Thursday, March 13, 2008

• Here's to you quiet people!

  Why are shooting stars fleeting?  Why is that the first image that pops into my head when "fleeting" comes into conversation?  I assume it's because the Spanish word "fugaz" is quickly associated and fire=fuego which is like fugaz, right?  Then again, it's a weak assumption. 

  Truth be told, snippets of conversation are far more fleeting than shooting stars.  Usually walking every day (typically for an hour or more, I live far from school and work) I lose my head.  I must look like a zombie staring with my glazed eyes at nothing.  Despite this I hear a lot of little things people are saying as we pass.  Sometimes it's cute like a mother and child "Mommy!!! Look it's a duck!!!" or the ever-popular frat type boys urinating on the hat store, (whose urine content is probably comprised more of alcohol than anything else) "OH MY GOD.  THE HOBOS ARE GONNA BEAT EACH OTHER UP!!!".  I hardly remember any of it, even much of the passionate debates. 

  Just listening I think I missed the self-righteous boat.

  Certainly, I have opinions and theories.  Does this mean I should push them on anyone?  No one wants to hear that.  I can't even read the entire editorial section of the newspaper (not that I know anyone who can read that entire section).  Why on Earth would I even consider trying to give the slightest inkling of proselytization?  There are few who have been able to change my mind about things.  Generally, I listen to people trying to change my opinion or proselytize me and think they are crazy, stupid; or think about some new tap rhythm in my head and how to fancy it up.  Talking to brick walls drives me batty, thus I do my best to understand where someone is coming from and understand them on a human level.  This is not to say that I will ever share their opinion.  This would, in fact, be my own warped form of trying to implement the idea that we have two ears and only one mouth.

  Now, what inspired this new wave of hatred for the overly talkative masses.  Richard Dawkins recently came to my campus to speak about his new book "The God Delusion".  I have been an atheist for about nine years now while growing up in a Catholic family (not strict Catholic either, this was not a form of rebellion.  It was a personal decision).  Many people I know went to see him speak.  Fortunately, I couldn't.  Even if I hadn't been working, I wouldn't have gone.  Dawkins bothers me, primarily because he is ruining the reputation of Atheists everywhere, but also because he cannot relate to people anymore from the pedestal he has put himself on.  I have had a hard time convincing religious friends of mine that I don't eat babies and that despite my religious beliefs I have morals.  My conduct has been baffling for some people.  She's atheistic and doesn't get trashed every weekend (I find it more surprising that I was born and raised in Wisconsin and I hardly drink) while smoking crack.  No, I will never try to get you not to believe in your religion.  That is your responsibility and frankly, probably a lot more complicated of a situation than I would ever want to throw myself into.  Now Dawkins is going about telling people how stupid religion is as if to try to convince them to believe what he does.  Mostly he is talking about how religion is so absurd that believing it would be utterly ridiculous, so the people who believe it must be stupid.  On a clip I saw of him he couldn't understand why an evangelical would be angry with him for talking about evolution.

  Has Dawkins removed himself so far from reality that he can no longer relate to his fellow man?  Is it beneath his dignity to attempt to put himself in someone else's shoes?  How would he react if an evangelical came storming into his office giving a lot of evidence for creationism and then proceeded to attempt to exorcise him?  This thought must be below Dawkins, because he is an accomplished scholar and clearly knows more than anyone else around him.

  The part that seems hilarious to me is that Dawkins is stealing techniques from the very people he is more or less claiming to be his scholastic arch-enemies.  He's going around giving presentations to people who have hero-worship for him.  He preaches his ideas to these people.  Is Dawkins encouraging these people to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions?

  I have to say that both sides of this religious debate can agree that any followers they have should be geniune believers in the ideology rather than sheep who listen and go with the crowd.

  I must admit that Dawkins has a lot of valid points and I agree with nearly all of them considering I am atheistic, but he is a terrible leader for us.  He's like the Bush of atheism.

  Now Dawkins isn't the only thing that has happened to show my lack of self righteousness.  In a class of mine we spoke at length about what we think of smoking.  Is the United States persecuting smokers?  Should smoking in public be legal? etc. 

  It is important to note that I don't smoke.  It smells like burning road tar mixed with yuckies to me.  However, it doesn't bother me too much if someone smokes around me.  It is not as if most people are so rude that they would blow the smoke in your face.  It is a personal decision to smoke and if you do you are expected, just like with anything else that you do, to be courteous about it.  Most smokers will generally put the carton away when they see the mother forcing the two year old to use their inhaler.

  Certainly there are rude smokers.  I remember having to sit with a little boy (he was 2-4 years old during this time. It lasted a few years) while he inhaled steroids twice per day due to his severe asmtha, which was a result of smoking during pregnancy.  He had other health problems and hated "taking his medicine".  I sat with him encouraging him to keep the mask on and to distract him as much as possible.

  Now there are these kids in my class that talk about how smoking should be banned and how evil it is.  How you must be a least a little stupid or disillusioned to even start.  What on Earth have these kids seen to make them so passionate about that?  Have they had to sit with little boys who had to inhale steroids as well?  Maybe I could talk to them and relate to them, because they must have experienced something to get that passionate.

  Ha! Look out Will Robinson we have found over zealous college students again!!!

  I think there must be something wrong with me that I cannot seem to grasp this zealousness that people around me have.  It really only comes out here.  I guess that makes me a hypocrite, especially considering how much of a sermon I just wrote.

  Then again I will always openly admit my stupidity :)

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