A Blog Post Concerning (Religious) Toleration

See what I did there? Yeah? Yeah? *crickets* hahaha...hint: check out John Locke. But I digress (haha...right after I just started, too.)


Here's a piece that I wrote up a couple of months ago:


I was working today, when someone gave me a self-made pamphlet with bible passages in it. She was probably one of the nicest ladies that I've ever met. I thanked her and we got into talking about how I used to be really devout; I told her I'd definitely read it, but that I lost faith a really long time ago.

She said, "who knows, maybe you'll get it back one day". I told her that maybe I would, but it's very unlikely. Then, she said something that I haven't heard a brochure-pusher say before: "that's fine. I can't do anything about that. But maybe someone else can. And all I can do is pray that you will". She smiled at me & left with who I'm guessing was her granddaughter (who was pretty cute, might I add...) & her husband.

They seemed like truly happy people - and it made me remember how far I've come, with regards to religious toleration.

I've always been raised as a traditional christian. I used to feel guilty when I prayed without sleeping. I used to go to mass every sunday, and even took pride in altar serving.

Then, I lost faith. Shortly after, I realize that I made a mistake, and prayed for forgiveness. Then, I lost faith again - and I think I've changed too much to ever get it back. Most people end up finding some sort of connection with god through some hard times, but I doubt that'll be me.

That's not to say that I'm not happy; because I'm happier than I've ever been WITH religion in my life. But the difference between me now, and me a couple of years ago, is that I've learned to tolerate spirituality.

After losing my faith "for good", I could never understand how people could continue to believe in something like that after giving it so much thought. I would always think to myself: "how can you blindly believe in something that probably doesn't exist?"

A couple of years later, I began to adopt a "to each their own" attitude. I realized that if you need god in your life to give you purpose, then by all means, go for it. And that's exactly why I have so much respect for the religious people that can tolerate non-religious people - they understand that the lack of belief is just as important as the choice of believing.

While I'll probably never support a deity-centred religion, I'll always support spirituality. Some of the happiest people that I've ever met are religious; they'll also probably be happier than I'll ever be (but I think that's more temperament-related, than anything). 


Again, I think it's all about the axiom "to each; their own" - Happiness doesn't have to be rational. In fact, it could even be argued that it's rational for you to be irrational, if that's what makes you happy. But I guess I'll stop here before the pseudo-shit comes in.

Peace,


- knowledge
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
p.s. I've decided to give up on getting you guys to add a tag. It's definitely appreciated - but it's an uphill battle 'cause you guys are such pussies (lol). And if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Besides, anonymity allows you to be as brutally honest as possible - you can say what's REALLY on your mind without being embarrassed, proved wrong, or called out (aka being a giant pussy). But seriously, I'm kidding. I've realized that I'd rather you to commented and promoted discussion, even if I don't know who the fuck you are. But in my defence, it helps to know who's who (use a number, or something. At the very least, I want to know if it's the same person posting). For the people who DO post with tags, keep doing it (aka keep not being giant pussies...haha). Just kidding, guys.


And I know I said I'd be back with my weekly drops...but I guess I lied. Please subscribe if you haven't already.

No Idea(')s Original

Do you ever wish that you grew up before the intellectual revolution? I always read books & thoughts that are widely-studied today, & can't help but think "I could've thought of that & written it down on paper."

With that in mind, it follows that being classified a genius isn't always a matter of capability - it's mostly a matter of order. The first one to think of something gets to coin it.

For example, did you know that someone came up with a similar theory about natural selection first? Darwin even read it - he was just the first to get his work published (that, and he an explanation for evolution as a mechanism).

I'm not saying that these geniuses aren't respectable, and I'm sure as hell not calling myself a genius...but sometimes I wonder how my life would've turned out if I was born a couple of centuries ago.

Imagine being in a time where you could come up with stuff, publish it, & call them YOUR ideas. Anyone after that (even if they never heard, read, or were influenced by your work) would be plagiarizing. & even if they weren't blamed for that, their work would hold substantially less merit.

It's only now that I finally understand the saying: "no ideas are original"

Or if you have one that is, you have to go to school for 8 years, become an understudy to someone who has a doctorate, take time off doing research. And only then will your work hold some value.

But at the same time, I can't complain that there's so much knowledge or information available. I suppose it's a love-hate relationship.

But then again, maybe it's a good thing - nowadays, for something to get acknowledged...it really does have to be something else. I'm just tired of coming up with ideas & solid arguments, only to figure out someone published it hundreds of years before I even could.

I'm growing weary of having to say "I could've thought of that." If only I was born when slavery existed, women were treated as subordinates to men, humans had no rights, the world was in chaos, and philosophy wasn't so extensively developed.

If only.

Peace,

- knowledge


p.s. oh yeah...I think Thursday drops are back. Please subscribe if you haven't.

Screw You, Weatherpeople

I woke up early today. "It's a good day!", I said to myself as I faced the mirror. I'm Just playing, I don't say shit like that to myself. I'm not a douchebag, lol.

But anyways...I checked the weather channel to see if it was going to rain today. No forecast for rain today, but it says that it might rain tomorrow.

Now, from experience, when they say it might rain tomorrow...they actually mean that it might rain some time tonight. So then I go online & check my trusty radar sites: one in Buffalo, & one in King City

I see some rain clouds coming in from the northwest, but it looks like it's either gonna miss us or will get here tomorrow morning.

Taking cp24's word for it...I decide to wear white shoes (that I haven't worn in 2 months since I cleaned them) & ride my motorcycle.

Then the fucking rain hits. Seriously? What good are weatherpeople? This isn't even the first time that this shit has happened.

I looked online & these guys get paid 50 000 dollars to arbitrarily pull forecasts out of their ass. & I swear they update their forecasts like twice a day. Now, I'm gonna go out on a limb here & assume that at the very least, it' an 8 hour job, or some sort of 9 to 5. You mean to tell me that in those 8 hours, it wasn't possible to update the forecast? It's fucking raining & your forecast still says that it'll be sunny with no clouds. 

Or maybe it's a pride thing - you guys have made a forecast & you don't wanna go back on your word. Something along the lines of "maybe if we don't tell them it's raining, they'll never know that it is".  At the very least, I swear it makes more sense to quietly correct the forecast & when people say "I swear it said 'sunny with no clouds'" you guys can just deny that it ever happened & just tell them they're crazy.

Where the hell do I get a job like this? You guys have one freaking task: to determine what the weather's gonna be like or at the very least, what it will most likely be. Yet you can't even do that.

What's a degree for meterology do for you? Did you guys not actually do any work, linked computers in the  lab & play counter-strike together for 4 years? Or is it a college diploma with 3 years of starcraft?

Shit happens & conditions change - I get it. But what I don't get is how you can have one task, the education to do that task, a whole tv show for that one task, and manage to get that task wrong most of the time.

If you guys are just guessing at the beginning of each day...then try a different variable in your guessing. Let's say that your first instinct's that it's NOT gonna rain - tell people that it's gonna rain. Your previous "methods" clearly haven't been working...so maybe this is a better idea.

I mean, you know you're useless when the average layman is better off guessing what the weather's going to be like. But the last time I said "fuck you, weather people" & decided to predict it on my own...they ended up being right. How the fuck does this shit work?

In lieu of the weather channel, I've decided to hang a rock with this legend outside of my window:

Sincerely,

- a frustrated guy with dirty white shoes & a muddy motorcycle

GLAAD, Anderson, & The Dilemma - "Electric Cars Are Gay"

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/after-gay-protest-universal-yanks-the-dilemma-trailer_1172524
Tl;dr: guy in comedy movie says "electric cars are gay", gay guy gets offended, & tells them to take that scene out.

As chris rock once said: "it's all about context"


Honestly, this guy needs to stop being such a fucking pussy.

Oh noes, someone said something offensive & outlandish in a comedy movie!!!!!11111oneoneone

It's comedy. It's supposed to be funny. That's actually an objectively funny line. I've got nothing against gay people - I even have a couple of them myself. "C'mon, son". Grow the fuck up.

It's a hard life for a gay person (hypothetically speaking, of course *looks around nervously*). If you're not used to getting bashed on by people who can't understand or tolerate gay people...then I'm not sure that there's much hope for you.

Yes, it's gotten better...but homophobia still exists. My advice is for you to stop being such a pansy. I don't cry to the media when they make asian jokes ('cause you know, comedy movies do make jokes from time to time).

Tl;dr? Dear gay guy, stop being such a prissy faggot. And this is coming from someone who has nothing against the LGBT community, appreciates the seriousness of bullying, but can appreciate humour objectively.

Peace,

- knowledge

Picking A Folder For My "Meaning Of Life"

I was going to pick a folder for my "Meaning Of Life" (Philosophy) course, and I decided to go with black one. After all, life's an unfair, grim thing. 

But then I realized that you gravitate towards what you'd like to believe...so then I decided to use a yellow folder - life's great, joyful, and full of pleasure. Unfortunately, I had no yellow folders left.

So I settled for white. Life starts off pure. So do we. We're innocent, carefree, and even optimistic about things. But over time, the folder gets scuffed up. No matter how much you take care of it, it won't be perfect. It won't always be how you want it to be - it's ever-changing.

I guess what matters the most, are the contents of the folder: "the meaning of life," so to speak. Our unfinished works, our failures, our successful works, our evaluated works, and everything about us determines how important that folder is. We fill the pages, and if we're lucky...we make it to the end of the course with the folder still intact (albeit torn up and raggedy).

But then I realized that it's just a folder for some papers. 

I suppose it depends how you look at it. I've been doing lots of existentialist readings, so things could get interesting.

Peace,

- knowledge

p.s. it's the same (non-b.s. excuse): I have too much to say, and can't decide what. Ideas keep piling in, new arguments keep getting thought of, and pieces just keep adding up. 

Is Voter Apathy A Good Sign Of A Democracy?

On a forum that I frequent, the topic of "who are you voting for" came up, and I decided to post my 2 cents:

"I saw highlights of the debate on cp24. I want Ford in office just for the entertainment value. I couldn't even believe when the guy called out his dead father. I used to follow politics back when I was in high school, but as the years pass, it just seems to confirm that:  - the people are never going to be satisfied with the government - the government's never going to satisfy the people   No, I don't think it's asking too much to manage taxpayer money better...but I have a feeling that it's just never going to happen.   Is there even a point of caring any more? What kind of system leaves us voting not for the best candidate, but for who's gonna screw things up the least? Do campaign promises even mean anything - who's to stop someone from doing a complete 180 once they're actually in office?  I know it's really just [I]called[/I] a democracy, but it seems that I just get more and more indifferent every year - and that worries me"

To which Duster 929 replied:

"I really don't like it when people say we don't really live in a democracy, and that they're apathetic because they think our democracy is a joke.   Voter apathy is a sign of a democracy that works quite well. Voters are apathetic because they don't have particularly large problems. They're relatively comfortable, have enough to keep their time occupied, and don't suffer daily persecution and violence. When a society has MAJOR problems, voters are not apathetic. They're in the streets, first with banners, then with rocks and clubs, and then with explosives. Toronto's problems: public transit isn't very good, taxes are going up by a few percent too much each year, there's a persistent shortfall in the budget that is filled in by more senior levels of government. Heck, even at the national level, it seems our biggest problem is that the government wants shotgun owners to register their weapons.  These are not the problems that many people in the world have. So, don't feel bad about being apathetic, and don't blame it on the fact that the system doesn't work. Be thankful that you can afford to be. Voters aren't apathetic in Afghanistan or Palestine, because they've got real problems, and they rarely even get the chance to vote."

Anyways, my mind = blown. I still don't think it's much of a democracy...but I now have a way to justify my apathy towards things. Whether the happiness of a country hinges on a "democracy" like ours is still something that I'm thinking about...but this is something I would have never considered.


Peace,


- knowledge

Sometimes, It Surprises Me How I Find Serenity At The Most Random Times And Places.