So my parents aren't too happy about me using profanity in my Taiwan blog. My dad even sent me an email about it, to which I replied "What's so bad about these "bad" words anyways?"
To which he replied a long email which didn't quite answer the question..but anyways.
I feel like alot of the time, we're just being dragged around by society's expectations/customs that when you think about them, don't really have any rational reason behind them. Such as the taboo on four-letter words.
Why are these words "bad"? They express everyday activities/objects. Vaginas, bowel movements, having sex. These words aren't bad by nature--it's because society represses these things that they make words that don't describe them in either artistic or scientific terms taboo.
I'm not arguing for racial slurs--these words have a derogatory history behind them, with intent to insult/harm/degrade/oppress.
But what the fuck, shitting and cunts are everywhere.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
update!
I finally finished work for the summer. Five weeks of being an RA and doing grunt work for the scientists. Even though I worked for less time this year, I feel like I accomplished just as much, maybe even more. And I find myself missing the lab. I think I've come to love the structure and the daily routine, and my little cubicle.
But anyways.
I ship off to Taiwan next week for three weeks of discovering-my-roots and other fun activities. Blehhh. I think I'll be blogging everyday on a sister blog I've created especially for the trip:
---
So what have I been up to lately? Reading and examining my faith/religion/all religion with a more critical eye.
I read Christopher Hitchens' God is Not Great; How Religion Poisons Everything. Not only is his style of writing engaging, witty, and just fucking awesome, he makes excellent arguments against all religions. I loved the book, and I feel that it gave me a more critical and careful way to scrutinize my faith and what I believe in.
Recently, I heard about a lawsuit being filed against a church. Based on what I heard, there seems to be a point in time when smart people started drinking the Kool-Aid of blind faith and gave up their rationality. (Which, if you think about it, isn't that a crime against God? If God or whoever is out there gave you this awesome tool of reasoning and rational thought, and you just throw it away...then two questions arise. A)what's the point of having reasoning and b) is a god who gives you a gift then demands you throw it away to believe in him whole-heartedly really worth following?)
But anways. Here's a question:
If you were to hypothetically design a building (let's add that you're a Christian, which actually should have no bearing whatsoever on your decision anyways, but let's stick with it), who would you choose:
a) Christian architect with no credentials/qualifications at all (so I suppose you could say "being Christian" is the only qualification)
But anyways.
I ship off to Taiwan next week for three weeks of discovering-my-roots and other fun activities. Blehhh. I think I'll be blogging everyday on a sister blog I've created especially for the trip:
---
So what have I been up to lately? Reading and examining my faith/religion/all religion with a more critical eye.
I read Christopher Hitchens' God is Not Great; How Religion Poisons Everything. Not only is his style of writing engaging, witty, and just fucking awesome, he makes excellent arguments against all religions. I loved the book, and I feel that it gave me a more critical and careful way to scrutinize my faith and what I believe in.
Recently, I heard about a lawsuit being filed against a church. Based on what I heard, there seems to be a point in time when smart people started drinking the Kool-Aid of blind faith and gave up their rationality. (Which, if you think about it, isn't that a crime against God? If God or whoever is out there gave you this awesome tool of reasoning and rational thought, and you just throw it away...then two questions arise. A)what's the point of having reasoning and b) is a god who gives you a gift then demands you throw it away to believe in him whole-heartedly really worth following?)
But anways. Here's a question:
If you were to hypothetically design a building (let's add that you're a Christian, which actually should have no bearing whatsoever on your decision anyways, but let's stick with it), who would you choose:
a) Christian architect with no credentials/qualifications at all (so I suppose you could say "being Christian" is the only qualification)
or
b) non-Christian architect who's built many other edifices, has references, a portfolio.
The choice should be clear, unless you are of an abnormally low IQ (which apparently is a communicable disease spread by religious favoritism). You choose the qualified non-Christian who knows to how design a building.
---
A key aspect of what one might call the Christian experience is prayer. It allows you to communicate with him, and as a I recently learned (and this actually makes sense) it allows you to demand of God what he promised. Prayer is supposed to be a part of everyday life and you should pray about everything and make sure whatever you do, God is okay with it. Or if you're unsure, ask him via prayer. Etc.
So yes, very good. Prayer. It's story time, kids. Gather 'round.
A church wanted to build a new church buildling. As you would expect, the elders of the church would definitely pray for great amounts of time to ascertain God's will before going forth with building plans. It would be the Christian thing to do. And of course, they got the answer "Go forth and build me a huge fucking church building."
And so the elders commissioned architects and designers to build. And a church building was erected, greater and bigger than before.
And when the first storms came, the roofing leaked and the cafeteria flooded. But it must have been God's will for this to happen.
And a year later, the church was sued by one of the architects initially approached to do the design work. Come, let's say it together: "but it must have been God's will for this to happen."
Moral of the story, kids:
No. It wasn't God's will for this to happen.
It was human stupidity and lack of rational decision making. It was shoddy human construction.
Anything people construe as divine will is always after the fact. Hindsight bias, anyone?
I don't mean this post to be criticizing or hateful, or derogatory towards anyone. I just feel that when we give up reason in favor of faith, it's stupid.
Not to say that reason and faith can't go hand in hand. But that's a post for later.
The choice should be clear, unless you are of an abnormally low IQ (which apparently is a communicable disease spread by religious favoritism). You choose the qualified non-Christian who knows to how design a building.
---
A key aspect of what one might call the Christian experience is prayer. It allows you to communicate with him, and as a I recently learned (and this actually makes sense) it allows you to demand of God what he promised. Prayer is supposed to be a part of everyday life and you should pray about everything and make sure whatever you do, God is okay with it. Or if you're unsure, ask him via prayer. Etc.
So yes, very good. Prayer. It's story time, kids. Gather 'round.
A church wanted to build a new church buildling. As you would expect, the elders of the church would definitely pray for great amounts of time to ascertain God's will before going forth with building plans. It would be the Christian thing to do. And of course, they got the answer "Go forth and build me a huge fucking church building."
And so the elders commissioned architects and designers to build. And a church building was erected, greater and bigger than before.
And when the first storms came, the roofing leaked and the cafeteria flooded. But it must have been God's will for this to happen.
And a year later, the church was sued by one of the architects initially approached to do the design work. Come, let's say it together: "but it must have been God's will for this to happen."
Moral of the story, kids:
No. It wasn't God's will for this to happen.
It was human stupidity and lack of rational decision making. It was shoddy human construction.
Anything people construe as divine will is always after the fact. Hindsight bias, anyone?
I don't mean this post to be criticizing or hateful, or derogatory towards anyone. I just feel that when we give up reason in favor of faith, it's stupid.
Not to say that reason and faith can't go hand in hand. But that's a post for later.
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