This political season is turning me increasingly bitter as other peoples’ points of view clash with my own on a daily basis. I get a vicarious release through Maher’s rants. My friend Julian tipped me off to the video, and below are his astute comments:
i think it becomes essential that we differentiate “meaning” from projected fantasy – an intelligent and honest search for meaning doesn’t stop at made-up place holders, but rather pushes bravely forward and looks into the meaning of “meaning” as well, as part of the inquiry – it also dares to face the existential abyss, death, meaningless suffering etc.. and in light of that contrast goes deeper into “meaning” – finding perhaps love, generosity, integrity, awareness, truth, beauty, goodness etc as being more deeply meaningful precisely because the made-up place-holder religious fantasies are bankrupt, we all die at the end, millions suffer for no reason and evolution is an imperfect miracle.
is there something spiritual? yes. but it is found in an ever deepening embrace of our humanity, mortality and imperfection, as well as a genuine sense of awe for life itself and the kosmos at large (as revealed by broad scientific method in all four quadrants) – none of this requires the “spiritual” fantasy of afterlife, discarnate beings or a big parental god responsible for the majestic catastrophe around and within us. though many believe these things in ways that seem on the surface to enhance their personalities and actions, i would argue that these beliefs (because of their delusional nature and projection of meaning and sacredness into a non-existent domain) actually cheapen and desacralize human existence – as evidenced by the extreme version of their consequences on the world stage.
we still haven’t grown up.
but lets keep this on track with the real issue, beyond the philosophizing:
george bush believes that god has given him instruction on how to enact foreign policy.
john mccain believes in the transcendent struggle of our time between good and evil against the forces of islamic terrorism. (so do they)
palin thinks the war in iraq is us doing god’s work and that women who are raped or incested should have to pay for their own $1200 “rape kits” to test their claims and should not have the choice of an abortion because she believes life begins at conception and abortion breaks god’s commandment against murder.
all three of these high profile leaders (as well as the Islamic fundamentalist extremist they oppose) find “meaning ” in their metaphysical fantasy faith. but it is a phoney “meaning” and we should not dignify it.
now they have a “right to believe” whatever they would like but a) this has no place in politics and governance and b) our culture needs to wake up and see that these kind of crazy beliefs should actually disqualify someone from having access to the kind of power that the u.s. president has over our lives and history itself….rather than make them (falsely) appear decent, spiritual and patriotic.
Ze Frank talks with host Jesse Thorn about creativity, what works on the internet and why, and being a traffic whore. Plus a whole lot of other stuff, like rubbing his head on the microphone.
Recorded at The Sound of Young America Live!, June 2008 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, as part of Sketchfest NYC. Videography by Benjamin Ahr Harrison.
Ze Frank did a daily video blog called “The Show” for exactly one year, from March 2006 – March 2007. I stumbled upon his site a few months into “The Show,” and I was so impressed that I spent hours watching every back-episode. This was right after spending my biggest tax refund ever on my first “real” computer and beginning my own blog. It came as no surprise to discover that Ze was about my age and grew up just minutes from my hometown in upstate New York. However far from home I’ve roamed, I always seem to connect up with people from the homeland.
Ze’s work still inspires me because it shows what is possible when people challenge themselves to do something with the full force of their creative energies. Check it out.
One could structure an entire graduate-level curriculum around this year’s political season. I am particularly fascinated by the different ways people arrive at various positions, form opinions, and make important decisions as 21st Century world citizens. It seems clear that a very significant percentage of Americans are not going to vote this November based on a thoughtful consideration of issues and policy differences. Frankly, this disgusts me. 90% of African Americans voting for Obama over Clinton in some areas during the primary? Clinton supporters voting for McCain in the general election? You gotta be kidding me. And that’s just the B.S. on the left. Step to the right and your other shoe will get a thick coating. The Sarah Palin nomination? Enough said.
While conservative types seem fine with faith-based policy making (as long as it’s THEIR faith), the more progressive types tend to put their faith in science. Take Joe Biden, for instance. His believes, as a Catholic, that life begins at conception. Yet he recognizes that we live in a pluralistic society, and it would be inappropriate to impose (through legislation) his faith-based view on other reasonable, ethical people with different beliefs. Yet Biden IS willing to legislate that addiction be recognized as a disease (via his “Recognizing Addiction as a Disease Act of 2007). And here he has the backing of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and prominent scientists and healthcare professionals all across the country. It would be easy to arrive at the conclusion that “Science” is indeed moving toward a consensus that everything from inattention in children to depression in adults is fundamentally a matter of brain dysfunction or disease. But can “Science” be relied on here? I wouldn’t take it on faith.
Admittedly, I have a fondness for thinkers who take on the status quo. For now, I would like to highlight two of my favorites who have each recently posted interesting pieces on their respective blogs. First, check out Stanton Peele’s perspective on Joe Biden’s addiction legistation. Peele has a very unconventional yet quite reasonable perspective on addiction, one which has not been taken seriously enough, in my opinion (I have been a mental health professional for fifteen years). Then we have Ben Goldacre, who rails against the “Medicalisation of Everyday Life” and the unscrupulous use of science to support bogus conclusions.
The older I get, the more I understand why we long to be in the company of those who share our beliefs. I choose certain friends. I watch certain TV shows. I visit certain websites. An illusion of consensus is generated, one that can be very comforting in this life fraught with uncertainty. I’m also coming to understand how differences in opinion and perspective can freak us out, make us extremely upset, and even drive us to aggressive and self-destructive actions. Threaten my core beliefs and you may as well be pointing a gun at my head. At least that’s how it can feel sometimes.
I am both fascinated and horrified by the lack of mutual understanding on display everywhere — between countries, religions, political parties, neighbors, spouses — and by the tenuousness of the ties that somehow hold the works together enough so that many of us can still live in relative peace and harmony.
The possibility of change through authentic relationship is what drives me to carry on, and it’s what inspires me to write, dialogue, and create. As I get settled in to my new life in North Carolina, I’m hoping to weave together the loose threads of my many interests and intentions, both here on this blog and in my daily life. There’s something connecting all this stuff about politics, religion, psychology, music, humor, etc., and it has something to do with the possibility of what my friend Julian Walker calls a “21st Century Spirituality.”
This is just a rambling way of clarifying my thoughts in the midst of a hectic couple of weeks. One of these days I will engage this blog thing with some focus and commitment.
