On the burning of Sodom

 

Let’s be honest, Sodom was not burned because the degradation of morality had led to homosexuality, nor was it because the faith had been forgotten, given that the inhabitants of Sodom could still recognise when they were visited by an angel of God. Sodom burned because, upon setting their eyes on the angel, the people of Sodom could only manifest their appreciation of its beauty in a carnal manner. 

They tried to rape God’s emissary. If you try to rape the ambassador of China for example, it is quite likely that more than a few of your cities will burn. This is not an issue of homosexuality, since all angels are genderless, asexual. In this case the crime was rape.

Moral degradation means falling back to an animalic state, foregoing all that makes you human. One of the things that separate humans from animals, indeed one o the most powerful, is the capacity for self-restraint. Humans are different because they can control their base instincts and their animal urges. Without this self restraint, every man would go about raping 5 or 6 women per week, not counting all of the murders, robberies and other such antisocial behaviour. In the case of Sodom, the inhabitants had grown so decadent that they could no longer show restraint and knew no other way to appreciate beauty than carnally. For this reason, and likely none other, they were deemed vermin, and were treated as such.

Why wisdom should replace religion

Let's be honest, we have too little wisdom and too much religion. As explained before, wisdom is an underrated virtue, whereas religion is, bluntly put, faith turned into politics. Neither wisdom nor faith lead to murder. Here, then, is an argument why wisdom should replace religion.

Short story: Because it does not focus on the destination (i.e. what is after death or what is the point of all this) but rather on the journey there. Since nobody KNOWS the answer to any fundamental question, those who seek wisdom know not to listen to anybody claiming to know it. Prophets might claim to know the Truth so as to gain political support, and some might be genuinely convinced in the truth of their beliefs. Yet, in the paradigm of the wise, truth is always a matter of perspective, and the Truth of everything should be pursued individually, because only those who start the journey from scratch can fully understand its meaning.

Texts, legends, stories, rituals, traditions and other such religious practices are merely shortcuts on the path to understanding, and they are misleading. Imagine climbing Mount Everest all the way to the summit. Starting from sea level and reaching the top is a much more spiritual endeavor than parachuting a few hundred meters from the summit. Yes, these few hundred meters are going to be difficult, even with a map, the right equipment, and training. However, you will still have picked up from a shortcut left to you by predecessors. You will trust their judgement and their decisions as to how to reach the summit.

This approach is great for science, as it means you don't have to reinvent the wheel, or map out a new path to reach the summit of Mount Everest every single time. You merely use tried and tested things to create, discover or innovate. Yet it is not the case with religion, nor with wisdom. Any study of religion on the path to Truth relies exactly on questioning and reinterpreting your predecessors' versions of what they believed to be the Truth, in a way that cannot be proven or disproven effectively for lack of a way to measure effects of a particular theory. Religion demands that you believe what others have believed in the past, and accept the answers given to you, even though there is no way to test their validity beyond reasonable doubt. Going back to the metaphor, it is akin to making you use wooden wheels to get around, even if there are no trees where you live.

Wisdom, on the other hand, is all about rediscovering the wheel with every generation or climbing Mount Everest without any shortcuts. The point is not to reach the goal, to find the Truth, but to pursue the goal, to experience the journey... to craft your own wheel. This is the only way one can shape their own identity. There is no satisfaction in being dropped off by helicopter on the summit of Mount Everest, any more than there is in being told what to believe. Yet journeying there, feeling every footstep, seeing every sight, is the true prize. Wisdom is not about finding answers, but pursuing them. Truth is in the pursuit, not the destination, because the destination is irrelevant. Say you are told the Truth at a young age. What, then would be the satisfaction in life? What would you live for? What if knowing the Truth is the same as not knowing it? Nobody knows. And because nobody knows, wisdom should take the place of religion, and each person should find their own beliefs.

What kind of appreciation would you have for a Truth that took no effort to discover? Similarly, what faith can you have in a Truth delivered to you? It is not your Truth, but that of whoever believed it. Having a message appear to make sense to you is no reason not to pursue your own Truth. Who knows... in place of the wheels you were told to use, you might just discover wings.

On idiots

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has - are words attributed to Margaret Meade. That is all they are... just words. Some live by them, most nod their heads and agree, then make up excuses not to show up at the next rally, not to do or say things differently. Most agree that the streets should be clean, then throw the first wrapping or piece of plastic on the ground  to avoid holding it in their hands to the nearest bin. Same with parking, cleaning up after your dog or enacting legislation... or any rule really - It's good as long as it is in my favor or as long as someone else does it for me

To those who are against protesting because it never changes anything: You are all idiots in the most basic sense of the word ("idiotas" in old Greek meaning one who withdraws from public life).

Why is it that whenever you mention protesting for a change to the system, the first reaction you get is that protesting never changes anything and that only a fool would try to change the system? 

The system changes all the time! But idiots never notice or never give it a second thought, worried about something trivial or cosmetic. Whenever a new policy is enacted or law passed that changes the rules of the game, it usually appears so natural that you never give a second thought to it or its implications. The government is always changing the rules of the game to favor itself and to leave you out of it, especially if the constitution does not account for whatever it is that’s changing. If, for example, your constitution was written when there were no computers or internet, then whatever freedom of speech or privacy you are guaranteed in the constitution might not find itself applied to the digital realm. That is why, for example, no country allows the postal service to read the content of your correspondence, but even the most developed and consolidated democracies have been OK with reading your e-mails in recent years.

Changing the system is not some ideal act that hipsters and anarchists wet dream about. It’s a necessary update. If you think that some old people from the 90s (1990s, 1890s or 1790s) knew better about your world than political activists today do, then you’re the problem. Those people were the activists of their time, the "anarchists" who went against the establishment. New realities mean that you NEED to change in order to adapt. You couldn’t live today according to the laws of Hammurabi, could you? No, and the reason you don’t is because someone went and changed those laws to suit the new realities. Finland and Estonia guarantee broadband access in their constitutions because this is the reality they want to live in. They don’t care what vision someone had in the 90s, this is a different time with different problems. They also didn’t wait for some global disaster to change their ways. They were simply aware of the world they lived in and decided to tweak their systems in response. It’s called ‘forward thinking’ and it’s something governments are generally bad at. That is why you need activism. This is how change happens in any meaningful way. The state or the "establishment" does not care about development as much as about stability and order. True change does not come without forcing a few hands.

To protest is therefore a duty... not every day, not all the time, but for fuck's sake, get off your ass ONCE IN A WHILE and make it known what the world you want to live in is like! Waiting for politicians to act or for others to act for you because you pay taxes is like waiting for your boss to send you on vacation without requesting it. It doesn't happen until you are literally one foot in the grave!

On parenting

Let’s be honest… Most people are bad parents. I say this not because every human residue is allowed to reproduce (or is even encouraged to do so) but because few, if any, parents have any clue what a good parent is supposed to do. Sure, they might know how to raise a child, as one would raise a cow, but childrearing is about more than keeping them alive and well until they’re old enough to refuse to vote. Each interaction you have affects the way they perceive life and the world at large, and some parents know nothing but to replicate what was done to them or do what they wanted to be done to them. Poverty, lack of time, lack of education or emotional baggage you have from growing up is not an excuse to be a shitty parent. Nobody is forcing you to have kids if you are in any of these situations and nobody is encouraging you to experiment with your kid by turning them into a champion of your own failures. Bad parenting starts at conception and can continue even after death.

If you’re reading this, the next part might not apply to you, but it does apply to a damagingly high number of twats who believe having a kid is like owning a car.

Here is some common sense:

1.       Be more than just a provider. If you are too: busy, awkward, lame, outdated, far away, dumb, scared or arrogant to talk to your kid long enough to earn their trust and know their problems, you are a bad parent. Trust is not given by default just because of the title ‘parent’. Your kid is a person, not a pet or a chicken in the barn. Putting food on the table and a roof over their heads is not enough to qualify as good parenting. If providing for your kid is such a chore that you literally cannot invest the time or energy to befriend them, maybe being a parent is not your thing.

2.       Explain stuff. Shit like ‘because I said so’ or ‘just do as you’re told’ make you more than a bad parent, it makes you a shitty person. Yes, kids can be snotty and annoying as an itch you can’t scratch… that’s no reason for you to be the same. Kids are not dumb, they will understand if you explain stuff to them. If my dog can understand that she is not to bark in the house, your kid can understand when it is inappropriate to raise their voice or why they should not eat dirt.

Whatever question your kid might have is no harder to answer and explain than what side the toothpaste comes out. If they do ask hard meaningful questions that make you think, congratulations, you have a bright kid, don’t kill that curiosity. A kid once read the word ‘homosexual’ in a movie subtitle and asked his mom what that meant. It may be tough to explain it to an 8 year old, but ‘a man who wants to marry another man’ is definitely a better answer than ‘go to bed now!’, which just kills curiosity and makes the kid unwilling to ask you anything in the future. The thought process is: ‘Being sent to bed is punishment. I am getting punished for asking what that word meant. That must be a bad word. But if it’s a bad word, why was it on TV? Why were they watching? Why can they watch and not me?’ etc. Notice the ‘me’ vs ‘them’ dichotomy? That’s what happens when you pull rank instead of trying to explain stuff.  See point 1. If you won’t explain stuff about the bloody world you birthed your kids into, then maybe you’re not cut out to be a parent.

3.       Learn to be assertive. Kids can be difficult, yes, not just in their teen years (hell, I remember myself back then) but they do understand authority, even if they question it. Learn the difference between assertive and threatening. One will earn their respect, the other will make them hate you.

4.       Ask questions. In addition to helping you bond with your kid, this also makes them think. Ask them anything: ‘What do you think God is?’, ‘Why is blue your favorite color?’, ‘How do you think fish breathe underwater?’ … and let them figure it out for themselves. This is the foundation of education and this is a skill they will use in life. Don’t take the easy way out by telling them what to be and what to think because they may not question anything you’ve told them, not even in their rebellious stage. This leads to the last point.

5.       Take the way best for your kid in the long run. This implies that you think and assess what they get out of each and every interaction with you. Taking the easy way out is the coward’s way and it is the cornerstone of shitty parenting. Once you have a kid, your past life is essentially over and never returning. If you understand that, you are on the way to being an at least decent parent.

On professional politicians

Let’s be honest, we are now voting for the best politicians, not the best leaders or policy makers.

That is, we are voting for those who are best at getting votes, not the best at governing. Which is why the people who actually have to govern are appointed... (a graceful ‘thanks, now move over’ from the elected officials).

Because elections cost, the ‘ideal candidate’ is good at raising money for themselves and their party, and then we wonder why elected officials do nothing but make money for themselves and their party once in office ...

The candidate is also very persuasive ... a good skill when most of your job involves convincing people to support what’s bad for them.

Without these skills, you won’t even be considered for nomination in most cases, so it’s no surprise that most politicians are alike. If it takes a certain type of person to get elected, then most elected officials will be of that type. This means that an excellent administrator or governor may not even make it on the ballot or will not be voted if they do. Such is the way of democracy... less a contest of skill, more a contest of popularity. 

It’s like having a good actor as the poster-child of a bad movie. They might be great but the script, directing, dialogue and supporting cast might suck nonetheless. So if you take the time to read a review for a movie before paying to see it, do yourself a favour and check out what’s behind the politician or party running for office before casting your vote. A bad movie will waste ~90 min of your time; a bad government will screw you over for several years.

Some common sense about Mars One

Let’s be honest, Mars One is not going to happen. Not one of those people selected will set foot on the red planet and there is an entire list of reasons why:
1. Mars One is planned for 2024. This is years before the first professional team of astronauts is sent by NASA to attempt just to set foot on it, not set up a permanent colony.
2. The volunteers are all amateurs with no experience in space travel or any training that might aid them.
3. According to insider accounts the selection process is biased toward the highest contributors and there is no professional interview, physical test or even contact with anyone from Mars One. Even the medical exams are performed by doctors unaffiliated with the program

These are pretty serious reasons to doubt the legitimacy of the endeavour, which has all the elements of a scam for making as much money as possible, then cancelling the show right before lift-off, dragging on endless delays before putting it to rest, bailing with the cash and disappearing without a trace or, worse, sending people to their deaths, protected by legal acts and then bailing with the money.

The last bit of common sense is that, whatever the outcome, our eyes will be glued to the screen to watch it happen.