Intellect, atheism and theism.
I had the strangest random argument with a random stranger this week. He replied to an add I put on craigslist, of all things. At some point there was information looking for someone both intelligent and of a particular theism. It was to this that he replied.
You won't find an intelligent religious type, not often, he said.
I, in all good manners, replied, rather than deleting. I suggested it was closed minded of him to say so, and that I myself was acquainted with many an intelligent theist.
And then it got complicated. He attacked the particular theism that I had referred to, and claimed that all intelligent people were atheists, or would be, some day, because that was in fact the result of critical thinking.
Look, I'm not anti atheist, but good grief!! What a ridiculous, general statement! Yes, there were studies he cited, but there were just as many that in fact came up with exactly the opposite conclusion! And generally his studies only used groups of scientists as their intellectual guinea pigs!! Trust me, intelligence is not saved only for the scientists. There are english majors and teachers and philosophers and more!
For a while I enjoyed discussing the topic, but more and more often he was simply offensive and rude, rather than professional! Whatever happened to honest, respectful debate for the sake of learning?
What kind of lonely nut case wanders craigslist looking for people to call stupid? What, he can't get any REAL people to listen to him whine, so he looks online? Or perhaps he's a wimp that can't stand up to somebody unless it's anonymous and untraceable?
Stupidity abounds in atheists and theists alike! Just as not all atheists are scientists, not all intellects are atheists!
I played by his game for a while, in a respectful manner, of course (unlike him, I might add), but eventually I decided he was wasting my time. If he wants to toot his atheistic, intellectual horn, he should write a book or start a blog. Not search through craigslist personals for people to put on the defensive.
Because I for one don't care to argue with someone who can't be bothered to question their own beliefs, but delight in questioning mine.
LINK OF THE DAY!! This game makes me feel like an explosives expert! http://www.physicsgames.net/game/Demolition_City.html
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
An existential crisis
It on occasion bothers me, life. I sometimes feel that it doesn't have any worth on its own. Not for everyone. Some people make their lives valuable, by how they think, the people that they strive to be, rarely by what they do. WHO they are is valuable. It's something specific that I look for in other people of which I myself fall short on occasion, at least concerning my own personal standards.
Depth.
Perhaps that's a pretentious word. It suggests a certain distaste for "shallow" people, and often the kind of people that so desperately hate "shallow" people make nearly everyone out to be shallow. I could understand the majority of the population hating such a person, as well as being such a person. People are crazy. But we all knew that.
I had to take a step back from the chaos in my mind and figure out what I meant by depth. There was some great appeal to making my life worth something, in order to share it with those that matter to me. Friends, family, a special man someday, maybe even something bigger than all that. I want to have something of worth to share.
Of course I want a fair trade. Maybe it's too much to ask people to make their lives worth something? I doubt it. I think there are very specific things that lend value to a person.
Intellect, balanced with grace. Courage, balanced by wisdom. Love and loyalty. What is it that makes somebody valuable? What makes me worth anything? Does being intelligent but cocky about it lose me points? Is it even a point system at all!?
All I know is that this special kind of worth is what attracts me to certain people. Friends. Possible loves. Mentors. Then again there's my family. Are they somehow exempt from my system of worthy attraction?
Or perhaps it is just that the better I know a person, the easier it is to see their worth.
LINK OF THE DAY!!! Honestly I may have published this post specifically so that I could post this link. I've found the brownie bible. I wept when I found it for it was the truth, the way and all the recipes for the best brownies you never thought were actually man-bake-able. My life is now complete. http://thebrownieproject.wordpress.com/
Depth.
Perhaps that's a pretentious word. It suggests a certain distaste for "shallow" people, and often the kind of people that so desperately hate "shallow" people make nearly everyone out to be shallow. I could understand the majority of the population hating such a person, as well as being such a person. People are crazy. But we all knew that.
I had to take a step back from the chaos in my mind and figure out what I meant by depth. There was some great appeal to making my life worth something, in order to share it with those that matter to me. Friends, family, a special man someday, maybe even something bigger than all that. I want to have something of worth to share.
Of course I want a fair trade. Maybe it's too much to ask people to make their lives worth something? I doubt it. I think there are very specific things that lend value to a person.
Intellect, balanced with grace. Courage, balanced by wisdom. Love and loyalty. What is it that makes somebody valuable? What makes me worth anything? Does being intelligent but cocky about it lose me points? Is it even a point system at all!?
All I know is that this special kind of worth is what attracts me to certain people. Friends. Possible loves. Mentors. Then again there's my family. Are they somehow exempt from my system of worthy attraction?
Or perhaps it is just that the better I know a person, the easier it is to see their worth.
LINK OF THE DAY!!! Honestly I may have published this post specifically so that I could post this link. I've found the brownie bible. I wept when I found it for it was the truth, the way and all the recipes for the best brownies you never thought were actually man-bake-able. My life is now complete. http://thebrownieproject.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Hunks of awesome awkward: A life story
Life is awkward. Which can honestly be great fun.
I don't hate being awkward. Yes, it makes meeting new people hard. Also yes, it makes alienating people that I dislike very, very easy.
It's like some kind of crazy super power! You don't understand. Keep overbearing, annoying salespeople from talking to you!
Those people from the mall kiosks that follow you around and ask you questions about your hair, teeth, skin and feet? They can be kept at bay solely via bad social skills!
Of course sometimes you will get nabbed, and will be obligated to slip away with multiple petty lies and obviously unfelt apologies. That's a different form of awkward, one of the kinds I'm less at peace with.
Everybody knows the random not-applicable-answer awkward moments. If you've ever bought or sold at a grocery store, you know what I mean.
"Hello!"
"Yeah, you too!"
"Have a nice day!"
"Not bad, how about you?"
These are very entertaining. Just keep the ball rolling and they'll do their best to pretend it didn't happen. Also, enjoy.
Dress oddly. Or boldly. Pick your adjective, either works.
Really conservative people HATE it. Eventually they will have to talk to you, and when they do you're sure to get a nasty stare, shrewdly judging your carefully crafted ensemble. It's ironic that grown men and women are no better than school children in this respect.
My favorite of these actually looked me up and down, asked me if I worked "here" (yes I dress oddly at work), and did a double take when I said I did. I suppose some people might have been offended, but I found it hilarious.
These are great fun. Grow a fetish for odd straps or outlandish hats. You'll like the results. Either you'll find it funny, or you'll have a great rude customer story by the end the day!
(this works even better in churches!)
Alright. My favorite of all favorite awkward situations would be the awkward date goodbye. (I am THE awkward date. See: The Last Stand) This one is fairly new. Two people with no ability to say goodbye have come to that point in the conversation.
You've regressed to small talk, and clearly are getting ready to head your separate ways. But neither seems to know where to draw the line and end it. I never had a talent for saying goodbye, I just tend to wait until my victim makes a run for it. It doesn't quite work this way when neither person knows how to go about it.
So, whilst still talking, begin to back away from each other, casually, slowly. It's like you're being sneaky or something. Circle each other, looking for an unguarded moment to make a break for it!
Once you finally get far enough away from each other that casual conversation voices are no longer prudent, shout a quick goodbye or wave awkwardly before dashing back to the safety of your various modes of transportation.
I suppose that could be considered unpleasant, if you're not a connoisseur of the awkward. People hate awkward. Most consider a date good if there were no awkward pauses. I think a new take is in order.
Look at your awkward moments in a new and amusing light! Awkward is just too much fun for you to suffer through it. Enjoy it! Life is awkward. Life is interesting!
DISCLAIMER: SOME OF THESE EVENTS MAY HAVE BEEN EXAGGERATED EITHER FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT OR FOR MY OWN PERSONAL SATISFACTION.
LINK OF THE DAY!!!!
Oh man. If you're too lazy to actually cook it, you can just read the recipe. It's like food porn. Just thinking about this uber delicious brickle recipe gives me shudders of delight. (but seriously. Make some. And make ME some. MMmmmmmm.)
http://www.macheesmo.com/2009/06/brickle/
I don't hate being awkward. Yes, it makes meeting new people hard. Also yes, it makes alienating people that I dislike very, very easy.
It's like some kind of crazy super power! You don't understand. Keep overbearing, annoying salespeople from talking to you!
Those people from the mall kiosks that follow you around and ask you questions about your hair, teeth, skin and feet? They can be kept at bay solely via bad social skills!
Of course sometimes you will get nabbed, and will be obligated to slip away with multiple petty lies and obviously unfelt apologies. That's a different form of awkward, one of the kinds I'm less at peace with.
Everybody knows the random not-applicable-answer awkward moments. If you've ever bought or sold at a grocery store, you know what I mean.
"Hello!"
"Yeah, you too!"
"Have a nice day!"
"Not bad, how about you?"
These are very entertaining. Just keep the ball rolling and they'll do their best to pretend it didn't happen. Also, enjoy.
Dress oddly. Or boldly. Pick your adjective, either works.
Really conservative people HATE it. Eventually they will have to talk to you, and when they do you're sure to get a nasty stare, shrewdly judging your carefully crafted ensemble. It's ironic that grown men and women are no better than school children in this respect.
My favorite of these actually looked me up and down, asked me if I worked "here" (yes I dress oddly at work), and did a double take when I said I did. I suppose some people might have been offended, but I found it hilarious.
These are great fun. Grow a fetish for odd straps or outlandish hats. You'll like the results. Either you'll find it funny, or you'll have a great rude customer story by the end the day!
(this works even better in churches!)
Alright. My favorite of all favorite awkward situations would be the awkward date goodbye. (I am THE awkward date. See: The Last Stand) This one is fairly new. Two people with no ability to say goodbye have come to that point in the conversation.
You've regressed to small talk, and clearly are getting ready to head your separate ways. But neither seems to know where to draw the line and end it. I never had a talent for saying goodbye, I just tend to wait until my victim makes a run for it. It doesn't quite work this way when neither person knows how to go about it.
So, whilst still talking, begin to back away from each other, casually, slowly. It's like you're being sneaky or something. Circle each other, looking for an unguarded moment to make a break for it!
Once you finally get far enough away from each other that casual conversation voices are no longer prudent, shout a quick goodbye or wave awkwardly before dashing back to the safety of your various modes of transportation.
I suppose that could be considered unpleasant, if you're not a connoisseur of the awkward. People hate awkward. Most consider a date good if there were no awkward pauses. I think a new take is in order.
Look at your awkward moments in a new and amusing light! Awkward is just too much fun for you to suffer through it. Enjoy it! Life is awkward. Life is interesting!
DISCLAIMER: SOME OF THESE EVENTS MAY HAVE BEEN EXAGGERATED EITHER FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT OR FOR MY OWN PERSONAL SATISFACTION.
LINK OF THE DAY!!!!
Oh man. If you're too lazy to actually cook it, you can just read the recipe. It's like food porn. Just thinking about this uber delicious brickle recipe gives me shudders of delight. (but seriously. Make some. And make ME some. MMmmmmmm.)
http://www.macheesmo.com/2009/06/brickle/
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Just STAAAAANDIN' in the raAAIIIN!
Extreme weather incurs powerful feelings.
The monsoon season is a time of terrifying beauty and intense power in the desert. Thunder rumbles across the sand and reverberates off of the distant mountains.
Lightning writhes throughout the heavens and casts shadows between the curtains of dark clouds in a light show never yet replicated by man.
It just doesn't seem natural to toss a city into the midst of this supernatural show of strength. Cars moving between sheets of rain. Traffic lights backed by by the majesty of a lightening lit sky.
It's like putting a statue (a glorious one such as Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Theresa) on the edge of a volcano or just above a towering water fall. It seems like nonsense. Such a strange contrast, such heights of extreme.
It is strange. But somehow it's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen or known.
So I hike up my pajama pants and trek out on my bare feet as the rain pours down. I wander the incredible world changed by the water on the ground and in the sky, the lightning and the clouds. I become a part of it.
I kick through the puddles and the water weighs down my lashes and soaks my hair, and I have never felt so alive.
The monsoon season is a time of terrifying beauty and intense power in the desert. Thunder rumbles across the sand and reverberates off of the distant mountains.
Lightning writhes throughout the heavens and casts shadows between the curtains of dark clouds in a light show never yet replicated by man.
It just doesn't seem natural to toss a city into the midst of this supernatural show of strength. Cars moving between sheets of rain. Traffic lights backed by by the majesty of a lightening lit sky.
It's like putting a statue (a glorious one such as Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Theresa) on the edge of a volcano or just above a towering water fall. It seems like nonsense. Such a strange contrast, such heights of extreme.
It is strange. But somehow it's one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen or known.
So I hike up my pajama pants and trek out on my bare feet as the rain pours down. I wander the incredible world changed by the water on the ground and in the sky, the lightning and the clouds. I become a part of it.
I kick through the puddles and the water weighs down my lashes and soaks my hair, and I have never felt so alive.
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