Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Riders on the Storm
^ The Doors. Great band. Listen to them.
Well, this post is more for just my own little recollection than anything else. I don't have any insightful aphorisms, acerbic witticisms, or erudite editorials; if I do have something of the aforementioned list, I do apologize. I didn't mean it.
Classes are almost over, which is seemingly either a blessing or a curse. I feel like I have done nothing productive all semester, seeing as I learned a lot of things that I already knew; this semester only put them into concrete terms. Last year, with my American Foreign Policy class and International Relations class I learned so much that I was, in a manner of speaking, astounded. In those two classes alone I learned more prudent information than I had ever learned before. I learned how to analyze international events; I learned how to write papers that I couldn't even imagine writing in high school. This semester, well, it felt...incomplete. At least it's almost over.
Aside from that, I'm looking forward to winter break so that my friend and I can finally start making some short videos for our youtube account, Unwanted Guests Productions. It would be nice to finally get some good stuff up there.
Along with winter break, I'm going to finish my application to Brown. It is probably the most paramount decision that I will receive in the prospective future. I hate Rutgers; I have only felt like I am actually at college in my IR and AmForPol classes. Aside from those two, I feel more like I'm being beaten continuously with a club every single day that I am here. Who knows, maybe by September I'll be happier and more content than a 4-year old.
Listen to The Doors. They're good.
Das Flüg
Well, this post is more for just my own little recollection than anything else. I don't have any insightful aphorisms, acerbic witticisms, or erudite editorials; if I do have something of the aforementioned list, I do apologize. I didn't mean it.
Classes are almost over, which is seemingly either a blessing or a curse. I feel like I have done nothing productive all semester, seeing as I learned a lot of things that I already knew; this semester only put them into concrete terms. Last year, with my American Foreign Policy class and International Relations class I learned so much that I was, in a manner of speaking, astounded. In those two classes alone I learned more prudent information than I had ever learned before. I learned how to analyze international events; I learned how to write papers that I couldn't even imagine writing in high school. This semester, well, it felt...incomplete. At least it's almost over.
Aside from that, I'm looking forward to winter break so that my friend and I can finally start making some short videos for our youtube account, Unwanted Guests Productions. It would be nice to finally get some good stuff up there.
Along with winter break, I'm going to finish my application to Brown. It is probably the most paramount decision that I will receive in the prospective future. I hate Rutgers; I have only felt like I am actually at college in my IR and AmForPol classes. Aside from those two, I feel more like I'm being beaten continuously with a club every single day that I am here. Who knows, maybe by September I'll be happier and more content than a 4-year old.
Listen to The Doors. They're good.
Das Flüg
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Giving Thanks
Hey y'all,
Since Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm going to basically be in a food-induced coma for the foreseeable future, I thought that I would write a little something about what I think Thanksgiving means. Well, my interpretation.
Back before the internet, television, and (gasp!) cellphones, there was...well, I would assume general boredom, due to the lack of aforementioned essentials. Anyway, one day, a few guys got so bored over in Europe that they decided to launch a really long game of Risk and attack the dudes across the ocean. The dudes on the American continent, thinking that the new neighbors were just being friendly bros bringing over some raisin bread, invited the European dudes to have some dinner.
So, while the American and European dudes sat down eating their raisin bread and other crazy-looking shit the European dudes had never seen before, the European dudes were formulating their master plan: take over the American continent by biological warfare. So, while the American dudes were sleeping at night, the European dudes peed in the American dudes' milk and sneezed on their corn. Pretty soon, all the American dudes broke out in hives and what could only be described as herpes, as one of the European dudes masturbated in the American dudes' clam chowder. So, the European dudes then went on to rape the land and pillage the people, moving up and down the American continents like two midgets engaged in the carnal delight of coitus. Just before totally taking over all the land, the European dudes turned to the American dudes and said, "Dude, thanks for giving us all your land!"
And that, my friends, is how Thanksgiving was born (and also how raisin bread is now an anathema. Stupid raisins, so delectable...).
Das Flüg
Since Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm going to basically be in a food-induced coma for the foreseeable future, I thought that I would write a little something about what I think Thanksgiving means. Well, my interpretation.
Back before the internet, television, and (gasp!) cellphones, there was...well, I would assume general boredom, due to the lack of aforementioned essentials. Anyway, one day, a few guys got so bored over in Europe that they decided to launch a really long game of Risk and attack the dudes across the ocean. The dudes on the American continent, thinking that the new neighbors were just being friendly bros bringing over some raisin bread, invited the European dudes to have some dinner.
So, while the American and European dudes sat down eating their raisin bread and other crazy-looking shit the European dudes had never seen before, the European dudes were formulating their master plan: take over the American continent by biological warfare. So, while the American dudes were sleeping at night, the European dudes peed in the American dudes' milk and sneezed on their corn. Pretty soon, all the American dudes broke out in hives and what could only be described as herpes, as one of the European dudes masturbated in the American dudes' clam chowder. So, the European dudes then went on to rape the land and pillage the people, moving up and down the American continents like two midgets engaged in the carnal delight of coitus. Just before totally taking over all the land, the European dudes turned to the American dudes and said, "Dude, thanks for giving us all your land!"
And that, my friends, is how Thanksgiving was born (and also how raisin bread is now an anathema. Stupid raisins, so delectable...).
Das Flüg
Saturday, November 7, 2009
To be or not to be
To tackle a subject as broad as "God," I would have to write my own novel. I will have to try to condense everything, unless someone actually wants me to write a novel. I wouldn't mind.
God: the ultimate power of the universe, the matter of all creation, the father of all being, or, simply an illusion. God is the factor that divides and paradoxically unites humans the most. For centuries, those believing that they are of righteous piety have struck down others with the claim that their god is superior. For what reason would humanity have so much devotion to a character neither seen nor heard?
This necessitates an understanding of the origins of the concept of god. The most well-known example of this would be the ancient Greek religion, whose mythology continues to strive in contemporary society. Greeks, unlike today's major religions, were polytheists. They deified rivers, oceans, mountains, and anything that seemed mystical or phantasmagorical. We can analyze their reasoning through a very simple idea: lack of scientific knowledge. While the Greeks were aware that the world was round and that the stars were (to some extent) heavenly bodies, most ancient peoples attributed all life to some creator. Many couldn't comprehend living on a planet, orbiting a sun, which orbits the center of the galaxy amongst billions upon billions of other galaxies. People were unaware of the structure of a living cell or natural selection. They believed what ego taught them to believe, and that is a subject all in itself.
Ego, the part of the self which creates personality, pride, and determination, one might say. It also allows us to be arrogant and obdurate. As Aristotle put it, man is different from animal because we have the ability to reason. That being said, it would then be logical to reason that because only man has the ability to reason that we are, by some standard, special. This raises the question of "why?" Why were humans chosen instead of deer, or platypus? This hearkens back to ego; the arrogant belief that nothing is chance. Thus, a higher being created us. Logical? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Skipping ahead a few millenia, past the cold-blooded killings of the crusades and the dank, unproductive time of the middle ages, we stop at a man called Nicolas Copernicus. Many (hopefully) would know that he was the literal beginning of the scientific revolution. While it may have been Galileo who was persecuted for believing in heliocentrism, it was Galileo who defended Copernicus' views on the solar system. As many know, it took the church approximately 500 years to issue an apology to Galileo.
Continue ahead to present day, past the discoveries of Newton, past the postulates of Da Vinci, past Kepler, past Einstein, to today, November 7th, 2009. Consider the great scientific strides made between the time of Copernicus and today: the invention of the telescope, the discovery of the animal cell, the invention of the microscope, the invention of the atomic bomb, planes, space shuttles, an international space station, and computers. One would think that with all those scientific innovations, religion would become less important as humans discover their place in the universe.
Pictured: Andromeda Galaxy
Instead, we see the persistence of theocracies and the denial of basic human rights based on someone's religion. We also see this (warning: not for those opposed to reason):
God is now the reason for everything. Some pray to him on daily basis, thanking him for bread. If that is the case, why not pray to the farmer who grows the wheat? Why not pray to the owner of the Stop & Shop, thanking him for importing this bread from Kansas? Hell, why not just pray to the cashier, thanking him/her for not telling you to go f*ck yourself? One can plead in court that one was "inhabited by the devil" when one commits a crime. Since when is NOT taking responsibility for one's actions the human action?
It is interesting to note that only one brain chemical separates the cognitive processes of apes from humans. One. Imagine if a different kind of ape had become the dominant species on the planet. Would they have worshiped the same gods we have? Would they have killed in their names? Would they have the same struggles that we do today? Possibly. One can only speculate how similar we are to our simian ancestors; however, one thing is certain: we may not consider ourselves animals, but at our core, we are not human either.
I could continue on this subject, but most people would not read it.
Das Flüg
God: the ultimate power of the universe, the matter of all creation, the father of all being, or, simply an illusion. God is the factor that divides and paradoxically unites humans the most. For centuries, those believing that they are of righteous piety have struck down others with the claim that their god is superior. For what reason would humanity have so much devotion to a character neither seen nor heard?
This necessitates an understanding of the origins of the concept of god. The most well-known example of this would be the ancient Greek religion, whose mythology continues to strive in contemporary society. Greeks, unlike today's major religions, were polytheists. They deified rivers, oceans, mountains, and anything that seemed mystical or phantasmagorical. We can analyze their reasoning through a very simple idea: lack of scientific knowledge. While the Greeks were aware that the world was round and that the stars were (to some extent) heavenly bodies, most ancient peoples attributed all life to some creator. Many couldn't comprehend living on a planet, orbiting a sun, which orbits the center of the galaxy amongst billions upon billions of other galaxies. People were unaware of the structure of a living cell or natural selection. They believed what ego taught them to believe, and that is a subject all in itself.
Ego, the part of the self which creates personality, pride, and determination, one might say. It also allows us to be arrogant and obdurate. As Aristotle put it, man is different from animal because we have the ability to reason. That being said, it would then be logical to reason that because only man has the ability to reason that we are, by some standard, special. This raises the question of "why?" Why were humans chosen instead of deer, or platypus? This hearkens back to ego; the arrogant belief that nothing is chance. Thus, a higher being created us. Logical? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Skipping ahead a few millenia, past the cold-blooded killings of the crusades and the dank, unproductive time of the middle ages, we stop at a man called Nicolas Copernicus. Many (hopefully) would know that he was the literal beginning of the scientific revolution. While it may have been Galileo who was persecuted for believing in heliocentrism, it was Galileo who defended Copernicus' views on the solar system. As many know, it took the church approximately 500 years to issue an apology to Galileo.
Continue ahead to present day, past the discoveries of Newton, past the postulates of Da Vinci, past Kepler, past Einstein, to today, November 7th, 2009. Consider the great scientific strides made between the time of Copernicus and today: the invention of the telescope, the discovery of the animal cell, the invention of the microscope, the invention of the atomic bomb, planes, space shuttles, an international space station, and computers. One would think that with all those scientific innovations, religion would become less important as humans discover their place in the universe.
Pictured: Andromeda Galaxy
Instead, we see the persistence of theocracies and the denial of basic human rights based on someone's religion. We also see this (warning: not for those opposed to reason):
God is now the reason for everything. Some pray to him on daily basis, thanking him for bread. If that is the case, why not pray to the farmer who grows the wheat? Why not pray to the owner of the Stop & Shop, thanking him for importing this bread from Kansas? Hell, why not just pray to the cashier, thanking him/her for not telling you to go f*ck yourself? One can plead in court that one was "inhabited by the devil" when one commits a crime. Since when is NOT taking responsibility for one's actions the human action?
It is interesting to note that only one brain chemical separates the cognitive processes of apes from humans. One. Imagine if a different kind of ape had become the dominant species on the planet. Would they have worshiped the same gods we have? Would they have killed in their names? Would they have the same struggles that we do today? Possibly. One can only speculate how similar we are to our simian ancestors; however, one thing is certain: we may not consider ourselves animals, but at our core, we are not human either.
I could continue on this subject, but most people would not read it.
Das Flüg
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
What is God?
I hope that this turns out to be an interesting movie; I will give my two cents about what I think God is at another time. Right now, studying.
Das Flüg
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Westboro Baptist Church visits Rutgers; decide to "fuck it."
Standing out in the rain, the members of the Westboro Baptist Church decided to "fuck it" and leave 45 minutes before they had scheduled to do so. Students packed the sidewalks, sporting signs such as "Balls in my ass"(http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs057.snc3/14447_165171826111_728276111_2660757_433267_n.jpg) and one which simply stated "AHHHHHHH!"
The members of the WBC arrived early, 15 minutes early to be exact, which is odd for them because they believe that God hates punctuality. Just as soon as they had arrived and upon seeing the hordes of half-drunk, half-serious students and decently good-looking girls, they exclaimed "Fuck it!" and left.
"I ain't gonna be standin' round lookin' at these hot chicks! Shit! I have an inbred wife at home and she has 3 titties!" said one John Dickus of the WBC. The members of the WBC were then packed into their van, which looked mysteriously like the Mystery Machine, and drove away.
"They were here?" asked Rutgers sophomore Davis Field. "I just came here because I wanted to get with Angie over there, the cute brunette." Davis just might get his wish.
The WBC posted on their website the reason for protesting at Rutgers: "Rutgers Hillel - You have two mascots? God H8s Fags already 93 College Ave Why does New Jersey have to be so friggin' weird about everything? These guys have two mascots at this college. Is that in case one of them is offensive to someone? I'm just sayin'! WBC needs to have a few words with these young people because all of the people who ever had any influence over them - LIED! What did you do that for? Why did you lie to those kids. Oh well, they're all grown up now, so they must find out for themselves that God is NOT a liar, like you told them He is."
If anyone understands backwoods moron, please translate.
----
In actuality, I arrived after the members of the church left. I didn't even get to whip out my sign. They actually did leave early, as Rutgers students outflanked and outgunned the WBC members about 20-1. I was hoping to write about a heated protest, shouts, civil unrest, etc., but noooo. Even newschannel 4 left early. God damn.
Das Flüg
The members of the WBC arrived early, 15 minutes early to be exact, which is odd for them because they believe that God hates punctuality. Just as soon as they had arrived and upon seeing the hordes of half-drunk, half-serious students and decently good-looking girls, they exclaimed "Fuck it!" and left.
"I ain't gonna be standin' round lookin' at these hot chicks! Shit! I have an inbred wife at home and she has 3 titties!" said one John Dickus of the WBC. The members of the WBC were then packed into their van, which looked mysteriously like the Mystery Machine, and drove away.
"They were here?" asked Rutgers sophomore Davis Field. "I just came here because I wanted to get with Angie over there, the cute brunette." Davis just might get his wish.
The WBC posted on their website the reason for protesting at Rutgers: "Rutgers Hillel - You have two mascots? God H8s Fags already 93 College Ave Why does New Jersey have to be so friggin' weird about everything? These guys have two mascots at this college. Is that in case one of them is offensive to someone? I'm just sayin'! WBC needs to have a few words with these young people because all of the people who ever had any influence over them - LIED! What did you do that for? Why did you lie to those kids. Oh well, they're all grown up now, so they must find out for themselves that God is NOT a liar, like you told them He is."
If anyone understands backwoods moron, please translate.
----
In actuality, I arrived after the members of the church left. I didn't even get to whip out my sign. They actually did leave early, as Rutgers students outflanked and outgunned the WBC members about 20-1. I was hoping to write about a heated protest, shouts, civil unrest, etc., but noooo. Even newschannel 4 left early. God damn.
Das Flüg
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Wayward Son
I might just start naming my blog posts after whatever song I am listening to at the moment.
Anyway, I have 4 midterms coming up. 4. With 3 on the same day. Why do I have to be tortured like this? Gah, f*ck.
Aside from that, I know that only a few people read this blog. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if my blog's total views are lower than Dick Cheney's morals. Eh, whatever. It's my journal, my mind, my insight.
Now, to what I originally intended to write:
I awoke to an explosion. My house was shaking, but I could only concentrate on the ringing and blood in my ears. I put my hands to cover them and could feel the warm, comfortable pain of my eardrums beating on my skull like an invading army. I sat up in my bed and with one bloody hand threw the covers off of me. I stumbled to the floor as the house continued to shake and throw me like a ragdoll. Another explosion, this one closer, shook my house with vehement force. I stood up, trying to balance myself amid the constant rattling of my pictures and falling of my bookshelves.
My pictures...
I looked to the wall where my remaining pictures held. There, my wife and son smiled back at me, enjoying themselves on a Spring day in a clear field, unaware of my current malady. I stumbled to the far wall and reached my bloody hand to save the last remnant of my family.
My head was a swirling mess of constant ringing, delirium, fear, and adrenaline. I couldn't make sense of my occurrences, but all the while I knew that I had to save the picture. The picture. The picture...
"Smile!"
Feedback would be appreciated.
Anyway, I have 4 midterms coming up. 4. With 3 on the same day. Why do I have to be tortured like this? Gah, f*ck.
Aside from that, I know that only a few people read this blog. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if my blog's total views are lower than Dick Cheney's morals. Eh, whatever. It's my journal, my mind, my insight.
Now, to what I originally intended to write:
I awoke to an explosion. My house was shaking, but I could only concentrate on the ringing and blood in my ears. I put my hands to cover them and could feel the warm, comfortable pain of my eardrums beating on my skull like an invading army. I sat up in my bed and with one bloody hand threw the covers off of me. I stumbled to the floor as the house continued to shake and throw me like a ragdoll. Another explosion, this one closer, shook my house with vehement force. I stood up, trying to balance myself amid the constant rattling of my pictures and falling of my bookshelves.
My pictures...
I looked to the wall where my remaining pictures held. There, my wife and son smiled back at me, enjoying themselves on a Spring day in a clear field, unaware of my current malady. I stumbled to the far wall and reached my bloody hand to save the last remnant of my family.
My head was a swirling mess of constant ringing, delirium, fear, and adrenaline. I couldn't make sense of my occurrences, but all the while I knew that I had to save the picture. The picture. The picture...
"Smile!"
Feedback would be appreciated.
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