I will keep this as short and sweet as possible.
ITEM ONE
The Irish aren't good at a great many things. Speaking intelligible English. Saying anything worthwhile, for that matter. Sobriety. Humility. Not gossiping or getting into fights. Ethical business practices. Heck, ANY business practices *cougheconomycough*. Plus they've produced some real blackguards like Bono and Colin Farrell.
What can we credit them for? Guinness. Corned beef and cabbage. The Book of Kells. Fantastic music (I don't mean U2). CS Lewis. The best traditional artwork of any peoples on the planet. Kenneth Branagh. That about does it.
ITEM TWO
People need to slow down. I was walking home from the market (three miles away, and a good long while to ponder), listening to The Cranberries (a credit to Ireland), and thinking about how people driving must not see anything except for where they were going. This isn't bad, I suppose, as we wouldn't want them to get into accidents, but do people ever just sort of take it slow and enjoy life? Why are we so caught up in this idea that we must be on the move all the time?
Discounting the myriad of possible answers for a moment, I just want to suggest that it is the rampant disbelief in God that compels us to pace our lives in such a way. We create meaning for ourselves. That's existentialism. Oh no, you might say, let's not open up this Costco bulk size can of beans. I won't. Or rather I will, but I'll just open the Albertson's size can of ATHEIST existentialism.
So here we go, creating meaning in a world that is essentially meaningless. We drive our cars to work, we make phone calls, appointments, drive home, pat the little ones on the head, and REM cycle our way back to the beginning. It takes a whole twenty four hours to do this, and not a moment is spared for anything except what our nature demands. The catch? None of this still matters, even though you want it to. It's your meaning, your calling. We're too afraid to not have meaning because all there is to do outside of busy work is walking down that hill after the boulder and contemplating our own mortality.
Camus lied. The truth is that there is plenty to ponder, and there is plenty of meaning to be had without doing anything. We eat, we breathe, we think. Being busy may give us meaning, and maybe it is scary to have nothing but death otherwise, but even if you don't believe in a deity or some ulterior intelligence, we still have this planet. We have animals and plants that don't need to be understood with a microscope to be fully appreciated. We have ingenious innovations using terrestrial components to convey and engage us extraterrestrially (I'm using the literal Latin meaning here, mmkay?). Just stop for a minute and see. You might just realize that life doesn't actually need to have complexities in it to give it meaning. Maybe it's enough just to be.
But it's not, of course. Because we do think, there MUST be something. A reason. You can go on living by the fundamentals set down in existentialist thought and rely on yourself. Thinking selfishly is how we survive. It's moving too fast that renders our delusions completely redundant. Atheists: if none of it matters, why not slow it down and bask in your own cleverness? Theists (more specifically Christians): If God is in control and you trust entirely in Him, why rush things? Where is it going to get you? Yes we are mortal, but we are living longer. We have plenty of time. Don't you see that this speed high we're on is why we're spiralling backwards from Enlightenment? We celebrate the carnal nature of Man because there is no God (or there is, we've just forgotten), and nothing matters. Yet we live life as though it matters too much. Am I making any sense whatsoever?
There's too much to say, and I have no skill in organizing my thoughts, I know. You didn't read this anyway.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
On Mom Caves
Kim Cook seems eager to share with the world this new trend of women seizing control over space in the home for what is being called a 'Mom cave'. What a crock.
I came across this article in the Deseret News today while munching on my break. It comes as no surprise to me that the Deseret would want to share this story. The paper is full of fluffy feel good Mormonesque stories that really have nothing to do with real life. It's all fodder to facilitate the bubble in this state, and this article isn't even the worst of the day. That honor goes to the story on some study conducted at BYU that suggests that slapping an R rating on a film will guarantee decreased income. They didn't bother to mention the logistics of the study, giving me cause to believe it was all conducted within Utah county lines. Of course you aren't going to generate revenue from an R rated movie in Provo. Duh.
Back to the 'Mom cave'. It was enough to draw an eye roll from yours truly, of course. I know it's a stupid fluff piece, but really? Can I just sit and stew for a moment on this? Why do women keep trying to claim that they have nothing for themselves? All we seem to do is take and take, hence our society is spiralling out of control economically because of frivolous spending on nonessential consumer goods. It's all at the fault of females! A woman's place is in the home. You have a kitchen, you have a sitting room; you are in control of the decor and daily business of the household, ladies. That is your job. That IS your space. Appreciate it for what it is and get over yourselves. If you need time away from your children, you have a bedroom to retreat to. Is that not enough? Now you need to retreat from your closest ally?
I see this (apparent) trend as further removal from the natural order. Thank you feminism. Villainizing the children and husbands and demanding individual freedoms. It's a sickness that is destroying unity within the home and is contagious especially among the very young. I don't know if this species is evolving into an isolationist social structure (I'm one to talk, you might say, but bear with me.) or simply expecting too much, but individuality is not the key to a happy community. I'm not saying we should trample people down and treat them less than human. Personally I follow the idea that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God, but I realize that this isn't a philosophy that can comply with every worldview. If not God, then why can't we just appreciate each other as the individuals we are and sacrifice ourselves to each other because society is the greater good? Give credit where credit is due and demand nothing, because the Golden Rule works. Perhaps if we all just respected each other more and gave each other some space, we wouldn't need to resort to staking claims and border bickers within the home because this is Katrina's room, that's Dad's office, stay out of Mom's cave. If one person starts in a family, the others will catch on, and we won't need to nest sanctuaries within the one place that should already be a sanctuary.
Furthermore, the fact that this article ran in a newspaper that is targeted at a predominately Mormon audience is only stronger evidence in the case against Mormon culture. With a religion emphasizing more than ever that the family is the fundamental foundation to a happy existence, and the home is a spiritual sanctuary from the world, what does this idea of claiming space for the individual say about that sanctuary? I can only imagine some mother in Draper sending her kids off to school and settling down for a quick skim of the paper at lunch. Her eye catches the colorful photograph of cute pillows in the Life section, and she quickly reads the heading. A mom cave? What a perfect way for her to get away and craft for awhile, or read, or... whatever it is moms want to do. A space for her and no one else. An opportunity to extend ownership over something, and what should happen if that be intruded upon by an upset child? That opportunity quickly becomes a door to contention. If contention is of the devil, then you've just opened up this previously established haven to a slew of demons. Couldn't you have crafted at the kitchen table? Read on the living room couch?
What it comes down to is this:
1)Feminism is the point in which humanism becomes less about people and how we relate and more about me, me, me, I, I, I. Mom caves only serve to extend this notion of selfishness among women and this is contrary to gospel principles.
2)Mormons reading this article, trusting that the Deseret News would NEVER lead them astray, are only being fed the half truths of the devil, and this is why mormon culture is quickly corrupting what is already a good thing. Remember that the solace you seek is found in your relationship with God. This idea of personal space is twisted truth; all the space you need is in the home, with your family. We weren't meant to be isolated. We have family units for a reason. If you need personal TIME (a different concept altogether), that is something you need to work with your family. Teach your children to respect time rather than demand it.
And my last point to close: What's this about needing a cave anyway? We're civilized and enlightened human beings, not neanderthals!
I came across this article in the Deseret News today while munching on my break. It comes as no surprise to me that the Deseret would want to share this story. The paper is full of fluffy feel good Mormonesque stories that really have nothing to do with real life. It's all fodder to facilitate the bubble in this state, and this article isn't even the worst of the day. That honor goes to the story on some study conducted at BYU that suggests that slapping an R rating on a film will guarantee decreased income. They didn't bother to mention the logistics of the study, giving me cause to believe it was all conducted within Utah county lines. Of course you aren't going to generate revenue from an R rated movie in Provo. Duh.
Back to the 'Mom cave'. It was enough to draw an eye roll from yours truly, of course. I know it's a stupid fluff piece, but really? Can I just sit and stew for a moment on this? Why do women keep trying to claim that they have nothing for themselves? All we seem to do is take and take, hence our society is spiralling out of control economically because of frivolous spending on nonessential consumer goods. It's all at the fault of females! A woman's place is in the home. You have a kitchen, you have a sitting room; you are in control of the decor and daily business of the household, ladies. That is your job. That IS your space. Appreciate it for what it is and get over yourselves. If you need time away from your children, you have a bedroom to retreat to. Is that not enough? Now you need to retreat from your closest ally?
I see this (apparent) trend as further removal from the natural order. Thank you feminism. Villainizing the children and husbands and demanding individual freedoms. It's a sickness that is destroying unity within the home and is contagious especially among the very young. I don't know if this species is evolving into an isolationist social structure (I'm one to talk, you might say, but bear with me.) or simply expecting too much, but individuality is not the key to a happy community. I'm not saying we should trample people down and treat them less than human. Personally I follow the idea that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God, but I realize that this isn't a philosophy that can comply with every worldview. If not God, then why can't we just appreciate each other as the individuals we are and sacrifice ourselves to each other because society is the greater good? Give credit where credit is due and demand nothing, because the Golden Rule works. Perhaps if we all just respected each other more and gave each other some space, we wouldn't need to resort to staking claims and border bickers within the home because this is Katrina's room, that's Dad's office, stay out of Mom's cave. If one person starts in a family, the others will catch on, and we won't need to nest sanctuaries within the one place that should already be a sanctuary.
Furthermore, the fact that this article ran in a newspaper that is targeted at a predominately Mormon audience is only stronger evidence in the case against Mormon culture. With a religion emphasizing more than ever that the family is the fundamental foundation to a happy existence, and the home is a spiritual sanctuary from the world, what does this idea of claiming space for the individual say about that sanctuary? I can only imagine some mother in Draper sending her kids off to school and settling down for a quick skim of the paper at lunch. Her eye catches the colorful photograph of cute pillows in the Life section, and she quickly reads the heading. A mom cave? What a perfect way for her to get away and craft for awhile, or read, or... whatever it is moms want to do. A space for her and no one else. An opportunity to extend ownership over something, and what should happen if that be intruded upon by an upset child? That opportunity quickly becomes a door to contention. If contention is of the devil, then you've just opened up this previously established haven to a slew of demons. Couldn't you have crafted at the kitchen table? Read on the living room couch?
What it comes down to is this:
1)Feminism is the point in which humanism becomes less about people and how we relate and more about me, me, me, I, I, I. Mom caves only serve to extend this notion of selfishness among women and this is contrary to gospel principles.
2)Mormons reading this article, trusting that the Deseret News would NEVER lead them astray, are only being fed the half truths of the devil, and this is why mormon culture is quickly corrupting what is already a good thing. Remember that the solace you seek is found in your relationship with God. This idea of personal space is twisted truth; all the space you need is in the home, with your family. We weren't meant to be isolated. We have family units for a reason. If you need personal TIME (a different concept altogether), that is something you need to work with your family. Teach your children to respect time rather than demand it.
And my last point to close: What's this about needing a cave anyway? We're civilized and enlightened human beings, not neanderthals!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)