Politics and Religion

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.

Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

- Mahatma Ghandi

part one.

“… and I pray that my children will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” First time you’ll ever hear me say “amen” and mean it. I believe we can all stand learning more about the content of our character. Below are more quotes from this man of conscience. Martin Luther King, Jr. Just past that you will see the tragic results of what happens when fear strangles logic and truth and hope are silenced.

“A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.” 

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.”

part two. - it’s more about what you say, than what you silence.

Religion and politics are said to be the taboo topics of the world. The two things that are meant to unite people are the very two things that divide. They are responsible for war. For hate. For injustice. And while I realize that these two topics are supposed to be off the table, I have to say, I think it’s time to revisit that mentality. I will post some of my more politically driven blogs as well as offer my take on religion. For the record, religion is man-made. Much like politics. In a world of government bureaucracy, at some point we need to demand that we are heard. And that we matter. And that in this country at least, remind those we elect to govern that we’re all supposed to be equal.

While I am thrilled the DADT policy was abolished, I want to bring to light another topic that has me thoroughly disgusted:

Amazon should be fined for allowing a “How-To” for Pedophile’s book to be sold on their site. Seriously, this is when I believe China is onto something. If penis’ of child predators were cut off like thieves hands in China, I’m guessing the ratio of sexual deviants would go WAY down. We should implement it and call it the “Pedophile ACT”. Never to be amended. EVER.

And, to those claiming it’s a thought and therefore is inadmissable in a Court of Law as an act of misconduct or sexual predatory, can suck it. Really? This book no longer can be classified as a “thought” since this “author” intended and has acted on these things AND is teaching other perverts to commit such atrocities. That’s like saying the Constitution should be considered a moderate Addendum instead of the very fiber of our entire National Motto. There are few things left Americans can claim as integrity. Let’s not completely diminish all moral and ethical boundaries, shall we? Take this moron and social mockery down. Remove religion. Remove Politics. Just see this is as it is: A SICK man that deserves to be locked up and fed to Bubba. Period.

part 3. true blood. more than blood sucking orgasms.

True Blood Part 1 - “It’s only good if it gives you life.”

Like everyone, I’m addicted to HBO’s “True Blood”. What I wonder, however, is how many actually get what it’s about. The vampires and those willing to co-exist with them represent every culturally and socially chastised group in the world. Those people who are treated as sub-human because they’re different. What the oppressors don’t seem to understand is the true power of those people once they stand together. The Fellowship of the Sun and the majority of the humans are those political, religious, and socially castrating groups who feel they are somehow superior to all other species of humans because they live in a world oversimplified and fraught with fear and ignorance. The key: learning to exist peacefully and as we’ve seen, that’s not so easy to do.

I love this show not only because of the sheer value of entertainment and sensuality but more so because it is unafraid to expose the real travesties occurring around us all every day. We all have managed to become a part of a world that sees so much hate and indifference, it resorts to such acts of shame and malice, it’s honestly unbearable. Humanity is such a beautiful species if only we could find a way to see past the hate and violence inflicted onto one another. We will self destruct at the rate we’re going and I for one will be utterly disgusted if that’s the way we go out. When an evolved species such as ours begins to digress at such a rapid rate it is alarming.

Every week I watch that show I am left with such visual stimulation countered with being stricken with conviction that I can’t help but remain both hopeful and disheartened.

A much more in depth and continued evaluation to follow…


Thursday, August 13, 2009 True Blood - Part 2.

There is something to be said about the human desire to go primal. All dirty and raw and highly in tune to what’s happening around you. We need to feel a little grit once in a while. Living in a plastic bubble protecting you from all that is real and edgy will only keep you from experiencing living. However, much like modern day global politics including those of the past such as what happened in Rwanda, or the Sudan most recently, or Iraq, or Iran, or Pakistan, Mexico, North Korea, or various places throughout India, the instinctive need to turn to violence is something I believe we must all learn to tame. Humanity - I realize that’s a very broad term - but humanity is now teetering on a fence. On one side of the fence is kindness, acceptance, unity, goodness, and empathy and benevolence and on the other, hate, malice, discontent, anger, apathy, injustice, ignorace, betrayal, loss of hope. The latter is the side it seems the world is grasping onto to.

Much like the show “True Blood”, there are things out there in this world that are so far beyond comprehension that it must beg the question, what are we doing? Why are we so apt to turn a blind eye to those unraveling around us?  I always hear people use the age old excuse of “What can one person do”. That almost makes me physically ill. One person can wage a war, one person can spread hate, one person can start a dialogue of unity, one person can save a life, etc. If you look at how anything throughout history began, it started with a single thought. Eventually that one thought becomes more persuasive either by way of force or manipulation or by fear or truth. Either way, we cannot watch our world crumble and shatter as it has. It could be as simple as asking someone how their day is going (a stranger or the person serving you your coffee) or helping someone carry something or cooking for someone who does everything for you. It can be as trivial as standing up for what you believe in or letting go of something that is weighing you down. One person can begin a cycle of astounding events. Why not contribute to those and stop utilizing the need to be apathetic or entirely selfish and do something out of sheer kindness?

I know some people think idealism is a lost school of thought propagated by hippies and liberals but it isn’t. When the vast majority of the world are all too intolerant and un-accepting or simply unaware, we have to band together and do everything we can to penetrate the walls and be the voice of reason and change. It isn’t enough to “feel” good, we have to DO good as well. Our thoughts are where everything begins. I beg of you to let go of religious extremism or personal grudge or learned hate, embrace love and passion and life as it was intended to be. It may sound like rainbows and sunshine but in the end all any one person thrives for is the most basic of human needs: love.