VIDEO OF THE TIMES: Red, Blue and Black
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21.11.06
Thanksgiving In The New World
For thousands of years, people have set aside a day to celebrate the autumn harvest, giving thanks for a plentiful growing season. Ancient Hebrews held a special eight-day feast to celebrate their harvest season. People in ancient Greece dedicated a nine-day harvest festival to “Demeter”, the goddess of agriculture. (Pilgrims) Similarly, pre-Christian Europeans marked a good harvest with a large feast before crops were gathered and stored for the winter. Celebrations surrounding the autumn harvest have continued throughout history, and many modern cultures have set aside a specific day to give thanks. The date and customs may vary from country to country, but the desire to take time and reflect on life's blessings remains the same (Festivals and Feasts). In the United States, this day of thanks is called Thanksgiving. It is a national holiday observed on the fourth Thursday of November. On this day, family and friends get together for a feast to celebrate their good fortune, relax and enjoy one another's company. It is also the unofficial beginning of the winter holiday season
Anyway, I could feel many things about Thanksgiving Day. Especially, after quite a bit of contemplation, although the celebration was good-natured, this event truly signifies the beginning of a drastic decline of native culture and Thanksgiving would be more fittingly observed as a day of mourning rather than a celebration. So, as we sit down for our Thanksgiving dinner, let us consider and look back upon to what happened to the American Natives when the Pilgrims arrived and welcome them with open arms, little knowing it was the beginning of the end. Ok, maybe I was a little drastic but somehow that doesn’t leave a very festive taste in my mouth.
Anyway, I could feel many things about Thanksgiving Day. Especially, after quite a bit of contemplation, although the celebration was good-natured, this event truly signifies the beginning of a drastic decline of native culture and Thanksgiving would be more fittingly observed as a day of mourning rather than a celebration. So, as we sit down for our Thanksgiving dinner, let us consider and look back upon to what happened to the American Natives when the Pilgrims arrived and welcome them with open arms, little knowing it was the beginning of the end. Ok, maybe I was a little drastic but somehow that doesn’t leave a very festive taste in my mouth.
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8.11.06
Losing My Religion - An Excerpt
Religion... Since its conception, it has inspired destruction, and needless death. The bible, Talmud, and Koran all speak of great battles. The Greek and Roman civilizations destroyed native cultures by the handful to assert their culture and religion over the natives. The Romans slaughtered Jews and Christians. The Crusades were all fought to claim a “holy land” which killed 500,000 people. In a population of just a few hundred million, that’s a huge amount. The inquisitions held in Western Europe decimated anyone who wasn't a Christian. The Holocaust was genocide of a religious group. Ireland, Israel, the entire Middle East... all up in arms over whose God is better. And how many cultures are still hurting from the influence of religion? How many countries in Africa fighting after western missionaries set up societies for the native cultures and fled? The Sudan, Rwanda... just a few still embroiled in conflict.
We all know the story of Galileo, no? How he ventured a scientific theory that later proved to be true, but disagreed with the church? Where would we be if Galileo never spoke? If he was like the rest of the sheep, happy to be told how things were without second guessing? The church apologized for that incident 300 years later! 300 years?! That’s how long it took for the church to accept that the universe wasn't geocentric?
What religion accepts as fact is relative to the times. Before man achieved sustained flight, we thought heaven was in the skies and the angels sat on clouds. We couldn't dig too far into the ground, so of course hell was underground. Now? No, no no. Heaven and Hell are places that don't exist on the physical plane, they're another place entirely.
Granted, religion has provided a basis for society as we know it today. In the time when people were few and far from each other, it drew them together and formed communities. Religion has motivated people to help each other, provide homes and medicine, time and money for each other. And for a pre-modern society, that is a great asset. But hasn't religion served its cause? Hasn't religion outworn its welcome? There are homeless outreach programs, drug rehab programs, organizations that provide provisions for starving people in Africa. But do we need a book to tell us that we should be nice? Sure, these are great things these people are doing, but why do it in the name of some higher power when we can claim it for the sake of humanity? “Humans can be infinitely kind”, the message should be, not “humans can be infinitely kind when receiving God's love.” It's about motivation. And there are much better motivators than religion when religion has a track record like that.
Again, war is so destructive. Not only does it cripple countries involved, it can drive civilization backwards. Lives are lost, schools destroyed, disease runs rampant. Why do we need more reasons for this? Karl Marx once said that religion and poverty go hand in hand. Another of his theories suggested that all wars have roots in class struggle. In societies with poverty, there is sure to be class struggle. Therefore, religion and war go hand in hand. We should be working for a better tomorrow, not a war-filled tomorrow.
In conclusion, whether or not there is a God in the end, life is what you make of it. No book needs to tell us how to be a decent human being. We don't need a higher power to direct us into being good people. To resign ourselves to living our lives being kind so we can go into heaven is selfish and wasteful. Live a good life for the sake of living a good life. Be kind for the sake of having kindness returned. Don't believe everything that it is you heard, no matter how many times it is told.
We all know the story of Galileo, no? How he ventured a scientific theory that later proved to be true, but disagreed with the church? Where would we be if Galileo never spoke? If he was like the rest of the sheep, happy to be told how things were without second guessing? The church apologized for that incident 300 years later! 300 years?! That’s how long it took for the church to accept that the universe wasn't geocentric?
What religion accepts as fact is relative to the times. Before man achieved sustained flight, we thought heaven was in the skies and the angels sat on clouds. We couldn't dig too far into the ground, so of course hell was underground. Now? No, no no. Heaven and Hell are places that don't exist on the physical plane, they're another place entirely.
Granted, religion has provided a basis for society as we know it today. In the time when people were few and far from each other, it drew them together and formed communities. Religion has motivated people to help each other, provide homes and medicine, time and money for each other. And for a pre-modern society, that is a great asset. But hasn't religion served its cause? Hasn't religion outworn its welcome? There are homeless outreach programs, drug rehab programs, organizations that provide provisions for starving people in Africa. But do we need a book to tell us that we should be nice? Sure, these are great things these people are doing, but why do it in the name of some higher power when we can claim it for the sake of humanity? “Humans can be infinitely kind”, the message should be, not “humans can be infinitely kind when receiving God's love.” It's about motivation. And there are much better motivators than religion when religion has a track record like that.
Again, war is so destructive. Not only does it cripple countries involved, it can drive civilization backwards. Lives are lost, schools destroyed, disease runs rampant. Why do we need more reasons for this? Karl Marx once said that religion and poverty go hand in hand. Another of his theories suggested that all wars have roots in class struggle. In societies with poverty, there is sure to be class struggle. Therefore, religion and war go hand in hand. We should be working for a better tomorrow, not a war-filled tomorrow.
In conclusion, whether or not there is a God in the end, life is what you make of it. No book needs to tell us how to be a decent human being. We don't need a higher power to direct us into being good people. To resign ourselves to living our lives being kind so we can go into heaven is selfish and wasteful. Live a good life for the sake of living a good life. Be kind for the sake of having kindness returned. Don't believe everything that it is you heard, no matter how many times it is told.
Religion of the World
Taoism: Shit happens.
Buddhism: If shit happens, it's not really shit.
Zen: What is the sound of shit happening?
Confusianism: Confucius says: shit happens
Islam: If shit happens, take a hostage.
Protestantism: Shit happens because you don't work hard enough.
Catholicism: Shit happens because you're bad.
Judaism: Why does shit always happen to us?
Hare Krishna: Shit happens rama rama.
TV Evangalism: Send more shit.
Atheism: No shit.
Hedonism: There's nothing like a good shit happening.
Jehovahs Witness: Knock, knock, shit happens.
Christian Science: Shit happens in your mind.
Agnosticism: Maybe shit happens, maybe it doesn't.
Stoicism: This shit doesn't bother me
Buddhism: If shit happens, it's not really shit.
Zen: What is the sound of shit happening?
Confusianism: Confucius says: shit happens
Islam: If shit happens, take a hostage.
Protestantism: Shit happens because you don't work hard enough.
Catholicism: Shit happens because you're bad.
Judaism: Why does shit always happen to us?
Hare Krishna: Shit happens rama rama.
TV Evangalism: Send more shit.
Atheism: No shit.
Hedonism: There's nothing like a good shit happening.
Jehovahs Witness: Knock, knock, shit happens.
Christian Science: Shit happens in your mind.
Agnosticism: Maybe shit happens, maybe it doesn't.
Stoicism: This shit doesn't bother me
Rastafarianism: Let's smoke this shit.
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