Category: Opening blog

The End is Near

Where there is a beginning, an ending will always follow. Whether its days, months, years, centuries or millenniums later everything comes to an end. As humans we have little control over any part of this cycle. A woman gets pregnant and whether she wants to or not there will come a day when the pregnancy terminates, whether with a miscarriage, an abortion, or with the start of a new life. With the start of this new life an ending will always follow, whether its an ending before their first birthday or when they are old and grey; the ending is inevitable and there is nothing we can do to stop that course.

Everything that begins will sooner or later end. This world that we live in, this planet that we inhabit will meet its end one day. There is an ideology that confuses me so, and it is one we cling onto harder than we do anything else, and its that we know what’s best, what’s true, what’s real. We are the generation of technology, we are the generation of social media, we are the generation that relies on the internet for everything, be it for education, entertainment, socialization, it is what we thrive on and rely on. Yet with all of that we have been found out for what we truly are, which is a humanity without intellect, a human race without humanity, lacking empathy and sympathy for our fellow humans. We stomp around this world thinking, no believing, that we “own” it, we judge, we criticise, we voice our disagreements loudly and arrogantly. We turn up our noses in pride and look down upon those that differ from us; whether its religiously, culturally, ethnically, nationally…We focus on the elements that divide us rather than everything that unites us.

As human beings we have created all these constraints, we have divided this planet into different continents and countries, we have created arbitrary lines on paper maps to create pseudo-borders so that we can prosecute the offenders, the offenders of course being those that are not of the “appropriate” race, that don’t hold the “correct” passport, those that were not born on the developed land of a first world country. I believe that the only worthwhile factor that we can offer each other is mercy. Today’s world is full of hatred, intolerance, bigotry, spite and division. We identify each other’s worth by firstly our ascribed identities “where are you from?; what passport do you hold? and then our acquired identities “where did you study? how much do you make? which social class do you belong to? what occupation do you hold?”. Where is the decency? Where is the kindness? Where is the basic human compassion? We support animal causes, we argue how inhumane being an omnivore is, we protest animal rights, we chastise those with different beliefs, but where is the compassion for our fellow citizens of Earth. We have become a people that humanise animals and dehumanise fellow humans.

The world is full of brutality, cruelty, oppression, yet most of us turn our backs and assume the role of the deaf, dumb and blind. We blame the victims because it must be there fault that they face the circumstances they exist under.
I don’t see it; therefore it does not exist.
It is not happening to me; therefore it does not matter.
They differ from me; therefore they are not worth my time.

All I can say is that there will come a day when we will be asked why we stood by idly in silence as all this unfolded around us, indeed that day will come.

Till then,
S

The Lego Theorem

imagesCAG9S2C0

Love, love is a feeling, an emotion that can vary in strength, in form, in passion. Parents are at times too quick to dish-out the statement of “you’re too young to be in love” when their fifteen years old daughter speaks of her first love. Nevertheless, that is simply not true. A person is born into this world and the first of many emotions s/he will feel is love. When a baby’s cries can only be soothed by their guardian, that sole person that stays up all through the night when said baby is sick, the one who will help arm the baby with the command of language, with the appropriate skills to manipulate utensils whatever they maybe. The one that will help as their child struggles with tasks such as learning to stand erect, later toddle along and finally stride with ease.

Love appears in many forms and passing through life without feeling any form is fairly difficult. Love can be between a mother and a child, between two friends, between two lovers, between a master and a pet, between two siblings…Take a moment and picture that person that you have more love for than any other, think of the way you feel about them. I can in all truthfulness, declare that the way I feel about the one I love is a feeling so overwhelming, so utterly intoxicating that “love” seems too limited, too inadequate, too feeble a word to do my emotions justice.

So, here we are so completely and irrevocably in love how do we go about making our feelings known to our significant individual. Men get down on one knee in a fancy, bourgeois restaurant or under the a nightsky with only the beauty of the full moon as witness the occassion. Why do men put in the effort? Why is it that as females we want the prefect diamond ring, the perfect dress, the perfect wedding…Why is it that we want a thoughtful, romantic husband? Why do we celebrate fathers’ day by going out of our way to make “his” day special? Why do we continue to celebrate birthdays, annivetsaries, mothers’ day, valentines and so on…We do it because we want the ones we love to know just how much we appreciate them and how strong our love is for them.

I have been blessed in so many ways, let’s see I have been gifted with sight, ability to hear, communicate, walk, love…all my abilities are gifts, blessings that have been so perfectly packaged and created for me, one person out of seven billion. How can I wake up every morning with the same abilities and not believe in a creator. How is it that the same respiratory system that equips me with the blessing of breathing also allows you to take in a breathe too. How can humans be so anatomically similar to apes, but yet be so distinct? How can any of the creations that surround us be a product of anything other than a higher power? How is it that I an able bodied, sane person have unexpressed genetic mutations and other individuals such as those with Down’s, Prader-Willi, Cri du chat be so affected and diabled by their mutation, so intellectually different?

Let’s put the theory to the test. As children we played with lego or a toy to that affect. Coup up a handful of pieces and toss them, no matter how high one throws them, no matter how many times one repeats the task never will two pieces latch on, let alone many pieces so perfectly and intrinsically positioned.

Ponder on our hypothesis
Always, S

INNOCENT or GUILTY?

Religion is commonly defined and seen as the belief and worship of a higher-power. Nevertheless, religion provides so much more than a belief system. Religion teaches the laws of humanity, laws that the international community at large currently abide by. Governments setup constitutions and enforce its citizens to live up to them and punishes and prosecutes those that do not. These laws are derived primarily from religion. Religion doctrines the notion that killing is prohibited, that stealing is sinful, that adultery is forbidden and that lying is immoral. All religions preach that gossiping and backbiting are sinful activities that should not be participated in. All countries will consider an act of divulging its secrets by a member of the government as an act of treason.

Court

Throughout our life we write and choose the rules we want to live by and no matter where we are from or who we are we all abide by some form of norms. Whether, it’s norms and morals of a wider society, norms and values held by the minority we associate ourselves with, or the rules we use to organize our own personal lives. In all education systems there are elements that are permissible and actions thats are not, under employment there are those principles that are acceptable and others that are deemed unprofessional. For every place one associates one’s self with there will always a word of conduct.

So, what is it about religion that people find so disconcerting? Is it that the “laws” of religion are not to our liking? Or is it that they are not of our own concoction? Is it that it is not “manmade”?
In the future I hope to venture into explaining all the elements that people use to argue away the validity and significance of religion.

Till then, some food for the brain: when your child is sick, where do you go? Who’s help do you seek? When you have a distinct question about aerodynamics, quantum electronics or epigenetics? Who’s help do you seek?
S

3, 2, 1 FIRE

NASA
NASA

Our modern world is in a battle with religion. It teaches us that religion is an ancient notion better to be retired as there is no room for it in our sophisticated and scientific world. Some blame the constant outbreak of wars on the existence of religion and the disagreements religious differences cause. But, how can that be possible when all religions preach human understanding. Let’s look closer shall we, Christianity’s Decalogue (the ten commandments) “Thou shalt not kill”, Judaism: the Noahide Laws include “the prohibition of murder”. What about Islam, Allah teaches that if one kills one innocent soul it is as if s/he killed the whole of humanity and if one save one innocent soul it is as if s/he save all of humanity. So, from this we can conclude that three Abrahamic religions preach the same idea.

As for science of religion in large, religion is not the enemy of science. All three religions teach that God created Adam and Eve and from them came the rest of humanity. So, in reality that is the only red herring. The Big Bang theory suggests that universe was a product of a random cataclysmic explosion of a small volume of matter at a high density and temperature.  I am not a scientist so I will not attempt to argue this point in a scientific manner. However, I can say that in a vacuum there is nothing, thus the choice of word vacuum which denies the possibility of an explosion or any type of formation to be created on its own. Therefore, even if  we choose to believe in the Big Bang theory that does not provide an explanation that negates the existence of some high power. Someone or something must of set that explosion into motion.

In conclusion, it is reasonable to view religion as the answer to “Why?” and science as the answer to “How?”.

Till then,
S

Why are we here?

Question Mark

As humans we have this innate attribute of posing questions. As children exploring the world and acquiring language skills we hit a questioning phase. A phase where we try to grasp the essense and discover the reason behind all we see and all we encounter. We test those that surround us by badgering them with the question of “why?”.  Our questioning trait stems from our innate curiosity.

In sync with all that we pass through in life procuring information from that which surrounds us, from beings we cross paths with, from the books we read, from conversations we have, from places we see, etc.  Everything that surrounds us contributes, experiences we undergo, people we meet, shape the people we become, opinions we hold, norms and morals we live by. What’s funny is that in this day and age, originality is an aspiration many aim to attain, but if we were completely honest with ourselves we would notice that as desirable as we see it, it is a quality we all aspire to meet. So, that in it self proves the absurdity of the idea.

Through the span of our lifetime one of the most important questions we ever ask, whether to others or quietly to ourselves, is “how we came to be”? If we haven’t been raised with a strong religous background then we question the existence of God. And even sometimes when we do have that background we might still question whether we have been mislead, whether the belief in a God is as absurd a concept as belief in the validity of Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, the easter bunny…Under such a circumstance we may turn to science as more often than not it provides an explanation that attempts to nullify the existence of a higher power. Or, we might just learn to turn off that pestering question as it is sometimes easier to ignore the notions we don’t understand than face them. With religion comes responsibilty, to one’s self and to the God. It is in human kinds nature to not want to take on the responsibilities of growing up. As children we get bothered by parents/guardians when they lay down the law; calling the shots of when its time to wake up when its bedtime, school is not an option, no you can’t buy that and so on. As children we long for the time when we will be able to make these decisions for ourselves. Then, before we know it, sooner than we know it, we’re all grown up and we get to make all the decisions, but with the ability to make decisions come the responsibilities of providing for ourselves. Now, it’s time for us to long for our childhood, a simpler time when we were carefree, when we didn’t have to worry about all those issues that come with being a grown up. With all the obligations we have, it seems like we ignore those that we just don’t have time for, instead of making the appropriate time. When we grow up without the need to turn to a religious God we might see ourselves as not really needing one.

Life passes so fast, too fast. For most of us, we quickly fall into habit and routine, whether we work and everyday is basically the same one, whether we are a stay at home parent and again everyday is the same. As humans we are habitual beings. When we are rushing to pay the bills, take care of kids, furthering our careers, it becomes exceedingly easier to turn off the question of the existence of a higher power. But, I am here to tell you that there is a reason behind our existence, a very simple reason. There is also an answer to that gnawing question “Does a God exist?” again a simple answer.

So, its time to stop shrugging off the question. It is time to put aside a moment in our lives to find the answer. To my audience which currently consists solely of my husband seeing as I haven’t spoken of this blog to another. I sincerely hope that this will change soon, but even if only one person in a world of 7.2 billion out there hears me, I’ll consider this a success. I ask of you, my readers, to hear me with an open mind and heart. I in turn will be open to answering any questions or speculations I may receive and I promise that I will try to the best of my ability to provide you with the answers you so seek.

till next time,
S