93 Post This, Blog That

You know what really burns my ass? A flame about this high. Buh dump shhh..... Really, you know what is funny to me? I blog when I can, I occasionally take requests and often I talk about what is bugging me at the time. Sometimes I get all sappy or melancholy or angry and I never know which ones you guys will respond to or relate with the most. Therein lies the rub: Do I play to the crowds? Pander outright? Do I try to be noble? Hmm. Maybe just keep doing a little bit of everything.

Death seems to be a hot-button as well as getting screwed over at work or in the past. Go figure. Oh, and the whole religion vs. atheism vs. alternative views thing. That one is a particular favorite of mine, not because of the controversy necessarily, but the unwillingness of some to keep an open mind. As I grew older and made up my own mind about death, taxes and the afterlife, I learned to keep as open a mind as possible. If I am guilty of anything, it is cannibalizing many viewpoints and constructing my own. I didnt necessarily like any single viewpoint, so the next logical step was peicing the parts together that made the most sense to me. I can be both logical and illogical at times, so what eventually became my spiritual views contained a little bit of everything. I have never seen a true "miracle" unless you count a child's cancer disappearing or someone in a horrific accident walking away with no or minor injuries, or some such thing. No, I'm talking about water-to-wine kinda stuff or fishes and loaves.

I used to take the Christian Bible at face value when I was young. As the years marched on, I started to step outside of that box and look at it as a whole. For the times the ancient scrolls and sheep skins or whatever were written and on to when the first scribes droned on and on, transcribing handwritten accounts over and over so that the pious priests would have their own bible, to the first printed versions, I wonder how many religious zealots, priests, kings and queens changed bits and pieces to suit themselves. How often did they have it written so that a lesson or ultimatum could be given that suited the time and event at hand? Before you start screaming at me, think about it: As a whole, the Bible gives lessons on how to interact with your fellow man, refraining from anything that would create anger with your friends, family and strangers. Dont kill, dont steal, dont hump your neighbors wife/husband, etc. There are enormous amounts of lineages and descriptive accounts of places and things that could have been left out, but I imagine that someone along the line thought "Hey, these people are important because they lead to ______, so let's make sure they stay in here."

So, by now, thanks to the Discovery channel and Tom Brown, everyone has heard of the Council of Nicea. They get most of the blame for amending what books we now have in the Bible, but I wonder what happened in the many centuries before and after? How many throats have been slit over that book? How many people burned at the stake, impaled and tortured? There will always be some twisted monster that distorts a viewpoint for his or her own sick enjoyment or agenda. The Bible was, in my and many others' opinion, meant to be a set of rules or guidelines for living your life in harmony with others and the world. It is woefully outdated in some ways, timeless in others. All this being said, I think it is a wonderful tool and reference if you want to remind yourself how to live well and be harmonious.

But....there ARE other alternatives. You have to remember, the only way to prove or disprove God is to die. Permanently. You dont come back and tell stories. If you did die for 10 minutes on the operating table and now you have a newfound love of religion, maybe it's just you being grateful for NOT being dead. Again, that doesnt mean its a bad thing, I just dont know if I believe in the whole " I saw heaven and so-and-so was there and told me to come back and Jesus was leading me there" thing. It's great if you got the comfort you deserve from all that, and if it made you a better person, then it was worth it. I suppose I'm just a have-to-touch-it-or-see-it kinda guy.

I've said it before, I dont think people like me have a bleak future. As I said yesterday, I feel more in tune with myself now than I ever have. I want to embrace the world as it comes, good or bad, learning as I go. New events, new experiences are all welcome, I love diversity. I feel like a child again, filled with wonder every time I open my eyes, and often when they're closed. Is that so bad? I believe there has to be some consciousness out there somewhere, watching, abiding, maybe with the same eyes as me, maybe not, but it is not necessarily what many of you call "God". I still dont see it as a bad thing. I was given the tools, it has taken me a long time, but I have begun to use those tools to wonder at the things around me. I DO wonder about the rest of the cosmos, but not so much as what we have at hand here. We are for all intents and purposes earth-bound, so what goes on here is what I want to love, cherish and understand before my time is done. I can look at the same blade of grass a hundred times and see a hundred different things. The water that runs down the hill still amazes me as it did as a child. There is so much beauty and wonder here, as well as the pain and suffering. All of it is to be wondered at and I always attempt to decipher it, to understand as best I can what purpose it serves.

Often, I think maybe the purpose of the earth is for us to attempt to attain a harmony or method of coping with diversity by utilizing the countless differing lifeforms and climates and attitudes that exist here. A small planet, true, but teeming with different things and situations. If we move on after we shuffle off the mortal coil, maybe those of us that can grasp those methods will have a chance to experience new ones or at least ones we didnt get to experience the last time around. Learn--move on, dont learn--stick around til you do. Either way, I think if you enjoy your viewpoints, dont abuse them and make the best of what you do here, my heart of heart and soul of souls says that you wont be punished or admonished for any "transgressions" you committed along the way.

These should not be confused with twisted, evil souls that exist only to commit evil acts. You know what I'm talking about, so no nitpicking.

If I'm right, maybe next time around I'll get to choose where I go and what I get to see, If I'm wrong, well, you'll never know will you? I'll be sure and send you all letters. Wait, I said I was going to live to around 130....hmm...SEE YA THERE!!!!