On her first day of work, my co-worker mentioned that she loves Captain America, while showing me her Captain America belt buckle. This was exciting for me, as I am a huge Marvel Comics nerd. I went into a long schpeil about Silver Surfer, the comic I’ve been reading lately. When I stopped to take a breath, she interrupted, “Well, I’ve never actually read any comic books.”
This is very confusing for me. How can you say you like a comic book character and not have read their comic? It instantly reminded me of another co-worker who said he liked jazz. I asked, “Oh, yeah, like who?” He replied, “Well, I don’t know any of their names but my grandpa used to play old jazz records when I was a kid and I really liked those.”
Or how about this one, based on an actual conversation:
Them: “I’m a big St. Louis Cardinals fan.”
Me: “Oh, you must be excited- they are only two games back and have a chance to take the NL Central, especially since the Brewers have been playing so poorly lately.”
Them: Oh, I don’t actually follow baseball…”
If you like something, you are going to seek it out and learn as much as you can about it. Don’t tell me you love it if you don’t know anything about it. Maybe I’m just getting hung up on semantics; if she had said she “admired” or “appreciated” Captain America, I probably wouldn’t have found the statement so annoying.
I told my co-worker it sounded to me more like she liked the idea of Captain America. To demonstrate my point, I asked her which Captain America she liked. Predictably, she didn’t even know there was more than one. (Admittedly, Steve Rogers is the real Captain America, but there have been numerous others. Upon further consideration, I realize this may have been too much of a trick question and wish I had instead asked her what she thought about Bucky, which any Captain America fan would know is his sidekick.) I asked her how one can like something that they know nothing about. She abruptly ended the conversation by stating “That’s just how I am, you’ll have to get used to it.”
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Shower
The shower is the greatest invention of all time. If I were on a deserted island and could only have one thing, it would be a shower with hot and cold purified water that never ran out of heat or water. It cleans, warms (in winter), cools (in summer) and hydrates. There are other things I’d probably want, such as fire, a knife, an axe, a blanket, some rope and toilet paper, but I could be perfectly content without those things. I wouldn’t even need a towel! If I found an isolated area with nothing but wilderness and a shower for miles around, I’d never come back.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Milestones
One time I took one of those email surveys that someone had forwarded to me. One of the questions was “If you could have written one song, which song would it be?” I had never pondered the question before and found it an interesting one. The first song to come to mind was “Straight, No Chaser,” by Thelonious Monk.
As a senior in high school, it was one of the first songs that I transcribed by listening to it over and over again and writing it out one note at a time. That and “Dr. Jekyll” by Jackie McLean, which I recorded into a mini recorder so I could play it back at half speed. And then I tried to figure out “Two Bass Hit” by John Lewis. I first heard all these songs on Miles Davis’ album Milestones, which was the third or fourth CD I ever bought. I consequently went out and bought more Miles (Nefertiti and Filles de Killamanjaro), as well as Monk’s Misterioso, McLean’s Destination Out and Lewis’ group The Modern Jazz Quartet’s Django.
The Modern Jazz Quartet was a bore, I didn’t know what to make of Destination Out, the drumming on Nefertiti was the best I’d ever heard and Monk’s compositions absolutely blew me away. Thus my self-education continued, as I bought albums by Miles’ drummer (Tony Williams’ Emergency) and more Monk (Thelonious In Action and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk).
Anyway, I decided not to put “Straight, No Chaser.” I reconsidered that a better answer would be something by my all-time favorite composer Charles Mingus, but I ended up putting “Black Dog,” by Led Zeppelin. I figured it would have been better to have written a song that actually made money.
Led Zeppelin “Black Dog”
Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move
Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove.
Oh, oh, child, way you shake that thing
Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting.
Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, can’t keep away.
(chorus) ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah. ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah.
I gotta roll, can’t stand still,
Got a flame in my heart, can’t get my fill,
Eyes that shine burning red,
Dreams of you all through my head.
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah.
Hey, baby, oh, baby, pretty baby,
Tell me what you do me now.
(repeat)
Didn’t take too long fore I found out
What people mean my down and out.
Spent my money, took my car,
Started tellin’ her friends she wants to be a star.
I don’t know but I been told
A big legged woman ain’t got no soul.
(chorus) ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah. ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah.
All I ask for when I pray,
Steady rollin’ woman gonna come my way.
Need a woman gonna hold my hand
And tell me no lies, make me a happy man.
As a senior in high school, it was one of the first songs that I transcribed by listening to it over and over again and writing it out one note at a time. That and “Dr. Jekyll” by Jackie McLean, which I recorded into a mini recorder so I could play it back at half speed. And then I tried to figure out “Two Bass Hit” by John Lewis. I first heard all these songs on Miles Davis’ album Milestones, which was the third or fourth CD I ever bought. I consequently went out and bought more Miles (Nefertiti and Filles de Killamanjaro), as well as Monk’s Misterioso, McLean’s Destination Out and Lewis’ group The Modern Jazz Quartet’s Django.
The Modern Jazz Quartet was a bore, I didn’t know what to make of Destination Out, the drumming on Nefertiti was the best I’d ever heard and Monk’s compositions absolutely blew me away. Thus my self-education continued, as I bought albums by Miles’ drummer (Tony Williams’ Emergency) and more Monk (Thelonious In Action and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers With Thelonious Monk).
Anyway, I decided not to put “Straight, No Chaser.” I reconsidered that a better answer would be something by my all-time favorite composer Charles Mingus, but I ended up putting “Black Dog,” by Led Zeppelin. I figured it would have been better to have written a song that actually made money.
Led Zeppelin “Black Dog”
Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move
Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove.
Oh, oh, child, way you shake that thing
Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting.
Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, can’t keep away.
(chorus) ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah. ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah.
I gotta roll, can’t stand still,
Got a flame in my heart, can’t get my fill,
Eyes that shine burning red,
Dreams of you all through my head.
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah.
Hey, baby, oh, baby, pretty baby,
Tell me what you do me now.
(repeat)
Didn’t take too long fore I found out
What people mean my down and out.
Spent my money, took my car,
Started tellin’ her friends she wants to be a star.
I don’t know but I been told
A big legged woman ain’t got no soul.
(chorus) ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah. ah yeah, ah yeah, ah, ah, ah.
All I ask for when I pray,
Steady rollin’ woman gonna come my way.
Need a woman gonna hold my hand
And tell me no lies, make me a happy man.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Brazil
Brazil, the movie by Terry Gilliam, made its debut in 1985. The first thing the movie draws your attention to are the omni-present ducts. These are an obvious metaphor for the Internet. Oh, wait, this movie was made in1985? The next thing the movie draws your attention to is a terrorist attack. This is an obvious reference to Bush’s War on Terrorism. Oh, wait, this movie was made in1985? All right, all right- you get the idea. Although I wish the explanation for how this film so perfectly relates to today was that Gilliam has first-hand experience of the time travel that is the topic of his12 Monkeys, unfortunately it is probably more accurate to say it is demonstrative of the fact the history tends to repeat itself.
I surmise that the movie is called Brazil either because it brings to mind a tropical paradise destroyed by human industry or because Gilliam just really wanted to use the creepily cheerful song, “Aquarela do Brasil”, that plays throughout the movie. It takes place in what I can only call the “retro-future.” Reminiscent of those 50’s sci-fi flicks in which the futuristic gadgets look suspiciously like they’re from the 50’s, in Brazil robots look like erector sets, computers are little more than typewriters and instruments of torture look like they come from a traveling doctor’s bag. It is a time when technology is so advanced only the savvy know how to use it, and so cutting edge it never quite works right. It is so depended upon that when a fly causes a type-o that causes an innocent man to be killed, nobody knows what to do except blame somebody else. The main concern of the majority is in saving face- figuratively and literally. There is no reality that anyone wants to accept.
The only escape that Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) has found is in his dreams. But then he actually sees the girl of his dreams, and for possibly the first time, his life is given purpose. Upon the realization that his dreams somehow reflect reality, he realizes he must deal with reality. His reality is that, as an employee of the highly bureaucratic agency assigned to eliminate subversives that might otherwise undermine this carefully regimented society, he is part of the problem. He hopes he can use his status as the son of a debutante to, if not change things from the inside, at least track down the woman in his dreams.
Brazil is an absolutely brilliant commentary on “modern civilization.” I didn’t even mention a great supporting cast, including Michael Palin and Robert De Niro, a subtly hilarious, fast-talking screenplay by Gilliam and Tom Stoppard and an amazing set design which combines Art Deco with low-income housing. Simply put, it is one of the greatest movies ever made.
I surmise that the movie is called Brazil either because it brings to mind a tropical paradise destroyed by human industry or because Gilliam just really wanted to use the creepily cheerful song, “Aquarela do Brasil”, that plays throughout the movie. It takes place in what I can only call the “retro-future.” Reminiscent of those 50’s sci-fi flicks in which the futuristic gadgets look suspiciously like they’re from the 50’s, in Brazil robots look like erector sets, computers are little more than typewriters and instruments of torture look like they come from a traveling doctor’s bag. It is a time when technology is so advanced only the savvy know how to use it, and so cutting edge it never quite works right. It is so depended upon that when a fly causes a type-o that causes an innocent man to be killed, nobody knows what to do except blame somebody else. The main concern of the majority is in saving face- figuratively and literally. There is no reality that anyone wants to accept.
The only escape that Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) has found is in his dreams. But then he actually sees the girl of his dreams, and for possibly the first time, his life is given purpose. Upon the realization that his dreams somehow reflect reality, he realizes he must deal with reality. His reality is that, as an employee of the highly bureaucratic agency assigned to eliminate subversives that might otherwise undermine this carefully regimented society, he is part of the problem. He hopes he can use his status as the son of a debutante to, if not change things from the inside, at least track down the woman in his dreams.
Brazil is an absolutely brilliant commentary on “modern civilization.” I didn’t even mention a great supporting cast, including Michael Palin and Robert De Niro, a subtly hilarious, fast-talking screenplay by Gilliam and Tom Stoppard and an amazing set design which combines Art Deco with low-income housing. Simply put, it is one of the greatest movies ever made.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
OT VS. NT
I was going to write about the Gilliam movie Brazil today, but a brief conversation with a co-worker has prompted me to reflect on this topic instead, even though it is admittedly much less interesting than Brazil.
Following is a short list, written in about an hour’s span off the top of my head, comparing and contrasting the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament. This cannot be considered a comparison of the God of Judaism with the God of Christianity, because in both religions, the teachings of their religious texts are secondary to the teachings of their religious leaders (of course all religious leaders will slyly tell you otherwise).
OT: If you follow my commands, your life will be blessed.
NT: If you follow my commands, your life might suck but after you die you’ll be blessed.
OT: Fear me.
NT: Love me, which is incompatible with fear.
OT: If you disobey me, your enemies will defeat you.
NT: If you disobey me, I’ll let you be tortured for all of eternity.
OT: I have laid out very specific rituals and rules that you must follow. Rules include don’t eat dead pigs or wear clothes woven from more than one fabric.
NT: Skip those traditions and you can’t follow all those rules anyway so don’t worry about the less important ones too much (although they’re all equally important because if you break one it’s as if you’ve broken them all), especially if you have a dream which implies they are no longer relevant.
OT: I will forgive you if you kill a bunch of animals.
NT: I will forgive you because I let my son be killed.
OT: Women are not to be trusted.
NT: Women are not to be trusted.
OT: Jews are superior to all other races.
NT: All races are equal.
OT: A man can have as many wives as he wants. The man is in charge.
NT: A man can only have one wife. The man is in charge.
OT: The best way to deal with other races is to annihilate them.
NT: The best way to deal with other races is to convert them. I’ll even speak their languages through you so you can communicate with them.
OT: Sex with anyone other than your wives is frowned upon.
NT: Sex with anyone other than your wife is a sin.
OT: If you disobey me, I will punish you, your children and their children.
NT: If you deny that I exist, I will never forgive you, but it won’t reflect on your children.
OT: If you follow me, you will be rich.
NT: If you follow me, you won’t need money.
OT: Women are sexy!
NT: Do not be turned on by women.
OT: Getting drunk is okay, even if it causes you to sleep with your daughters or run around town naked.
NT: Don’t get drunk!
OT: Pay attention to Jews who talk gibberish about the future.
NT: Pay attention to followers of Jesus who talk gibberish about the future.
OT: Psychics from other religious are accurate but should not be consulted.
NT: Psychics from other religious are liars and should not be consulted.
OT: I am pretty damn powerful, but I need to rest occasionally.
NT: I am all-powerful and a human mortal all at the same time!
OT: I am just like you, but it is impossible for you to fathom me.
NT: I am way better than you, but I will reveal myself to you.
OT: I made man out dirt and woman out of man’s rib.
NT: I fed thousands of people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.
OT: I live in the Ark of the Covenant.
NT: I live in your heart.
OT: Obey me constantly!
NT: Think about me constantly!
OT: Listen to the teachings of no one but me.
NT: I am either God’s son or God himself or both so you should listen to my teachings.
OT: I reserve the right to ruin your life just to see how you’ll react.
NT: I love you so much I’d never ruin your life.
OT: War is usually the answer.
NT: Peace is always the answer.
OT: Most diseases are punishments from me. What’s a demon?
NT: Most diseases are caused by demons. Only I can heal you.
OT: I speak literally.
NT: I speak in metaphor.
OT: I am in all places at once, although my knowledge of geography is limited to the Mesopotamian region.
NT: I traveled thousands of miles on camel back before I was 2!
OT: The sun goes around the earth, and I can stop it if needed.
NT: I can walk on water and you can too if you stare at me long enough.
OT: I am an emotionally unstable nutcase.
NT: I am really good at being passive-aggressive, and only lose my temper occasionally.
OT: I am the same yesterday, today and forever.
NT: I am the same yesterday, today and forever.
Following is a short list, written in about an hour’s span off the top of my head, comparing and contrasting the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament. This cannot be considered a comparison of the God of Judaism with the God of Christianity, because in both religions, the teachings of their religious texts are secondary to the teachings of their religious leaders (of course all religious leaders will slyly tell you otherwise).
OT: If you follow my commands, your life will be blessed.
NT: If you follow my commands, your life might suck but after you die you’ll be blessed.
OT: Fear me.
NT: Love me, which is incompatible with fear.
OT: If you disobey me, your enemies will defeat you.
NT: If you disobey me, I’ll let you be tortured for all of eternity.
OT: I have laid out very specific rituals and rules that you must follow. Rules include don’t eat dead pigs or wear clothes woven from more than one fabric.
NT: Skip those traditions and you can’t follow all those rules anyway so don’t worry about the less important ones too much (although they’re all equally important because if you break one it’s as if you’ve broken them all), especially if you have a dream which implies they are no longer relevant.
OT: I will forgive you if you kill a bunch of animals.
NT: I will forgive you because I let my son be killed.
OT: Women are not to be trusted.
NT: Women are not to be trusted.
OT: Jews are superior to all other races.
NT: All races are equal.
OT: A man can have as many wives as he wants. The man is in charge.
NT: A man can only have one wife. The man is in charge.
OT: The best way to deal with other races is to annihilate them.
NT: The best way to deal with other races is to convert them. I’ll even speak their languages through you so you can communicate with them.
OT: Sex with anyone other than your wives is frowned upon.
NT: Sex with anyone other than your wife is a sin.
OT: If you disobey me, I will punish you, your children and their children.
NT: If you deny that I exist, I will never forgive you, but it won’t reflect on your children.
OT: If you follow me, you will be rich.
NT: If you follow me, you won’t need money.
OT: Women are sexy!
NT: Do not be turned on by women.
OT: Getting drunk is okay, even if it causes you to sleep with your daughters or run around town naked.
NT: Don’t get drunk!
OT: Pay attention to Jews who talk gibberish about the future.
NT: Pay attention to followers of Jesus who talk gibberish about the future.
OT: Psychics from other religious are accurate but should not be consulted.
NT: Psychics from other religious are liars and should not be consulted.
OT: I am pretty damn powerful, but I need to rest occasionally.
NT: I am all-powerful and a human mortal all at the same time!
OT: I am just like you, but it is impossible for you to fathom me.
NT: I am way better than you, but I will reveal myself to you.
OT: I made man out dirt and woman out of man’s rib.
NT: I fed thousands of people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.
OT: I live in the Ark of the Covenant.
NT: I live in your heart.
OT: Obey me constantly!
NT: Think about me constantly!
OT: Listen to the teachings of no one but me.
NT: I am either God’s son or God himself or both so you should listen to my teachings.
OT: I reserve the right to ruin your life just to see how you’ll react.
NT: I love you so much I’d never ruin your life.
OT: War is usually the answer.
NT: Peace is always the answer.
OT: Most diseases are punishments from me. What’s a demon?
NT: Most diseases are caused by demons. Only I can heal you.
OT: I speak literally.
NT: I speak in metaphor.
OT: I am in all places at once, although my knowledge of geography is limited to the Mesopotamian region.
NT: I traveled thousands of miles on camel back before I was 2!
OT: The sun goes around the earth, and I can stop it if needed.
NT: I can walk on water and you can too if you stare at me long enough.
OT: I am an emotionally unstable nutcase.
NT: I am really good at being passive-aggressive, and only lose my temper occasionally.
OT: I am the same yesterday, today and forever.
NT: I am the same yesterday, today and forever.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Harry Potter
For all I know, the Harry Potter books are the greatest books ever written. If they are, it’ll be my loss, because I’m not gonna read them. Here’s why:
(1)I saw the first movie, and it sucked. Big Time. I know you can’t judge a book from the movie, but the general consensus is the people who liked the books also like the movies. I also read one and a half of those crappy books by Phillip Pullman, about a little brat with a soul manifested as her pet, which people compare to Harry Potter.
(2)I am highly skeptical of anything the masses enjoy. I have learned that my sense of aesthetic does not jive with the Average Joe. I assume the people who read these books are the same people who like crap like U2, Pink Floyd, Animal House, The Lord of the Rings, Wonder Bread, ketchup, Thomas Kinkade and People magazine. I also assume the people who read these books don’t know who James Joyce, Derek Bailey, Eric Dolphy, Charles Ives, Paul Klee or Andrei Tarkovsky are.
(3)There are about 50 books that I actually want to read. I am still trying to get through Don Quixote. The allegories are pertinent, perhaps especially in the George W. Bush era, and I think several chapters are a must-read for everyone, but I’ll admit it is a tedious read. I also haven’t read any Bukowski or Philip K. Dick, which I hope to remedy soon. Other books I really want to read include Finnegan’s Wake, Frannie and Zooey, Billy Budd, some Douglas Adams besides the Hitchhiker series and some more Ferlinghetti.
(1)I saw the first movie, and it sucked. Big Time. I know you can’t judge a book from the movie, but the general consensus is the people who liked the books also like the movies. I also read one and a half of those crappy books by Phillip Pullman, about a little brat with a soul manifested as her pet, which people compare to Harry Potter.
(2)I am highly skeptical of anything the masses enjoy. I have learned that my sense of aesthetic does not jive with the Average Joe. I assume the people who read these books are the same people who like crap like U2, Pink Floyd, Animal House, The Lord of the Rings, Wonder Bread, ketchup, Thomas Kinkade and People magazine. I also assume the people who read these books don’t know who James Joyce, Derek Bailey, Eric Dolphy, Charles Ives, Paul Klee or Andrei Tarkovsky are.
(3)There are about 50 books that I actually want to read. I am still trying to get through Don Quixote. The allegories are pertinent, perhaps especially in the George W. Bush era, and I think several chapters are a must-read for everyone, but I’ll admit it is a tedious read. I also haven’t read any Bukowski or Philip K. Dick, which I hope to remedy soon. Other books I really want to read include Finnegan’s Wake, Frannie and Zooey, Billy Budd, some Douglas Adams besides the Hitchhiker series and some more Ferlinghetti.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Portland Drivers
I live in Portland, Oregon. Some would call the average Portlander courteous. I call them pansies. Their general fear of offending anyone manifests itself in their passivity and indecisiveness. This is particularly evident in their driving.
The number one most irritating driving habit of Portlanders is their predilection to come to a complete stop at an intersection if there is another vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian within 100 feet of the same intersection. This is irregardless of whether they have a green light or the right of way, even if they are turning right. I have been stopped in my car at a stop sign countless times in which the cross traffic with no stop sign comes to a complete stop from both directions to let me go. When turning left, it is commonplace for the vehicle in the oncoming lane to come to a stop to let you turn in front of them instead of just assuming you will do it yourself when there is a clearing in the oncoming traffic. Consequently, traffic jams are constantly being created where there are not that many vehicles.
This same passivity prevents Portlanders from being able to merge. I have almost been killed on at least two occasions when the car in front of me comes to the end of an on-ramp to an interstate and suddenly brakes to a complete stop- while I am going 50 mph two seconds behind them. I have heard many Portlanders actually complain when the drivers on the interstate don’t slow up to let them merge instead of speeding up to the flow of traffic to let themselves in. Traffic comes to a stop on the interstates every time it approaches an onramp, then speeds up to the speed limit until it reaches the next onramp.
I will admit it is sometimes humorous. One of my favorite pastimes in this town is watching people try to Parallel Park. But my normal response to these idiots has become to flip them off and scream curses at them until they give up trying to be polite to me and just follow the rules of the road.
The number one most irritating driving habit of Portlanders is their predilection to come to a complete stop at an intersection if there is another vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian within 100 feet of the same intersection. This is irregardless of whether they have a green light or the right of way, even if they are turning right. I have been stopped in my car at a stop sign countless times in which the cross traffic with no stop sign comes to a complete stop from both directions to let me go. When turning left, it is commonplace for the vehicle in the oncoming lane to come to a stop to let you turn in front of them instead of just assuming you will do it yourself when there is a clearing in the oncoming traffic. Consequently, traffic jams are constantly being created where there are not that many vehicles.
This same passivity prevents Portlanders from being able to merge. I have almost been killed on at least two occasions when the car in front of me comes to the end of an on-ramp to an interstate and suddenly brakes to a complete stop- while I am going 50 mph two seconds behind them. I have heard many Portlanders actually complain when the drivers on the interstate don’t slow up to let them merge instead of speeding up to the flow of traffic to let themselves in. Traffic comes to a stop on the interstates every time it approaches an onramp, then speeds up to the speed limit until it reaches the next onramp.
I will admit it is sometimes humorous. One of my favorite pastimes in this town is watching people try to Parallel Park. But my normal response to these idiots has become to flip them off and scream curses at them until they give up trying to be polite to me and just follow the rules of the road.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Functions of Religion
As I see it, there are two major functions of religion. One is to provide a means by which people can cope with things out of their control, and the other is to provide a society a means to justify its own rules.
(1)Humans generally survive by organizing data and utilizing whatever data is at their disposal to find solutions. Humans have a hard time with the incomprehensible, as it is incompatible with our main method of survival. In order for us to process information, we are programmed to seek justification, reason and logic. All that is not directly informative, including the random and the unknown, cannot be processed by us, and can only be dealt with through emergency back-up coping mechanisms such as humor, ecstasy, fear and rage. Failure to cope results in shock, in which our system shuts down and we cannot function. In order to prevent chaos and confusion from destroying us, we have learned to invent justification, reason and logic where none exists. Religion, morality and science are all means by which we provide explanations for the inexplicable, which we can than use as data for making decisions.
For instance, natural disasters pose a threat to humans because of their unpredictability and uncontrollability. Religion assures that natural disasters are controlled by forces which we can communicate with, giving us a perceived say in their occurrence. In religion, those forces are always logical or acting out in humor, ecstasy, fear or rage (we create gods in our own image), giving reason for their occurrence.
(2)In order for groups of people to cohabitate, rules for cohabitation must be established. Otherwise, chaos would prevent prolonged cohabitation. Before rules can be established, justification for the rules must be found. Religion provides that justification. Religion always echoes the values of its society.
For instance, polytheistic societies value the importance of the skills unique to various members of that society, and those societies are arranged in an attempt to utilize the varied strengths of its members. Monotheistic societies value the importance of leadership, and those societies are arranged to give power to and support its leaders. In reality, most religions efficiently utilize elements of both polytheism and monotheism, echoing the hierarchy of power in their respective societies. A society faithful to and trusting in its religion will be one faithful to and trusting in its rules.
(1)Humans generally survive by organizing data and utilizing whatever data is at their disposal to find solutions. Humans have a hard time with the incomprehensible, as it is incompatible with our main method of survival. In order for us to process information, we are programmed to seek justification, reason and logic. All that is not directly informative, including the random and the unknown, cannot be processed by us, and can only be dealt with through emergency back-up coping mechanisms such as humor, ecstasy, fear and rage. Failure to cope results in shock, in which our system shuts down and we cannot function. In order to prevent chaos and confusion from destroying us, we have learned to invent justification, reason and logic where none exists. Religion, morality and science are all means by which we provide explanations for the inexplicable, which we can than use as data for making decisions.
For instance, natural disasters pose a threat to humans because of their unpredictability and uncontrollability. Religion assures that natural disasters are controlled by forces which we can communicate with, giving us a perceived say in their occurrence. In religion, those forces are always logical or acting out in humor, ecstasy, fear or rage (we create gods in our own image), giving reason for their occurrence.
(2)In order for groups of people to cohabitate, rules for cohabitation must be established. Otherwise, chaos would prevent prolonged cohabitation. Before rules can be established, justification for the rules must be found. Religion provides that justification. Religion always echoes the values of its society.
For instance, polytheistic societies value the importance of the skills unique to various members of that society, and those societies are arranged in an attempt to utilize the varied strengths of its members. Monotheistic societies value the importance of leadership, and those societies are arranged to give power to and support its leaders. In reality, most religions efficiently utilize elements of both polytheism and monotheism, echoing the hierarchy of power in their respective societies. A society faithful to and trusting in its religion will be one faithful to and trusting in its rules.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Introduction
Often, expressing ourselves brings to light how little we know ourselves. Our intention is always to wow another with our expressive prowess, but often ends in a humbling realization that we are ill-equipped to share ourselves. I blame not the mediums used as much as the simple fact that it is impossible to express that which we do not understand. For the most part, we do not and cannot understand that ephemeral “I.” Perhaps it is no surprise then that it is often easier to play devil’s advocate and defend what you don’t believe than it is to actually say what you (think you) believe. Attempting to communicate what I believe gives me a fresh perspective on myself. In times where the communication comes easily, it is a reinforcement of my understanding of those opinions and values. In times of frustration at my inability to communicate, it is a reminder that I don’t fully grasp that which I’m trying to communicate or that those beliefs are being held with little or no justification. In attempting to state a belief, I have often been chagrined to discover I don’t even hold that belief anymore.
My intention in this blog will be to express my opinions, with the simultaneous goals of forcing myself to question me and encouraging others to question themselves. Extrapolating from that which I’ve just expressed, there is no better way to allow others to question themselves than by allowing them to attempt to express who they are.
My intention in this blog will be to express my opinions, with the simultaneous goals of forcing myself to question me and encouraging others to question themselves. Extrapolating from that which I’ve just expressed, there is no better way to allow others to question themselves than by allowing them to attempt to express who they are.
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