fundamental importance if one's decisions and daily manner are going to be anything but insanity. If one is simply acting on instinct, getting up, getting one's food and work finished, that is all fine and well, but it does not satisfy a man's spirit. An intellect dealing in this mode of operation will be lead to question the reason even for instinct and doubt even the trivial meanings in life, inadvertently becoming a nihilist. Therefore the distinction of why good is good and why bad is bad is supreme in the path to life. The path toward life is ultimately what anyone man comes to: the journey to experience the dynamic of life, which is the antithesis of death. This ideological imperative is a result of every soul's longing for understanding, and no soul will live until it does understanding. As a result the quest for life is really a quest for truth, for truth kindles life.<br /><br />The first principle in defining meaning is to consent that the things of reality have immutable essences that one can deal with, that knowledge is attainable objectively. The essence of principles and ideas is not subjective but certain, and certain outside of human influence. However, humans may still observe them and know of them, but there essence is what it is regardless of a human's true or false understanding of it. Therefore a man must first realize that ideas can be know, and the 'truth' of an idea is contingent upon the accuracy of the perception of the idea to the essence which the idea is. Unfortunately human recognition will also be flawed just as stating the word 'blue' never really gets to what the word blue is trying to describe, but, for the purpose of philosophy the 'approach' to the essential value of things is good enough to move upon.<br /><br />So, good and bad are different, and can be known as different, objectively, not subjectively. Now, what makes a thing good or bad. At this point a human must neglect to instill his own value system upon a system or situation, because the situation has a nature of its own outside of the human's influence. Many would say, "It is a bad thing to smoke, or a bad thing to steal." One cannot adequately explain this assertion by saying 'smoking leads to ill health, or stealing breaks the law, of even the law of morality. If one uses this argument then why is ill health bad? And what is morality founded in that gives it judgmental significance. The ultimate conclusion of this line of thinking is to say that life is meaningful, or, life is good. One still must conclude why this is so, and one cannot justify this statement philosophically without saying the life is good because life is made by God. The purpose of life is only significant in the context of a Creator that induces significance. According to this meaning/purpose are conditional not on a natural subjectivity but instead by the subjectivity of one who is defined as eternal. God is now, was, and will be. Our subjective decisions are baseless because we are today and will be gone tomorrow. Any 'good' we can do is only good so long as the reality that we are acting in exists. This is an unsatisfying morality because it is inconsistent. If this is the case one can only satisfy the total sum of reality by accepting the idea of a consistent principle, which is God. God is the only foundation upon which life can be established. Without a point of reference everything following will be unfounded and ill-established.<br /><br />One is forced by necessity to conclude that God exists or at least something consistent in reality must exist for anything to be meaningful in context of the greater idea.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-68746289360261018612009-05-04T14:24:00.002-05:002009-05-04T14:26:48.248-05:00The Trouble with AtheismWhat arrogance and narcissism it takes of an atheist to evaluate the existence of God based on their own judgments and impressions of justice. What immutable 'good' can a sole human produce, what universal standard can a person possibly derive to impose upon a situation and thus conclude upon a universal question? Any benchmark or principle a human may attempt to ascertain will be procured from either their own 'will' and viscera or developed as a reflection of a higher truth which exists in spite of human observation.<br /><br /> There are two arguments an atheist can choose from, after they posture the none-existence of God. The first argument is that human life as we know it is devoid of reason and order, and especially empty of any sort of meaning. There is no plot or plan to life, and humans each have their own agency of will to determine their own futures, but, there is nothing a human may strive toward or hope to achieve because life still inherently lacks purpose, and as such no purpose of a human action is possible in its consequence. All is indifferent, bleak, and blase. This is existentialism, which posits that there is no meaning in life and then attempts to explain a human's role in the world. This ideology is intrinsically absurd, because many humans have feelings that transcend basic instincts, many humans attempt to apply meaning to action and circumstance, and many people have experienced situations in which life beyond 'survival of the fittest' takes place. If life is merely evolution then to what purpose may a human live other than procreation and death?The existentialist is a skeptic and does not have the guts to even accept that there is good and bad, there is tension in life, and tension presumes a pulling of something, to a certain end, not just a meaningless assemblage of nonsense leading to nothing. Besides, existentialism fails to answer essential questions such as the source of evil, what love is, and why humans have reason and what does reason lead to.<br /><br /> The more likely position an atheist is going to take is the position that there is not a God, but the world is indeed ordered and there is meaning to life, particularly meaning in the actions of humans and in our lives. The purpose of life, as a result, is to follow the meaning that we either define ourselves, or the meaning that we find in nature. The problem with this is, that, as I mentioned above what meaning can a human determine which is truly meaningful? A human view of the world, or of morality, based on observation and experience is inevitably subjective, and therefore inconclusive. Any evaluation of purpose a human makes subjectively will be unavoidably contingent on whatever standard of purpose they utilized in their evaluation, and resultantly unfounded. No one can say legitimately that it is a good thing to love one's neighbor. Why is it a good thing? Because it fights the forces of hatred and works toward establishing peace among brothers? Well, why is this a goal worth achieving- just so everyone can live nice and peacefully now for no reason when the end of their lives will be the grave anyways? World peace is a good thing? Is it? According to what standard? The meaning and purpose of life is to love? Well, why? Because love produces good things? Well, good things leading to what? Any moral assertion a man can make atheistically tends to prolonging mental, physical and spiritual life, or improves in immediate quality. What to what end is this pattern when the prize of life is always death? The intellectual understanding of this, the pursuit of reason when the foundation of one's every thought is that the universe began randomly, if dealt with truly, will lead to one place: suicide. One cannot enforce their own order when they refuse to consent as to why the world is order, if they do this, their 'order' will be laid in confusion and their path uncertain. Despite all this, the moral atheist still accepts that the world is ordered, and that there is meaning to life. This cannot be, though, as a result of disorder. The only order that can possibly be created by disorder is an order that lasts only as long as the thing that makes it so lasts, only as long as its subjective justification exists, and disorder, by its nature, is chaos and eternally changing. Basing a decision on a pattern that is forever vacillating will lead nowhere and is an awfully foolish resolution to take as a man or women. This baseless pattern is the default of most humans and ends in capricious hesitancy in all things. Purpose cannot be established upon a purposeless world, such an attempt is vain futility and a man would do much better to simply take his own life. The point being, life is meaningful and the meaning found in life cannot be elucidated without including the existence of God. Furthermore, attempting to make sense of life by the mechanism of evolution, or by human goodness, or by human peace is equivalent to stating that there is reality, and then there is a sub reality level that humans operate on upon which meaning is found. For this 'sub' reality to exist, and mainly for it to be valid for an argument's sake, there must also be, by necessity, a super-reality, or a higher realm of existence.<br /> <br />Unfortunately, for the skeptical atheist, life is effusive with meaning and the principle of purpose presses against every human thought and action. The lavish presence of purpose in life reflects the reality that life is purposeful, just as the laws of Physics define specifically how the world is ordered. As a result the atheist must still confront the existence of purpose and meaning in life, if he is to account for the total sum of reality. Any philosophy that fails to satiate a concern or question of life must either be dismissed or questioned. Atheism by its nature is invariably flawed when it supposes that there is meaning without acknowledging a God, and therefore is fallacious. Because of this an intellectual man, chiefly a man who desperately wants to know the truth, will by necessity be compelled to admit the existence of God. Without an orderer, there could be no order. Without an author a story would be deprived of plot. Such a story would be a mindless bedlam of entropy that collapses upon itself into thermal equilibrium.<br /><br /> I have said all of this to admit that I now acknowledge God as truth.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-90795750095789019562008-12-30T15:56:00.002-06:002008-12-30T16:03:50.198-06:00Cryptic PoiseWith an unassuming ascent,<br />Arrives a grace untold.<br />From gold tinted hearts,<br />A Life-Giving gene.<br />That upon a coincidence of place<br />The earth received a brighter face.<br /><br />To dispense neglect to this sweet form,<br />Would be as if to dispel a dove,<br />That brings epistles of bliss in such diffidence,<br />That they remain hidden to man’s sense,<br />Which has been, in its absence,<br />Assigned wholly, to selfishness.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/SVqamdtaTOI/AAAAAAAAAEE/S-UWBd8kOEI/s1600-h/Cryptic+Poise.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/SVqamdtaTOI/AAAAAAAAAEE/S-UWBd8kOEI/s320/Cryptic+Poise.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285707098273500386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In conceit he questions his lot,<br />Until he is painfully snapped down!<br />At the hands of a different, indifferent fate,<br />And the news, that she has passed the heavenly gate.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-59595941942261338482008-12-21T22:49:00.007-06:002009-05-04T14:33:21.662-05:00Like ClockworkLike Clockwork, the moon glides shining to its nest.<br />The watchmen hangs a lantern through twilight,<br />And wonders, if one could trail the moon's flight<br />Through sky, starlight, and cosmic Might?<br /><br />Upon cobblestone, a crooked carriage creaks.<br />Drawn by the gravity of a wicked will,<br />and man's conviction of his superior skill.<br />It's sight set on an incipient light, found over the hills<br /><br />"And far away, it seems-"<br />Said the watchman to his mate-<br />"That a carriage approaches in the dim light."<br />So they drew the curtains tight, and hoped for a safe night.<br /><br />At the crest of the final hill the carriage's axle snapped,<br />And the knave's curses could be heard through the dark yard,<br />As by the time it would take to untangle his muddled fate,<br />The sun would have risen, and caused his aim to appear embarrassingly late.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-21102307837328498432008-12-12T11:10:00.005-06:002008-12-12T13:11:34.925-06:00Inexorable Vegetarianism?I have been thinking a lot about Fate vs. Free Will lately. If there is a god, especially of the Christian form, it would certainly be plausible for such an entity to have the ability to predestine our actions or be of a nature superseding time. The quandary comes when one contemplates an individual's salvation in this setup of a fatalistic ideology. If God has already allotted all of our movements and decisions, then someone who never accepts God is fated by God to his path of 'not accepting God,' and is ultimately chosen by God to be doomed. By the fact that such people exist, what quality of God's nature allows him to do this? How could God doom some and predestine others to heaven? And what a miserable existence it would be for those 'fated' to hell, and how intrinsically arduous it would be to avoid arrogance and piety for those 'fated' to heaven.<br /><br />Needless to say, such a seemingly irrational doctrine is easy to dismiss. However, the primary shadow that paralyzes me in my denial of it is the idea that if there really is a God then such a being would undoubtedly be beyond our nature. And if this creature invented the universe, and us, he would surely have a better knowledge as to what and how we should exist, and perhaps in some ephemeral logic impossible to our minds there exists a justification for a doctrine like Predestination. Moreover, the clay pot does not question its maker as to its purpose or its design; in the same manner who are we to question a Sovereign will above our own?<br /><br />These are simply questions I have been pondering. Questions that deeply perplex me but I have trouble fully and confidently denying.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/SUK2K4lgV5I/AAAAAAAAADs/RCVK6ulyjg4/s1600-h/Charybdis%27+Secret.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/SUK2K4lgV5I/AAAAAAAAADs/RCVK6ulyjg4/s320/Charybdis%27+Secret.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278982011336284050" border="0" /></a><br />Subsequently, for the record, as of today I am a vegetarian, with exception to dairy products, eggs, and an occasional indulgence in sushi. I have embraced this decision after a spontaneous outrage in the inhuman pragmatic nature of America's meat industry, and a realization of the idea "We are what we eat."Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-82193455345989892552008-09-14T20:20:00.005-05:002008-09-14T20:58:23.174-05:00Ayn Rand: Objectivism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/SM3BOEqtLNI/AAAAAAAAADc/lmubZVK5w60/s1600-h/Ayn+Rand.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/SM3BOEqtLNI/AAAAAAAAADc/lmubZVK5w60/s320/Ayn+Rand.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246061588471688402" border="0" /></a><br />Selfishness. Our society defines it, and deems it, morbid and repulsive. Selfishness exists in two forms. The first, selfishness to instincts, where, one acts arbitrarily based on their natural tendencies to eat food, acquire money, have sex, etc. Selfishness in this sense is foolish and pitiful. People bound by this selfishness act only to please their fluctuating whim and opinion. The second form of selfishness is truer to the word's inherent meaning. Selfishness in the refined sense is a quality of existence in which one acts only to please oneself, but on a higher level than instincts only, and with a fully involved conscious. It is this selfishness that Ayn Rand exposes as essential to the life of man.<br /><br /><br />Ayn Rand professes that men be selfish- selfishness, to her, becomes a virtue. Capitalism is then the ultimate economic actualization of this viewpoint under which all men strive towards furthering themselves in society. I am reading Atlas Shrugged, and have already completed The Fountainhead, and I find Ayn Rand's philosophy intriguing. I am enthralled primarily because it seems to connect with me on a deep level. The characters that embody Ayn Rand's virtue of selfishness in her novels are characters that engage their humanity fully, and live for whatever pleases them.<br /><br />You have Howard Roark, an architect, whose sole purpose is to build- create- design. Through this work Roark finds ultimate fulfillment and joy, and as such he pursues it fully. A man with a purpose- that is the goal of a life. Objectivism advocates that men that live to their purpose become complete. These men are uncompromising, and the opinion that matters to them the most is their own. That is one aspect of Objectivism that I find very sensible. So many people corrupt themselves by living off others- "secondhand opinions" Ayn Rand labels them. So many people go shopping for clothes, asking themselves, "How do I look in this- what would other people think?" Very few people trust their own selves enough to abandon the worrisome question of "What do other people think."<br /><br />In its essential meaning, selfishness is incredibly attractive. Ultimately, all men are separate. There should not be and seems not to be any force that commands men to be charitable in any way to their kinsmen. We are all individuals. Remaining true to oneself seems obvious, and is reflected in the multitude of people who pander their own instincts daily, addicted to the first form of selfishness. So why not extend this natural tendency to its true form- to dedicate our actions to really gratifying what we want. If you are interested in cooking food, learn it and open a business, recoil and hide at nothing that tries to stop you. It is not for the money, but for the unparalleled satisfaction that cooking gives yourself. Everyone has certain activities that in some way take them out of the world through the medium of the interest put in it. It is these activities that men should be truly devoted to- as Roark is with architecture.<br /><br />Primarily, what I find in Ayn Rand's work is a complete form a man. Man as he is meant to be. That is appealing, and as much as I find myself naturally compelled to it, I am left with an apprehension that I will confront in another post in the next few days.<br /><br />Also, who is John Galt?Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-65724501439036112132008-07-21T13:47:00.002-05:002008-07-21T14:06:27.812-05:00Oh, Summer.The Earth we live in is bursting with life and activity. Even despite the incessant hum of our engines machines factories trucks, our unending pollution and poison, the Earth prospers and grows, burgeoning with life. To look outside and witness the trees sprouting with color and vibrancy is endearing, to sit by a stream flowing softly can be more pleasant than any transient satisfaction found in television media and music. The world offers a paradise of life so grand and fulfilling, but in nearly every way is overlooked and neglected. Global warming and human extravagance is on the verge of seriously destabilizing the wonderful world we live in.<br /><br />I suppose I am a man of nature by heart, and I gladly accept the thought that one should be capable of surviving without any dependence on physical objects, restraints or distractions. A ascetic philosophy like this lacks practicality, but I wish to hold true to the ideal. As such, I would say that nature in itself offers us everything we need to survive with and learn from. In many ways the tribes of Africa were incredibly more advanced than the greed imperialists that invaded and destroyed them by force.<br /><br />The conventional conception of God relies on some type of life-changing, evangelizing philosophy, which is more dependent on an individual's perception of progress than any real truth. God today offers some type of an escape from the world, and only halfway satisfies the innate longing within people for fulfillment. However, God is merely a simpleton distraction from the truly chaotic and dismantled state of the world. Not a day in history has passed that some civilization on this planet has endured without fighting, robbing, arguing, and killing. Every human holds within himself the ability to improve and surpass the vices the restrict us all. Belief in God does nothing to encourage such a practice.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-681963830006556372008-05-01T14:14:00.003-05:002008-05-01T17:05:52.371-05:00EdwardI was in a park near where I live the other day, of mere coincidence, after buying a cd at nearby Borders. I was parked, in the process of unwrapping the cd, when a homeless, or at least impoverished man approached me. There was no reason to be afraid, this was a friendly park and I have had many experiences like this before. The man, Edward, goes into a story about how his feet hurt really badly, he has diabetes, some mental disorder, this and that, etc. and needs money for a bus fare to return to his home a few cities away. I wanted to mention how the last two times I have been confronted by homeless men looking for money, the reason was the same: money for a bus trip to a nearby city, after being stranded here in some unfortunate manner. It is probably one of the most foolproof justifications to successfully ask for money from a stranger.<br /><br />So the man needed money, and initially I was unwilling and annoyed, and prepared to say no. But he keep talking about this and that, mentioned God, and for some reason I was persuaded to let him know I believed in no such thing. So I told him. I told him I don't believe in God, I haven't for about a year and a half. He was curious as to why, and asked if something really traumatic had happened as the cause, the same question another one of my friends asked me just the other day when I told them the same thing. "No," I said. It was just a feeling, one day I just woke up and knew that I didn't and couldn't believe in God any longer. Incidentally one of my close friends died about two months later, but I can honestly say that played no role in my relationship with religion, and told him that as well. Edward proceeded to say "That's fine that's fine, everyone's got their own opinion and everything," and told me the reason he believed in God was because of his son. He told me that his son had died when he was eight years old and afterward he had nearly abandoned God, but reconsidered for the sole reason that if he was to really believe in God he would have a chance at seeing his son again someday. I decided that was fair and let him know that surely if there was such an "Almighty God" as so many people say there is then He would be capable of solving the mess off this world and setting it all right afterward, and in the meantime I shouldn't worry too much about it. One cannot <span style="font-weight: bold;">decide </span>to believe in something, especially a God, and if one does then that belief is hollow and worthless.<br /><br />Either way, towards the end of this conversation I had an urge to give this guy a $20 bill I had in my wallet. It was not out of compassion, belief in his story, or hope that he would use it for anything approvable, only out of willingness to give it to him. What we do with what we are given is up to us. If he choose to go and buy drugs or alcohol or whatever that is his choice. So I gave him the money, he was extremely grateful, and requested a ride a few miles away to his grandmother's house where he was staying. I agreed, I was headed about that way anyways, and just decided to for the hell of it. We conversed about school, where he is from, what he did when he was younger, which was rope horses apparently, this and that, and eventually arrived at a run-down, pale colored apartment building with red, rusted stairs in the front. I let him out, and my suspicions of his intention were confirmed by his departure. I was skeptical from the start just by the nature of his story, and because I've heard it so many times before, but when I dropped him off, I asked for his name again, and said "You're welcome, I hope you make it back home." He shook my hand lightly, muttered a thanks, not nearly as enthusiastically as he had earlier, left the car, walked across the street, and around to the back of the apartment building without looking back once. As soon as he safely had what he wanted, he was done, and I meant nothing. To me, this is no surprise.<br /><br />The reason I gave him what he wanted was, for one, I do believe in karma, and to some extent what we do will find its way back around to us. However this was not selfishness, I did not act out of hope for some good deed to be returned to me later. Karma establishes a mutual kinship between all humans, and for this world to survive those with power must be willing to give up their power. The eternal struggle between the classes of society, between the rich and poor, between the nobility and the oppressed, is embodied and defeated in the act of honoring another man's humanity and allowing him the trust one would allow anyone else. I never bought the authenticity of Edward's plea. The only tool the impoverished have is authenticity, honestly, or at least apparent honestly, to get what they want. Who am I to blame or condemn them to what we all do, but in different forms?<br /><br />So he took the money and the ride, forgot me, and is off to do whatever the hell he wants. However, had I denied him the money I would not have prevented any self-destructive habit he had, only prolonged him from reaching it. If he wants to damage himself then so be it. The choices we make are ours and ours alone. I let him choose. That power was mine, and hopefully giving him the power to choose was better than actually giving him twenty dollars.<br /><br />But I wonder if it was not all in vain. Futile. He doesn't care, I didn't lose much, he didn't gain much. What does it all matter? Should I have confronted him and asked him the truth? Would he have told me? Probably not. And honestly, I don't know, but truthfully I just felt obligated at the time to give someone else what they were asking for, simply out of my capacity to do so.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-2303232648111659392008-04-03T19:54:00.003-06:002008-04-03T20:06:58.292-06:00What's MissingA scarlet sunset, wistfully I think of<br />Golden air, and the sound of laughter.<br />The dream of a broken heart,<br />In the sight of what's missing.<br /><br />Dark binding bitterness, looming perilously,<br />Casting shadows of suppression and regret,<br />Tearing at the heart, mauling the mind,<br />The silent boast of what's missing.<br /><br />But few care to listen.<br /><br />The hand of a man,<br />looks to console, looks to conciliate.<br />But blindly it moves,<br />with an eye only for itself.<br /><br />Patience it needs, heartlessness it takes,<br />The question of time wasted.<br />The hand grasps, straining,<br />Calls out, writhing.<br /><br />But none can hear, none can hear.<br /><br />Mellow and melancholy,<br />The hand moves dispassionately,<br />Uninterested in that which once held its' full attention,<br />Pondering whether it fate or curse that stole what's missing.<br /><br />The sunset comes and goes, unnoticed, untold.<br />The man considers what exactly it was he lost,<br />Alas, not even he knows,<br />In the sight what's missing, what's missing.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-61696137310370487662008-03-30T22:00:00.003-06:002008-03-30T22:21:52.651-06:00PriesthoodI mentioned previously that I still attend church, despite being an atheist. Tonight, I attended the ordination of one of the church clergymen into priesthood. I was partially reluctant to go at first, because for one I had some work to finish, and for two I am rather disinterested in all the bureaucracy/hierarchy aspects of the church. I cannot manage to make any sense out of the idea that church workers 'rise in authority' like this and require special ceremonies in order to celebrate their 'official' ascendancy throughout the church. As if a document or ceremony could validate a position or mindset. In the same way a diploma does not affirm one's completion of high school an ordination in no way authenticates one's faith. I simply can't get over the multitude of celebrations we humans produce at the expensive of nothing but the expansion of our own egos.<br /><br />It is an interesting side note that the man who was being ordained tonight, whom I happen to know fairly well, is equally repulsed by the idea of merit and quantization of faith the church clergy system generates. His dubious, slightly irritated expression was priceless as the congregation began clapping towards the end of the ritual. Needless to say I clapped no more than for a second, unenthusiastically.<br /><br />One of the vows that was recited before the bishop during the service, read something along the lines of [crudely replicated] "And I promise to conform to the doctrine and belief of the Anglican church" The suggestion that one was to "conform" was rather disarmingly, to me at least, I was surprised it was phrased so abruptly.<br /><br />In any case, it find the practice of authority in the church highly unnecessary, overly excessive, and egotistical. Any overseeing, authoritative body, from a school administrations to a full scale government, should act as an expedient and nothing more. Its only purpose of existence is to facilitate the principle of the system it supports. Anything beyond this becomes superfluous and corrupts the entire body. So it is with the church as well.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-71116306879785300162008-02-13T21:31:00.002-06:002008-02-13T22:17:34.767-06:00The End of FaithI concluded my previous post by saying that the fervor and detailed calculation with which I approached Christianity in my life was the chief factoring in initiating my transition into atheism.<br /><br />I would say I've always been a logical person, attempting to make sense of the world, and incessantly concerned with how I affect it. As I matured as a teenager my scrupulous mindset in coordination with Christianity caused me to begin to define everything in my life through the lens of religion.<br /><br />The impetus for my motivation in this pursuit lay primarily in a youth group trip I took to Chicago one summer, around the general beginning of my 'spiritual maturation' process. We spent a week in the city, and more or less took part in what I would characterize now as positive, revitalizing and refreshing tasks. We rode public transit or walked to wherever we would go, ate at local markets, spent a great deal of time in personal reflection and meditation, practiced yoga in the mornings, and participated in various community service and volunteer projects around the city- all the while throughly enjoying the enlivening company of our friends, whom we all became very close to during and after that week. Generally, I would say our lifestyles that week reflect a simply good life: A life characterized by the embrace of the many qualities that makes us human. For instance it is beyond rejuvenating and exciting to eat fresh fruit bought from local vendors and help out other people through volunteering without an expectation of return. In a general sense these are all simply life-giving activities, activities I believe everyone at some level should be involved in.<br /><br />Now, needless to say, accompanied with our pursuits that week came a vast happiness and enjoyment of life. Unfortunately but understandably I equated this newfound happiness with God, and reasoned that all of our habits that week were somehow linked with the way I was supposed to live if I was a follower of Jesus. And for a good year and half I pursued that, with nearly no luck.<br /><br />After we returned from Chicago I fruitlessly strove to reacquire the delight I had found in there, and ceaselessly conversed with God about how I was supposed to go about this. So for the next two years, I unquestionably believed that there was a way for me to somehow merge my teenage life, all of my emotions and feelings and my school life and family life seamlessly into a network of good will. I subsequently believed that if I could achieve what I understand now as a purely idealistic lifestyle, I would become happy. Note grave mistake number 1: Expecting happiness as a result of my actions.<br /><br />So time passed on, and yes I was completely unsuccessful in achieving my quixotic lifestyle. However, the primary method I used to analyze my success happened to be logic. Perhaps all my thoughts were grouped in a 'conversation' with God, but more or less the rules of reason and logic defined that conversation rather than uncertainty and faith. My faith was in the authenticity of the life I was trying to led. The reason and logic led me to attempt to change a situation in my life that was directly affecting me and causing me great harm and despair. Similarly to how many Christians feel the need to proselytize themselves I felt the pull to attempt to conciliate what I perceived as completely unjust situations in my life, with the anticipation that doing so would help to achieve the fanciful life I imagined.<br /><br />Thus I ventured at remedying this situation to absolutely no avail except my own demise. I was nearly completely unsuccessful. The significance of this failure here is that I fully expected to succeed because I blindly believed God had the intention of setting the world right, and I was certain that the situations I was endeavoring to remedy would fit right in with that plan of his. Thus, when the tangible realities of both collapsed down upon me, their correspondingly symbolic and emotional counterparts also disintegrated. In such a manner, without even knowing it, my faith in God simply disappearing, and gradually I begin to realize I no longer believed in God.<br /><br />At least in my story, that process is the most important, because it was no analysis of the plausibility of God or anything of that nature that brought about my atheism, but instead the breakdown of the mental realities I had constructed to sustain God. In that context I find my definition of belief: A mental framework established subconsciously of some thought or ideal that does more to self assure oneself of our one's security rather than actually identify any truth in the world.<br /><br />Anyhow, so when the external implications of my belief in God, as I had defined them, were lost, my internal beliefs were lost with them. And like I said, I slowly realized that I simply didn't, just didn't, believe in God any more. And that was that, there was indeed no turning back. Then till now as been a slow progression towards a deeper interaction with reality, a stronger yearning to experience truth, and a much more poignant perception of my responsibility as a human in this world. Then till now I 'm still learning.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-38755463791565671582008-02-05T23:15:00.000-06:002008-02-06T00:25:26.988-06:00Stories from the CocoonI have yet to devote any posting material to the subject of how I actually became an atheist, and I find here and now a good place to start. So I begin with who I was before.<br /><br />I was raised as a Christian, and have only really attended two different churches in my lifetime. It is important to note that neither of these churches had any association with the purely dogmatic, stereotypical understanding of a church in a modern sense, and I still respect that veracity of some of the things they preached.<br /><br />The existence of God was always an immutable concept in my mind, a quality of reality that was gradually built into my perception and conscience. I would say that the initial institution of this belief as a child is an awful thing, for what does a child know but what his parents and the world tells him? At that age it is as easy to accept the existence of God as it is to accept the existence of Santa Claus. Fortunately, that metaphor holds true to on the back end as it does on the front end.<br /><br />I digress. As I developed my own thoughts and opinions, and began to interact within this world, the preestablished notion of an 'all powerful being' worked its way throughout my head and logic. The patterns I utilized to make sense of various happenings as well as more permanent ones were infused with the likelihood that a God was acting and moving within all of it, with some perceivable purpose. Anything that was to occur, my mind- the subtle thought process that would begin to analyze i- would include God into the equation of comprehension. Whether it was why I had missed a goal in a soccer game or how I ended up with such an ignorant mother, it was all the same- God always found some place in it. The gentle voice inside my head that would narrate my life became a conversation with God in many senses, perpetually asking questions in the direction of a supernatural being with the expectation of somehow accruing an epiphany from it. Come to think of it, ultimately I had no belief in God that wasn't inspired by natural events that I had associated with the existence of God. The strange way in which we can easily reassure ourselves of some internalized notion that makes our lives easier is very frightening in the context of belief in God.<br /><br />Many people hope for certain dreams, little and big, and imagine that were these dreams to come true many of the problems they experience in their lives would disappear. In fact, perhaps the source of false dreams like "as soon as I can get this particular job such and such problem would be gone" lies within a human tendency towards escapism and avoiding the reality of life. It is inconceivably easier to drop all of the real responsibility of our lives into the lap of some omnipotent being with the expectation that all is either in control or will be well. Antithetically, abandoning God does not led towards apathy, but instead towards a heightened sense of accountability, and in my opinion and much more connected perspective with the world and people around us.<br /><br />So I grew up as a child and eventually a teenager and integrated God deeply within my subconscious. The nefarious dearth of reason that resulted grew to the extent that at one point I firmly believed that a few important decisions I made were acutely intertwined with some halcyon paradise God had in store for me. In retrospect these decisions were foolish to a degree I could not foresee on the front end, and I deeply regret them now.<br /><br />Essentially, God had become an irrevocable part of me. The best explanation of this relationship is that God was an attribute, and abutment, to my conscience, my internal thinking mechanism. God was controlled by me, influenced by the capricious fate that guided my life, and subject to the vacillating attitudes pressed upon me by the church I attended. Prayer was something that I believed would make me into a better person, prayer at least in the context of meditation, however was always limited to my expectation of visceral nirvana, and never inspired by necessity but rather by belied obligation.<br /><br />I would say that altogether humans are silly creatures, with immense capabilities but great predilections towards ignorance and stupidity. Religion is the vice that takes hold of the gullible heart at an early age and warps it into something unrecognizable. Indeed, the forces that work against enlightenment are not limited to religion, instead they consist of the full gamut of natural human responses and instincts intended to avoid problems. Instead, the common favor of religion in humans is best described as an innate behavior intended to shield individuals from reality. Within this esoteric mess of ideas, belief, or at least the belief one has a belief, can be most virulent. For belief, I leave another post.<br /><br />So, albeit my lack of details, I arrive to my earlier teenager years with a strong reliance on and relationship with God . And in a 'To Be Continued' sense I will say that paradoxically the strength with which I believed in God as well as my dependency of the authenticity of what I learned at church, almost directly caused my renunciation of faith.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-68837669860349901842008-01-28T21:25:00.000-06:002008-01-28T22:03:32.785-06:00Ignorance is not BlissSomething I absolutely cannot stand is ignorance. It enrages me to see people acting with complete disregard to what another person has done for them when they have every reason to do the opposite. Reciprocity and mutuality are characteristics inherent in the concept of 'getting along with other people.' Humans must be extremely vigilant to situations in which someone might be caught acting in their favor, so that they can adequately return such behavior to the initial giver. Munificence in this aspect is crucial in establishing real relationships with other people.<br /><br />It is embarrassing to see another person neglect the kind actions someone else has conducted for them. Indifference to another man is of the most virulent nature. The degree to which we can respect and honor each other through actions without the expectancy of return is near the degree to which our society survives, flourishes and blossoms. In the same sense, disregarding the caring behavior of another can have the worst of depressing effects on the original person who was only acting to benefit one of their fellow human beings in the first place.<br /><br />Is it so hard to grasp the concept of reciprocal deference!!?? It brings me to the greatest confines of my patience to witness such harmful exchanges to the emotional and physical demise my friends! Ignorance and indifference to each other is what breaks our world! If someone insults you intentionally and for reasonable cause it is much less harmful then when someone forgets to recognize that you even exist and your actions could possibly be in the intention of their goodness! My heart is ravaged at the thought of apathy to this degree!<br /><br />The origins of these ravings lies in a conversation that I happened to be spectator of earlier today. I refuse to enter into details here, but I will say that I observed directly the excruciating effects of the indifference I expounded upon above to someone I hold in high regard- to the point where- during a terse conversation I had within them afterward, they could barely come to answer my simple questions about unrelated subjects for their mind was so preoccupied and agitated. The result of the indifference is what brings my mind to a grinding halt and causes me so much strife.<br /><br />People who live benevolently don't deserve in any measure the suffering they are forced to endure at the hands of those who live without chancing a thought on how their actions might effect others. My patience is beginning to waver without stop for bastards like that. People- please get yourselves together! Simply reciprocity requires nothing of us, have a little sense and live up to your expectations of citizens of our world!<br /><br />Indeed, perhaps our very survival relies on it.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-48197386302776747682008-01-26T20:21:00.000-06:002008-01-26T20:28:44.367-06:00Recalcitrance joins Atheist Blogroll!So I have officially joined the Atheist <a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://mojoey.blogspot.com/2006/09/join-mojoeys-atheist-blogroll.html">Blogroll</a>!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cheers!</span><br /><br />Let the anti-Christianity Revolution begin!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R5vsNqkGIEI/AAAAAAAAACc/njOmCPfCBbY/s1600-h/Anti+Christianity+Campaign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R5vsNqkGIEI/AAAAAAAAACc/njOmCPfCBbY/s320/Anti+Christianity+Campaign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159977517591175234" border="0" /></a>Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-71329769018947739532008-01-23T23:55:00.000-06:002008-01-23T23:58:32.527-06:00Discernment in the Wake of Tragic Fate<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:130%;" >That it will never come again<br />Is what makes life so sweet.<br /> -Emily Dickinson</span><br /><br />The Pursuit of Happiness is at the forefront of the majority of humanity’s thoughts and imaginations in the current mainstream and sub stream cultures in the United States as well as around the world. Even if not apparent, every human in the modern world, subconsciously or consciously, introspectively reflects on their own state of being- on what drives them mad, on what brings them contentment, and on what kind of life they are living. Such ponderings are evident in a Time Magazine poll entitled Just How Happy Are We? In which over three-fourths of Americans categorize themselves as happy most if not all the time. These are rather surprising findings, for in a world so disconnected and chaotic, being able to truly say that you are happy is a very complex and sublime statement. I might argue that the polling base of Time’s poll was skewed, that it’s participants had incongruous understandings of happiness, or that it’s participants only had a superficial, cursory experience of real happiness in their lives. Or perhaps my overcritical view of happiness is unable to fit in with Time’s poll.<br /><br />Perhaps such a limited and restrained view of real happiness is the greatest impediment in actually achieving happiness; the false hopes that society and popular culture advertise may restrict the imaginations of the common man to understand what it really entails to become happy. In fact, perhaps stories of wasted extravagance seen so commonly on the news have such a pull on the common man’s interest because within us all lies a latent displeasure with our lives and a desire to make them better. The degree to which American culture is saturated with images, stories, movies, propaganda, and advertisements having to do with everything visceral, everything esteemed to be of value by popular culture, evinces the presence of this indwelling dissent.<br /><br />In the words of <a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://www.paris-expat.com/interviews/07-04_mayle.html">Peter Mayle</a> the good life appears to be solely “a succession of golden moments shared by young, attractive people with superb dentistry and no weight problems if viewed through the lens the mass media.” Such an exceptional fascination of perfect people living perfect lives may stem from our dissatisfaction with our own lives, and symbolically represent how unfulfilling that ‘idyllic’ way of life really is. Ironically, our pursuit of what we believe to be the good life may not only be misled but its very pursuit may hinder our own ability to discern what the good life really is. So then, what is the good life?<br /><br />Such a question comes with motley assumptions and generalities. Mayle comes to the conclusion through experience that the good life is the “gradual accumulation of habits, friends and possessions-the moss we gather around us-that provide regular, sustained enjoyment.” Mayle’s forthcoming distinctions of such a life dictated by this view entail a certain devotion of money to become effective, a certain devotion of money that not everyone is capable of. For this reason, Mayle’s definition does not satisfy me, for I seek a definition more applicable to the entirety of humanity, regardless of class, statues, situation, location, or circumstance. Upon asking my mother she stated that in her opinion “the good life is a life lived of things one loves to do, with close friends and a steady devotion to improving the lives of desperation in the world.” Certainly in a world so arbitrarily mutating and transforming a reliance on something as transient as materialism is a risky venture. I also have great faith in the principle that typically, excluding situations of direct oppression or tyranny, every human has the capacity to at least be content with who they are day in and day out despite however much adversity and misfortune they may find stacked up against them. I believe that there is one fundamentally important quality in the realization of this philosophy: the understanding that in every circumstance we as humans do have the capacity to enjoy contentment, and equally the majority of cant issued forth which ostensibly claims to define the good life, is incidentally, sorely mistaken. From this point on, it is most reliable to pursue one’s own instinct to define what the good life entails, rather than rely on a strict definition, however I will proceed to describe what I envision such a life to be.<br /><br />For myself I would say that the most reliable definition of the good life is this: The good life is the life that results from the eager embrace of the gamut of qualities about oneself that are wholly and completely unique and exclusive to one’s character. I firmly believe that every person contains within themselves particular qualities which when expressed through their work, relationships, or study, essentially complete their character. The significance of acting with the intention to further your personality, perhaps, to become more in touch with your soul, is that there is little expectation for material reward, and more importantly there is no prerequisite of material possession. Everyone no matter who or where they are is gifted with the capacity to connect and relate to those around them, and make choices about their own lives. It is in these choices that the sacred is separated from the mundane, that beauty is distinguished from disorder, and that fulfillment is found in the least likely places. For in this ideology the good life slowly becomes a life no longer dictated by an expectation of tangible reward, but instead a life of gradual acceptance of the tumultuous storm of finality known as fate and a growing devotion to living in spite of it.<br /><br />When I took Biology a few years ago I enjoyed the class to a level that I did not expect. It was not so much the particular subject, nor the people in the class, nor the teacher, but the reality of how I decided to engage the class that brought me such great joy during the year. As I reflect back on that year I feel as that it would be an accurate statement to say that part of my natural disposition includes a likeness to learning, and in an environment as fortunately facilitated as that class was, my subconscious affinity for education surfaced, and I was honestly quite happy during that time. It is necessary to remark that my friends in the class were indispensable in the context of how events turned out, which points out another critical point: The best way to go about discovering who we are is through other people. Friends are some of the most valuable resources we are gifted with, and to recognize how important they truly are is a significant portion in the process of actually realizing the good life for ourselves. Equally, I would say that all humans share an instinctive, universal inclination, towards connection with other people, whether it be a deep romantic relationship or simple friendship. The acceptance of this quality of being a human is also fundamental in achieving happiness. I have found in many cases despite what the reality of my life is, friends can bring me simple joy that just can’t be found in other places. Undoubtedly, friends play a crucial role in the good life.<br /><br />Overall, the physical interpretations of what the good life is should be discarded in the pursuit of happiness, however even then lies a deeper impression within us that living correctly is analogous to feeling good. Perhaps instead feeling joy is finding contentment and truth in the midst of difficulties that seem to never leave. The uncertainty of life calls for one to seemingly be constantly prepared for the unthinkable, and constantly attempting the undoable, however from my experience I have at least learned that this perception is very self destructive. In this context it is indispensable to accept the fact that the life we envision as being perfect is not only empty but also nearly implausible of ever occurring. The continual pursuit of a personal imagination of happiness, separate from public opinion and influence, is key in truly discovering true happiness. Forbearance and an open mind are the best tools in this journey. Throughout such a life, I will hopefully unearth the elusive joy that seems so fleeting, but yet so necessary to survival. In this unfaltering mindset of resistance and flexibility the basis for living benevolently is finally found. I will conclude with a quote from the Buddha, which I find especially relevant in the context of abandoning societies views and establishing new, personal views of the world:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. –Buddha</span></span>Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-48125072450398260682008-01-17T17:15:00.000-06:002008-01-17T17:37:15.023-06:00What Are We Doing, Anyway?If but in this ephemeral existence man could allot a fraction of his life in devotion to someone else, I would deem his life virtuous. The greatest vice of mankind is selfishness: nearly every harmful sin is an expression of it. The merit of a life worth living does not lie in the degree to which oneself finds satisfaction, but the degree to which one satisfies others. Men may be remembered for their pure or evil deeds, or their contributions to the knowledge of mankind, or their incredible talents, or their innovative inventions- but even after one has achieved these things is his or her life really lived holistically? It is an easy persuasion that the 'perfect life' advocated through popular culture is a translucent one, unpractical and of minimum value. Ultimately, if we can bring joy to someone else's life through the way we live- well what other higher goal could one have? Altruism has simple expectations of return, and no prerequisites for participation. I am highly convinced of the veracity of karma, and a life lived through humanistic charity would prove favorable in every aspect.<br /><br />Besides, in our self-seeking nature we often miss the rare beauty that falls into our lives before it slips through the cracks of fate.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-90692040532260079052008-01-12T19:52:00.000-06:002008-01-12T20:11:51.229-06:00Black Holes Post #1So this will be the first of a continuity of posts including information about black holes, something I am extremely interested in.<br /><br /> This particular article about newly discovered black holes entitled <span style="font-style: italic;"><a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7183068.stm">Thin Galaxies Harbour Big Secret</a> </span>describes how black holes may exist in the centers of <span style="font-style: italic;">flat</span> galaxies, galaxies without the large bulge in the center, usually apparent when viewed from the side. Such bulges were thought to be directed linked to the size of a black hole that could form within a galaxy, but new research has discovered seven black holes that exist within galaxies that lack such bulges.<br /><br />Anyhow, just a bit of interesting info. Cheers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R4lx5cj9jQI/AAAAAAAAACE/LSTq4d147x0/s1600-h/Black+Holes.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R4lx5cj9jQI/AAAAAAAAACE/LSTq4d147x0/s320/Black+Holes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154776480235752706" border="0" /></a>Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-55037468322504008072008-01-08T22:27:00.000-06:002008-01-13T18:00:42.097-06:00Tabula Rasa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R4qmGsj9jRI/AAAAAAAAACM/H7WJIVjKI1Q/s1600-h/tabula-rasa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R4qmGsj9jRI/AAAAAAAAACM/H7WJIVjKI1Q/s320/tabula-rasa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155115357450374418" border="0" /></a>Tabula Rasa.<br /><br />The ancient term originating from Latin referring to the concept that humans enter the world without any ideas, and effectively learn everything that makes up their growing world as they develop. Now, although I am an atheist I am in the favor of the thought that there may yet be more to this world than meets the eye. I frequently ponder fate and destiny and would feel relieved if I knew my actions had any higher consequences than the literal and physical results of them. I am partial to the careful and introspective thoughts and aspirations of Buddhism in that consideration.<br /><br />Now, the point of saying that is to say that lately I have noticed a particularly recurrent theme in nature and life. Life is very forgiving. The Earth is forgiving. Nature is forgiving.<br /><br />In my optimistic, idealist nature I would like to attribute this fact to the possibility that there is something of transcendent ability that guides these natural themes. I should make it clear that I have absolutely no interest to believe in any God, especially of this world, ever again, however such thoughts are very inviting to my conscience.<br /><br />Lately I have found particular good fortune in waking up every morning and having a chance to start anew, that through trial and error I may achieve refinement. In this manner it is refreshing that any menial mistakes I make ultimately only hurt me as much as I let them. For me this is important because I have made a lot of foolish, harmful decisions in the past year, and I am realizing that bad habits die hard, very hard. A long time I have been trapped in the ignorantly idealist mindset that I will eventually cross the chasm of redemption instantaneously, partly because I do not know the best way to go about changing how I live, and partly because I do not want to deal with whatever that change may entail. Either way I am certain resolute, steadfast will power and determination are imperative to such a process, and that my decisions during such will prove to determine what type of person I become.<br /><br />In this process, I am relieved to find again and again that I may start over, that I have a tabula rasa in the form of my actions. Another encouraging point is that struggling feels a lot more difficult and real now that I no longer ask God to do everything for me, for then the ignorantly idyllic mindset I spoke of earlier is impaired tenfold.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-13813625281693055432008-01-06T22:22:00.000-06:002008-01-06T22:31:43.063-06:002008 Political DebatesI mentioned in the last post that many people in today’s world are more likely to stress their opponent’s flaws rather than focus on what they truly believe in.<br /><br />This comment was inspired by the fact that the current televised political debates on CNN, which I am watching right now, display mainstream candidates who appear to be more erudite in their competitors’ past decisions than they are on what they really intend to do and believe in. They all seem especially learned in the many things each of them has wavered on, all the positions that they have fluctuated on in the past years, and more likely to point out each others faults rather than focus on their personal intents as President.<br /><br />Granted, it is easy to criticize, but I feel increasingly uneasy as I observe their debates, which commonly appear more like arguments. It makes me worried for our country, I wonder if there is anyone left with the strength of character that was witnessed in the great statures of Ronald Regan, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and many others.<br /><br />Also, John Edwards did just make an exception speech concerning medical insurance and lobbying in Washington.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R4GrBcj9jOI/AAAAAAAAAB0/8-ICFqsTexM/s1600-h/Presidential+Debates.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R4GrBcj9jOI/AAAAAAAAAB0/8-ICFqsTexM/s320/Presidential+Debates.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5152587490023804130" border="0" /></a>Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-7182447556766424202008-01-06T20:38:00.000-06:002008-01-06T22:24:45.596-06:00Atheism: Religion Philosophy or What?I've generally picked up on the feeling through a handful of blog posts and my own experience that one of the strongest disadvantages or negatives of atheism is that there is virtually no sense of community, especially in comparison to organized religion. This is most likely because atheism is a very modern conviction -something new- that has not had a significant time to develop, therefore very few large atheist groups exist. Indeed, the lack of companionship can be upsetting, for there is no platform to test one's feelings and ideas and experience solidarity as a community in , something vital to the existence of any particular ideology.<br /><br />Now, if one truly considers atheism as a religion, not in the strictest of terms, but at least in the sense that it is a uniform ideology that holds a collection of adherents, the current absence of community is truly problematic. However, the thought of regarding atheism as a religion incites great apprehension in my heart, for many of my complaints with modern religions hold basis in the fact that they become spoiled when applied dogmatically and methodically. I am fearful that atheism would share many of the corrosive traits religions share today if standardized in such a way. Of course, this trepidation is perhaps overstated, for in my conception atheism is a humanist philosophy, and lacks central tenets or doctrine. More importantly, atheism does not claim to steward its' power from the divine or supernatural, a trait that is quickly abused in religions to the worst of consequence.<br /><br />So I would pose the question- What is the future of atheism? Should it be considered a philosophy with particular beliefs and followers, or should any official classification be avoided? Could atheism possibly end up with many of the negative effects common in current religions as time passes?<br /><br />In my opinion I would advocate that any unified system or institution intended to promote and officiate atheism should be delineated to the simplest of terms. If individuals should aspire to meet and discuss atheism then so be it: few things are more valuable than personal growth stemming from curiosity and conversation. However, when atheists attempt to adopt an agenda which undermines or intentionally subverts religion is when atheism becomes something no longer helpful and instead harmful to the general interest of society.<br /><br />In today's world, religions, politicians, advertisers, and many others, speak much more of the imperfections and weaknesses of their adversaries rather than simply concerning themselves with whatever it is they profess to be true. It may be that individuals and groups gain their identity in many ways from how they are different from others, but in the case of personal belief solitary development should trump contention at any level. An athlete accomplishes nothing when pointing out the ways in which he or she is better than others, but only by competing and training in the sport that they compete in do they become truly better.<br /><br />My point is that I think the potential of a world void of a God is vast and untapped, and that humanity would do well in discovering its full ability if it was to relentlessly pursue the depths of its scientific and experiential existence. The official form and structure of atheism should be given no thought, instead humans should focus their attention on what their world would look like without God, and what good they could do in such a world.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-56633271921841481102007-12-31T01:34:00.000-06:002007-12-31T01:56:09.308-06:00New Years ReflectionsIt is the last day of what has been an arduously long, long, long year, and I am up late pondering all that has transpired these last three hundred and sixty five days.<br /><br />I am one for anniversaries; I usually remember any particular event which holds any significance to me during appropriate time intervals. And in this particular case the New Years roughly marks my acceptance of the fact that I was an atheist. November of last year was certainly the defining month, in which a lot of strong assumptions I had collapsed and I was slowly left to deal with the reality that a lot of the faith I had put into God was for naught, however, during that month and the following I was more or less in a state of mixed emotions and confusion and had little time to really reflect upon my altered perspectives.<br /><br />During the latter part of Christmas however I began to accept that the beliefs I had held, the subconscious relationship I had with God, was no more, and no matter how I tried I could not retrieve it, no matter if I wanted to or not. Thus began a mental and physical transition in which I had to make sense of a world more or less new to me, and deal with many things I had taken for granted that were no longer so simple.<br /><br />The one major change that has occurred since then in comparison with my Christian perspective concerns how I interact with feelings and reality. As an atheist I feel as if I have a much closer connection to the world because my actions can no longer be attributed to the 'Will of God.' Equally, I feel much more in touch with my own emotions, thoughts, and actions, because I no longer have a secondary thought process attempting to equate my behavior and thoughts with Christian ideology.<br /><br />Moreover, I generally feel more in control of who I am as a person, and it is not necessarily a fantastic feeling, it simply feels ... right. I hope that now I can mean what I say and my act accordingly. Ideally, everything I do is simply me, there are no ulterior motives or two faced mindsets. Either way, it is a good feeling, not physically beneficial, but I seem to have a more wholesome attitude about life nowadays.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-81697111155139830872007-12-29T20:04:00.000-06:002007-12-29T20:39:06.228-06:00"Jesus Loves You"Incidentally, despite my atheist beliefs, I continue to attend church. This is due to three primary reasons: (1) I have been an atheist for barely over a year, and still have many dear friends that I would only see at church. (2) If I chose to openly disclose my atheism I would be confronted with a lot of bothersome social baggage that I would rather avoid at this point in my life. (3) It also so happens that the church I attend is, at least as far as I can tell, one of the closest replicas of how I believe Christian church is supposed to be. There are no abusive priests, sermons about the dangers of hellfire and sin, and more or less the church clergy and members are more concerned with altruism than the unceremonious bigotry and guile of stereotypical churches these days. I wish to avoid sounding ostentatious or conceited when I say that, but it is true that the 'maturity' -if you will- of the particular church I attend spares me of being disgusted or angry whenever I am there.<br /><br />So, that being said, I attended the Christmas services held at my church very recently. Something particular caught my attention during one of these services, something that I had never observed before. One of the priests, after serving the children or teenagers communion at the front of the church, would say the usual line "the blood of Christ, blah blah blah," but then followed it by "Jesus Loves You." Now, although such a statement may seem perfectly normal, it certainly was not something I was expecting. Additionally-it might have only been my individual perception- but I could swear that I noted a slight tinge of uncertainty and hesitation in his voice as he said it. Perhaps this was due to the fact that it is certainly an odd thing to say to someone, that Jesus loves them, not that I doubt his personal conviction of the words he spoke, but simply that it caught my attention. It was certainly an uncommon and interesting experience for me.<br /><br />Now, beyond the superficial matters of that anecdote, it was even stranger to me why the priest would feel obligated to make such a statement. Saying "Jesus loves you" in my opinion implies that the recipient of such a comment is in some way in need of encouragement, or is perceived to be in a time of ambiguity or confusion in his or her life and requires advice. Perhaps, considering the season, the priest intended it as a reminder or some sort, but it stills seemed to me then and especially now upon reflection an awkward and obscure thing to say, at least in the setting I encountered it in.<br /><br />Anyway just some thought.Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8700919383624298794.post-44425245615684613482007-12-26T15:21:00.000-06:002008-01-06T22:25:20.667-06:00Separation of Church and State<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R3MaHsj9jII/AAAAAAAAABA/FzOHckKHA2o/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_yiXGhOFu5oc/R3MaHsj9jII/AAAAAAAAABA/FzOHckKHA2o/s320/Picture+1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5148487518538009730" border="0" /></a><br />Mike Huckabee has appeared in recent news due to his involvement with churches during the Christmas season. I do not intend to insult or judge Mr. Huckabee, only to use these incidents as case studies for what I feel one should not do in politics: <span style="font-weight: bold;">combine belief and</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">diplomacy.</span><br /><br />To begin with, in what has been dubbed a <a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071226/30643_American_Christianity_Remains_Strong_in_2007.htm">largely Christian Nation</a>, any politician should be aware that openly declaring his or her support or belief in Christianity carries with it prolific societal implications and associations. Despite the ostensible excuse of “reminding people there’s a time for political things and this is not one of them,” by declaring "Merry Christmas! Jesus is Lord!” as a politician one inextricably links his or her campaign with religion. It is impossible to justify such actions with the defense that there is a time for politics and there is a time for religion, for although this is true, a politician breaks this pact when he or she stands in front of <a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071225/30638_Huckabee_Defends_Jesus_as_Point_of_Christmas.htm">5,500 people and asserts his or her faith or belief.</a> Such an act bonds ones' political and religious character together, creating many unnecessary and unhelpful results.<br /><br />Although one's decisions as a lawmaker may not be affected by publicly declaring one's beliefs or not-that is to say an individual's strong faith would cause them to make certain decisions regardless of whether or not they use their faith as a political tool- publicly associating oneself with a particular religion does nothing but ostracize some potential voters and cheaply persuade others. The point here is that there is no way to include religion in politics that would not play in some way to the interest or disinterest of the candidate, and because religion is such a personal, and in many cases arbitrary predicament, politicians should sidestep involvement in such ignobly sleazy tactics.<br /><br />Clearly, despite outwardly professing <span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">that one is "not here to make a political statement or deliver a political message," by simply appearing and speaking at a church </span></span>one gains the support of the "evangelical community" eager to "<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">hear something good about a candidate from someone they trust through a religious network." The full effects of Mr. Huckabee's political strategies can be found <a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/122407dntexhuckabee.2b8de7b.html">here.</a><br /><br />A candidate who understands the particular distinction between church and state will have my vote, unfortunately in our world religion has become much more of a tool used to manipulate citizen's opinions rather than a practice of a self fulfilling life which benefits others. For if one was to truly understand the concept of benefiting others they would put as much distance between public relations and religious affiliations as possible.<br /></span></span>Nice and Bluehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12887150982263566095noreply@blogger.com0