Now on to something really serious (tongue firmly in cheek) - the recent TCU drug scandal. As a resident of Ft Worth and in fact I live in the TCU district I have enjoyed the gnashing of teeth and snarling certain individuals have espoused. Sorry folks - this is not the end of the world. It's a bunch of stupid college kids peddling weed and a few other things to their peers. Been there done that. Oh - the potential all american linebacker said surely most of the footbll team failed the surprise drug test head coach Gaary Patterson sprung on them when he lost a highly sought after recruit due to so-called rampant drug use on the TCU football team. Guess that lineacker was assigned to squire the kid around. Oh well. TCU football and Gary Patterson will be just fine. Patterson is a quality man in every respect and I'd be astonished if his team was rife with drug abusers. The NCAA has not even blinked at this and so our beloved Horn Frogs move to the Big 12 where they can feast on the likes of Kansas, Kansas State and a few others. Purple power!!!
A couple of blogs I frequent as a reader/responder have been focusing on spirituality a lot lately. That's an interesting subject for me as I am not what you'd call a believer. I think Thomas Jefferson had it right about Jesus - he lived by and established a moral code that is a model worth following. But as to the magic - oops - resurrection - well I don't buy it. Genesis literally? You've got to be kidding. The age of the earth? Lets not go there. But someone I knew very well - one of my best friends, now deceased used to always tell me I was one of the most spiritual people he'd ever met. We had many 3-way phone conversations with a mutual friend in the UK about the subject and they both essentially felt the same way about me. Pete - my late friend - was a staunch member of the Seventh Day Adventist church and Ron - our UK mate is a nondnominational Christian and active member of the Freemasons. I only bring this up because some seem to think a secular guy like me is essentially the pawn of satan. Living in the bible belt has been interesting for this lapsed Mormon. We'll start getting into that fith stuff next week. I'm gonna make more time (better use of my existing time?) - and get in here more often.
So that's it for now. day is done as PP&M sang.
And what the heck - here's another
I am not qualified to comment on your GOP or your football. But, I flatter myself that I am qualified to comment on your spirituality. I have not met you personally, but have indeed communicated with you by mail and chat and on a few occasions on the skype. Please believe me when I say that you are one of the most spiritual beings that I have ever had the privilege of coming across. Spiritualism is often confused with religion. Nothing could be further apart than these two words. One is the very essence of being human and the other, the very essence of structure. There are people who are comfortable with structure, as it is in their nature, and I do not begrudge them their structure. Spiritual persons do not need structure. They are comfortable in their own skins. If they decide to be part of a religion, they usually get called as heretics as they pose a great danger to the structure including the guys and gals within the power structure. So, you can call yourself what you want my friend. For me, you will be a very spiritual person.
ReplyDeleteeresting that I never separated the two - spiritualism and religion - maybe because being secular in a "christian" society is often equated with evil buy many. I'm certainly not an athiest and I do not care where anyone places a nativity during the holidays nor do I object to religious themed commetary - ie In God We Trust, etc on our money and so on. I also never had a problem considering for example that evolution was god's way of getting things done.
ReplyDeleteAs for being comfortable in my own skin - well I have plenty of it - ahem.
I think we have made our religions so exclusionary that it puts off a spiritual person like yourself. I was raised by a father with a minor in Philosophy of Religion who had quite a far ranging approach to religion and that prevented it from being a trap for me. I was lucky. Most aren't.
ReplyDeleteOut of that luck, I have had a lot of personal experiences because I wasn't closed to it. My encouragement out of that is not to proselytize (because it isn't possible, to be honest), but to simply listen to others and try to connect with them where they honestly are. I share a few things, but not that much. Mostly just listen and encourage.
My best friend and I have our discussions in the mountains over a glass of wine while we take a little time off from the world. It is enough.
Fossil I was always open to religion but never had the epiphany - and I continually ran into people that spun things to the point of insanity. After my stint with Mormonism I just gave up. If I'm going to hell because of that so be it. I did attend Mt Eden Presbyterian for a while and in fact played on their basketball team one year. That was kinda fun.
ReplyDeleteEpiphany, like orgasm, I suspect is often faked. It is the honest man in pursuit of the truly spiritual who is so often put off by organized religion.
ReplyDeleteLady F. and I have walked away from organized religion now. We have no regrets.