'Haven't had much to write about, at least not anything that I feel I want to devote an entire blog entry to. I've still had a lot on my mind, though, so I will go ahead and dedicate a year-end post to a bunch of different topics, some related, some not, and just as the title indicates, this will mostly just be some random facts, opinions, and observations. Okay, there might be some ranting, and possibly even some autobiographical tidbits.
So, since it was Christmas the other day, I guess that I will start with the whole, "Merry Christmas!" vs "Happy Holidays!" debate, aka, the "the War on Christmas".
I think that all of the hoopla, or to some people, the "controversy" surrounding this debate was most likely due to retailers asking their reps to say "Happy Holidays"(as opposed to "Merry Christmas"). And I'm thinking that this was simply an attempt to be inclusive when it comes to customers or potential customers during the holidays. After all, happy customers come back, whereas, offended customers, or perhaps those who may feel left out, just may not come back. Though it seems to me that a good deal, is a good deal, is a good deal. But that's just me.
If we get down to brass tacks, I think what we're most likely witnessing here is carry-over from a business strategy, not some covert conspiracy to ruin Christmas for people who celebrate it. And BTW, I'm an atheist and I celebrate Christmas as a cultural holiday. True story.
But as many have witnessed, the Far Religious Right ain't having this "Happy Holidays" junk. I personally don't feel that this sort of adversity to a phrase should really come by any surprise to anyone, given that the most conservative of the Conservative are traditionalists by definition and their spiritual beliefs are inherently exclusive. The other guy's religion? Don't be silly, that's just a bunch of man-made nonsense. And note, this exclusivity is not merely my opinion. No, because the language in the Christian handbook is there for all to see and it is delineated in no uncertain terms that "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life"(aka, John 14:6). And then there's, "You shall have no other gods before me.", yadda, yadda. So, yeah, it's a exclusive club.
Christians, and former Christians such as myself, had this part drilled into our heads. In fact, exclusivity is at the hub of the whole Christian philosophy, and perhaps the biggest clue was that Jesus spoke on no other topic more than that of what would be the consequences for people who reject Him as "the way, the truth, and the life", etc. Why would I focus on that and not the gems, one might ask? I "focus" on what's there. Not just what I find palatable.
So, yeah, Christianity(according to Christianity) is the one and only path to Enlightenment. IOW, it's circular reasoning being paraded as "fact". So, until it's demonstrated to be true in some non-circular, objective way, I'm afraid Christians will just have to get used to other belief-systems getting acknowledged during the holidays. I know, such a terrible thing, isn't it? Including other's spiritual beliefs in the festivities? #ByeFelicia
But truth be known, I'm not the slightest bit offended if someone says, "Merry Christmas!"
This brings me to the 45th president of the United States since he is somehow seen as the "hero" for bringing back the expression in question and winning this so-called "war on Christmas". While I could surely devote an entire post to this guy, I flat-out won't do it, because, a) he's not worth my time, but mostly, b) I cannot change an ideologue's mind, and this is precisely what those who still defend him are: Fucking ideologues. In fact, it's gotten to the point where supporters now evoke the political equivalent of Divine Command Theory. To recap, DCT is where an action's moral status is based on whether "God" commands that action(or not).
The 45th president? Same, only in a political sense. Remember, this is the guy who by his own admission said that he could march out onto the street and publicly shoot someone dead for no reason at all and he would not lose supporters. This, believe it or not, was one of his finer talking points while on the campaign trail. If I believe anything at all that spews from this vile buffoon's mouth, it's this. Yes, absolutely, he could blow someone's brains out for no reason at all and he wouldn't lose supporters. No doubt about it. And let's be honest here, he's bragging, not saying it regrettably. His supporters? They eat it up.
So, yeah, just like the "God" of the Christian Bible, the 45th president can literally do no wrong in his supporter's eyes. Sad and disgusting.
I'm approaching the age....no, wait...I'm already there... where I could drop dead from any one of the various instant killers out there---heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, and more. Then there's the diseases that kill you slowly. Yay! But seriously, so many people I know(knew) are dying all around me, from friends I grew up with, to musical peers, and this is both musicians I knew personally and those I grew up listening to. Many of my heroes have passed on. I'll see a favorite artist's name mentioned or song posted, and I'm like, "Oh, wait, they're dead now" :(
So, what happens is that people will share music on social media and often times I'm reminded that the artist has passed on. And this is sort of sad, is it not? I mean, especially for independent artists who are trying to get all the fans they can get in the hopes that a major label might take notice. To think that we independent, "self-everything" artists have to die to get noticed? Fortunately, I do have a dozen or so friends who have given props to the music I've created/co-created, and for this I am grateful. I guess it's just a little unsettling to know that the most "likes" I'll ever get will be when I croak = /
Sadly, the same dynamic is true with this blog: Chances are, people will flock here in droves when I'm gone to read posts just like this one. This quite honestly is a lot of the reason that I feel inclined to touch on this topic. And since I have very unpopular views, views that many would say (and have said) are "negative" and/or "depressing", I can only imagine some of the comments from these super, duper positive people who mysteriously seem to be able to shit sunshine 24/7. Funny, it never occurs to these people that my "depressing" views could actually be right. But alas, this is their world---a world in which reality evidently sympathizes with their feelings. Must be nice. Must be nice to be able to look on the bright side when you witness three of your four kids get plowed over at the bus stop. Four of your kids go to school, only one comes back. God is great.
Oh, well, at least when I'm dead I won't even know that I'm dead nor that I'd ever lived. I guess what I'm saying is that I regret now what I won't be able to regret later, which is that I won't be around to field some of the inane, misinformed comments that I can only imagine would pop up here, and elsewhere on the internet. It's only sort of a bummer now because I'm actually able to foresee such comments based on what history shows. And, well, one of the things that history shows is that there are people, even friends and family, who don't have the slightest clue what atheism is and how it "happens". And that's just it---atheism is not something that you choose; it just happens, and it happens as a result of some other seemingly innocuous decisions. For instance, something as innocent as deciding to investigate the origins of the Bible, but more importantly, having a willingness to accept the findings even if it makes you uncomfortable. And yeah, this takes courage. Being atheist takes courage.
But like I've said before, most theists have zero desire to know what atheism is or how it happens. Nope, they don't care about my experiences because their experiences have convinced them that the Universe, in one way or another, is looking out for little ol' them. Subjective validation? Nah. Confirmation bias? Unthinkable!....::sigh::
And yet, I can't help but notice there's a correlation between the above-described people and today's conspiracy theorists---that is, people who are quick to believe things that they cannot possibly know, and I mean things about us as individuals and the world we live in. Good grief, we are a frecking spec in 125 billion galaxies. And this is just known galaxies, mind you. Perspective is everything. So, I dunno, but maybe people should spend more time getting to know people and less time pretending to have them all figured out? Maybe more time living the life they know for sure they have, and less time trying to get in the next? Just a thought.
Hey, did you know that just like it's possible to have good sex without love that it's also possible to have good love without sex? I know, I know.....that was a curve ball. And I know that the latter scenario may seem weird to some people, and while it's definitely atypical, that doesn't mean it's not possible. Good sex and good love are not interdependent. They just aren't. Sure, people might convince themselves that one makes the other better. But I would opine that this is more psychology than it is biology.
I guess maybe this is where it becomes a little bit autobiographical, but I can recall as a 10 or 11 year old stumbling upon the stack of Playboy magazines that my dad would keep in his bathroom(we had a house with a one & half bath, and the half bath was my dad's personal space).
But getting back to Hugh Hefner, his photographers left a whole lot to the imagination, especially in contrast to some of today's men's magazines where absolutely nothing is left to the imagination. Back then it was mostly just topless, and on the rare occasion that there was full frontal nudity, let's just say that a combination of clever studio lighting and the hippie movement prevented a guy from seeing anything that could remotely be considered "raunchy". IOW, you had to use your imagination, and that's just what I did.
But the point here is this: As a kid, the first urge I had was a sexual one. Love? At the time, the love I got from my family and the love (I thought) I was getting from "God" was enough. I didn't care about what those Playboy Bunnies did in their spare time. If Miss June got hit by a bus, I'd move on to Miss July without batting an eye. I wasn't thinking about "love", I was thinking about sex.
Of course, like most young adults I eventually started to seek love later on, and yet, in retrospect when I thought I found it, I know now that it wasn't "love" at all, it was infatuation. But still, even as an adult I see infatuation, romance, sex, and love as different and separate things. I can look at a woman with lust and it not invalidate the love I have for my significant other. Religion disagrees, of course. Basically, imagining yourself in a sex act with someone besides your wife or husband is the same as actually engaging in a sex act with that person. Huh! *May as well do it, right?! I mean, what is an urge to have sexual intercourse with someone if not lust? 'Guess I really just fail to see how you can feel sexually attracted to someone, whether you're married to them, or not, and not lust after them. It seems to me that lust is a natural and necessary precursor to sex. My goodness, if our biological fathers didn't at some point lust after our biological mothers, most of us wouldn't be here!
*this was to make a rhetorical point. I am not advocating that people act on thoughts they might have.
I'm aware that some people might sense there's some dysfunction. Fair enough. I'm not a believer in romantic love, and here again is another unpopular view. In my experience and from what I see around me, when lust turns to romance, I see this stage as infatuation. Infatuation (to me) is the stage where it's still all about you and your own needs. There's strings attached here, and real, genuine love has no strings, because real love is all about the other person. Well, unbelievably, I am finally in a relationship where it's about the other person. This doesn't necessarily mean I don't seek to have my own needs met. I do. I live with my best friend, and she seems to understand me more than anyone else ever has. I've gotten her to at least hear me out on what I believe are the pitfalls of romantic love, and while she might not agree entirely, she sees places where I do have a point.
One thing I can't stand is double standards. For example, if, say, an attractive woman is decisively childless and has never settled down; if she is known to "date" different people, but is now well into mid-life and remains single and/or uncommitted, think of what people might say in their attempts to account for her relationship status and preferences. I don't think it would be uncommon to hear things like, "Well, she sure knows what she wants!"..or maybe something like, "She's independent and won't be controlled!" Or maybe we'd hear, "Oh, leave her alone! She's smart and is simply waiting for the right person!". All of the above?
Now think of a guy who is decisively childless, has never settled down, is known to "date" different people, but is now well into mid-life and remains single and/or uncommitted.
I rest my case. And let's be honest here, the above kind of theories would be at the very bottom of the list of things that people might conclude about a man with the exact same status and preferences. A male that knows what he wants, values solitude, and is emotionally independent? That's just crazy talk. Well, crazy or not, for the longest time I was that dude and I sort of still am. Okay, I suppose there's a slight chance that an open-minded person might "get" this. All I can say is thank goodness for rational thinkers! Because conspiracy theorists? Ugh. You know the type, it's the people who are rarely if ever consistent in reasoning. It's the ones who are quick to make up their minds on scant or even demonstrably false information. It's the crowd who would rather believe what they want to be true rather than what's actually true. Think flat-earthers or chem-trail theorists, here. It's the ones who parrot what they've heard(or read somewhere), because after all, it's cool to think you "know" some shit that no one else knows. Doubly cool when it comes to thinkin' that you know some shit about people you don't like. Goes triple when it comes to thinkin' you know somethin' juicy about someone who's burned bridges with you still standin' on 'em.
Meh.
But like I said, one day I'll be gone and chances are that some of the above-described people will be reading this. Welp, this is for that insipidly ignorant bunch ;)
Uh-oh. Guess that was the "rant" part, eh?.....::snicker::
Oh, well, like most normal people there are a few things in my past I'm not so proud of. But you know the adage, right? I'd rather make mistakes than fake perfection? Yeah, that's the one. Of course, as far as things that I will not miss when I'm gone, ruminating on poor judgment that I used in the past is one such thing. And by "ruminating," I mean wishing over and over I could go back and "redo" a few things. Damn me to hell, right? Trust me, in some ways I'm already there. I am my own devil and I make my own hell. Wait....that sounds like the makings of a new song...
But the truth is, I'm sorry to have to report that binge-drinking contributed to some really poor decision-making in my past. I'm sorry to have to report that, yeah, I've said some really ugly things to people I care about, probably out of fear, anger, or frustration. Maybe all three? Sure. Look, I'm sorry to have to report that atheism does not = perfection. Atheists are human beings just like everyone else, and like everyone else they use poor judgment from time to time. But the reality is, this has squat to do with whether atheism is true or false. But people won't "get" this. They won't understand it, and for this reason they won't accept it---not while I'm alive and well, and not when I'm dead and gone. To a moral objectivist(especially one whose feelings have been really hurt), atheists need to account for morality if they're going to claim that morality does not come from "God". Well, no we don't. What about free will? What about being at the wrong place at the wrong time? What about three fingers pointin' back?
Good bye, all! Wishing you all a marvelous 2019!!!!
