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David Birkenhead project: a book with space bunnies
Posted 11 years agohttps://www.kickstarter.com/project.....project-book-1
Just helping to spread the word. Turning a book series into a graphic novel! Have a look, spread the word a bit if you know someone that might like to see it!
Just helping to spread the word. Turning a book series into a graphic novel! Have a look, spread the word a bit if you know someone that might like to see it!
Religion...peace by war?
Posted 15 years agoNot to imply Religion is violent, but after the Chris incident, I have to rub my temples at times.
I'm not, in all honesty, a heavily religious person. I keep it rather simple: If there is a God, Gods, or some strange spiritual entity being a voyeur over all us fleshies who does things now and then, I nod my head, go 'Okay, I have some faith in this idea - but I'm going to try to do things myself first before I depend on you'.
Near as I'm aware, at least from the Lutheran/Christian side of it, that's a little bit of the point - You walk on your own, and when you've done your part, and are in need of the help, God will try and help in some way. he won't do everything, he can't save your life all the time (or else how would life be a struggle?), but you may find a miracle now and then.
Alas, even on that ideal, it's not exactly wonderful - plenty of people may do these things, and get no help at all. Torture, suffering, dominated by exploited power or cruelty. The world is -not- a happy place, and if I were truly suffering for it, I wouldn't be here on FA - with all the other stuff we 'distract' ourselves with on it. Pretty sure none of us really would if we were in that situation of survival.
Anyways, I must have some other points in there...maybe going by the subject?
Most Religions I notice tend to follow this: Believe in Me (whatever said religion is), hold me above the others, and you will find Happiness (in the completed sense, not necessarily always perky). Tell others about me, spread my word, follow my ways to find this. Promote me over the others. I will provide you with truth, not them.
In theory, none of them have 'proof' their their definite quality anymore - the people involved are dead, the artifacts involved may be lost or just stories, that sort of thing. It's a 'Faith' because you basically have to choose to believe it without proof from the start. You might get 'lucky' and have a divine experience of some sort that may count as proof for you, but in the majority of cases, you can't share that with others.
So, you have those that Believe, those that believe, and those that pay lip service. In all of those, regardless of which version you have...you have people. Flawed, 'human' people. They whine, they cry, they sing, they praise. they do everything (for a Klondike Bar no less)! Some are meaner than others, some are friendlier than others. Some are good at words, others suck at them.
But one thing most people have in common - if you make them angry together, they'll team up on things they might not team up on if put to detail. Mob mentality, Herd instinct, community synchronicity. If they commit a crime together, they have their own shoulders to cry on to lessen the blow, and then maybe they won't feel bad about doing something that was 'wrong' by their supposed standards.
However prejudiced or warped those school history books were, I know one thing: We're a violent, bloody race, and we have never truly managed a peaceful era - any such time was just a build up for someone to have a war. We don't try to be friendly with others very hard. Of those of us that are friendly (by country sized standards) it's because we're uniformly similar enough there's little to spark a problem with. Anything that happens is either an isolated incident, or has other things involved and gets snuffed out before true Fervor kicks in.
Right now, One Religion says the other must die - it's a corrupt, evil thing, and it cannot be bargained or consoled with. It must die by death and carnage, and sacrificing yourself to it is okay - you'll be rewarded.
I don't know if that is actually -true- by the said holy book standard, but I suspect, much like how the Bible has been translated several times (and more than once, favoring a few particular things, as has been suggested) that it doesn't really matter if it's true or not - we'll hold to it just for the excuse of violence. it provides comfort, not thinking about being responsible for the moment.
I don't trust the world to be sensible - I know nearly everyone in it is an idiot in some way. They can be smart, or witty, or nice, but somewhere, they're an idiot, and given the right circumstances, you can make them try to rip your throat out as if it's okay.
Even me.
I don't anger easily, but I can be angry. I've learned in growing up anger by itself doesn't provide me with satisfaction in a fashion I care to wait for, so can usually just flip a mental switch, focus on letting it out, and the anger will be gone. It might be more accurate to say that I don't stick to that anger - it doesn't provide me with any help, and it just makes me sick to my stomach if it sits around long enough. Anger isn't valuable or precious to me - I want happy endings, people to smile, to be happy and friendly. They're free to have rivalries, or competitions t keep things interesting - I just wish they wouldn't be so easy to rise to anger and hatred.
But, we're a world of idiots. If I know I can mess it up, what hope do I have that everyone else can uphold such a standard in any meaningful way, long enough to stick?
Oh well...
<edit in>
Oh yeah, two(three) things I feel like adding to the end now. Quotes I half made up, or else found, then adapted (so if they are from somewhere, my apologies for partial theft).
Life has given -you- the freedom to do whatever -you- like. Life has given -me- the freedom to respond to what you do however -I- like. (quote 1)
To be ever changing demands to be forever at war with constants. Humans are one of the most constant things right now. Sucks to be your own worse enemy. (quote 2)
All of the world is simple - All of the world is complicated. No matter which one you refuse or demand to believe in - both are true at the same time. (quote 3)
I like to think quote 3 is the deep thinker of them all.
I'm not, in all honesty, a heavily religious person. I keep it rather simple: If there is a God, Gods, or some strange spiritual entity being a voyeur over all us fleshies who does things now and then, I nod my head, go 'Okay, I have some faith in this idea - but I'm going to try to do things myself first before I depend on you'.
Near as I'm aware, at least from the Lutheran/Christian side of it, that's a little bit of the point - You walk on your own, and when you've done your part, and are in need of the help, God will try and help in some way. he won't do everything, he can't save your life all the time (or else how would life be a struggle?), but you may find a miracle now and then.
Alas, even on that ideal, it's not exactly wonderful - plenty of people may do these things, and get no help at all. Torture, suffering, dominated by exploited power or cruelty. The world is -not- a happy place, and if I were truly suffering for it, I wouldn't be here on FA - with all the other stuff we 'distract' ourselves with on it. Pretty sure none of us really would if we were in that situation of survival.
Anyways, I must have some other points in there...maybe going by the subject?
Most Religions I notice tend to follow this: Believe in Me (whatever said religion is), hold me above the others, and you will find Happiness (in the completed sense, not necessarily always perky). Tell others about me, spread my word, follow my ways to find this. Promote me over the others. I will provide you with truth, not them.
In theory, none of them have 'proof' their their definite quality anymore - the people involved are dead, the artifacts involved may be lost or just stories, that sort of thing. It's a 'Faith' because you basically have to choose to believe it without proof from the start. You might get 'lucky' and have a divine experience of some sort that may count as proof for you, but in the majority of cases, you can't share that with others.
So, you have those that Believe, those that believe, and those that pay lip service. In all of those, regardless of which version you have...you have people. Flawed, 'human' people. They whine, they cry, they sing, they praise. they do everything (for a Klondike Bar no less)! Some are meaner than others, some are friendlier than others. Some are good at words, others suck at them.
But one thing most people have in common - if you make them angry together, they'll team up on things they might not team up on if put to detail. Mob mentality, Herd instinct, community synchronicity. If they commit a crime together, they have their own shoulders to cry on to lessen the blow, and then maybe they won't feel bad about doing something that was 'wrong' by their supposed standards.
However prejudiced or warped those school history books were, I know one thing: We're a violent, bloody race, and we have never truly managed a peaceful era - any such time was just a build up for someone to have a war. We don't try to be friendly with others very hard. Of those of us that are friendly (by country sized standards) it's because we're uniformly similar enough there's little to spark a problem with. Anything that happens is either an isolated incident, or has other things involved and gets snuffed out before true Fervor kicks in.
Right now, One Religion says the other must die - it's a corrupt, evil thing, and it cannot be bargained or consoled with. It must die by death and carnage, and sacrificing yourself to it is okay - you'll be rewarded.
I don't know if that is actually -true- by the said holy book standard, but I suspect, much like how the Bible has been translated several times (and more than once, favoring a few particular things, as has been suggested) that it doesn't really matter if it's true or not - we'll hold to it just for the excuse of violence. it provides comfort, not thinking about being responsible for the moment.
I don't trust the world to be sensible - I know nearly everyone in it is an idiot in some way. They can be smart, or witty, or nice, but somewhere, they're an idiot, and given the right circumstances, you can make them try to rip your throat out as if it's okay.
Even me.
I don't anger easily, but I can be angry. I've learned in growing up anger by itself doesn't provide me with satisfaction in a fashion I care to wait for, so can usually just flip a mental switch, focus on letting it out, and the anger will be gone. It might be more accurate to say that I don't stick to that anger - it doesn't provide me with any help, and it just makes me sick to my stomach if it sits around long enough. Anger isn't valuable or precious to me - I want happy endings, people to smile, to be happy and friendly. They're free to have rivalries, or competitions t keep things interesting - I just wish they wouldn't be so easy to rise to anger and hatred.
But, we're a world of idiots. If I know I can mess it up, what hope do I have that everyone else can uphold such a standard in any meaningful way, long enough to stick?
Oh well...
<edit in>
Oh yeah, two(three) things I feel like adding to the end now. Quotes I half made up, or else found, then adapted (so if they are from somewhere, my apologies for partial theft).
Life has given -you- the freedom to do whatever -you- like. Life has given -me- the freedom to respond to what you do however -I- like. (quote 1)
To be ever changing demands to be forever at war with constants. Humans are one of the most constant things right now. Sucks to be your own worse enemy. (quote 2)
All of the world is simple - All of the world is complicated. No matter which one you refuse or demand to believe in - both are true at the same time. (quote 3)
I like to think quote 3 is the deep thinker of them all.
