And no religion too...

Can you be good without God? Can you be religious without God? Can you live happily without God? The answer to all three of these questions is definitively yes.

This is obviously a controversial subject, but one that is coming more and more into the public consciousness. In Europe, the lack of religion amongst people is prevalent and considered a non-issue. However, in the United States, this could not be further from the truth. While it seems more and more Americans truly do not believe in the literal word of the Bible, they are not as willing to admit it. This is because if you don't believe in the Bible you are either an Agnostic or (gasp) an Atheist.

I have had discussions with religious Christians, about just about everything there is to talk about. When I tell them that my religious views are leaning toward Atheism, they get this look on their face like the balloon of their interest in anything I have to say has deflated. "Oh... you're an Atheist" they say to me as if that means I've somehow lost my will to live and am nothing but a lost and dying puppy. It makes me livid inside but you know, for no other reason than to be an altruist and good person, I calmly attempt to explain to them my opinions and try my best to share my view of science, religion and the world. Usually this discussion doesn't change a single mind, and I can live with that because I know that by NOT exploding at them and saying "Are you kidding? Judeo-Christian religious extremists are responsible for a good portion of the problems today, and they're reading the same 2000-year obsolete book that you are!" it makes me a better person than I was the day before, with our without religion. I would also like to point out at this time that I hold NOTHING against people with faith, in fact I find it fascinating, moving and interesting, its just when someone tries to shove it down someone else's throat that it can bother me.

The point of all of today's rambling is that you can be good without God; a phrase spoken by many more intelligent and well-read persons than myself. You can even participate in religion without God. I proudly call myself a Jew and I always will, whether or not I believe in the divine nature of the holy books. Judaism separates itself from many other religions by being two faced. There is a religious face, dominated by an ancient language, 613 overly-strict rules and countless changes and interpretations made over thousands of years at the will of men: not Gods but mere men. The other side of Judaism- the side I am still an active believer in- is the cultural side; 2000 years of exile, persecution an learning has created one of the richest national cultures in the world full of food, family and a yearning for answers and I am happy to be a part of it.

No Beatles lyrics today, but instead something very, very close. Most people think that "Imagine" was a Beatles song, but it, of course, was not: it was solely a John Lennon composition, released in 1971. I titled this post as I did because when I listen to "Imagine" I really do try to imagine a world with no religion. What would it be like, who would I be without my Jewish upbringing, who would you be without a life surrounded by religion, whether or not you do or ever did subscribe to those beliefs?

"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace "

The critical #2

So here comes the moment of truth, the moment nobody has been waiting for and the world has anticipated for nearly six decades: the difficult second post. My first post since the "reboot" was literally inundated with praise from a full four people, making it- by far- the most popular blog post of my entire life. Now, I have to top that first post by making this second post even better.

Well... I haven't. I'm afraid that today the only news I have to share is that of a discussion of relationships from my skewed point of view. Having been an imaginary ladies man throughout my college career I can safely say I understand all that one would ever need to know about the female personality. And from my endless bank of womanly knowledge I have this simple piece of information to share: women are endlessly confusing.

That's right. My years of practical research and millions of dollars in funding have led me to that simple conclusion. Men are a simple bunch; we like bacon, bacon cheeseburgers, double bacon cheeseburgers and sex- there is literally nothing more to know. Women, on the other hand, don't all love bacon. This leaves the men in the world with no baseline for approaching, speaking with and crucially, living with women. My advice to men to counter this lack of a baseline is easy: act like you do, but try your best to avoid mentioning everything that you love (and that includes sex) because the less you talk about bacon, cheeseburgers and sex, the more likely a woman is to prepare you a bacon cheeseburger and follow that up with sex.

So there you have it: blog post #2. Everything a man will ever need to know about finding a woman, plus bacon. What more can I say?

I can say one more thing, it turns out. The Beatles, as usual, come into play in my life in the strangest of ways with this post. If you really, truly want to woo a woman, look no further than John Lennon. Lennon, as we know managed to not only woo the entire population of women on earth, but crucially a short Asian woman with no talent and a penchant for screaming. How can you use Lennon's brilliance to help you? Play her this, because Lennon knew what I now know thanks to him: Love plays. Love eternal.


"But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more"

We're back!

Well, after two and some change years I have decided to take up blogging once again. Spurred on by family, friends and the monster that lives in my desk drawer, I have decided that I don't care if nobody is reading: I want to blog. So welcome back, nobody, welcome back to the mind of a recent college graduate with no job, little career prospects, an undesirable degree, mediocre grades and a whole lot of optimism!

The world today, sadly, is almost as bad economically as it was when I last posted on this blog (about the economy) and improvement- while likely on the horizon- seems to be some time away. Nonetheless I am here to bring you all the news that is fit to type, or all the news I feel like sharing. Right now, I have become engrossed in the web site Reddit.com which has satisfied my need to constantly be bombarded with random information, poorly drawn comics, pictures of cats and mountains of laughter. Previously, the "entire internet" was the source of inspiration for my blog posts but now it seems Reddit may end up being the main source. Despite this I am going to try to keep things interesting by making rambling posts about my opinions rather than simply sharing relatively useless information.

Today I have one opinion to share and it is a simple one: The Beatles work can provide inspiration for any circumstance in one's life. Having graduated from college just two days prior to this post, I am feeling tremendous pressure, tremendous sadness and extreme fear for my future. Despite this, I can only think of Paul McCartney singing in "You Never Give Me Your Money" the first song in the epic B-side Medley on Abbey Road.

"Out of college, money spent. See no future, pay no rent. All the moneys gone, nowhere to go. Any jobber, got the sack. Monday morning, turning back. Yellow lorry slow, nowhere to go. But oh that magic feeling, nowhere to go. Oh that magic feeling, nowhere to go. Nowhere to go."

What is a college student to do in today's economy?

Let's face it, the economy is down the drain. Jobs are being lost, people are cutting back and congress is complaining non-stop. But what about the lowly college student? Given the situation at hand, finding a job is going to be tough, to say the least, so that is off the table. What else can you do? Have fun! Party hard, study harder (you might as well, cuz you ain't gettin a job) and spend! College students are a key consumer demographic, and this economy is begging for spending, so buy that case of bud light and order that pizza, your nation is counting on you. Don't forget that your other job as a college student is to dream big! You may not get a job now, but don't stop planning for the future. Whether this recession lasts another two months or two years, it will end sometime and when that day comes you should be ready. Like it or not, the future is in our hands, and right now the best thing any college student can do is live a lot and learn a lot, and if you can, don't hesitate to spend like crazy.

Crazy fun at St. Maartins

Uh oh...
(click on image for hi-res)

No, this is not a picture of a terrible airline disaster, or even a miraculous crash landing where everyone survives (as we recently were privileged enough to see.) This, is merely feet from the edge of the runway at Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten Island in the Bahamas. Every day at this airport, pilots play a game of chicken with bystanders on the local beach as they try to touch down on one of the shortest landing strips of any international airport. The Island itself is a popular vacation destination, and many flock to this beach to watch planes of all sizes- from small cargo properllor planes to full size 747-400s- come in to land just feet above the beach. Check out the pics, then the video, its awesome.

images
http://www.dvorak.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/st-maarten.jpg
http://www.jonco48.com/blog/airport1.jpg
http://www.aviationpics.de/prev/sxm4(1).jpg

video

"If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"

--Mark Twain


Amazing, isn't it? Its rare these days to find brilliant thinkers who can comment on whatever they choose, however they choose to do it. Had someone famous said these words today, they surely would have been somehow labeled as a bad person, as someone being prejudice. Mark Twain, in his life, could say whatever he wanted without fear. He was an honest man, and while not a Jew himself, he was able to see past the stereotypes and into an interesting reality that few people ever see. The following link is to a list of quotes by Twain on Jews, and they are some of the most interesting things I have ever read.

http://www.twainquotes.com/Jews.html