Religion is Simply a Tool

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.
-Seneca

How true (and flawlessly elucidated)! Now to really drop the bomb....I do not believe in today's take of religion. I think it is a money grabber, just like most other things. I believe that it was created because at the time, there were few strict governing bodies. You simply belong to the monarch of your village. Some innovative genius came up with the idea of a shared belief to rule the people. So to make sure the people did what (he) wanted, he told them, if you don't abide by my rules, you will be sent to "hell". The perfect ultimatum. Nobody could prove him wrong, and they wanted to live the good life, so they went along with him. He created a story. I wont go into detail picking apart the Bible because so many others have, but I will say, whoever created it may not have been the first. I implore you to read this .

It would be hard for me to live my life based off something that doesn't have any empirical evidence, instead, it relies on my faith to function. And if it doesn't function, they say you're not giving enough faith; kind of a Catch-22. Now, for those of you arguing "Why do you need evidence for something to be real? Who doesn't believe in a soul?" Read the Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil. It goes into detail of what the "spirit" really is. It is simply a lucky sum of chemical bonds with our neurons. Consciousness? Well that is explained too. There is science telling us what a spirit is. Why would I devote my life to something that can substantiate itself? If it were that important, it would get its facts straight!! (Refer to movies in aforementioned article).

As for the "healing" powers of religion, sure there's some merit there. People have claimed to rise from their hospital bed after being in a paralyzing or debilitating condition, by believing in a god. It doesn't matter what you believe in, as long as you think it will heal you. Some of you may be familiar with The Secret. Agreeably, it says that the power of the mind is one of the greatest tools we possess. When the mind is in such a desperate state as in a hospital bed, it will realize its powers. Whether you believe in god, yourself, your child, or the flastscreen TV in front of your bed, it doesn't matter. The fact that you think you will get healed (may) heal you.

I just don't understand why people continue with religion today. Is it the fear that they will end up in the underworld? Is it their hope that religion will guide them to the good life? Are they so lost, that prayer is the only constant in their life? Maybe they don't realize how much money the churches are sucking from them. Famous television evangelists have said, "Buy my DVD to achieve enlightenment!" Or you will find books entitled, "The Secret to a Happy Life." They all tell the same old tale...

Consider who the wisest people in history are. Most of them have been known to delve into philosophy, if not, concentrate solely on philosophy. How many philosophers believed in religion? Find out here. In fact, some well known ancients have died in opposition to religion. As we know, impiety was cause of serious charges, and the most relevant case here may be Socrates' death. Again, philosophers are some of the most well-regarded, revered people. If 3/4 of them do not believe in a god, doesn't that say something about religion?

Theft the Only Sin?

…There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft… When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.

– From The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Think about how differently theft is treated in different countries. There are still people today who cut someone's arm off for stealing goods. But what defines one's possession of something? A wife: is it the ring? Your unquantifiable love? A television: because its in your house? Because you paid for it? Your music: because you downloaded it without being caught? Because you paid a $1 for it?

The debate over web-processed materials this decade is raging, and will only get worse. Once something is available on the internet, does the creator give up the rights to it? Absolutely not, but how can we track it? Is it yours if you didn't pay for it? Is it yours if you downloaded it from someone else? No.

Anything free is the result of an imbalanced transaction, stealing or not. Even clothes or food offered by Red Cross is the result of an imbalanced transaction. They received donations from people who were willing to give up some of what they had for nothing in return (it is arguable that they did it for altruistic reasons, but we can get to that in a second).

If I were a popular musician with my music selling on the web, I would feel at a loss if I found out people were downloading it for free. Traditionally (as in, before the web), there would be an exchange of goods; my musicianship for your money. However, it is hopeless to try to police the web at this point.

Back to the quote...is everyone born with these rights? The right to a life, family, the truth, fairness and equality? Refer to Socrates' argument in The Republic when asked of Justice. Cephalus says that Justice is speaking the truth and repaying what one has borrowed. Socrates counters that by basically saying, sure they have the right, but it would be unjust to give back a weapon to a man who went mad. If a neighbor gone crazy came to your door asking for his axe back, would you give it to him?

So you can lose your right to certain things? Does a murderer lose his right to life when he is sentenced to death row? Does a man lose his right to a wife when he beats her?

Education for sale!

Lately I've been thinking about the role of education. In particular, the influence of grade's kindergarten through 12. Are the teachers really there to help us maximize our potential or are they there as babysitters? Honestly, in my grade 12 year, I learned more on my own than in the classroom, thanks to Wikipedia.

I guess teachers are there to expose you to the many directions available; to illuminate the pathways. But it still seems as if we are being taught how to be a respectable worker. Show up on time, have your work done by the deadline, collaborate with peers, ask assistance from superiors, and produce a fine finished product. These are the essentials that are ingrained into us by our mentors. Think about how restricting this is; it starves off the creative process. Artistic human beings don't allow time constraints to limit them, a lack of resources to hold them back, or the judgment of others to influence their work.

Is school simply a manufacturing plant for robots that don't break rules? Robots whose performance is graded according to how well they 'stayed within the box'. The greatest minds in history were the ones that strayed from the pack. The eccentric Albert Einstein or the volatile Van Gogh. Many people of socially conformed society labeled them mad, but they've made some of the biggest contributions to the human race.

School isn't a bad thing, but it could be greatly improved. One suggestion: philosophy being requisite in every grade. The pursuit of knowledge will set the mind free. If you aim for enlightenment, you will see the sun.

Freedom

Philosophy for the Lazy (and Horny)

Hedonism: the pursuit of pleasure.

Hedonists strive to maximize net pleasure (pleasure minus pain). They maintain that pleasure is the only "intrinsic good."

But really? Do you think our only motivation is self-interest? In ethical hedonism, it is said we should act so as to produce our own pleasure. Imagine a physcho gets hold of this doctrine. Say.....MICHAEL MYERS?!!? Psychos seek pleasure by killing, maiming, and disfiguring! How can any person in their right mind, encourage this philosophy? That is definitely a major drawback to the theory.

However, some people make good of it. Ever heard of hedonist resorts? For the low price of only $100, you can enjoy a night full of romantic firsts. Join us on the nude beach for volleyball, or nude scuba-diving, and after that, naked spelunking!

Sound enticing? You know, some people like the pervs on NBC's Dateline could make productive use of this place. For those of you unaware, NBC hosted a show called To Catch A Predator, basically exposing online sexual predators. Instead of wasting their time and money in a chat room, these guys could spend a night or two at one of these places and (hopefully) be relieved.

All things considered, I think aspects of hedonism should be important to everyone. Something like, "you should derive pleasure from everything you do (even if long-term)." Yeah, I like it.

I'm off to break up with my girlfriend and request a student loan. See you on the bright side!

Nature vs Nurture

Ah, the age-old debate. Obviously, we are who we are because of the two working in tandem. It is not one or the other. However, I would like to expose which parts of a person are developed more by one or the other.

So, physically, you are based of the genes of your parents...your environment doesn't affect your looks. But wait! What about goths or muscular people? What do they have in common? Well they have both modified their original appearance into something more suitable for them. Is this a result of genetics? As in, did their biological make up have fate set out for them to wear make-up or be at the gym five times a week? Maybe that trait was passed down by their parents, but more likely, I think it is a result of their environment. Through socially accepted practices and pressures, they made those choices. Did heredity influence Pam An to get a boob job? Doubt it...who can resist the temptation of a handful of greenbacks in our wallet?

What about sports? Are pro athletes born into the Hall of Fame? Hmm...alternately, were musicians born to sell 50 million platinum records? This may take some investigation. Now may be a good time to mention the book The Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell (Blink, Tipping Point). He conducted a study of success. How did the pros get to be the way they are? How did Bill Gates earn the wealth of a small country? Gladwell claims that luck plays a huge part. These successful people share something in common; opportunity. I wont reveal anymore, but I urge you to read the book. So, whats the conclusion? Well, ask yourself, was Gretzky born to be great or was it the fact that his parents had him skating before he could walk? Gladwell expounds a theory called the 10,000-hour Rule. It makes sense. Imagine you put down the controller and gave up MW2. All the hours spent playing video games could have been put toward painting or something. Even if you didn't have a natural talent for art, you must admit, you'd be pretty damn good with 10,000 hours of hard work.

Now again, is it possible to have a natural talent for art? I don't think so. BUT! People are born with varying degrees of creativity, so some may be predisposed to create art in many forms.

What have we decided? We can now postulate that we are born with certain traits and we will be attracted to the things that we are good at, thereby getting better. If we were born athletic then we will likely be raised in an active lifestyle because we enjoy that environment due to our proficiency in it. Our parents provided the foundation, and our environment dictated what activities we pursue.

For all we know, Chris Rock or Dane Cook's parents are not humorous at all, but I think they are guaranteed to have passed on the foundation for humor; an open and inquisitive mind.