I am an alien in a strange world. That can be the only explanation. Everyday I am gobsmacked at what I observe, what people are, and why (as far as I can tell) they would like to be that way. It blows me away. I'm not saying that different is bad. But I am saying that boring is bad, conformity is not so wonderful, and what is life without a little savor, some il-liberal, unrighteousness?(perhaps this is showing my maturity level) Some times I feel as if I missed a day of "life class" or perhaps did not get that universal instruction manual that tells me what to wear on my sleeves and what to hide deep within my cavernous flesh. Am I too honest? Do I lack the ability to mask my own doubts?
You've no doubt heard the phraseology designed to reassure you that there are people who, indeed think like you. Me too. But I've run into very little proof of the validity of that phraseology. Indeed, I do have some very choice and cherished friends, but our conflicts (personality, and otherwise) define our friendships. I do not think that abnormal, as my friend Misty put it, (roughly) when people who think differently discuss an idea, morals or situation, a greater truth can discovered.
I like to think that life could be a visceral experience, vivid, acrid, textured and exuberant--but I'm not feeling it.
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Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I Will Not Be Friends With Your Mother
Lately I have been totally weirded out by Facebook. Not the program in general, but rather some of my friend requests. I like friends. I even like being facebook friends with people who are not really my friends at all. But I do not want to be friends with my friends mothers. That is weird. Why, on this very earth would that be acceptable?
We, as the almost grown generation in America need to find another sharing network that is either hidden from the un-computer savvy or to complex and exclusive for some peoples parents to use. End of story. So......if your a parent of somebody I know and I don't return your interest in being friends on facebook, know that it is not a personal insult; but rather, an ambiguous, anonymous insult.
We, as the almost grown generation in America need to find another sharing network that is either hidden from the un-computer savvy or to complex and exclusive for some peoples parents to use. End of story. So......if your a parent of somebody I know and I don't return your interest in being friends on facebook, know that it is not a personal insult; but rather, an ambiguous, anonymous insult.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Just a little Parallelism
Today I was learning about Hinduism, the idea of Karma and reincarnation. I can't help but draw parallels between Hinduism and my own faith; the idea of progression is one that stuck out to me.
The Hindu theory goes like this: Your soul is comparable to what is called Atman, it is inseparable from you, whatever form you take. It starts at a place called Brahman (which means, "World Soul, or Comic Power) Earth is a test, where you goal is to make it to Nirvana (The meaning of which is really unknown, nobody has ever reached Nirvana and come back to say what it's like) through individual Karma. I could say that Nirvana could represent Heaven in a Christian circle, however I think it would be wrong to interpret the meanings and terminology of a vastly different religion by identifying them with the more conventional terms of Christianity. Every individual starts as something very small, for example--a cell, a mineral, a sea cucumber; when that object you are incarnated as dies, your Karma is weighed by Dharma (through which every thought word or action in recorded) and you are reincarnated as either something larger and more complex like a dog or, dependant on your Karma, something smaller and less significant. If you were a good dog you then may be reincarnated as a horse and so on until you reach the station of human. Where you are born into this next life is a direct result of how Dharma weighed your Karma of the life(s) previous. You get more than one chance. Today you may be a beggar, in your next life, dependant upon the Karma you fostered you may be a exorbitantly rich Bollywood star.
When I think about changing myself I never think in terms of years, generations, or lives. The Karma I engender, I like to think, is as short sighted as I am. I think of change in weeks or maybe days even. But the most significant changes don't come in the blink of an eye, they are a lifelong pursuit. If not lifelong perhaps years in the make. Having a big-picture outlook is a healthy mindset.
I was also thinking about change. Change may be a noun and verb, but really it is a condition, a chronic one. I'm never done changing. Either through my own volition or my environment's I'm changing continually, whether I want to or not. All of this change and my ability to cope with or direct it is what makes me! I am a sum of experience. Experiences are episodes of change, either incremental or drastic--chosen or forced, that modify our outlook, priorities and our station in life.
I feel like this is true. But, I feel like this idea is another expression of the idea of choice and consequence, I feel like many of these things are true on this very same level they just use different means to express it.
So....moral of the story, be a good person, cultivate good Karma and change for the better. Sounds easy enough..................
The Hindu theory goes like this: Your soul is comparable to what is called Atman, it is inseparable from you, whatever form you take. It starts at a place called Brahman (which means, "World Soul, or Comic Power) Earth is a test, where you goal is to make it to Nirvana (The meaning of which is really unknown, nobody has ever reached Nirvana and come back to say what it's like) through individual Karma. I could say that Nirvana could represent Heaven in a Christian circle, however I think it would be wrong to interpret the meanings and terminology of a vastly different religion by identifying them with the more conventional terms of Christianity. Every individual starts as something very small, for example--a cell, a mineral, a sea cucumber; when that object you are incarnated as dies, your Karma is weighed by Dharma (through which every thought word or action in recorded) and you are reincarnated as either something larger and more complex like a dog or, dependant on your Karma, something smaller and less significant. If you were a good dog you then may be reincarnated as a horse and so on until you reach the station of human. Where you are born into this next life is a direct result of how Dharma weighed your Karma of the life(s) previous. You get more than one chance. Today you may be a beggar, in your next life, dependant upon the Karma you fostered you may be a exorbitantly rich Bollywood star.
When I think about changing myself I never think in terms of years, generations, or lives. The Karma I engender, I like to think, is as short sighted as I am. I think of change in weeks or maybe days even. But the most significant changes don't come in the blink of an eye, they are a lifelong pursuit. If not lifelong perhaps years in the make. Having a big-picture outlook is a healthy mindset.
I was also thinking about change. Change may be a noun and verb, but really it is a condition, a chronic one. I'm never done changing. Either through my own volition or my environment's I'm changing continually, whether I want to or not. All of this change and my ability to cope with or direct it is what makes me! I am a sum of experience. Experiences are episodes of change, either incremental or drastic--chosen or forced, that modify our outlook, priorities and our station in life.
I feel like this is true. But, I feel like this idea is another expression of the idea of choice and consequence, I feel like many of these things are true on this very same level they just use different means to express it.
So....moral of the story, be a good person, cultivate good Karma and change for the better. Sounds easy enough..................
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