And let me tell you, the statistics are SCARY. There are far too many
religion/faith-based decisions made in the US government.

One thing that struck me the most is the abstinence only programs being
taught in high schools. They are clearly based on (mostly) christian morals of abstinence
and other like things.

What needs to be taught in schools is how to properly use a condom, about different contraceptives,
about STDs, and about how to have healthy sexual adult lives.

(back on topic)
When I read the bit in the article about abstinence only programs,
I immediately got this image in my head of this society of brain-washed idiots
running a society where kids are being turned from humans into…well…adult brain-
washed idiots.

And in this flash of an image, I see these aliens, or just higher-intelligence beings saying:
“…”
“…”
-bangs head against wall-
-facepalm-

Because honestly, how completely idiotic and blind and tunnel-visioned can a society with
this sort of…ideals be?

I’ve officially finished ranting, but this chaotic, terrible image in my head
continues to linger.
(I just hope it doesn’t become a full reality.)

c: E

I just finished reading this book called Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult,
and it really got me thinking.

About sexual assault. Really interesting actually. The author wanted to
(basically) make a modern-day version of The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

In this book, it follows a young (early 30s) male teacher who used to teach at
an all-girls private school. That is, until he was accused of having sexual relations
with one of the girls on the girl’s soccer team that her coached.

Except that the girl was completely making it up. Completely and totally. He took a plea bargain
to avoid a harsher jail sentence.

The story then follows him after being released after 8 months,
to another small town where people persecute him again, and look for any excuse to get him to leave.

I won’t give away the ending, but all of this made me realize how easy it is for male teachers
to be accused of sexual relations with a student, and for the prosecution to only listen
to the (sometimes, so-called) victim’s story.

Mind you, it works when there is an actual sexual assault,
but when there isn’t, it completely screws around with a person’s life.

Flawed system? Most likely.

How do we fix it? I have no idea.

In my opinion,
it’s the laws job to protect the innocent and the victimized.

Any thoughts?

c: E

Why? No, I’m not an animal rights activist; I’ve never been. Now, that’s not to say that I
don’t believe that animals have rights, because they do, but I just am not an
active activist in this area.

The reason, then?

Well, I think that with all that humanity thinks they’ve developed into civilized society,
we haven’t. We still eat animals.

We are eating other animals. Doesn’t that seem a little barabaric to you?

It does to me.

So, as an ode to human progress,

I will become a vegetarian.

Wish me luck!!

c: E

I had watched it the first time when I went down the shore with one of my friends
for about a week. There’s relatively nothing to do there, so there’s a lot of hanging-out
by the pool/ocean, and watching movies we rent from a local library.

On one rainy-day, we picked up this movie.
It’s a strange movie, but gives me a feeling of relaxation, wonderment, and peace
when I hear the soundtrack.

It’s a stark reminder of the lazy-hazy days of summer.

c: E

So what’s weird?
Well, I’m visiting with my modern, yet religious family this holiday season,
and for anyone who’s figured it out, I’m atheist/agnostic.

I walked into the kitchen to a discussion that I never expected from my mother
and aunts:
a discussion on how to serve ‘him’.

They’re all very modern, and so it’s strange,
them trying to adapt bible scripture to modern day.

The real question is:
Why are we trying to adapt this book to modern day, when it was written for ‘way back when’?

I have a couple of theories, but I really don’t want to get into them right.
It has to do with human psychology, and quite frankly, I’m in vacation mode.

I’ve realized that once one sees what is really out there,
and uses perspective to get a godless view of the world,
one can’t go back to the ‘God created everything’ view of the world.

Science can help us see this. Once people start reading more about universal theories and
things of this nature, they cannot ignore their gained perspective.

Sadly, however, most people are unwilling to learn.
But more importantly, they’re willing to give up their imaginary friends.

c: E

{I label phases my life by certain bands, or genres of music.}

So what on earth does it mean that I don’t enjoy any music at all now?

What now?

{to gain innocence, did I have to gain experience?}

Was it selfish? Was it selfless? Did it have something to do with the afterlife? Did it have something to do with belief? And on and on and on.

Why did the idea of the ‘One True Religion’ bother me so much? And why did Coexistence between all religions make no sense to me, either? Yes, it’s good that all religions should coexist with one another for perfect peace and world harmony and blahblablahblablah.

Why did all of this irk me to no end? Push my buttons?

I was looking for truth. And still am. That’s why, while yes, all religions can be argued to be respectable in their own right, WHAT IS THE TRUTH?

And this is where science truly comes in. I think that onlt (ONLY!) through science, logic, reason, and exploration can we as humans discover the truth.

So why then, do people still believe so heavily in religion?

a) they need something to get them through tough times, something to hold on to.
b) they need a road map for their life, in a sense that they need justification for doing good things, or not doing ‘bad’ things.
c) they need to satisfy their egos, even though it’s in a ridiculously convoluted way.
d) people DO NOT look for truth. They look for what feels good, what’s comfortable. They don’t want to know the truth, they just want to get through life unscathed.

And it’s a pity because the more truth-seekers we have, the better our future looks.

c: E

‘Can you please explain that??’
Why yes, in fact, I will.

I’ve found that when I’m feeling physically confidant, and am healthy,
that my concentration and motivation is way up.

Example:
Today, I went to a pitching lesson,
and for the past weeks, I’ve been having trouble with my fastball,
and keeping it consistent.

By the end of the lesson, I had found a way to keep my fastball in check,
using my change up.

‘Okay fine. But psh. You’re talking sports. How does that relate to anything?’
Well in fact, when I realized this, I then felt motivated to do my honors spanish homework,
which is never something I’ve been really happy about.

In fact,
I feel motivated to write for NaNoWriMo today,
and write the Vampire Article I said I’d do for the school newspaper.

This is the exact reason I hate getting sick:
I can’t exercise, and my motivation for just about everything
goes down the drain.

c: E

They like there to be a simple answer. This is why there are so many creationists and firm believers in radical religions: They want a simple answer.

FYI. there isn’t one. There isn’t a simple to the creation of the universe. There isn’t a simple answer to science, to physics, to the afterlife. Why do we put a label on unexplainable circumstances? We want a SIMPLE answer. They natuarally want to be able to put everything into categories. This, while makes things seem more organized, provides a problem.

What if you don’t fit into the labels. Even mundane labels of what religion you are or are you a this/that. It’s not all about personality types, and it doesn’t stop after highschool.

c: Erika

No. Not in the “oh my life sucks” kind of way.
I’m struggling between:

1) Seeking truth in agnosticism/atheism/science

2) Seeking happiness in witchcraft/new age practice

I know those may seem really weird things to be caught between,
but I just don’t know how to make the balance.
On one hand, I want the truth and logic and reasoning. However,
I know that a lot of New Age things do work for me,
and they contribute to happiness.

They bring…mystery and joy into the world.
Not to say that science doesn’t…

But I want both…

and I don’t know how.

c: E

[Original Post: 10-26-09]