Death. The soul leaves the body. The body is a shell, nothing more than a vessel for the soul, the fifth, transient element. For example, we call your body "yours." Like a possession. Not yourself. Do you see what I mean? "Self" is personality and thought and memories (not memory). And what is personality and thought and memory? Chemicals in your brain. But not even that. The way those chemicals come together, with the physical tissue of your brain and its orientation in space and time. But these things, personality and thought and memory, self, are not physical, nor would we ever presume to describe them as such. Really, how would we describe them? Abstractions. Not matter, but abstractions. It's a small step from abstractions to energy. After all, how would you describe energy? Try; it's really damn hard. Okay, you can say "I don't know" now. Self is so amorphous, indescribable, intangible, abstract… you get the picture.
Death. I keep wandering away from it (intentionally, perhaps..?). Body is a possession, a vessel, a shell. Even when you're alive. But it's a possession like a home. A house or an apartment. It's very personal, very you. Still, when the soul leaves, it's just a fallen log, a discarded muffin in a muddy parking lot (don't ask), a footprint in wet sand. It's the physical manifestation of memory, a dead body is. I want to be cremated. I want my body to go to the fire. Well, actually it's between cremation or just being left out for the animals and the plants and the elements. Air (the great oxidizer) and water (the great eroder) and earth (the great consumer) and fire (the great equalizer) and life. Other life: dogs and raccoons and birds and worms and beetles and trees and fungi and soil bacteria. Either way I am returned; even if I was embalmed and locked in a metal box and buried (*shudder shudder*) I would eventually return to the universe as organic molecules and even atoms. It would just take longer. Much longer.
One thing about my faith is that it's not particularly comforting. But that's the thing: that's because it's realistic. The world is not "made" for us. We are not "supposed" to be able to survive, thrive in it.
The "meaning" of life is that it works. There is no great reason.
The soul is recyclable, but not always recycled. Yes, reincarnation is in here somewhere, but I've got my own bent on it.
But I do know what happens when you die by a hand or a force other than your own. Sort of. Obviously I don't know, really. I mean, no one does. If only we could remember… Think of the first law of thermodynamics; conservation of energy and matter. Add up all the energy and mass on both sides of the chemical equation and they'll match. Mostly. I'm not going there, at least in this paragraph. Besides, I forget what the principle or whatever is called. Well, what is a soul but… something. I mean, there aren't specifics, but souls are like the gods; they have to be made of something. And there's only two things in the universe (don't you even think about it): matter and energy. Personally I'm leaning toward energy, and it makes sense/sounds good: heat energy, light energy, life energy. You know? But the point of this whole idea is that souls can neither be created nor destroyed (perhaps they can be converted, but not going there right now). Anyway, this means they have to be re-used, and I think they come out the other side looking pretty much the way they did. It's, like, hard to change energy, man…
Whoa, I just started making sense! Like, trippy, right? Betcha didn't see that one coming, huh?
So, souls survive the journey from one body (the deceased) to another (the newly born) pretty much unchanged. I have no thoughts on the actual method of the journey at this moment; I will just say that Death is neutral among divines (I'm not even sure he qualifies as a divine) and men, and there are Angels [of Death] and Reapers involved. What; you thought I didn't have a theory? Silly, silly; you don't know me yet, do ye? Actually, have you been, like, paying attention?
BTW: I've been writing this to myself. Because I talk to myself. I know, circular, but I get hold of an idea and I'm like a terrier with a bone. Never let it go. Just sayin'.
So, I don't really know the mechanism, and the importance of that statement is that I don't know why we don't know who/what we were. I think that now would be the time to point out that souls are present in all living things, so species, even kingdom, is sort of a nonissue.
Showing posts with label Divinity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Divinity. Show all posts
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Daily Silver: New directions for earth-based faiths.
Today's Silver is brief; I just want to share this article I read at The Juggler (the Pagan Newswire Collective culture blog). It's called "Toward a Pagan Critical Theory: Introduction."
Also, I apologize for being elusive this week. I have two big tests tomorrow, and I honestly haven't been that much fun this week as of yet. I will attempt to emerge and write more this weekend and next week. Ciao!
Also, I apologize for being elusive this week. I have two big tests tomorrow, and I honestly haven't been that much fun this week as of yet. I will attempt to emerge and write more this weekend and next week. Ciao!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Launch of the "Daily Silver," Frankenstein, and Psychology
So I'm going to try something new, in an attempt to write more often (read: every day). I'm going to do a daily post. Don't worry, I'm not going to write some deep, meaningful novella every day; I seriously doubt that I could pull it off. Actually, I'm positive I couldn't. Anyway, these daily posts will be short, just a list, really, of my (wait for it...) thoughts throughout the day. Yeah, I said it. Bite me. I'm calling it the "Daily Silver" because, well, it's daily, and argent (as in argentwolfwing) is loosely derived from the Latin/Italian for silver. Think of the chemical symbol for silver, Ag, which stands for its Latin name, argentum. So: that's that.~~~~~
My next topic is Frankenstein. I'm reading the book for humanities, and it's not all that bad. I mean, I hate Victor with a passion, because he's such a little bitch, but I gather from my friends (who've already read it) that this is a common reaction. He just leaves the poor creature--runs away, in fact (sorry if I just gave it away for you)--to fend for himself, like running away screaming your bloody head off and leaving a giant, hideous, and potentially dangerous two-year-old to the cruel whims of a vicious world. Victor Frankenstein is more repulsive than his creature, especially with his obsession with physical beauty to the point of ignoring personality traits. Which is, of course, his motivation to abandon the creature. His sole motivation.~~~~~
On the test today was a question about different types of studies conducted by psychologists. It read (paraphrasing, of course) "A researcher wants to learn about treatment and anorexia. She takes a group of women suffering anorexia and divides them arbitrarily into two groups. One group receives psychotherapy and an FDA-approved drug as a pill, and the other group is given no psychotherapy and a sugar pill (a placebo)." I couldn't believe it; my professor, a self-professed (ha, a pun!) scientist had written this question, but he had somehow put in two independent variables. Two freaking independent variables. Undoubtedly most of you my readers will not feel the same incredulity that I do at this [possible] typo. This is like trying to tell me that the earth is flat and 6,000 years old or something (which people, btw, do try). It's like, for lack of a better example, deliberately misquoting my bible. Okay, better example: it's like saying that the earth is the center of the universe. Again, people try. I just shake my head and sigh.
~~~~~
Not all "Daily Silver"s will be this long. I anticipate many bulleted lists in our future. But at least I'll be writing! That's all for today... Ciao!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Pondering the soul, and what it means to have one. Also, assuming I do.
All I can see is land and sky. That seems like a lot, even everything, I suppose, but when it's just the land and the sky, a horizon way off as far as I can see, and nothing else, now that's something. Yeah, that's something. No houses, not any buildings to block the skyline, make it irregular. Not even any plants. No trees, or shrubs, or even grasses. I can see forever.
But obviously I can't; if I could see forever I'd see all the buildings and trees on the other side of that horizon. And I can't, because I'm gloriously alone. I can see the sun in the sky; it's big and yellow, hanging there like it's got nowhere else to go. Well, it doesn't really. It's stuck in place, because what's going to move the sun? Objects in motion tend to stay in motion; objects at rest tend to stay at rest, or some such thing. It's sitting in space, a big, fat, lazy ball of simmering plasma, and it's not going to move, dammit.
Every living thing has a… soul… for lack of a better term. The fifth element. Life. We are all made up of the five elements: water is in our blood and our breath and our cells; earth is in our tissues, muscle and bone, tendon and ligament; air is the stuff we breathe, and it fills our bodies, allows them shape; fire is in the chemical processes that keep us alive, in thought and movement. The fifth element, I'll call it the soul, is in everything. Those reactions, that fire, that moves us and keeps us, don't have to work. They do work, but nothing except some force means they have to do so.
If I was so inclined, this is where I'd find God. Or gods. It isn't though; they come in elsewhere. Because they have to be made of something, too, right? Even if they're just some pseudo-corporeal manifestation of energy, like particles of light. Sure, two hydrogens and an oxygen are attracted to each other, and they form this molecule called water, but nothing really says they have to. I mean, why? Why is the question of the hour, isn't it? Sure, glucose goes through the chemical process of respiration, and it involves oxygen, and the atoms and electrons dance and we get ATP, which holds energy in the bonds in its phosphate tail. But why? Ask a biologist, she'll start talking about metabolic pathways and evolution, if she is so incline. Ask a chemist; he'll just go back to electron transfers and oxidation numbers and electronegativity. Ask a physicist; he'll talk about the laws of thermodynamics, and matter and energy. Ask a philosopher; he'll probably spout some nonsense about JCGod or a greater power, or if he's a Marxist he'll probably just say something about the good of the whole (note to self: find a Nihilist and ask about why chemical reactions work). But none of them get to the root of it, and this is where human finds religion.
.
Or faith; I have faith. Religion (see definition #2) is such a deplorable word. Burdened with the pain and hatred and guilt and sorrow and zealotry and filth of ages of men and women. I choose to believe (and I know this is right, but I recognize that my knowledge is reached and accepted in the same way as a priest thumps his JCBible (but he's wrong, I know, for isn't that the basis of faith)) that this fifth element is natural in origin, as the other four. But what is natural? JCGod (the god of Christians and Jews and Muslims, and many others I suppose) is a manmade thing; a creation of short-sighted minds fumbling in the dark abyss of space (where they oughtn't be). They seek an answer where there is not one that is solid, that men can cling to like the slick board tossed in a feral sea.
My fifth element, life, soul, is not concrete in the sense that the JCBible is. Well, to point out the obvious, the JCBible is an actual book, that I can go to Barnes & Noble and purchase and hold in my hands. And, may I point out, write in. But even more than that, there is an intelligence, a design behind those words, those ideas, that I just cannot find in the world. I reach my faith from observation and long hours of introspection, not from the fantastic (albeit entertaining) ramblings of some random dude(s).
I entertained the idea of a "cult" of sorts, mostly to screw with the norm, though. I do think it would be fun, certainly interesting, to tell other people what I know. I mean, I'll tell people what I know, and if they then know it too, that's cool. But I think there should observation and introspection involved in formulating your own faith. Faith is very much an individual thing. That is not saying that there are not aspects for sharing. Feasts and celebrations are great times for sharing, and in this way I understand the attraction of a church. In a church, or a temple, or any other sort of religious community, people can find just that: community. There is a comfort to being with people who believe in the world the same way as do you. I understand that completely; I wish there was just such a community that I could be part of. However, there is one basic difference in the formation of community and shared celebration, and in a church-like community: faith is not at all a group endeavour. Religion is a group endeavor, and, as we have already discussed, I view "religion" as a word not to be spoken without full comprehension of the weight and meaning behind it.
And that's where religion goes wrong; people believe these things that they do not know (and in this statement, I hope you've been paying attention, because in the context of these ramblings of mine, "know," as well as other key words, mean something other than they normally mean in everyday conversation). It's kind of ludicrous. There is no truth but one's own; what may be true for you may not be true for me. This is hard for many to grasp; I myself have struggled a lot with this one. But I have finally come to the conclusion that truth, like time and perception (and because of perception), is relative.
But obviously I can't; if I could see forever I'd see all the buildings and trees on the other side of that horizon. And I can't, because I'm gloriously alone. I can see the sun in the sky; it's big and yellow, hanging there like it's got nowhere else to go. Well, it doesn't really. It's stuck in place, because what's going to move the sun? Objects in motion tend to stay in motion; objects at rest tend to stay at rest, or some such thing. It's sitting in space, a big, fat, lazy ball of simmering plasma, and it's not going to move, dammit.
 |
| Like this guy. |
But me, I move. I move all the time. I can't stay still, and this is not just me. Animals have to move all the time. Stop moving, and you're dead. Not just that you'll die, but a state of immobility is the definition of death. I guess. Yeah, that works; death is just you being still. Your heart doesn't beat, your diaphragm doesn't contract or relax, your blood doesn't circulate, your neurons don't fire and the ions don't dance around the synapses. You're still. Your soul doesn't move you, because it's not there anymore.
Every living thing has a… soul… for lack of a better term. The fifth element. Life. We are all made up of the five elements: water is in our blood and our breath and our cells; earth is in our tissues, muscle and bone, tendon and ligament; air is the stuff we breathe, and it fills our bodies, allows them shape; fire is in the chemical processes that keep us alive, in thought and movement. The fifth element, I'll call it the soul, is in everything. Those reactions, that fire, that moves us and keeps us, don't have to work. They do work, but nothing except some force means they have to do so.
If I was so inclined, this is where I'd find God. Or gods. It isn't though; they come in elsewhere. Because they have to be made of something, too, right? Even if they're just some pseudo-corporeal manifestation of energy, like particles of light. Sure, two hydrogens and an oxygen are attracted to each other, and they form this molecule called water, but nothing really says they have to. I mean, why? Why is the question of the hour, isn't it? Sure, glucose goes through the chemical process of respiration, and it involves oxygen, and the atoms and electrons dance and we get ATP, which holds energy in the bonds in its phosphate tail. But why? Ask a biologist, she'll start talking about metabolic pathways and evolution, if she is so incline. Ask a chemist; he'll just go back to electron transfers and oxidation numbers and electronegativity. Ask a physicist; he'll talk about the laws of thermodynamics, and matter and energy. Ask a philosopher; he'll probably spout some nonsense about JCGod or a greater power, or if he's a Marxist he'll probably just say something about the good of the whole (note to self: find a Nihilist and ask about why chemical reactions work). But none of them get to the root of it, and this is where human finds religion.
.
 |
| Nope, not here. |
My fifth element, life, soul, is not concrete in the sense that the JCBible is. Well, to point out the obvious, the JCBible is an actual book, that I can go to Barnes & Noble and purchase and hold in my hands. And, may I point out, write in. But even more than that, there is an intelligence, a design behind those words, those ideas, that I just cannot find in the world. I reach my faith from observation and long hours of introspection, not from the fantastic (albeit entertaining) ramblings of some random dude(s).
 |
| It's not kool aid; whatever are you talking about? |
And that's where religion goes wrong; people believe these things that they do not know (and in this statement, I hope you've been paying attention, because in the context of these ramblings of mine, "know," as well as other key words, mean something other than they normally mean in everyday conversation). It's kind of ludicrous. There is no truth but one's own; what may be true for you may not be true for me. This is hard for many to grasp; I myself have struggled a lot with this one. But I have finally come to the conclusion that truth, like time and perception (and because of perception), is relative.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
I Don't Mean To Suggest That I Think There Are Only 5 Elements...
Being a science major, I have learned quite a bit of evidence to the contrary. However, I only call Fire, Air, Water, Earth, and Spirit "elements" because, well, I haven't got a better name for them. That means I don't classify my 5 "elements" with other elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and the like. I'm not that crazy.
I was going to post these as a series, but I thought the task might be better served if I just bunched them together in a page (see top navbar) along with Multiverse and Triad. That way I can mention them with indiscriminate abandon in my posts from here on out and y'all can refamiliarize yourself with what I mean as you see fit. Thanks!
I was going to post these as a series, but I thought the task might be better served if I just bunched them together in a page (see top navbar) along with Multiverse and Triad. That way I can mention them with indiscriminate abandon in my posts from here on out and y'all can refamiliarize yourself with what I mean as you see fit. Thanks!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
"Hallelujah" part III
For the purposes of this analysis (to keep things simple) I will refer to the singer as W (woman) and the singer's lover (who I believe is the intended audience) as M (man). I'm going to do this in a few installments, because otherwise it's ridiculously long.
Maybe there’s a God above
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
It’s not a cry you can hear at night
It’s not somebody who's seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah
More questioning of faith. W (the singer) is apparently not enamored with the religion set out in popular doctrine. This is also addressed in the next line, when she references Church teachings that "God is love" and such, saying that she didn't really learn anything useful from these teachings except how to duck out of a relationship before getting stung. A "quit before they can fire you" mentality. Somewhat defeatist, in my opinion. Then again, the whole reference to love and learning could have to do with the more immediate experience of romantic love, and implies again that she's been hurt in relationships before and is not eager to undergo more pain. Again the line "a cold and... broken Hallelujah," presumably used to describe "love," whatever that is. The lines immediately preceding are just further emphasizing the last line, crying that love is not benevolent and transcendental. (I'm feeling wordy today; can you tell?)
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Again this seems a religious reference. Perhaps to the hypocrisy of religion, "teaching" love without feeling it. This verse really resonates with me, as it describes the individuality of faith. W's concept of divinity is different from M's, so her "name" is not his. Furthermore (in the third line) why does he care? Her faith is her own, her ideas personal, and her thoughts her right. The next two lines suggest the power of language and its ability to express feelings and ideas beyond just consonants and vowels. The last two lines seem like a dismissal of M; "it doesn't matter to me what you think because you're outta here."
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
W is tired of arguing, and it really doesn't matter anyway what M says. She's done. She'd fallen out of love before this, but for the sake of harmony she held onto the relationship. Because of that she has no regrets, and she can stand before the Lord of Song without shame. The "Lord of Song" could refer to a god, to Death, or just to some amorphous ruling power (like human conscience), so it's a reference to a sort of judgement by that higher power. And she will stand dignified.
Is W's whole hang-up on religion just a metaphor for her romantic relationship with M? I think it could be interpreted as such, and W's rocky relationship with divinity as a metaphor for her crumbling relationship with M. Or the other way around, I suppose. Either way, I still very much like the song. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
"Hallelujah" part I
For the purposes of this analysis (to keep things simple) I will refer to the singer as W (woman) and the singer's lover (who I believe is the intended audience) as M (man). I'm going to do this in a few installments, because otherwise it's ridiculously long.
part II
part III
I really like the song "Hallelujah"by Leonard Cohen. I first heard a cover by k.d. lang on her album Hymns of the 49th Parallel, and, from the first time I listened to it, it just caught me. I've mentioned how I like minor keys, and it's interesting that this isn't in a minor key but it feels like one. Besides the melody, the lyrics are enigmatic, and I really haven't ever thought about them before now. I've been hearing a lot of covers of it lately--it seems to have enjoyed a sort of resurgence, if there was a "surgence" to begin with--and I had a friend mention it, unprompted by me, while riding in the car one day. I've heard it done by k.d.lang, Justin Timberlake, and Rufus Wainwright, to name a few. It has some visceral appeal, some enchanting aspect that draws the listener in. In my opinion, it deserves a critical look.
Before I start, I encourage you to listen to it first, maybe even a few times. Just so that you feel the draw, so that you've heard it unencumbered by my thoughts on meaning. @ YouTube (NB I like k.d. lang's version, but just search for it and you'll find a few different covers.)
"You" seems to be directed at M, perhaps an unfaithful lover. This verse is about music, a specific melody, but it never shows up again in the later lyrics. What's the significance of David? Obviously David is the Biblical king David, and I suppose he's baffled. He is supposed to have composed many of the psalms in the Book of Psalms, and is sometimes referred to [in the JCBible] as "beloved of the songs of Israel." Many of the songs are even directed to Yahweh, so W is asking something of her god. But some of the psalms also describe events in David's life; Psalm 34 describes David's escape from King Abimelech. He "changed his behaviour" (acted insane) and Abimelech sent him away. The psalm itself is directed first to JCGod and then to potential followers of JCGod. So perhaps the "secret chord" that David played is not something he composed at all, but the course of his life and actions. JCGod certainly was pleased with David. So the next question: why is he "baffled?" This could be referring to the human condition, and the whole not-being-omniscient thing that leads to mistakes and confusion. So maybe "baffled" just refers to the fact that David was human, and this verse is trying to emphasize that even imperfect humans can reach a level of peace with the divine.
Is the "faith" in this verse Christian faith? I think it probably is, just because of the prevalence of Christianity (and the tendency of really all religions to think of theirs as the faith); I of course choose to consider it in a more universal sense. What's interesting here is that faith and proof are, well, mutually exclusive. The whole idea of faith is that there is no proof, even that proof is impossible. This is perhaps implying that the faith in this occasion is false, a mask or a meaningless totem to cling to. Is this a condemnation of the M, that they are false and need proof in order to love? In a sense, unable to love unconditionally?
So who is "she?" "She" is apparently a violent entity. That she's bathing the first time she's mentioned minds me of pagan goddesses like Artemis (among others). In one myth Artemis is "accidentally" stumbled upon bathing in the forest by the young hunter Actaeon; she turns him into a stag and his own hounds fall upon him and kill him (differing versions exist). (Another thing that implies Artemis: "the moonlight.") The rest of the verse suggests that whoever "she" is, she cuts M down to size, humbling him. It suggests hubris on the lover's part (the throne), and the ancient gods loved nothing more than punishing hubris. The "hair" line probably somehow refers to many societies' belief that the hair holds strength or power (JCBible Samson, Mongol, Native American, Celtic, Mesoamerican culture) and that cutting it would strip the owner of that power.
part II
part III
I really like the song "Hallelujah"by Leonard Cohen. I first heard a cover by k.d. lang on her album Hymns of the 49th Parallel, and, from the first time I listened to it, it just caught me. I've mentioned how I like minor keys, and it's interesting that this isn't in a minor key but it feels like one. Besides the melody, the lyrics are enigmatic, and I really haven't ever thought about them before now. I've been hearing a lot of covers of it lately--it seems to have enjoyed a sort of resurgence, if there was a "surgence" to begin with--and I had a friend mention it, unprompted by me, while riding in the car one day. I've heard it done by k.d.lang, Justin Timberlake, and Rufus Wainwright, to name a few. It has some visceral appeal, some enchanting aspect that draws the listener in. In my opinion, it deserves a critical look.
Before I start, I encourage you to listen to it first, maybe even a few times. Just so that you feel the draw, so that you've heard it unencumbered by my thoughts on meaning. @ YouTube (NB I like k.d. lang's version, but just search for it and you'll find a few different covers.)
"Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah"
"You" seems to be directed at M, perhaps an unfaithful lover. This verse is about music, a specific melody, but it never shows up again in the later lyrics. What's the significance of David? Obviously David is the Biblical king David, and I suppose he's baffled. He is supposed to have composed many of the psalms in the Book of Psalms, and is sometimes referred to [in the JCBible] as "beloved of the songs of Israel." Many of the songs are even directed to Yahweh, so W is asking something of her god. But some of the psalms also describe events in David's life; Psalm 34 describes David's escape from King Abimelech. He "changed his behaviour" (acted insane) and Abimelech sent him away. The psalm itself is directed first to JCGod and then to potential followers of JCGod. So perhaps the "secret chord" that David played is not something he composed at all, but the course of his life and actions. JCGod certainly was pleased with David. So the next question: why is he "baffled?" This could be referring to the human condition, and the whole not-being-omniscient thing that leads to mistakes and confusion. So maybe "baffled" just refers to the fact that David was human, and this verse is trying to emphasize that even imperfect humans can reach a level of peace with the divine.
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Is the "faith" in this verse Christian faith? I think it probably is, just because of the prevalence of Christianity (and the tendency of really all religions to think of theirs as the faith); I of course choose to consider it in a more universal sense. What's interesting here is that faith and proof are, well, mutually exclusive. The whole idea of faith is that there is no proof, even that proof is impossible. This is perhaps implying that the faith in this occasion is false, a mask or a meaningless totem to cling to. Is this a condemnation of the M, that they are false and need proof in order to love? In a sense, unable to love unconditionally?
So who is "she?" "She" is apparently a violent entity. That she's bathing the first time she's mentioned minds me of pagan goddesses like Artemis (among others). In one myth Artemis is "accidentally" stumbled upon bathing in the forest by the young hunter Actaeon; she turns him into a stag and his own hounds fall upon him and kill him (differing versions exist). (Another thing that implies Artemis: "the moonlight.") The rest of the verse suggests that whoever "she" is, she cuts M down to size, humbling him. It suggests hubris on the lover's part (the throne), and the ancient gods loved nothing more than punishing hubris. The "hair" line probably somehow refers to many societies' belief that the hair holds strength or power (JCBible Samson, Mongol, Native American, Celtic, Mesoamerican culture) and that cutting it would strip the owner of that power.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Hubris, aka We Humans Really Do Give Ourselves Too Much Credit
I worry that my faith is changing, and that my main ideas are just becoming a diatribe against religions in general and Christianity in particular. I really don't know why I hate them so much; this must be what they feel. So actually, and sort of ironically, I pretty much know exactly where they are coming from. But I cling to the fact that I came to my faith of my own volition; I wasn't born into it or raised in its presence, and I started forming my ideas when I was still quite young and didn't have this mysterious animosity toward Christians.
I remember when I was four or five and in kindergarten, I had this friend, Erica, who was a Christian. Nothing special; most of my friends were probably Christians in the sense that their parents had said "you are Christian."♦ Even then I realized the sanctity of the earth and nature, and I did not relish the idea of humans as the masters of the world. One day (or over the course of a few days) we had a discussion involving the Christian god♥, my Mother earth (reminiscent of Native American religions), and the creation of the earth and humankind. I was still willing to "play nice" with Christians at that point, as she was willing to with me; also important to note is that I had not defined myself as anything other than Christian at that point, although I did not see myself as one of that religion and did not follow its tenets (church, prayer, etc). Erica and I eventually decided that my Mother had made the earth, including the land, the oceans, and all the animals and plants, and that her god had made the humans. I would have to say I got the better deal. My personal feelings aside, I find it interesting that we would compromise so, and I am extremely curious as to how we would deal with it now. Perhaps that is the mindset that I seek to return to.
I don't want to hate people just because of what they believe; that in itself is sort of against my ideas. I don't want to have a double standard and think myself and my faith above criticism. But that is the direction that I find myself moving in; I think that conservative Christians are so idiotic for believing such ridiculous fairytales as the bible, but I believe things that could be described as "fanciful" and "ludicrous."
The key for me is to be humble; nothing and no one is above the scrutiny of the living, and so I should be used to being tossed aside like so much ridiculous trash. As long as I can think they're morons; but then I am in danger of falling into that trap of the double standard… I do hate the double standard, and Christians (and really most recognized religions, especially the monotheistic ones) are shameless perpetrators of this hubris.♣
♦ I also remember asking my mother, and my friends asking their mothers, "What are we?" As in, what religion are we? This in itself is utter folly, because any faith or religion must be reached by yourself, in my opinion. Religion is totally your own, so children having religion is ridiculous.
♥ You will never see me call the Judeo-Christian deity "God" because I am insulted by the inference that he is the only god. Being a polytheist of a sort I recognize the existence of many divine forces, though I may not recognize their sovereignty. Hence my use of "JCgod."
♣ Hubris is commonly used to describe a mortal who thinks he is equal to a god, but I propose that it also describes religions/faiths and followers of religions/faiths that consider themselves above other religions/faiths, or, more importantly, consider themselves above scrutiny. No thing in the universe is above scrutiny.
I remember when I was four or five and in kindergarten, I had this friend, Erica, who was a Christian. Nothing special; most of my friends were probably Christians in the sense that their parents had said "you are Christian."♦ Even then I realized the sanctity of the earth and nature, and I did not relish the idea of humans as the masters of the world. One day (or over the course of a few days) we had a discussion involving the Christian god♥, my Mother earth (reminiscent of Native American religions), and the creation of the earth and humankind. I was still willing to "play nice" with Christians at that point, as she was willing to with me; also important to note is that I had not defined myself as anything other than Christian at that point, although I did not see myself as one of that religion and did not follow its tenets (church, prayer, etc). Erica and I eventually decided that my Mother had made the earth, including the land, the oceans, and all the animals and plants, and that her god had made the humans. I would have to say I got the better deal. My personal feelings aside, I find it interesting that we would compromise so, and I am extremely curious as to how we would deal with it now. Perhaps that is the mindset that I seek to return to.
I don't want to hate people just because of what they believe; that in itself is sort of against my ideas. I don't want to have a double standard and think myself and my faith above criticism. But that is the direction that I find myself moving in; I think that conservative Christians are so idiotic for believing such ridiculous fairytales as the bible, but I believe things that could be described as "fanciful" and "ludicrous."
The key for me is to be humble; nothing and no one is above the scrutiny of the living, and so I should be used to being tossed aside like so much ridiculous trash. As long as I can think they're morons; but then I am in danger of falling into that trap of the double standard… I do hate the double standard, and Christians (and really most recognized religions, especially the monotheistic ones) are shameless perpetrators of this hubris.♣
♦ I also remember asking my mother, and my friends asking their mothers, "What are we?" As in, what religion are we? This in itself is utter folly, because any faith or religion must be reached by yourself, in my opinion. Religion is totally your own, so children having religion is ridiculous.
♥ You will never see me call the Judeo-Christian deity "God" because I am insulted by the inference that he is the only god. Being a polytheist of a sort I recognize the existence of many divine forces, though I may not recognize their sovereignty. Hence my use of "JCgod."
♣ Hubris is commonly used to describe a mortal who thinks he is equal to a god, but I propose that it also describes religions/faiths and followers of religions/faiths that consider themselves above other religions/faiths, or, more importantly, consider themselves above scrutiny. No thing in the universe is above scrutiny.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Hey Look, It's Thanksgiving
I like thanksgiving. I like hanging out with family, I like the time off from school, I like the food... Yeah, it's pretty cool. Well, except for the whole "giving thanks" thing. If you haven't noticed, I get pretty hung up on the whole "higher power" thing, and the idea of thanking this invisible pink unicorn for stuff when really we all deserve the credit just burns me. But this is not a rant (notice how it's not under "rants") and I want it to be positive. So here goes...
I would like to thank my mother. For basically everything. You really want a list? Okay, here's a list: she feeds me, she clothes me, she gives me a place to sleep, she sends me to school, she buys me random presents, she bakes yummy stuff for me and my roommates, she gives me hugs, I can call her in the middle of the school day to bitch about some random classmate that bugs me, I can call her in the middle of the night if I wake up in a panic, she tries to understand all of my oddities, she listens to me when I go off on rants, she listens to me when I talk about science even though her eyes glaze over a bit, she trusts me enough to talk to me about how she's feeling, she trusts me enough to leave me the house when she's traveling the world, she respects that my world revolves around horses and dogs even though hers doesn't, she doesn't yell at me when I come home covered in mud, she would kiss my boo-boos if I needed it, she lets me tell her if her outfit is heinous, she tells me if my outfit is heinous, I could call her fifty times a day and she'd only screen my calls if she knew I was panicking and digging myself in deeper, she would know if I was panicking and digging myself in deeper, she does most anything to see me smile, she puts up with my high-strung terrier because she knows I love him, she only nags me about getting a summer job occasionally, she'll eat lunch at Panera bread three days in a row because I want to, she'll drive me endlessly back and forth from the stables, she lets me borrow her socks, she raises and eyebrow at chocolate cream pie that I snuck into the grocery cart but doesn't take it out, I can send her my unfinished essay and she'll read it and give me pointers over the phone, she gets me tshirts with owls on them whenever she sees them, she doesn't freak out when I curse (usually), she helps me run around in a panic to get everything ready for a ceremony, she puts up with my perfectionism, she calls me on my perfectionism, she helps me organize things when I'm freaking out about schoolwork at midnight, she doesn't pretend I was a perfect child... let's see; what else? Oh: she loves me unconditionally and she will always love me and I'm pretty sure she has loved me forever despite the fact that she only learned of my existence twenty-odd years ago (it has to do with the multiverse).
I would like to thank my grandparents; all of them, but one set in particular. The list is basically the same, though the specifics are different, but you get the gist. Most of all, I would like to thank my grandparents for being my second parents. They have given me a foundation to stand on, and I know that I can always come back and they'll be waiting with open arms. And they love me. Not "they love me, too" because "too" implies that it follows something, and their love does not follow; it deserves its own continent. They each deserve their own continent. Grandmasia and Grampalia.
I would like to thank my cousin. He is like my brother, and we've had our differences but we've never been closer than we are now. I want to thank him for his success; I am so proud of him and all he's accomplished, and how he's turned out to be a really great person despite all the adversity in his life. I want to thank him for being cool with the fact that I'm crazy, and being okay with me thinking he' s crazy too. I mean, everyone's crazy, but we're special.
The rest of the thanks are pretty general; there were just some outstanding ones. You know how it is. I would like to thank everyone I've known for making me who I am today. I'm still here so it can't be all bad... I would like to thank everyone in my family for everything they are. I would like to thank all of my classmates for everything they are (yes all of them). I would like to thank the academy. I would like to thank all of my teachers, especially some really great kindergarten and high school teachers.
So there you have it; not a complete list but I don't think I'd actually be able to put the real list down in time for thanksgiving in ten years. This guy sorta sums it up pretty well. So that's my challenge to you: this thanksgiving, seek out the real people in your life and let them know that they have the credit. And enjoy the time you have with the people you love; that's the most important thing in the world.
Happy Thanksgiving! ~argent wolfwing
I would like to thank my mother. For basically everything. You really want a list? Okay, here's a list: she feeds me, she clothes me, she gives me a place to sleep, she sends me to school, she buys me random presents, she bakes yummy stuff for me and my roommates, she gives me hugs, I can call her in the middle of the school day to bitch about some random classmate that bugs me, I can call her in the middle of the night if I wake up in a panic, she tries to understand all of my oddities, she listens to me when I go off on rants, she listens to me when I talk about science even though her eyes glaze over a bit, she trusts me enough to talk to me about how she's feeling, she trusts me enough to leave me the house when she's traveling the world, she respects that my world revolves around horses and dogs even though hers doesn't, she doesn't yell at me when I come home covered in mud, she would kiss my boo-boos if I needed it, she lets me tell her if her outfit is heinous, she tells me if my outfit is heinous, I could call her fifty times a day and she'd only screen my calls if she knew I was panicking and digging myself in deeper, she would know if I was panicking and digging myself in deeper, she does most anything to see me smile, she puts up with my high-strung terrier because she knows I love him, she only nags me about getting a summer job occasionally, she'll eat lunch at Panera bread three days in a row because I want to, she'll drive me endlessly back and forth from the stables, she lets me borrow her socks, she raises and eyebrow at chocolate cream pie that I snuck into the grocery cart but doesn't take it out, I can send her my unfinished essay and she'll read it and give me pointers over the phone, she gets me tshirts with owls on them whenever she sees them, she doesn't freak out when I curse (usually), she helps me run around in a panic to get everything ready for a ceremony, she puts up with my perfectionism, she calls me on my perfectionism, she helps me organize things when I'm freaking out about schoolwork at midnight, she doesn't pretend I was a perfect child... let's see; what else? Oh: she loves me unconditionally and she will always love me and I'm pretty sure she has loved me forever despite the fact that she only learned of my existence twenty-odd years ago (it has to do with the multiverse).
I would like to thank my grandparents; all of them, but one set in particular. The list is basically the same, though the specifics are different, but you get the gist. Most of all, I would like to thank my grandparents for being my second parents. They have given me a foundation to stand on, and I know that I can always come back and they'll be waiting with open arms. And they love me. Not "they love me, too" because "too" implies that it follows something, and their love does not follow; it deserves its own continent. They each deserve their own continent. Grandmasia and Grampalia.
I would like to thank my cousin. He is like my brother, and we've had our differences but we've never been closer than we are now. I want to thank him for his success; I am so proud of him and all he's accomplished, and how he's turned out to be a really great person despite all the adversity in his life. I want to thank him for being cool with the fact that I'm crazy, and being okay with me thinking he' s crazy too. I mean, everyone's crazy, but we're special.
The rest of the thanks are pretty general; there were just some outstanding ones. You know how it is. I would like to thank everyone I've known for making me who I am today. I'm still here so it can't be all bad... I would like to thank everyone in my family for everything they are. I would like to thank all of my classmates for everything they are (yes all of them). I would like to thank the academy. I would like to thank all of my teachers, especially some really great kindergarten and high school teachers.
So there you have it; not a complete list but I don't think I'd actually be able to put the real list down in time for thanksgiving in ten years. This guy sorta sums it up pretty well. So that's my challenge to you: this thanksgiving, seek out the real people in your life and let them know that they have the credit. And enjoy the time you have with the people you love; that's the most important thing in the world.
Happy Thanksgiving! ~argent wolfwing
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sticks and Stones Will Break My Bones, But Words' Wounds Cut Deeper
Words have only the power they are allowed. That is not to say that anyone in particular is in control. Words meant to hurt can hurt, but only if who recieves them is hurt. This is the basic idea: words only have the power you, personally, ascribe to them.
Gods can hear our words. Gods are not energy, I think; rather, gods are like light, and have a dual nature (rays and particles, eg). They are affected by our words, but only as living beings (for what are gods but physical? manifestations of life?). That's why gods can't affect you if you don't believe in them; the only change they can offer is in words, and words we don't believe in just pass us by. But belief is far from simple. I still struggle with belief.
Gods can hear our words. Gods are not energy, I think; rather, gods are like light, and have a dual nature (rays and particles, eg). They are affected by our words, but only as living beings (for what are gods but physical? manifestations of life?). That's why gods can't affect you if you don't believe in them; the only change they can offer is in words, and words we don't believe in just pass us by. But belief is far from simple. I still struggle with belief.
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