Author: sheldon

I was discussing religion with a friend a few years ago at a time when I wasn’t sure what my “true” beliefs were.  At the time I was sounding like an *atheist* and this particular friend was frightened.  It’s really hard to explain but she was convinced that I *must* believe in God and wouldn’t let the conversation go until I admitted it.  I’m pretty sure I said “Yeah, sure” but I was thinking “why does it matter?”.  The fact that she was scared was starting to scare me.  And for a long time that conversation haunted me.

Later on I decided that I didn’t believe but that I would tell the believers to put in a good word for me when they go to heaven.  That’s been my line up until recently.
Then George W. Bush comes along and I read how he’s a believer and how he “listens to God” when he makes decisions.  I didn’t know if it was true or not . . . I think I saw a clip of it . . . but it wasn’t in the news and to me it seemed like a big deal.  I figured if it was true it would come up again.

About the same time I talked to someone who *believed* that Bush was chosen by God and that all leaders are chosen by God.  WHAT!?!?  I kept quizzing and sure enough that’s what this person believed.  And they were happy that Bush listened to God (even after I said “Osama listens to God too”).  Even though there were unrelated one person believing that God “elects” the leaders was enough for me to allow for the fact that Bush did say he listens to God.

I know it’s strange but those events, along with a Time article about Richard Dawkins, convinced me that I am *not* a theist that’s for sure.   But I still don’t like the label “atheist” . . . it scares people.  It’s strange to see the look on a theist’s face when you say you’re an atheist.  I’m sure it’s not as “bad” as saying you’re gay, but it’s right up there.  Saying you’re an atheist evokes the look of discust.  A look of “so, you’re one of those”.
Seems to me being an atheist is the easy way.  You learn about science in school with facts and you don’t have to twist it all around to conform to what you learn on Sundays.   Peoples way of taking two opposing thoughts and somehow making them both true (I believe the term is “rationalizing”) always amazes me.

Before now I used to think to myself that I must be wrong about God because most people in the world are theists so I’m the oddball and somehow I’m wrong.  But Bush got reelected and he was the wrong guy (okay, that’s just a jab at Bush . . . I don’t know enough to *know* he was the wrong guy but he certainly made several mistakes . . . I don’t think he’s was trying to be malitious but I don’t think he’s exactly smart either).  So my believe in “democracy” was starting to fall apart.  Then I read that democracy works great for governments but it’s worthless in science.  I decided that democracy wasn’t a good way to decided if I *should* be a theist or not.  I mean, *most* people used to think the sun travels around the earth and that the earth was flat (though, there is debate about whether people thought that or not) but certainly a demacratic majority is not equal to truth.
So, am I an atheist?  Well, not really.  If anything I’m probably more agnostic since in general don’t care enough to gather all the evidence I need to make up my mind.  But what I do wonder is if religion is a scourge or if it does add something to humanity.  I’m not going to waist my Sundays but is it bad that other people do?

Sheldon

P.S.  I know this is rambely.  It’s late.

Okay, so what I picked up from that Agile stuff from Steve is this:

Marketing (and Sales) = Propagation (transmision) of superstition

I’ll keep that in mind next time I think I want a new iPod. Oh, and I added the sales stuff. Salespeople are the puppets of marketing, right?

I’m not sure if this was so funny because of the context or because it’s just funny but here is a quote that made me laugh more than anything I’ve seen on TV the new season (and that included The Daily Show).  This Steve guy is great.  I know he’s probably been around forever but his writing reminds me of Joel from Joel on Software.  His posts are so long though.  Doesn’t he know I have to get back to work?

Below is the quote from here:

http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/10/egomania-itself.html

When I was a teenager, my dad and my brother Mike decided to make homemade chili. I’d never seen it made before, and I watched with keen interest as they added beef, beans, some veggies and spices, and other ingredients. Dad would taste it, add some more ingredients, wait a bit, taste it again. My dad has some pretty good recipes. So you can imagine my puzzlement when he opened the cupboard, pulled out 2 cans of Hormel chili, opened them and dumped them in.

I waited a respectful moment or two before asking him why he was adding canned chili to his chili. They both said it tasted terrible, but, as my dad now-famously observed: “You can start with dog shit, and if you add enough chili, you get chili.”

A few weeks ago Sarah and I take a trip to Calgary. It was a short visit to wish her dad well in Fort McMurray and to say goodbye to Calgary since she probably won’t be back for a long time. But this isn’t about that trip. It’s about a meeting at the airport. When we arrived in Calgary Doug (Sarah’s dad) was waiting for us. He had been waiting a while since the plane got a late start. On the plane with us was an old friend of Doug’s so we waited for him to get off too. While were were waiting, Doug was telling us a story about a guy at the airport that just couldn’t sit down.

Doug said the guy was walking in circles and the only time he saw him sit down was an hour earlier and even then he was figiting in his seat. After hearing the story I kept an eye on the guy and Doug was right . . . he wouldn’t stop moving. His arms were flaining all over the place and he and he wobbled back and fourth as he walked. He didn’t seem all that old . . . I mean, I thought he was in his thirties. He was shaved bald and wearing glasses and beside the fact that he was wobbeling all over the place he just seemed like a normal guy.

For the next few minutes Sarah and Doug were talking but I couldn’t pay any attention.  I was fixated on this guy.  I watched him as he walked in circles around the various obstacles in the waiting area of the airport.  He would walk around a kiosk and then walk in the direction of the hallway where people comming off the plane would comming toward us . . . he was obviously waiting for someone.

I wish I had done it earlier but I finally got the courage to talk to him.  I just waited for him to circle around and just said “Hello, I was just wondering about you.”  I was stumbling over the words as I looked him in the eyes.  He knew exactly what I was talking about.   He said “I have Parkinsons.”

I didn’t expect that.  He didn’t look old enough.  I asked his age.  50.  I asked how long he had known.  He said he was diagnosed in 1996 but pretty much knew his fate because he had a few relatives that had the same thing.  I walked with him as he did what he had to do so he wouldn’t stiffen up.  He continued to answer my questions as I was practilly drilling him.

A few minutes after talking to him I felt like crying.  I told him that.  He said he cries a lot . . . but he also still does everything he did before he got the disease.  I asked about what thearapies he was doing and what drugs and he explained as best he could before I would interupt with another question. I asked if he still worked . . . he said no.  I asked how he paid for things and he said he was lucky for the Canadian Health Care system and also the union he was a part of at his employer.

Sarah and Doug were walking toward the door with their friends.  But the conversation was just getting started and I wished I could just stay there until whoever he was waiting for had arrived.  He told me he wasn’t married.  He talked about an organization and told me about a website and said that that alone had gotten him this far.  I wish I could remember the name.  It was something about men’s health and the name was like abc.org except I don’t know what the abc part is.

After talking to him I couldn’t stop thinking about it for the rest of the night.  And since then I think about it occasionally and hence this entry.  I learned so much during that 20 minute conversation.  I just wish we had another hour to talk.

Sheldon