The Paradox Of Our Time - Unmasked
A friend forwarded me a feel good urban myth that has been circulating the internet for years, attributed to George Carlin and entitled the "Paradox of our Time".
As much as I love George Carlin, he did not pen the above. George denies penning "Paradox" on his web site and comments:
"[Paradox] is a sappy load of shit. Its not only bad prose and poetry, it's weak philosophy. I hope I never sound like that." We concur.
Credit for "Paradox" belongs with Dr. Bob Moorehead, former pastor of 29 years at Seattle's Overlake Christian Church.
FYI, Pastor Moorehead resigned in 1998, after 17 members of his congregation reported that he had sexually assaulted them. Isn't that special?
Backing up Carlin, Barbara "Chaos Theory" Mikkelson comments:
[the] Clear cut cause and effect pairings [found in Paradox] provide far more comfort than does accepting the harsh reality that we live in:
a world of no assurances at all, a world where bad things can happen at any moment, to anyone, for no discernable (and thus no preventable) reason.
The Nattering One agrees and muses ... Einstein had his "Theory of Relativity" as expressed E=MC squared.
For years, I have had my "Theory of Randomivity" using the same mathematical expression:
E[verything that happens] or "History keeps repeating itself over & over" = M[ore of the same] or "The more things change, the more they stay the same" (times) C[oincidence] or "Shit happens" squared.
Although the list presented in "Paradox" contains many valid observations, it wants the reader to believe...
that if we care less about money, and more about the important things in life, and pray more often, people will stop murdering one another and things will get better.
Caring less about money and more about the important things is a nice start, but praying more doesn't solve anything. Ask those practicing Wicca, Voodoo or Santoria.
If "God's will" or a divine plan exist, did you ever think that what you and others are praying for, might not be part of the predetermined plan?
"God's will" is a catchall for that which we cannot fathom or explain, and much like the list in "Paradox", and praying, it is wishful thinking.
As for believing in and praying to capricious, omnipotent invisible men living in the sky, that hold your eternal soul in judgement...
and control the destiny of everything and everyone, and yet as Carlin says, "always seem to need more money", we dont.
We do believe that over the course of history, certain enlightened individuals (Moses, Lao Tsu, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Gandhi, etc) had some great ideas.
Unfortunately, their words of wisdom were bastardized and spawned into religions by men, to put fear in and control, other men.
If you want answers or solutions, right here & right now, without invoking mysticism and invisible deities...
look no further than the "blessed" talking monkees themselves. The human condition and human misery is exactly that.
This is not by "intelligent design" and there is no divine plan, because if it is, it is surely lacking in intelligence and any semblance of divinity.
Why? Because MAN created GOD is his own image, not the other way around. Keep hoping, fearing and praying...
its like shitting in one hand and wishing in the other, see what ya get? By the way, Wicca, Voodoo & Santoria get the same results.
Newsflash: There is no abode of the righteous dead awaiting Judgment Day, there are not 72 virgins (houri) waiting; and you will not be issued wings, a harp, and be able to walk on clouds.
Yesterday is history, the here and now is exactly that and what we make of it shapes the future. Until the "blessed" talking monkees realize this fact, and instead of:
hoping, fearing and wasting time praying to invisible men, and forcing their "Gods will" on others, and saying "the Devil made me do it."...
They put aside their illogical, irrational, idiomatic differences and take ownership of their actions and the consequences...
nothing will change, the monkees will be miserable, and history will be doomed to keep repeating itself.
For a thought provoking laugh, from George Carlin's "You Are All Diseased". Track 16 Religion and Track 17 There Is No God.
For some sobering lyrics, Imagine by John Lennon.
Previous posts pertaining to this subject: The War on Christians; Representation Without Taxation.
Wishing You and Yours A Happy, Prosperous New Year & Healthy Holiday Season.
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
As much as I love George Carlin, he did not pen the above. George denies penning "Paradox" on his web site and comments:
"[Paradox] is a sappy load of shit. Its not only bad prose and poetry, it's weak philosophy. I hope I never sound like that." We concur.
Credit for "Paradox" belongs with Dr. Bob Moorehead, former pastor of 29 years at Seattle's Overlake Christian Church.
FYI, Pastor Moorehead resigned in 1998, after 17 members of his congregation reported that he had sexually assaulted them. Isn't that special?
Backing up Carlin, Barbara "Chaos Theory" Mikkelson comments:
[the] Clear cut cause and effect pairings [found in Paradox] provide far more comfort than does accepting the harsh reality that we live in:
a world of no assurances at all, a world where bad things can happen at any moment, to anyone, for no discernable (and thus no preventable) reason.
The Nattering One agrees and muses ... Einstein had his "Theory of Relativity" as expressed E=MC squared.
For years, I have had my "Theory of Randomivity" using the same mathematical expression:
E[verything that happens] or "History keeps repeating itself over & over" = M[ore of the same] or "The more things change, the more they stay the same" (times) C[oincidence] or "Shit happens" squared.
Although the list presented in "Paradox" contains many valid observations, it wants the reader to believe...
that if we care less about money, and more about the important things in life, and pray more often, people will stop murdering one another and things will get better.
Caring less about money and more about the important things is a nice start, but praying more doesn't solve anything. Ask those practicing Wicca, Voodoo or Santoria.
If "God's will" or a divine plan exist, did you ever think that what you and others are praying for, might not be part of the predetermined plan?
"God's will" is a catchall for that which we cannot fathom or explain, and much like the list in "Paradox", and praying, it is wishful thinking.
As for believing in and praying to capricious, omnipotent invisible men living in the sky, that hold your eternal soul in judgement...
and control the destiny of everything and everyone, and yet as Carlin says, "always seem to need more money", we dont.
We do believe that over the course of history, certain enlightened individuals (Moses, Lao Tsu, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Gandhi, etc) had some great ideas.
Unfortunately, their words of wisdom were bastardized and spawned into religions by men, to put fear in and control, other men.
If you want answers or solutions, right here & right now, without invoking mysticism and invisible deities...
look no further than the "blessed" talking monkees themselves. The human condition and human misery is exactly that.
This is not by "intelligent design" and there is no divine plan, because if it is, it is surely lacking in intelligence and any semblance of divinity.
Why? Because MAN created GOD is his own image, not the other way around. Keep hoping, fearing and praying...
its like shitting in one hand and wishing in the other, see what ya get? By the way, Wicca, Voodoo & Santoria get the same results.
Newsflash: There is no abode of the righteous dead awaiting Judgment Day, there are not 72 virgins (houri) waiting; and you will not be issued wings, a harp, and be able to walk on clouds.
Yesterday is history, the here and now is exactly that and what we make of it shapes the future. Until the "blessed" talking monkees realize this fact, and instead of:
hoping, fearing and wasting time praying to invisible men, and forcing their "Gods will" on others, and saying "the Devil made me do it."...
They put aside their illogical, irrational, idiomatic differences and take ownership of their actions and the consequences...
nothing will change, the monkees will be miserable, and history will be doomed to keep repeating itself.
For a thought provoking laugh, from George Carlin's "You Are All Diseased". Track 16 Religion and Track 17 There Is No God.
For some sobering lyrics, Imagine by John Lennon.
Previous posts pertaining to this subject: The War on Christians; Representation Without Taxation.
Wishing You and Yours A Happy, Prosperous New Year & Healthy Holiday Season.
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