What is Your Soul Worth?

I keep this small blue notebook where I collect all the thoughts I have scratched out on spare bits of paper during work, along with quotes from favorite movies and TV shows, recipes for really good food, and the occasional list of books to read and films to watch. I started making these little notebooks when I was in high school, because for some stupid reason I could never get anyone to take me seriously. Getting blown off, being invalidated, is infuriating. So in my collection are quotes from famous people who said things close enough to what I think. So if ever anyone discounts what I have to say, I can reply that I didn't say it--this famous and intelligent person did. Never mind that all those famous intelligent people are (in the end) just people.
These books get full. I don't know how many I have now, but I go through them from time to time.

Once I collected quotes from this satirist novel written by Terry Pratchett called "Going Postal". In the novel, besides telling an awesome story about a shyster forced into saving Ahnk Morpork's post office, the author talks about how some corporations run their businesses (and others) to the ground all in the name of profit. He wrote a sequel called Making Money, which was just a good. I like reading these quotes whenever I'm frustrated with the dishonesty of the major businesses. His novels also teach me interesting vocabulary. Such as quaestuary--that is, doing business just for profit--a word that amazed the Patrician in the book.

I also get interesting quotes from Japanese comic books. Here's one of my favorites from XXX-Holic. Yuuko says, "If you think there're only stupid and worthless people around you, you just might be one of them."

The value of a soul. It has often been on my mind. I think it is the one reason I get upset when people talk about money. Because whenever money comes in, the value of a human life starts to diminish.

You might be thinking, "Huh? Money is merely a means to an end."
At least, that is what I am hoping you are thinking.

But it has been my sad experience that whenever people become focused on money, they forget that money is nothing more than bits of paper and metal. They forget that the reason money was invented was to help with the sharing of goods in a more fair and easy-to-handle manner. They forget that money is not the be all and end of human existence.

But money buys things, you might say. True. It does. But are things more important than people?

One of the quotes I hate the most is: "He who has the most toys wins."

I keep asking, almost screaming, "Wins what?"

One of my favorite films is this Frank Capra piece starring Jimmy Stewart. It is called "You Can't Take it With You." I think Lionel Barrymore is in it with some other rather well-known and talented actors. But what I enjoyed about the film was the message...that in seeking money you may in fact destroy the most important and precious things about life. Youtube link to film

One of my other favorite films is Labyrinth. It is about a girl who is so wrapped up in herself that she does not see what is most important until it is taken from her. She learns that all the things that she had valued was nothing but junk, especially in comparison to getting her kidnapped brother back. I know some people can't get beyond David Bowie's really tight pants, but (if you exert a little effort) you would also notice how everything in the labyrinth are also things that are in the protagonist's bedroom (I re-watch the opening and count all the objects, trying to find them in the film later).

I think my point is that no one is valueless. Not the young, not the old. Not the less-intelligent. Not the poor. Not anyone. Human life is valuable. Period. Maybe we all have difficulty at being heard. But putting a monetary price on a human being is a despicable thing--and reminds me too much of slavery.

To me, there is no such thing as collateral damage. No such thing as acceptable losses. No one has the right to say, "I deserve to live a great life, everyone else be damned." And though many will say, you can buy anything in this world with money--it is a lie. A lie fostered by the father of all lies.

You cannot buy integrity with money. And integrity is what this world needs right now.

Just a thought.

By the way, that last one was NOT a quote.

About Church

A lot of people when they think of Church they either think of a building (which is usually what comes to my mind) or Religion in general. In this case, I'll be talking about going to church--small c. That is, attending church services regularly.

It isn't popular today. But then, many things that have sustained civilizations for centuries aren't. I know there are all sides on this issue as to why. But this is my take on why I think church attendance, whatever your religion may be, is a good idea.

Here's the thing. When C.S. Lewis said: "Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than sleeping in a garage makes you a car" (I'm paraphrasing here), he did not mean we should not go to church. I know a few people who interpret it that way.  He meant being in a location does not automatically make us good. A need for change of nature and behavior is necessary.

For example: going to school does not automatically make us intelligent. Nor does going into a hospital make us immediately healthy. However, if you apply and study AT school, you learn and become more intelligent. Likewise, if you take treatment and follow your doctor's instructions, you will most likely get cured.

A church is like a school and a hospital. Being there is not enough. A person must apply the teachings taught at church--to change life for the better. We do not go to church to maintain the status quo of "goodness", but to obtain the characteristics of the Divine. This is the purpose of church.

Some people think they don't need church. That's their choice, though I think they are mistaken. Admittedly, I have rarely been in a hospital--birth and immunizations is all I've ever needed. And there are geniuses in the world who hardly need school. But such people are rare--extremely rare.

It is said that the Gospel makes bad men good and good men better. I can't recall who said it, so if you know comment below.

Here's the thing.

I want to be better.
It is not enough to simply be good and feel smug about it.
I want to be amazing.
I want to be like Mother Theresa.
I want to be someone God is proud of for doing her best--rather than staying "just good" and making it back to Heaven by my lonesome.
I don't want to just survive life. I want to impact it for the better.

...Which is why I go to church.
To learn.
To share.
And to be healed.

I don't know anyone on this planet who is perfect.

Do you?

Money Worship 2

Am I the only one annoyed over big business making excuses for any reason not to pay their workers a decent living wage?

If you looked at their reasons, they are plainly cruel:

"They aren't much educated." --pay them less.

"They are immigrants." --pay them less.

"They are women."-- pay them less.

"I don't like the cut of their jib." --pay them less.

"They are racially different from the majority/my race." --pay them less.

"They are physically/mentally disabled." --pay them less.

"They aren't personally connected to me." --pay them less.

I mean, where are their hearts? Are they human? Do they feel? Or care about anybody but themselves? And how do they justify that?

I know, most of these reasons are illegal. But they are illegal only because WE THE PEOPLE have made them so by passing laws. Illegality exists only when a law has been created.

The problem is enforcing the laws, because I'm sure we all know someone who has been treated unlawfully by an employer who just wanted to make a profit.

I am a big fan of equal pay for equal work. Not just for women, but for everyone. A person should be paid for the quality of work produced. And employers should be HONEST in their evaluations. I once worked a job where we irregularly had performance reviews, and the supervisor was required to dock points, no matter how well you worked. They were under pressure to keep pay raises to a minimum.

So... my question is: if someone has 3 cars, 2 mansions, and a yacht--how can he justify paying people not enough to even pay rent or for food?

My other question is do they go to a specialist to get their consciences removed, or is it a natural deformity?



 

Money Worship Part 1

It has been said that the love of money is the root of all evil.

The same person who said that also said the first and great commandment is to the love "the Lord thy God with all thy heart" and to "love thy neighbor as thyself."

He's also the one who said you cannot serve two masters...but that you have to choose either between 'God or Mammon'. For those who don't know what mammon is, that is wealth. Wealth can be described as materialism and as money, the worship of which is a major problem today.

Now, obviously not everyone in the world believes in God these days. Not the Christian God, or Buddha, or Allah,  or any of the other gods that were followed and worshipped over the course of human history. Since  it is the choice of any free-willed individual to decide for his or herself, fine. Only... I'm not so sure that is entirely true.

I think it is human nature to worship something. Be it philosophy, science, human ingenuity, sexuality, the physical body, nature, words, or superstars. The list is endless, really.

Let me give you an example. I once served as a missionary for my church  in post-communist Russia a couple decades back. The Russians were still disassembling statues of Lenin and renaming cities back to their original forms. I met this one man and his wife there who just wanted to talk philosophy with myself and my missionary companion. He was a photographer, and she was a ballerina. Talented, educated, pleasant individuals. And devout atheists. Our conversations were interesting, but the one that stuck with me the most was when he made the comment, "You know, not long ago I would not have been allowed to speak with you. But now, here we are, free to." Then he said, "The thing is, the Soviet Union claimed to have been atheist. But I think that is incorrect. Instead of having icons of Jesus Christ, we had them of Lenin. Our scripture was the writings of Lenin, Stalin, and Karl Marx. And the place that you now use as a place of worship, ironically is where they used to teach Marxist and Leninist philosophies." 

You see, we rented an old community center hall for our Sunday services where it still had some of the old Soviet sayings bolted to the walls.

He smiled and we chatted more. But what he wanted to share was that even declared atheists switch their worship to something else. His was mostly philosophy and art, and he was open about it.   

So, that got me thinking. With the divide between the super rich and the super poor growing wider and wider...it kind of makes me wonder if in fact there is a god that is being worshipped today by the super rich, and for that matter many others who wish to be super rich. Who is that god? you may ask. That's simple.

Profit.

And humans are being sacrificed to it in the name of the Economy, Profit's beloved son.

My question is, how many will die for this god?

May we fear and tremble.

The Trouble with Feminism

I would never describe myself as a feminist--at least not the way the world around me describes feminism.
And I know this probably offends a lot of women who are self-declared feminists, because most, if not all, of them tend to think that all women should be feminists.

Here's the thing: the word Feminism invokes a lot of emotional imagery and baggage that has built up over the decades by the examples of many leading feminists. To some people, all feminism means is getting equal pay for equal work. To others is means women are in fact the superior creature, and men should cower before them. After looking at all the arguments over this issue I have come to the conclusion that there are in fact degrees of feminism out there.

For example:
On one end of the spectrum is the Fema-nazi. This is the man-hater (who actually does exist). The woman who rejects all cultural norms in regards to feminine grooming, feminine modesty (that is, sitting close-legged, with an upright posture, rather than slouching like a man-slob), and traditional feminine roles such as motherhood and being a wife.
On the other end of the spectrum is the Masochistic Female. This is the woman who really believes she is subservient to men, will take all kinds of abuse because she believes she deserves it, does not seek education but just wants to make babies--the very thing feminists in any form deplore.

Ok, so what is in the middle? It is a spectrum after all. And like any spectrum there are varying degrees to one extreme or the other. So... this is how I see it.

Fema-nazi--the anti-motherhood, wife-hood, children, and men. See above.
Ultra-feminist--may not be anti-men, but still want to be an Amazon and have it all without being weighed down by traditional motherhood. May like having kids, but they probably have a nanny or send them to day-care because their career is empowering. They feel a sense of identity with their career, and they'd rather see how much they influence the world around them--as just influencing their family is not enough.
Naturalist Feminist--the woman who wants to live as her natural drives guide her, which includes curbing no desire, requires no shaving of any body part, and she does not want to be bound down by cultural norms such as marriage unless it suits her survival needs. She is a logical feminist, with the philosophy "whatever a man can do, I should be able to do also"--including the deplorable stuff such as having irresponsible sex, dressing with as little on as she can get away with, and taking care of ME first. This is the "If it feels natural and gives me pleasure, then it must be right" kind of feminist.

These top three are the major stereotypes that most anti-feminists fear/dislike. I'll tell you why later.

The next group down the spectrum holds less hostility to traditional feminine roles:

Utilitarian Feminist--Like the Naturalist Feminist, she believes that what a man has, she ought to have... with a minor difference. Her focus is not on the sexual aspects, but on the logic of equal opportunity for education and work. Equal pay for equal work mathematically adds up for her. In this case, it is just plain common sense. She doesn't want to be a man, but she wants to take care of her life on fair terms. She may have no other feminist convictions, including about family, sex, or manner of hygiene and dress. To her, those are up to the individual. A lot of women are this kind of feminist. They generally mind their own business and wish others would do the same.
Conservative Feminist--This is the religious woman who believes in what the Utilitarian Feminist believes, but with the stipulation that traditional roles and family are in fact very important. And though they completely support equality in marriage and in life, they also believe that there are things you simply must not do. So free sex is out. Abortion is out. Sending children off to day-care when you are capable of taking care of them yourself is out. That putting career over your family is out. But if need arises and one must work in a job--she wants to be treated fairly and paid well.
Closet Feminist--This is the woman who have no objections to anything that may make her life more pleasant. But she is not going to argue over whether reproductive rights are something important to her. She goes with the flow. She will take what she can get. She is the one who probably feels deep down that life is unfair, and she may have been given the short end of the stick. But not because of genetics. Because human kind is unfair. Because culture makes a lot of silly rules that unfortunately she has to abide by to make her life pleasant. She will probably acknowledge that there are unfair pay rates and jobs between men and women, but she doesn't care to have those jobs that are prestigious because to her that isn't what's important. She likes feminine things, such as the color pink. She likes all the makeup, and the shaving, and the creams, and the hair stuff. She will sing "I Enjoy Being a Girl" from Flower Drum Song. And though the ladies above may like feminine things, she is the one that hardly resents them.
Traditional-All-The-Way--This woman may not consider herself inferior to man, but she is sure that she is an entirely different creature. She may even believe that 'women are angels' that men need to make them better people. These women embrace traditional family, traditional roles, and believe strongly that sexuality has its place--and that place is NOT a matter of public discussion. These woman are staunchly anti-abortion. Any rationalization that may excuse abortion is considered vile and the act of selfishness. To them abortion is murder, and not a female issue at all. These women probably believe the world is going to Hell in a hand basket with the way things are trending.
Masochistic Female--Ah, back full circle. The woman who really thinks she is being forever punished by the original sin of Eve. See the description at the top.

Ok. So, since we are living on planet earth and lists like this are over-simplifications of something a whole lot more complex, I will admit some people are traditional about some things, and liberal about others.

That being said, why I don't see myself as a feminist is that I can range from a Utilitarian Feminist on some days, a Traditional-all-the-way on others, and then be an Ultra-feminist when I am in a bad mood. For example, let's say I'm coping with my menstrual cycle. It is a cycle that sucks, costs a lot of money to deal with, and basically such a bother that I'd almost give my right arm to not have it. I tend to be a bit more anti-men on those days, especially when a man says or does something really, really stupid. Yet, I don't believe in abortion--at all. So when the feminist groups parade around demanding that it is a woman's right to kill her unborn, I cringe. And when feminists demand that people who are anti-abortion are anti-women, well... I want to knock them over the head and shout that the two are unrelated. I mean, I ran across this website that posted a vegan argument against abortion--asking, is not ALL life precious? But we'll save that argument for another day.

So, where do you see yourself on the spectrum?

This is my first blog, so bear with me.
In the relatively few years that I have lived in this life, I have come to several conclusions. I think everyone does this, mostly. We decide how things are by what we have experienced, and then judge the entire world within our limited paradigms. But anyway, my conclusions can be summed up into a list:

1. The only constant in the world is change.
2. Not all change is good.
3. But life requires progress of some kind, and it is often a painful process. 
4. It is extremely dangerous to assume...anything.
5. So you had better ask questions... a lot of questions.
6. It is ok to annoy people with questions because it makes them think too.
7. Add up the facts, and let them speak for themselves.
8. Make sure they actually are FACTS and not someone's whimsy or extrapolation.
9. Which means find their sources to make sure they are real.
10. It is a historical fact that experts are often wrong.
11. Such as using leeches to take care of sickness.
12. Or that computers would never amount to much or get smaller than a room....
13. Human beings are limited creatures who don't know everything, no matter how much they think they do.
14. And though I like science, a lot of professional scientists treat a hypothesis like a theory, and a theory as truth.
15. That is to say, it gets a little creepy when scientists become dogmatic and lose all sense of objectivity--which is the point of the scientific process.
16. And...the most amazing thing about science is that it is always going about disproving previous scientific theories... so don't hold your breath when they decide they made yet another discovery that changes everything--again.
17. History is written by the 'winners'...and those with the resources to preserve old records.
18. It is also written by politicians with their own perspectives and agendas.
19. Every written word will be interpreted by the reader.
20. So what you are trying to say might always be misunderstood, no matter how articulate you may be.
21. You have no choice in the matter, as most readers (that I know of) are not psychic and cannot see into your head to entirely understand you.
22. That said, "A person convinced against his will is still of the same mind".
23. I have no idea who first said that...but it is true. You cannot force anyone to think like you, no matter how much you want them to.
24. People are individuals, and are meant to be.
25. But that does not mean teamwork is not a good idea.
26. Nor does it mean that conforming to rules is passé. Which leads up to...
27. Rules do matter.
28. Just as long as they are not ridiculously stupid.
29. But that they exist to make life less harmful, more pleasant, and do not infringe upon the freedoms of others.
30. "The world does not owe you a living. It was here first."
31. Mark Twain said that.
32. Mark Twain is an awesome pen name, by the way. About as cool as Lemony Snicket.
33. Kindness is something most needed in the world, and it starts with a choice to BE kind rather than to EXPECT kindness.
34. People today expect more than they choose to do, which is pathetically sad.
35. Just because we disagree does not mean I hate you.
37. If the above were true, we'd be going around hating everybody.
38. Which, besides being really stupid, is a waste of... well, everything.
39. Free will does exist.
40. We are NOT the sum of our genetics.
41. The stars do not rule our lives.
42. Knowing the facts is not the same as believing in truth.
43. If that were so, then doctors would never smoke or drink. And priests would never steal or molest.
44. People choose what they see and believe.
45. Choice is in fact king. Two people can see the same film and come away with opposing opinions.
46. There is no such thing as a perfect man-made institution.
47. Pretty good, awesome, and near-perfect...maybe.
48. And even those pretty good, awesome, and near-perfect institutions are subject to corruption.
49. Just because something comes natural to you does not mean that it is healthy.
50. All vices come naturally: selfishness, greed, jealousy, anger, gluttony, lust....

Anyway. I'll stop at 50. Feel free to disagree.
Next topic will be totally different. Maybe.