Round 2

It's extremely likely that I've touched on this subject a million and one times, but I feel it must be reiterated, because my position on the matter has changed oh-so-slightly, I've learned a few things or whatever, but the underlying principle remains the same: the concept of an omniscient and all-powerful being is a big whopping pile of bullshit, and it doesn't take George Carlin's standup routine or the ridiculous stupidity of my English class to show me that. But I suppose this entry isn't so much about religion as it is on my thought processes and the beliefs I subscribe to.

Let's get the festering bile out of the way first. Religion and the concept of a God is useful in a few instances, but the severity of these instances are what have turned religious belief into such a lumbering behemoth. When things go wrong in life, people turn to God for comfort; just knowing there's a higher power there to support you gets you through the day, maybe assuages the depression of the tragedy or whatever event. Religion is useful, maybe even critical for some people, to help them get past whatever roadblock has been thrown their way. Even when their life isn't difficult, people often use God as inspiration and support, to stay happy. I have no problem with that, it's their belief and it works wonders for them. But it must be said that these people are living in a bubble, which isn't bad, per se. The illusion is nice for a while, but the happenings of the world will make you question your beliefs. If God is so kind, why does he let the genocide in Darfur happen? Why does he let soldiers get killed in the Middle East? It is my belief that these questions, these observations are what cause the erosion of religious belief, no matter its usefulness or inspiration.

If you had to attach a label to me, I think I would be called an atheist. But the problem with labels is that they entail certain things; if I'm an atheist, I must be stalwartly against religion. As the above paragraph proved, I'm open to the concept of religion as a means of comfort and support, not as a way to explain life's mysteries and trends. But my main belief system is such a hodgepodge of bullshit and schools of thought, it's hard to pin it to anything. I believe nothing happens to you after death - Albert Camus' existentialism. I believe life is what you make of it - Ayn Rand's Objectivism. I believe life is random, cruel, and absurd - Nietzsche's nihilism. I believe that the universe is governed by a higher power - the laws of physics and biology. I believe environmentalists are self-righteous, self-serving, arrogant douchebags - contrary to liberal thought. I believe that the government should exhibit stringent oversight on big businesses - contrary to conservative thought. We attach all-encompassing labels to certain beliefs, but those beliefs are generally assumed to carry a package deal or something: human thought is so gray that it's impossible to pin it down to any one thing. Nobody is a complete liberal or conservative, atheist or devout. We don't operate like that. We take bits and pieces of what we think represent our interests the most and smash them together into a mosaic of randomness.

This is a pretty rambly entry with no clear topic or anything. Somehow, it's all relevant and fits together, I'm just not sure how that is. I guess I'll end this with a clip from an extremely wise man who is unfortunately no longer with us. Watch it, you will not regret it.



PS. If you were an invisible man, you would also be blind, so that would suck pretty hard. If you ever went on a date, your date would be talking about movies and vacation spots with a pile of what looks to be vomit.