Nine Statements

1) Plain logic is difficult, if not impossible, to separate from emotion; as emotion is difficult to separate from logic. They guide each other. Imagine men made of silly putty in a wrestling match. They grab each other and alter the shape of the other one. In the same way, emotions and logic (ie, explicit thoughts) guide each other. (I owe much to the late Albert Ellis for the foundation to this idea. In fact, this has been more of my interpretation of his REBT.)

2) If a person has been taught that roaches are full of disease--potentially dangerous--then he may be setting himself up for fear of roaches. And if he does feel this fear at the sight or memory of a roach, he will reinforce the negative view of roaches. However, another person, with a neutral logic about roaches, will probably have less fear and disgust. He may be fine with having a roach crawl on their arm.

3) People talk about "Crimes of Passion," or impulsive actions with negative consequences--How their actions are immediately guided by intense, sudden passion to do things that wouldn't be done in a less distraught state. I'd like to alter this statement. Though emotions may fuel actions, preexisting logic permits those actions. (Logic influences emotion in the same manner.) This is why two different people--in the same stimulating reaction--will commit different responses. Why one person will find a particular incident neutral, and another may find that same incident to be excessively negative. If a person perceives people to be generally selfish and evil, then he or she may be inclined to distrust people, because of their faults, and less likely to be open toward them for said faults--he may feel that the faults are of humanity's bad nature.

4) In the end, with this logic of humanity's worthlessness embedded in his head, the person may be inclined to observe proof to sustain that logic. He will be sensitive to negative events, however small. He will be crushed by the mildest, kindest rejections; he will sneer at the most neutral of snubs; he will read hostility in voices of little affection. Unless he catches himself to alter his thinking process, those negative thoughts become habit. His depressing view of humanity and himself will continue unless he does what he can to stop it. Like all habits, bad thinking must be stopped in the process, or it will continue. The problem is that limited, negative thinking often appears benign. They are mistaken for 'realism.' They become a big problem when SO MANY negative thoughts build up over time. This is the danger of sustained negative thinking.

5) With such a sweeping condemnation of humanity sustained, this kind of person will consider himself evil, even when he has NOT done evil things. In any case, he is painfully aware of his faults and limitations (ie. too many pimples; lack of uncertainty about how life will turn out; etc). He might find himself exaggerating these faults. After enough time, he will convince himself fully of these thoughts, regardless of how other people see him. At this point, he will be more likely to commit inappropriate acts, because he is convinced of his worthlessness. The first step toward self-destructive evil, then, is the sustained feeling of worthlessness. The destructiveness is ready to be initiated once hopelessness sets in.

6) I would like to take a moment say: avoid labels. If you wanted a God's-eye-view of people, then you need to be able to view both their actions and their thoughts. Unfortunately, we can only view their actions within the lens of our thoughts. Our thinking is limited in that we can only observe others, not read their minds. Because we not Professor X, we are in danger of negatively interpreting benign actions. So many misinterpretations can take their toll on us. Therefore, we may do better to only view actions for what they are (must view them only as best as we can), then handle our own business. We must, as Kevin Costner once said in a (shitty) movie, "Be present." We're better off focusing on our immediate environment. We will jump the hurdles when we get to them. If we return to past events, and even interpret new events in the lens of those past events, then a negative past will upset our present. If we focus on an imaginary future, then we can upset our present. In ruminating, we are in danger of limiting our current potential. What's done is done. So, don't let what happened in Arkansas fuck you up in Alabama. This goes for witnesses, plaintiffs, and defendants.

7) The only thing alcohol does is remove feelings of inhibition. It removes fear. Everything else (besides reaction time and balance) are sustained. When a drunk tells you that he loves you, "I LOVE YOU GUYS," then he really fucking loves you guys. Consider Mel Gibson. No way in hell he is NOT anti-semetic, in some way. Those are the thoughts he thinks, if he said them when drunk...and to a cop. He was definitely thinking them when was drunk. God knows if he's been thinking the word "sugartits" every time he sees a good-looking woman. Beer allows people to confidently do things they'd only confidently do when drunk, or after a change in overall point-of-view. Sometimes, only two kinds of people can be trusted to always tell the truth: drunks; and confident, (sober) honest people. They usually say what they mean. For bad and good. And bad. And good. (PS. The only time I've ever been drunk, I was in a FANTASTIC mood. "I love you guys.")

8) Love is a key to living well; and loving sucks. By love, I mean mutual unconditional respect towards people. By love, I mean 'turn the other cheek.' By love, I mean 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' And love sucks because even if one person loves another, the person being loved might show disrespect. Turning the other cheek results in two bruised cheeks. Also, it's hardest and most unpleasant for a person to love when he doesn't believe that others can love. He fears people; he fears the attempt to love. When the belief and fear are sustained, he finds himself loving less. In this state, he feels safer to be aggressive, rather than wait for things to happen. He feels safer hurting others, rather than to wait for hurt.

9) Another key to living well is attempting to keep steady. "Don't let what happened in Arkansas fuck you up in Alabama." The past can be messy, messy motherfucker. For people to live more happily, we must attempt to avoid getting shackled by the past. I'm sorry to say that the most trite cliches are the most true. We just got to worry about what what's in front of us. Be present. Now, the world doesn't have to be perfect, but we can certainly avoid unnecessary harm. And if we run into unnecessary harm? Oh, well. Sometimes the biggest roadblock to a perfect world is the fear of never reaching it.

American Rhetoric.dom

Hello,

I wanted to bring a website to your attention:

www.americanrhetoric.com

A quote

"One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine."
- The Doctor, Doctor Who

Family Pride

RAWR (ripped from Flickr.com)

Guns.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080108/ap_on_re_us/virginia_gun_laws

Virginia Governor Kaine proposed background checks for people who purchase firearms from unlicensed dealers. They need to do this in every state. Having a right to own a gun is a everyone's right, unless they've disqualified themselves.

If people need background checks at a licensed shop, they need background checks when dealing with private dealers. No way would this law "infringes on Second Amendment right" if the background checks put the patrons of unlicensed dealers at the same inconvenience that patrons of licensed dealers go through.

Stop bullshit arguments.

Dear 20th century fox

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809921354/video/5554289/;_ylt=AlrpQPyXiE6hyXAtsvwzjXNfVXcA

Dear 20th Century Fox,

I just viewed the trailer for the upcoming film, Nim's Island. I plan on viewing this film, probably not in the theatres, but as a DVD, or on TV. I plan on viewing this film because it features Jodie Foster (Inside Man), Gerard Bulter (300), and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine).

I plan to one day view this film because the trailer didn't cause space and time to implode inside of my chest. However, that is only because of the presence of Ms. Foster, Mr. Butler, and Ms. Breslin--three actors who I have much respect for. Other elements of the trailer, however, such as the crappy music and goofy sound effects, tore at my chest, so that the very fabric of reality located there almost ripped apart, creating a black hole that would suck in the entire universe. Thankfully, Ms. Foster, Mr. Butler, and Ms. Breslin saved all of creation.

Unfortunately, if I ever see a similar trailer with crappy actors, our lives may once again be put in danger. I write this letter to tell you to cease using, in your trailers, annoying music aimed at children. Every time you release a children's movie and trailer that includes this kind of music, you endanger us all.

However, I fear that you will refuse to heed my warning because the music included in these trailers are so crappy that the royalties are cheap, and because the royalties are so cheap, you use the music for years. Some of these songs were okay on the first hearing, but having heard them in various trailers since no later than 1995, they, too, threaten to create a black hole in my chest. Therefore, I believe that, within the decade, all matter will meet itself in an impossibly small point in space that my heart had been occupying. Please prove me wrong. You bastards.

Sincerely,

Alberto Luperon

A speech, 1st draft, written by a drunk man

Dear Leroy and Mei,

Our society places a high standard on looks and money in relationships. Yet, even the most attractive and richest people have trouble keeping married. Many marriages end in divorce.

That is it’s so nice that you too are getting married. I am not saying you two are ugly. Our friends will agree when I state that you are among the most attractive people around. For example, like Kobe Bryant and Lucy Liu. I mean to say that it is nice that this is an interracial marriage, and most marriages are between people of the same race. This highlights the fact that you two really love each other, which you still would if you were of other kinds of races, as long as you had the same personalities.

I hope the sex is good. They say black men have the biggest penises, and asian men have the smallest. If the latter is true, then asian women will have the smallest vaginas. I hope these circumstances result in a pleasurable wedding night.

To a point. I mean to say that I hope that his penis is small enough, and her vagina big enough that sex remains comfortable. If his penis is too big, or her’s too small, then sex will be uncomfortable. I have met a man whose penis was so large that casual sex with women became painful for the women. Many of his relationships ended soon after the first instance of sex. This resulted in depression for him. For the last two years, he has had trouble keeping jobs. In fact, I have not seen or heard of him for weeks, now. I am worried.

Yet, nonetheless, I hope Leroy’s penis is the right fit for Mei’s vagina. I mean to that they his penis is small enough, and her vagina big enough that sex avoids painful. However, I hope his penis is big enough that he remains proud and Mei’s vagina small enough that she remains content. A man wants a big enough penis to feel proud, and a woman wants a vagina tight enough to feel fine with how it looks. No woman wants a vagina with beef jerky flaps. No man wants a vagina like that, either.

Yet, those vaginae help during birth. They lessen the pain for the mother because of the child's big head. A flexible vagina will help the mother during the long, painful labor, unless she gives birth to a headless child.

I wish my penis was bigger. Sometimes, I worry about pleasuring women during sex. They say they don’t mind, but I know that some of them are lying.

I have never seen Leroy’s penis.
I have never seen Mei's vagina, Leroy.
I am only guessing. I hope you two have a long, happy marriage, until death.

With much love,

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Links to news articles

Life sucks in Kenya
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080106/ap_on_re_af/kenya_on_the_brink

Life sucks out west
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080106/ap_on_re_us/winter_storm

The most interesting thing about Staten Island: The Ninja Bandit
http://wcbstv.com/local/staten.island.ninja.2.624099.html

Two Hypotheses

1) Immoral acts by “religious” people stem from aspects of the person, not of the religious text. From what I’ve heard, most criticism against organized religion roughly states that religion (the Abrahamic religions in particular) justify immoral acts such as genocide. For instance, certain statements made in the Qur’an calling for a defense of the faith, and stories in the Tenakh (Old Testament) about the Israelites eliminating entire tribes seem to prove these critics right. The passages can be interpreted as calling for mass murder.

I believe, instead, that elements in the environment and the personal thoughts of person cause these immoral acts (which are immoral by a conventional 21st century American viewpoint). For example, if Europeans with guns come to Africa, and their economy can be boosted by the use of slaves, they will be tempted to use the Africans for this purpose. Yes, Europeans and Americans used the idea that Africans could be enslaved because they were thought to be descended from Ham, but this use of the idea was stimulated by greed. While religion certainly has an effect (which is difficult to quantify), the opportunities in the environment play a stronger role than the religious text. Religion is secondary, though its presence is constant.
People, not their words, are the direct cause of evil.

2) If black people had the opportunity, they would have enslaved whites.
The way it actually occurred was all a matter of opportunity, and chance. People are people. One blood--for better and worse.