One of the major differences that separate man from the rest of nature is our emphasis on aesthetics, on things looking or being presented in a certain way. Literally, things just looking, sounding, basically everything involved with the presentation as being more than the actual substance, itself. One of the most common examples you'll recognize, for all the girls, is the emphasis on "looking good". Makeup, hair, fashionable clothing and shoes, merely looking right, with little to do on the substance (i.e. your mind). Another example is looking fat as opposed to being healthy. If you look skinny, then you aren't fat, but a fat person running a mile straight is still less "in shape" than the skinny guy who cannot run a mile straight. It's this obsession that, of course, I disagree with. But you can account for my bias because my presentation of my personal appearance is significantly less than that of my peers. "Looks are everything" a motto for every young generation. I see the appeal because it is less effort to assert something to looking good, as opposed to it actually being good.
Think about the daily bits of your life. How much of it is based on superficial aesthetics, as opposed to less effort but it be visually unappealing? It's shocking how much is pure looks.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Art & Classical Music
I never understood art. Just to be absolutely clear, I'm not talking about it in its broadest sense, just classical art, I suppose, sculptures, art museums, art galleries, that sort of thing. It's just an object, it's just some.... thing. No value at all, it's something that can't be used for any practical purpose, it's entirely worthless, in my opinion. I mean, for paintings and sculptures, you look at it and then what? It's gone, out of your mind.. or at least, out of my mind. While I'm a fan of interpretation (because the mind is so vast and unique, two people could see the same thing and see two different things, all about perception) but people selling art for all this vast sort of money, just to say you're "cultured"? No, it's completely pointless to me. Especially abstract art. Throw a bunch of splotches of paint on a canvas and make me interpret it? Hell no, paint something with value, with a message, and then I might pay attention. All that classic art... it's boring, pretentious, and pointless.
Classical music is much the same, but audibly, of course. Someone told me that classical, you just "feel" it, the tones, the scales, the instruments. I just don't see it like that. There's no message. And any message in the songs or chords or whatever, you have to look it up, you can't hear it through the song. Once again, it's a matter of being "cultured". I don't feel the need to inflate my importance, by saying I appreciate art and classical, because I don't. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about emotions in songs (and even without intelligible lyrics, such as Ag20 by Blood Stain Child, that's a song I "feel"), but I guess my perception is different. Metal pleases my ears, gives me all the satisfaction from music that I want. Also I have a bone to pick with those people who say "I like all kinds of music" but in a different post.
Art and classical have no value, but due to their longevity (for whatever reason), they have become the bastion for intellectual pretentiousness, for just having the "cultured" banner. I think it's a load of crap and the social and financial gain is all that is benefited, two things I don't give a shit about.
Classical music is much the same, but audibly, of course. Someone told me that classical, you just "feel" it, the tones, the scales, the instruments. I just don't see it like that. There's no message. And any message in the songs or chords or whatever, you have to look it up, you can't hear it through the song. Once again, it's a matter of being "cultured". I don't feel the need to inflate my importance, by saying I appreciate art and classical, because I don't. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about emotions in songs (and even without intelligible lyrics, such as Ag20 by Blood Stain Child, that's a song I "feel"), but I guess my perception is different. Metal pleases my ears, gives me all the satisfaction from music that I want. Also I have a bone to pick with those people who say "I like all kinds of music" but in a different post.
Art and classical have no value, but due to their longevity (for whatever reason), they have become the bastion for intellectual pretentiousness, for just having the "cultured" banner. I think it's a load of crap and the social and financial gain is all that is benefited, two things I don't give a shit about.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Why Religion Should Be Mocked
I often take a lot of crap from people - atheists and theists alike - that I should "respect" religion more. Well, I don't because it doesn't fit into my morals or values. Same thing with family. The majority of people would put some sort of bond or connection to their other family members, because of "blood". But why? They share genetic lineage but what else? A lot of people's values and morals -especially traditionalists- comes from some law or way of living in the past that has no bearing on now. For instance, marriage widely came about from warring tribes making alliances, or an ensured genetic heritage for a man, which had a lot more value then than in modern culture. Hell, love was put into it later, much later, from the English. I'm not going to go into each little tradition, but you get my point. You have to live with the times and in today's world - quote "age of reason" - religion is losing more and more creditability. Let's use the family analogy. You look at your mother - your religion - with fondness because of it's all you ever know. But to me, your mother - your brand of fairy tale - is just another ordinary, insignificant human to me.
You have your brand of highly improbably circumstances, yet you think because so many people fawn over the ever-lasting life and "morality" taught, that it should be respected as a creditable idea? That's insane. Flying Spaghetti Monster is exactly a good example of what I'm talking about. Theists will laugh and scoff at that being a credible idea, but go back to their brand of Bronze Age fairy tales, like it's gospel (quite literally!) and have absurd claims to back it up.
I don't respect religion because I wouldn't respect a church of Dr. Seuss or the Congregation of Mother Goose. They're fables and imaginative stories created at a time before knowledge was able to spread, en masse, and a lot of the advances we know today, were not. Or some, like Scientology, are intentionally put out just malicious take advantage of people, while I think most in Christianity or Islam maybe not, as that is far more "spiritually" driven. I find the notion absurd because they didn't have the explorers, philosophers, scientists, and the knowledge we have gained in the 2000 years since is so extraordinary, you cannot even fathom what life was like back then. To actually live it.
I will continue to mock and laugh at Christianity, Islam, Scientology, Hinduism and any other religion that preaches whimsical stories for profit or power. They're fucking absurd stories, people. If you can't understand that, there's no need for me to acknowledge you as any kind of equal being to myself, intellectually.
You have your brand of highly improbably circumstances, yet you think because so many people fawn over the ever-lasting life and "morality" taught, that it should be respected as a creditable idea? That's insane. Flying Spaghetti Monster is exactly a good example of what I'm talking about. Theists will laugh and scoff at that being a credible idea, but go back to their brand of Bronze Age fairy tales, like it's gospel (quite literally!) and have absurd claims to back it up.
I don't respect religion because I wouldn't respect a church of Dr. Seuss or the Congregation of Mother Goose. They're fables and imaginative stories created at a time before knowledge was able to spread, en masse, and a lot of the advances we know today, were not. Or some, like Scientology, are intentionally put out just malicious take advantage of people, while I think most in Christianity or Islam maybe not, as that is far more "spiritually" driven. I find the notion absurd because they didn't have the explorers, philosophers, scientists, and the knowledge we have gained in the 2000 years since is so extraordinary, you cannot even fathom what life was like back then. To actually live it.
I will continue to mock and laugh at Christianity, Islam, Scientology, Hinduism and any other religion that preaches whimsical stories for profit or power. They're fucking absurd stories, people. If you can't understand that, there's no need for me to acknowledge you as any kind of equal being to myself, intellectually.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friends, Part Two
A whole year since the last post I made on that - rather unbelievable - and a lot of things have changed in terms of that. I lost a lot and gained a few, it's a back and forth game. My opinions have changed slightly on it, too. I no longer harbor a grudge against those who want a lot of friends or who have it. The circumstances could be different, it's not always the same reasons, nor is the content of their friends necessarily relevant. Let me clarify. The nature of the relationship shouldn't, the intent or motive of why friends are friends shouldn't matter, but who their friend is. At least, that should be more of the focus. But on to real matters.
I'm not above communicating or gaining such relationships any more because I can gain something from everyone, whether it's knowledge, insight, or even some influence or financial gain. As long as it doesn't get personal. As long as certain..... boundaries aren't crossed. I have my personal crowd - which is a select few - and I have my business crowd (not literal business, but in how I regard them).
Also, whenever it seems I want to give up on the game, someone comes along and changes my mind. Just when I lose all hope in you silly humans, I get a reminder that you all aren't as hypocritical, stupid, arrogant, ignorant, emotional, and narrow-minded as I thought. Most are, but some aren't. I think once that personal barrier is breached, it's hard to go back and sometimes, losses are incurred and things just need to..... end. But I don't believe it will always have to be that way. Okay, it's crap to say people don't change and that people do change, because both are true, in a manner of speaking. I feel I have changed a lot, especially since part one of this, but at the same time, I'm still the heartless, "confident" (although some may use other less endearing terms), smart, and logical bastard I was then. It's hard to say, especially when emotions and feelings get involved and I thought that I could get away from all that, reap all the rewards and incur none of the downsides. Things don't work like that. What's the phase, can't live with them, can't live without them. I need the realness, the absence of bullshit that I get from nearly no one.
Conclusion: whether you like it or not, you need friends, you need that closeness, it's all very necessary towards living with any kind of fulfillment. It's just picking the right people to have that with. Thankfully, I think I'm starting to get it and starting to choose the right people.
I'm not above communicating or gaining such relationships any more because I can gain something from everyone, whether it's knowledge, insight, or even some influence or financial gain. As long as it doesn't get personal. As long as certain..... boundaries aren't crossed. I have my personal crowd - which is a select few - and I have my business crowd (not literal business, but in how I regard them).
Also, whenever it seems I want to give up on the game, someone comes along and changes my mind. Just when I lose all hope in you silly humans, I get a reminder that you all aren't as hypocritical, stupid, arrogant, ignorant, emotional, and narrow-minded as I thought. Most are, but some aren't. I think once that personal barrier is breached, it's hard to go back and sometimes, losses are incurred and things just need to..... end. But I don't believe it will always have to be that way. Okay, it's crap to say people don't change and that people do change, because both are true, in a manner of speaking. I feel I have changed a lot, especially since part one of this, but at the same time, I'm still the heartless, "confident" (although some may use other less endearing terms), smart, and logical bastard I was then. It's hard to say, especially when emotions and feelings get involved and I thought that I could get away from all that, reap all the rewards and incur none of the downsides. Things don't work like that. What's the phase, can't live with them, can't live without them. I need the realness, the absence of bullshit that I get from nearly no one.
Conclusion: whether you like it or not, you need friends, you need that closeness, it's all very necessary towards living with any kind of fulfillment. It's just picking the right people to have that with. Thankfully, I think I'm starting to get it and starting to choose the right people.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Ashamed and Disgusted
I noticed today that someone I once held in the highest regard, reduced to such.... boring normality, it disgusted me. Despite everything that has happened between this person and I, I regarded them as unique, unconventional, daring to be different. But the game of life gets to everywhere and everyone plays, all the same. Becoming mindless and.... average. It just reminds me that everyone thinks that being different is someone a rebellious kid notion, that everyone "grows up" and grows out of it. Call me immature, but I don't want to be like that. I want to say things that challenges people's preconceived conventions, challenge the conventional and just say a big fuck you to the boring repetition that people call lives.
People really think they have to play in this game. While it's true you have to have certain elements - college degrees, good jobs, functional business appearance - that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice yourself, who you are and become p.c. It's just so disheartening, and especially if I thought you were once unique, but you sold out to appease others or make life easier for you or more tolerable, you lose massive respect from me. You fucking be yourself, no matter what else. Seeing this kind of degradation.... it makes me think of the memories and now they are tainted with this stink of hypocrisy. Not many people is willing to live like me, say the things that I say, do things that I do, and I'm partially glad for that. But disheartened that beautiful, unique mind is now absolute shit. Ha, my only reward is this person will never have any kind of happiness, or rather peace with themselves, while they live this lie.
People really think they have to play in this game. While it's true you have to have certain elements - college degrees, good jobs, functional business appearance - that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice yourself, who you are and become p.c. It's just so disheartening, and especially if I thought you were once unique, but you sold out to appease others or make life easier for you or more tolerable, you lose massive respect from me. You fucking be yourself, no matter what else. Seeing this kind of degradation.... it makes me think of the memories and now they are tainted with this stink of hypocrisy. Not many people is willing to live like me, say the things that I say, do things that I do, and I'm partially glad for that. But disheartened that beautiful, unique mind is now absolute shit. Ha, my only reward is this person will never have any kind of happiness, or rather peace with themselves, while they live this lie.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
American, British, and Ukranian Politics and Ethics
Congressional sessions in America follow a relatively boring path of voting, speeches, occasional bouts of dispute, and usually a Republican saying something completely ridiculous. But it's nice, oh it's so very nice and pleasant and polite. Parliamentary sessions in the UK are a bit.... rowdy, with more direct words and much more of an emphasis on embarrassing or tarnishing the opposition's name. But they even have been topped.
A recent parliamentary session in the Ukraine over the extension of a Russian base in one of their cities was up and apparently stirred up a lot of emotions. As you see in the article, they are committing pretty violent acts, at least, those of a professional legislative branch of a country. While I think that's going a bit too far, I do think American politics can take a bit from this.
First off, this polite nonsense, at least from the Democrats, is just too detached from the real issues. And the one time you use a bit of actual rules to enforce and play the political game, they reel back like they've been shot in the gut. British politics has it right, too, but we need to fix OUR system. There's too many polite gestures and too "favors" being put into play here.
I believe in just saying what you need to say. I think, as a whole, Americans are getting soft. We've been at the top so long, we are used to comforts. We are used to other nations bending to our will, dominating the world in armed services, at least, not to mention the Hollywood and internet cultures. And we can no longer take proper criticism. If our senators, those in charge of legislating and making the rules, can't handle a bit of criticism, and I would go about ten times farther, then they are either too weak or are exploiting the "politeness" to stray the conversation away.
A recent parliamentary session in the Ukraine over the extension of a Russian base in one of their cities was up and apparently stirred up a lot of emotions. As you see in the article, they are committing pretty violent acts, at least, those of a professional legislative branch of a country. While I think that's going a bit too far, I do think American politics can take a bit from this.
First off, this polite nonsense, at least from the Democrats, is just too detached from the real issues. And the one time you use a bit of actual rules to enforce and play the political game, they reel back like they've been shot in the gut. British politics has it right, too, but we need to fix OUR system. There's too many polite gestures and too "favors" being put into play here.
I believe in just saying what you need to say. I think, as a whole, Americans are getting soft. We've been at the top so long, we are used to comforts. We are used to other nations bending to our will, dominating the world in armed services, at least, not to mention the Hollywood and internet cultures. And we can no longer take proper criticism. If our senators, those in charge of legislating and making the rules, can't handle a bit of criticism, and I would go about ten times farther, then they are either too weak or are exploiting the "politeness" to stray the conversation away.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
My Problem With The Judeo-Christian God
This is just a personal piece, filled with why I don't like the aforementioned deity.
To start off with, if he exists, he has rigged the system against people like me. He is omnipotent, sees all, past, present, and future. He already knows what decisions I'll make, what I'll believe and what it will take to make me believe. He created me, knowing full well that I would never accept him as reality because of his perchant for skewing his own believability by having so much evidence stacked against him and yet, not even close enough for him. He knows that I won't believe without enough evidence and has set me up to fail, no matter what! That's the move of a sadistic, cruel asshole. He, instead, rewards blind obedience and faith based on feelings, emotions, and selfish desires. If you believe that you are going to heaven to spend eternity in paradise, that is selfish. That means you will forgo doing the necessary things to ensure that everyone else will have stable real lives. Think of the benefits of abortion, condoms, and other forms of birth control, fuck, population control. That alone makes you selfish. And if you are for those positions, by God's standards, you're going to Hell. Great choice for a benevolent God, eh?
Next point is Hell. You steal a candy bar, you pay a small fine for your transgression. You rob a store at gunpoint, you take a much harsher punishment as the punishment fit the crime, by human standards. Could you possibly see a finite crime used to judge us for eternity, in punishment? Much less, simply "thinking" bad thoughts? What kind of God, LOVING at that, would set up such a system where you would have eternal torment, based on a finite crime? Hell, even the Greeks didn't have a system that fucked up. Then of course, this goes back to my previous point of God setting up people like me to fail and spending an eternity in hell.
Last point, I think it's kind of silly of us every knowing just what God wants or what he could possibly be like. Don't you find it a little convenient that we happen to know JUST what is bad and what is not, in his eyes? It goes back to an original post of mine (The Human Perception), that you cannot attribute human qualities to God and still call him mysterious. I think the deist position is more likely, if anything. Sure, there *might* be a divine being, but as limited humans, mere playthings, could be we ever hope to understand? I doubt it. We just have to leave it up to chance, because with all the choices of different religions, it's just a choice, usually based on your regional preference among your indigenous tribe.
Final thoughts: if God did exist, he has long abandoned us. While, in the golden years of the Old Testament, he was talking to everyone "Hey, Samuel.... what's up? I'm kinda bored now", now he has erased all pure evidence to his very existence, signaling to me, he either doesn't want to be found or he isn't quite the god we all know him as.
To start off with, if he exists, he has rigged the system against people like me. He is omnipotent, sees all, past, present, and future. He already knows what decisions I'll make, what I'll believe and what it will take to make me believe. He created me, knowing full well that I would never accept him as reality because of his perchant for skewing his own believability by having so much evidence stacked against him and yet, not even close enough for him. He knows that I won't believe without enough evidence and has set me up to fail, no matter what! That's the move of a sadistic, cruel asshole. He, instead, rewards blind obedience and faith based on feelings, emotions, and selfish desires. If you believe that you are going to heaven to spend eternity in paradise, that is selfish. That means you will forgo doing the necessary things to ensure that everyone else will have stable real lives. Think of the benefits of abortion, condoms, and other forms of birth control, fuck, population control. That alone makes you selfish. And if you are for those positions, by God's standards, you're going to Hell. Great choice for a benevolent God, eh?
Next point is Hell. You steal a candy bar, you pay a small fine for your transgression. You rob a store at gunpoint, you take a much harsher punishment as the punishment fit the crime, by human standards. Could you possibly see a finite crime used to judge us for eternity, in punishment? Much less, simply "thinking" bad thoughts? What kind of God, LOVING at that, would set up such a system where you would have eternal torment, based on a finite crime? Hell, even the Greeks didn't have a system that fucked up. Then of course, this goes back to my previous point of God setting up people like me to fail and spending an eternity in hell.
Last point, I think it's kind of silly of us every knowing just what God wants or what he could possibly be like. Don't you find it a little convenient that we happen to know JUST what is bad and what is not, in his eyes? It goes back to an original post of mine (The Human Perception), that you cannot attribute human qualities to God and still call him mysterious. I think the deist position is more likely, if anything. Sure, there *might* be a divine being, but as limited humans, mere playthings, could be we ever hope to understand? I doubt it. We just have to leave it up to chance, because with all the choices of different religions, it's just a choice, usually based on your regional preference among your indigenous tribe.
Final thoughts: if God did exist, he has long abandoned us. While, in the golden years of the Old Testament, he was talking to everyone "Hey, Samuel.... what's up? I'm kinda bored now", now he has erased all pure evidence to his very existence, signaling to me, he either doesn't want to be found or he isn't quite the god we all know him as.
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