On the Nature of Social Media Pandemics, or... One Socialized "Friendship" Inevitably Leads to Another

That's the thing about people, you know. You make (or simply maintain a friendship with) one person, and that at first seemingly harmless social interaction often leads to being forced, or otherwise obliged, to interact with a whole host of others that you may actually end up wishing you hadn't gotten involved with in the first place.

Which can all turn out to be great, of course. But other times, all that goofy socializing actually ends up being a distinct detriment. For example, I worked with a guy whom I actually more or less liked a number of years ago. Nice guy. A reasonably smart guy even - as more or less intelligent people go, that is. The only problem was that he was also a dyed-in-the-wool, fancy "atheist."

Which was fine, really. I mean, that's what I thought at first anyway. Because someone doesn't have to agree with me about everything all the time, right? I mean, what fun would life even be if everyone agreed with us all the time? How would anyone learn anything new? How could we grow as human beings if we didn't encounter others who make us think? I mean, really think.

So at first, I was like, okay, to each his own. Believe or don't believe whatever you want. It's all good, right? Well... not for me in this particular case, anyway. Because this one die-hard atheist friend led to me accepting the friendship of yet another atheist. Which was also fine at first glance. Except that this other atheist was one of those especially vocal sorts. You know, the kind that seems to not be happy unless they're making or sharing hateful Internet memes that disparage Christians in particular.

Yeah, that kind of atheist. The kind that makes all the rest look like sadistic, anarchist monsters with a bug up their itchy, filthy, arrogant buttocks. The kind that just can't not believe in God or an Afterlife, and then... just shut up about it. The kind of person that seems to feel the need to put down anyone with a little faith. The kind of cruel, mean-spirited douchebag who delights in making cracks about the supposed absurdity of a virgin birth. The kind of... well, you get the idea.

So then, within just a few days, I kid you NOT, a whole slew of these other atheist dudes sent me friend requests on Facebook! But, in my characteristic patience, or perhaps fancy-ass magnanimity, I was still like, okay, keep calm, and be "tolerant." Remember now, if you can respect their opinions and beliefs, then they can certainly respect yours. Right?

Uh... nope. Didn't work out quite that way, unfortunately. Nope. Uh-uh. No way, no how, Jose! Not on your life, buddy! No, in fact, before I knew it, my Facebook "news feed" was suddenly inundated with dozens of really offensive and downright condescending and mean memes. Crude jokes about Jesus galore! Horribly irreverent and even sometimes outright obscene depictions of Christ, nuns, priests, and the total disparaging of anything Christian imaginable! Just a constant barrage of rude, insensitive, and just plain intolerant commentary about people of faith in general.

Yet very seldom, if ever, any disparaging remarks and irreverent blaspheming about Muslims or even Buddhists. Not that I particularly want to see that kind of venomous bile being spewed by constantly needling, ankle-biting know-it-all worms like that either, mind you, but it really made me think: What gives? I mean, what the heck is their problem anyway? Why be so nasty? I mean, some people like chocolate ice cream, while others prefer vanilla, right? So... so what! "Live and let live." But that's obviously not what these particular atheists were after.

So finally, one day I just had had enough. So I went to my big, fancy Facebook "friend" list and I just started picking those nasty little buggers off. I just went to town, and unfriended the hell out of the whole stinking lot of them. Good riddance! I mean, who really needs that kind of negativity anyway, right?

So now, I watch, or listen to, daily masses on Youtube. I enjoy the priest or deacon's homily, and I don't give a big flying crap who doesn't like it. Because quite often, even just one bad apple really can spoil the whole darn bunch.

And I don't know about anybody else, but although it is certainly possible to make bitter vinegar from fermented apples, and although vinegar too, most definitely has its uses, it is infinitely wiser, I have found, to keep your spoiled rotten fruit well away from the cream of the crop - lest it too become hopelessly tainted.

On the Nature of New Age "Star" Religions and Other Forms of Consumer Driven, Pop Culture Mythology

Graven images from the Star Wars Universe! Oh my!

Contrary to popular, "modern," Western (and communist Chinese and Russian) belief (the latest pseudo-bright CULTural idea to come down the societal pike), religion in and of itself has NOT been solely "responsible for all the world's wars down through history." That's actually a socialist, Marxist idea, that, when put into proper perspective, is actually kinda stupid (simple minded, at the very least) when you think about it. Because mankind does not need religion to split up into warring factions, or to discriminate on the basis of "race," or anything else for that matter.

Nor is it always about "oil" or natural resources. On the contrary, there are all sorts of reasons why, in the real world, people come into conflict with one another. Usually, it's not just one reason, but a whole slew of reasons! Sometimes, people have simply fought over who should be "the rightful heir to the throne." No "blood for oil" or "my religion is best" required. Just good old/bad old human conflict. Like in the Star Wars Universe!

In fact, there has been war and conflict in the Far East many times throughout human history, without the significant presence of any of the Abrahamic faiths -- Judaism, Christianity, OR Islam -- ALL of which are part of the same family, let us not forget. Hell! There was war on the North American, South American, and Australian continents (and even among the tiny islands of the rest of Oceania) before the "evil" whites got to any of those places.

Duh.

Take away, or "ban" any human societal construct (society, device, etc), and there will still be some sort of internecine strife of one form or another. People will still jockey for power, face (fame), and Money Almighty. And to that end perhaps, 20th and 21st century science fiction and fantasy "creators" ("modern" mass media wizards and magicians) have been busy for quite some time now, conjuring up tons of all powerful mythologies (would be religions) to woo the masses into following their pseudo-godlike lead.

Not to even mention Tolkien (though I suppose I just did), in just this past century alone, we have seen the likes of the "Great Bird of the Galaxy" himself; as Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, became known. Even well before he passed away on October 24, 1991, the man had become a sort of messianic, modern, secular Moses type, ever leading the scientific faithful into a bold, ever "optimistic" future, where mankind has supposedly finally solved all sorts of social problems.

Of course, it's hard to say for absolute sure if the devoted following the very name Roddenberry still engenders to this very day among millions of devoted Star Trek fans truly went to the man's head, but all the fan boy adoration might just have helped to make him more and more intractable about particulars in the Star Trek Universe "Bible" as the Trek fan phenomenon grew and grew in popularity over the years. This was particularly evident while "the Great Bird" was reportedly lording over the writing staff of the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series.

And what about that great conjurer of Disney movies, and the multi-billion dollar theme parks and mountains of accompanying merchandise that dear old Walt helped to pioneer? All of that still enthralls the faithful among us, does it not? And that other guy who came later on.... What's his name? The one who has inspired so many creative people to help him tell so many tales about that galaxy far, far away. Yes, the still very much mortal, George Lucas. That guy. When he eventually becomes a "Force Ghost," I am soooo gonna hang out with that spectral dude! Oh yes!

And, perhaps most interesting of all, that L. Ron Hubbard guy, the science fiction author of "Scientology" that, even though he may have thought he was rejecting old world mysticism, still managed to end up playing pretty much the same old god game when it was all said and done. Nah! Scientology is everything numero uno Scientologist Tom Cruise seems to sincerely believe it is, right? Well, right...?

Hmm.

Even Glen A. Larson's Battlestar Galactica (the original AND the 2004 version) had more than an ungodly share of "star" religious content, after all. As many folks know, Mr. Larson was a Mormon. And there's plenty of good old American mythology where that came from, eh? But the original series was a helluva lot of fun for yours truly when I was a kid. Heck! I still love that show an awful lot. Though often accused of being a rip off artist, Glen Larson was a genius, as far as I'm concerned. Or... a prophet maybe! Uh... no. NO. Scratch that. Uh, no.

Either way, the religious overtones of the original Battlestar Galactica series never bothered me a bit. It's the good old fashioned Power of Myth, people! In fact, I have always thought that it actually made the series much more powerful than it would have been without all the "religious mumbo jumbo." Sort of like the Force of Star Wars, I guess! 'Cause, come on, without that aspect of the Star Wars saga, all you're really left with is "good guys" and "bad guys" beating the tar out of one another all the time. Like in professional wrestling. And seriously, if that kind of mindless squabbling really floats your boat, just get involved in politics already, will ya. Bleh!

Even "re-imagined" show runners Ronald D. Moore and David Eick got all religious on us poor fan boys and girls!

So... THINK. Think it all through, all you smartypants of the collective human race! If you really are as smart as you fancy your fancy (geeky) pants, you'll plainly see that this equation really ain't that hard to solve. And think for your own damn self while you're at it, huh? But then, it is a prerequisite of many religions (though perhaps not all), that one must follow blindly. Hmm.

A staggering number of people in the UK and other countries have actually begun to identify "Jedi" as their religion

So, to me, this is all actually rather interesting. And funny. Funny "ha ha" sort of amusing, AND funny "strange," too. For example, many people who LOVE Star Wars, and couldn't live without seeing the latest movie, or collecting all the latest licensed merchandise based on the franchise, still, for some odd reason, HATE, HATE, HATE its creator, George Lucas. Hmm. Do we even know WHY that is, we star lost and star struck fan boys and girls?

What if.... What if, it's simply because George Lucas is so incredibly clever (or chock full of dumb luck?), that he actually managed to create something so powerful, so mythic, so timelessly EPIC, and of such towering social and commercial proportions, that he will have our geeky little panties in a bunch over it for the rest of our natural born lives? What then?

Hmm.

And many of us probably don't even fully understand how or why good old Mr. Lucas managed to pull such a colossal fast one on us like that! Well, speaking for myself, I personally still like and respect "Uncle George" -- though I certainly am no worshiper of that particular mortal man by any means. But anyway, if you do hate poor old King George, don't be too hard on him or yourself. You're "a consumer," after all. We all are, aren't we? So... consume! Better yet, continue to be consumed by all things Star Wars. Disney (the HUGE company, not necessarily the Force Ghost of Uncle Walt) will certainly be quite happy if you do.

Me? I'm not taking the red or the blue pill (or necessarily choosing the red or the blue light saber), thank you very much. For me, it's no batteries (or drugs - as in, Marx's mental opiates) required, kids. But, may the Force be with us all this holiday season. And as Charles Dickens and his wonderfully timeless literary creation Tiny Tim so aptly put it, "God bless us everyone." And make sure you go and see The Force Awakens now! Or you'll surely be nothing but an old "humbug." Or a Star Wars Universe heretic at the very least.

Happy Easter!

So I'm not an atheist. I know some people who think that that means I'm really stupid, childish or superstitious, but personally, I think it's pretty arrogant to just one day up and declare that you think there's no God, and when we all die, absolutely nothing happens. Except the usual scientifically proven stuff, of course, like decomposition of the human body and all that.

Well... I mean, I think a person has every right to say that they don't believe in anything they want to, but many of the people who get really vocal about it are often very angry and intolerant, and they're just using all the clear and present holes in most popular religions to obfuscate the fact that they are in fact, whether they want to admit or not, just plain intolerant. Just as, or even more intolerant and hard headed in fact, than the religious people they love to put down. They're also, whether they realize it or not, not very supportive of religious freedom - which is a basic tenant of any true democracy.

Of course, I've had moments in my life when I've thought that maybe there is no God. I think most people have had those thoughts from time to time in their life. Again... whether they admit it or not.  We all get down sometimes. We all get discouraged and disillusioned, especially when things aren't going our way. After all, there is a lot of suffering and cruelty in the world, and if you really focus on it, life can be extremely disheartening. Sort of makes a person want to pray... or prey upon those who do, maybe. Whatever the case may in fact be, I think it's a little silly to think that choosing to not believe in something that seems far fetched (based on current, ever changing levels of scientific knowledge) makes anyone necessarily better than anyone else.

But please don't polarize the issue for me, thank you very much! I'm also not especially religious. So even though I do believe in all sorts of things, I don't believe in getting too involved in any type of group-centric behavior. I don't do political parties or cults as a general rule. I do believe in karma, the focusing of positive energies, and the genuine power of prayer, but like a lot of people, I've personally witnessed and experienced some very negative aspects of organized religion. You know, the same stuff that makes some atheists get so mean and intolerant. Overall however, I think religion, and having religious freedom is extremely important in any society.

No, you don't have to say "Merry Christmas" to me, or even "God bless you" when I sneeze, but who is anyone to tell me or anyone else that they shouldn't be able to say anything like that to anyone else? Or say a kid can't say the Pledge of Allegiance with the word God among the verses?  Anyway... HAPPY EASTER!  I believe in some things, and don't believe in others. Just like everybody else. And I don't know everything. Just like everybody else. Whether they admit it or not.  And what I do or don't believe in, just makes me human. And flexible, really. Because if nature teaches us anything, it is that rigidity kills. Living creatures that cannot adapt and change must eventually die out.

Anyway, I'm not sitting permanently on anybody's hotly contested fence, or firmly entrenched on either side of it. I make up my own mind, based on any and all of the information that's out there.  Regardless of whether any church, state or highfalutin scientific establishment outright dismisses it from the get go. I have free will. I choose to believe or not to believe as I see fit. Because most of all, what I really believe, is that true rationality, true sanity, lies somewhere between any and all extremes.