tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9908604.post8564830384127323840..comments2024-03-01T00:27:42.852-08:00Comments on Hammer Of The Blogs: Swept AwayHeywood J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05627748699423939682noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9908604.post-49919873579059531922007-10-30T00:33:00.000-07:002007-10-30T00:33:00.000-07:00"I'm sorry, but I think it's a good thing that the..."I'm sorry, but I think it's a good thing that these folks find themselves disempowered for a while"<BR/><BR/>"disempowered"? Pardon me, but how about disemboweled?<BR/><BR/>What chaps my ass more than anything is that these wizards retain their tax exempt status while politicking from the pulpit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9908604.post-92111917052041935772007-10-29T11:14:00.000-07:002007-10-29T11:14:00.000-07:00I think that what really bugs me about these peopl...<I>I think that what really bugs me about these people is how they cheapen the notion of the truly spiritual. I don't personally believe this stuff, but it seems that it should be about cultivating a sense of wonder that there might be a binding force out there greater than oneself, not getting balls-up over political circuses and scanning teammates' lockers for Playboys.</I><BR/><BR/>That's why I personally prefer the terms "philosophical", "reflective", or "contemplative" to "spiritual", which to me is just a vague, evasive, noncomittal way of believing the same old bullshit. I've never once met a person who described themselves that way and actually had anything interesting or original to say. Same metaphysics, same ethics, same mind/body dualism and the same old tired prosaicisms. But just because they don't go to church or rely on one particular tradition, instead treating all the world's religions as a Whitman's Sampler there for the discerning American consumer to pick through and accessorize their inner life, they tend to have a somewhat fatuous self-satisfaction that annoys the hell out of me (if you hadn't noticed).<BR/><BR/>To be crystal clear: I'm not defending quote-unquote organized religion; I'm just adding that the much ballyhooed alternative really ain't much different. Point taken about the crassness of what most people seem to think God wants them to spend their time doing, of course. Though it's unfortunately not confined to Christianity; I remember reading a Buddhist magazine years ago that had a debate going on over the course of a few issues regarding whether or not sex was a distraction from enlightenment, and there were way too many ascetics wrinkling their noses at anything remotely earthly for my taste. They seemed like they'd be just as content sniffing around people's bedrooms or protesting sex toys as any fundamentalist Christian.<BR/><BR/>I think the Sphinx, from the movie <A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132347/quotes" REL="nofollow">Mystery Men</A>, is one of the best parodies of the kind of thing I'm griping about:<BR/><BR/>Blue Raja: Well, there's The Sphinx. <BR/>Mr. Furious: Who? <BR/>Blue Raja: The Sphinx. <BR/>The Shoveler: Yeah, I've heard of this guy. He's a big crime-fighter down east. <BR/>Mr. Furious: What's his power? <BR/>Blue Raja: Well, he's terribly mysterious. <BR/>Mr. Furious: That's his power, he's mysterious? <BR/>Blue Raja: He's TERRIBLY mysterious, actually. <BR/>The Shoveler: Yeah, plus he can cut guns in half with his mind. <BR/><BR/>The Sphinx: When you care what is outside, what is inside cares for you. <BR/><BR/>He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions.<BR/><BR/>You must lash out with every limb, like the octopus who plays the drums. <BR/><BR/>To learn my teachings, I must first teach you how to learn.<BR/><BR/>You must be like wolf pack, not six-pack. <BR/><BR/>When you can balance a tack hammer on your head, you will head off your foes with a balanced attack.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com